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Dreamy lake amid Central Highlands forests

Lak lake in Lien Son township of Lak district can be reached by travelling along National Road 27 for about 55 km from downtown Buon Ma Thuot, which is the capital of Dak Lak province in the Central Highlands.



It is the largest freshwater lake in the Central Highlands, and the second one in Vietnam following Ba Be lake in northern Bac Kan province. With a total area of about 6.2 sq.m, the lake is 500 m above sea level.

Lak lake largest freshwater lake in the Central Highlands, and the second one in Vietnam following Ba Be lake in Bac Kan (Photo: nhandan.vn)



Lak lake is surrounded by mountains and hills, of note by the Chu Yang Sin in its upper region whose peak is 2,442 m above sea level. The mountain is home to pristine forests with a diversity of flora and fauna. Therefore, Lak lake is hardly ever dry up, even in dry season in the Central Highlands.



Taking a look from above, the water surface is vast and calm, and shows reflections of mountains and forests, creating a spectacular and picturesque landscape.



The lake is surrounded by expanding rice paddies mingled with villages of the Mnong ethnic group that have been there for generations, which uphold the original charm of the Central Highlands.



Mnong people conserve numerous traditional traits and take care of 17 elephants, dubbed a symbol of the region.



Located on a dreamy hill next to the lake is a private mansion of King Bao Dai, the final King of the Nguyen dynasty which is also the last feudal dynasty of Vietnam. The King often stopped by the mansion with his family when he travelled to Buon Ma Thuot for hunting or leisure.



It is a three-story mansion which was built under modern architectural style, as all rooms have wide windows looking out for all sides.



Lak lake can be seen from the mansion, as well as ancient villages of Mnong people laying between forests and rice paddies, adorning the beauty of the lake.

The lake has become a well-known tourist destination in Dak Lak in particular and the Central Highlands at large. A large number of domestic and foreign tourists travel to the lake each year to enjoy its charm and explore cultural characteristics of Mnong people.



This year, few visitors came to the site due to the impacts of COVID-19, but the landscape and peoples lives remain peaceful and simple, coupled with a tinge of mystery.


UNESCOs campaign promoting girls education attracts over 50 entries

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) on October 1 wrapped up the #KeepingGirlsinthePicture - "For a future picture with girls" campaign, which drew over 50 inspiring stories.



UNESCO launched the communication campaign on social networks in early August by collecting and spreading stories from the community about the importance of education in life.



The stories include those penned by people from ethnic minority groups of Vietnam like Tay, Thai, Ede and HMong, who are in different lines of work.



They featured girls who have surmounted difficulties and prejudice to not give up and realise their own dreams.



The campaign earned nearly 300,000 reaches in Facebook, which is among the leading social media platforms in Vietnam.









Students at a Vietnamese school pose for a group photo (Photo courtesy of the organisers)

According to UNESCO, the COVID-19 pandemic has closed schools and caused the largest disruption of education in history. More than 1.5 billion students are affected by the pandemic worldwide, of which more than 767 million are girls.



The organisation estimated that more than 11 million female students  from preschool to university  might not return to school last year.



The global campaign #KeepingGirlsinthePicture - "For a future picture with girls" aimed to ensure that girls' learning is not disrupted during school closures, promoting a safe environment for them when educational institutions reopen and calls for efforts to protect the progress made in their education.



In Vietnam, the campaign was implemented within the framework of the project "We are able (Achieving a better living and education)", which was implemented by UNESCO in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Training and the National Assemblys Committee for Ethnic Minorities Affairs, with the support of CJ Group of the Republic of Korea. It aimed to improve access to education of ethnic minority girls in Ha Giang, Ninh Thuan, and Soc Trang provinces.
Vietnam supports equitable COVID-19 vaccine distribution, human rights protection

Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN has underlined that it is necessary to enhance global solidarity, promote the production and equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccine at a reasonable cost in a timely and universal manner across the world.



He made the statement during a deliberation of the Third Committee - Social, Humanitarian & Cultural Issues of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) chaired by Ambassador Mohamed Siad Doualeh (Djibouti), which will run from September 30 to November 19, within the 76th session of the UNGA.

Quy took the occasion to express Vietnams gratitude to partners, international organisations and people of countries worldwide for their support to Vietnam's fight against COVID-19.



To recover better and leave no one behind, he laid stress on a need for transitional leadership and strong political will, stating that recovery policies must ensure sustainability and inclusion.



Short-, mid- and long-term measures need to place people at the centre, with a focus on poverty reduction and hunger elimination, education and healthcare provision for all, he added.



The Ambassador affirmed that human rights protection is for all countries interest and the promotion and protection of human rights should be based on constructive approach and dialogues.

In addition to not intervening in internal affairs, countries should respect territorial integrity and political independence in line with principles of the UN Charter and international law, as well as respect historical, social and cultural conditions, along with the context of nations' development.

Civil rights and political, economic, social and cultural rights or those for development must be treated as equal.



The Ambassador reiterated that promoting and protecting human rights are of top priority, an ultimate goal and momentum for Vietnams sustainable development.



He touched on Vietnam' achievements in the fields in recent times, as well as the countrys commitments to engaging in dialogues and cooperation with UN bodies, special rapporteurs and independent experts of the UN Human Rights Council, in order to protect and promote human rights.



Participating countries said that they encounter obstacles in socio-economic development and vaccine access, especially African nations.



Furthermore, they expressed their concern about difficulties facing women, children, the elderly and people with disabilities, together with those of ethnic groups and immigrants.
US supports Vietnam with additional nearly 1.5 million Covid-19 vaccine doses

The US has donated an additional 1,499,940 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine to assist Vietnam in its fight against Covid-19.













Vietnam receives a batch of Covid-19 vaccine donated by the US through the COVAX Facility on July 10, 2021. Photo by UNICEF Vietnam.

According to the US Embassy in Vietnam, the vaccine batch was sent directly from the Pfizer manufacturing plant in Kalamazoo, Michigan through the COVAX Facility.



This was the third Covid-19 vaccine batch sent by the US through the COVAX Facility to Vietnam, raising the total number of vaccine doses donated by the country to Vietnam to 7.5 million.



The US and Vietnam have continued to build on our longstanding cooperation with more than USD1 billion US investment in Vietnams health infrastructure to strengthen the nations capacity to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition to these donations of 7.5 million Covid-19 vaccine doses, the US has committed more than USD26.7 million in Covid-19 related assistance to Vietnam since the start of the pandemic.



The US is the largest single country contributor to COVAX Facility, and through the US Agency for International Development, the US government has contributed USD4 billion to support COVAXs procurement and delivery of Covid-19 vaccines to 92 low- and middle-income economies.
German lawmakers to face no party whip on gay marriage, Merkel says

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday she will allow members of her Christian Democrat (CDU) party to vote freely on any gay marriage bill that comes before the Bundestag.

GALLERY

German lawmakers to face no party whip on gay marriage, Merkel says

Berlin (dpa) - Speaking after meeting with her party, she said a decision on introducing marriage equality for same-sex couples was a matter of conscience and for individual lawmakers to decide, therefore she was removing the party whip for the vote.The head of the CDU group in the Bundestag, Volker Kauder, called on as many of his colleagues as possible to vote.Those who reject the idea that same-sex couples should enjoy the full rights of heterosexual marriage should be respectful of others opinions, Kauder added.Lawmakers from the CDUs Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), will also be able to vote freely on introducing gay marriage.The CSU continues to oppose extending marriage to same-sex couples, the party said after a telephone conference with the party leadership in Munich."Nevertheless we have respect and understanding if CSU members of the Bundestag, following their conscience, make a dissenting decision during a vote in the German lower house," a statement from the party said, adding that the party whip had been lifted for the issue.Rival parties seized on comments made by Merkel on Monday, when she appeared to back away from her partys opposition to gay marriage during an interview broadcast on German television.Merkel said during the interview she was hoping for a discussion on marriage equality that would be conducted with dignity, and called it "a question of conscience."Following Merkels comments, lawmakers from the SPD and from the opposition Greens and The Left (Die Linke) demanded a vote take place this week.Martin Schulz, Merkels chief opponent in the race for the chancellory in Septembers elections, said Tuesday his party would push for a parliamentary vote on the issue with or without Merkel and her conservatives.Schulz, the Social Democratic (SPD) party leader, said his party would present a draft law on marriage equality to the Bundestag this week, the last week of the current parliamentary session.The SPD would forge ahead and discuss next steps at a meeting on Tuesday, Schulz said, but added that he hoped his coalition partners in the CDU and CSU would cooperate on drafting the law.Schulz said Merkel had made a move to which he and his party were responding. "We are now taking her at her word," he said.Schulz appeared to come unstuck when he stumbled on his wording during questioning from the German media and spoke of "marriage with everyone" instead of "marriage for everyone.""Firstly let me just address marriage with everyone: I know quite specific women that I would certainly not marry," he later said.The CDU and CSU have repeatedly blocked efforts to introduce full marriage equality for same-sex couples despite overwhelming public support for the move.Same-sex couples are currently able to register civil partnerships in Germany.A marriage equality law is expected to easily pass, especially now that the conservatives have removed the party whip. The CDU/CSU alliance has said it is explicitly against a vote before the Bundestag elections on September 24.Parliaments judiciary committee has deferred the issue 30 times already."There is no need for a rushed decision," Michael Grosse-Broemer, who leads the CDU/CSU group in the Bundestag, said Tuesday."Germany has other problems entirely," CDU lawmaker Peter Ramsauer said. "The CDU leadership should take care not to destroy the last conservative values."
EU opens Serbia's first membership negotiation chapters

Serbia's negotiations on EU membership began in earnest on Monday with the opening of the country's first two accession chapters in a move aimed at rewarding Belgrade for improving relations with Kosovo.

GALLERY

European Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn (L), Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic (C) and Foreign Minister of Luxembourg Jean Asselborn (R) at the start of an EU-Serbia intergovernmental accession conference, in Brussels, Belgium, 14 December 2015.

European Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn gives a press conference at the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, 01 December 2015

Brussels (dpa) - Serbia and its erstwhile breakaway province have made important progress towards normalizing their relations, following a brief war in 1999, during years of talks overseen by the European Union. Both have been offered closer EU ties in return."This opening is a decisive step towards the EU," said Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency. It would not have been possible without the "courageous decisions" taken by Belgrade, he added."This is an important and big day for us, one of those days when we are writing the pages of our history," said Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, following talks in Brussels. "We do not have to dream dreams any more about the EU. All we have to do is work hard."During a plenary session at Kosovo"s parliament in Pristina, Kosovo, 14 December 2015, opposition lawmakers threw tear gas. Kosovo"s opposition political parties protest against the agreements that has been reached in Brussels during the EU-brokered dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia.The chapters opened Monday cover financial control and the delicate issue of relations between Serbia and Kosovo, whose independence Belgrade does not recognize. They are two out of 35 areas in which Serbia must fall in line with EU law. Vucic has pledged to meet all of Brussels membership requirements by 2019.Among other things, the EU requires that prospective members fall in line with its foreign policy. Belgrade has so far refused to join the bloc in imposing economic sanctions on Russia for its actions in Ukraine.Moscow is a traditional ally of Serbia and an important trading partner, providing the bulk of the countrys energy supplies."Our strategic goal is our EU path ... on the other side we would like to preserve the traditional friendship that we have with Russia," Vucic said.Serbia would align its foreign policy with the EU "maybe not in 2016, maybe not in 2017, but after that we will have to do it," he added.Vucic thanked German Chancellor Angela Merkel for playing a key role Serbias EU accession bid by keeping her promises in return for steps demanded of Belgrade. "Without Chancellor Merkel it would not have succeeded," he said.EU Enlargement Negotiations Commissionner Johannes Hahn, meanwhile, praised Serbia for its role in Europes migration crisis. "This is a first proof that you can be ... a full member of the EU. You have shown a spirit, a solidarity which I would have liked to see by some of our member states," he said.
Germany's SPD to vote on Merkel talks to end political crisis

Germany's Social Democrats (SPD) are considering a call from the centre-left party's leadership to launch talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel and end the nation's political gridlock following September's election.

GALLERY

SPD leader Martin Schulz

Berlin (dpa) - SPD leader Martin Schulz was due to speak to 600 delegates attending Thursdays party conference in Berlin at 12 pm (1100 GMT). The SPD has been divided between backing a repeat coalition with Merkels conservatives or going into the opposition after the party suffered its worst result since 1949 in the September poll."Its not just about the SPD," Schulz said in an interview with the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland newspaper group ahead of what is likely to be a stormy party congress. "Its about how we meet our responsibilities for Germany and Europe."The SPD has been the junior member of a coalition led by Merkels Christian Democrats and their Bavarian-based Christian Social Union (CSU) allies for eight of the 12 years the chancellor has been in office.The SPDs three-day conference is also likely to represent a key test of Schulzs authority: Members are scheduled to vote later in the day on his performance as party president after he led the SPD into the September election trauma.After vehemently ruling out a rerun of the current coalition, Schulz back-pedalled and expressed a willingness to discuss a coalition, spurred by Merkels failure to build an alliance between CDU/CSU bloc, the environmental Greens and the pro-business Free Democrats.The SPD congress is also set to consider whether the party might agree to another way of backing the chancellor in office by supporting a minority government headed by Merkel.But after the collapse last month of Merkels attempts to broker a three-way coalition with the Greens and the FDP, an SPD refusal to rejoin the CDU-CSU in talks could plunge the nation into early elections.New elections could bring a worse result for SPD and the CDU/CSU than the parties saw in September.The SPDs youth wing, Jusos, has proposed a motion calling on the conference to rule out a rerun of the current alliance with the CDU-CSU.Jusos, which represents about 15 per cent of the total number of those attending the party conference, is calling for the SPD to back either a minority government or fresh elections.With no clear candidate to head up an election campaign and after plunging to just 20.5 per cent of the vote in the September poll, the SPD could end up with an even worst result if an early poll was called to end the deadlock.The question is how many of the other sceptical SPD members the Jusos wing can coax to vote against the partys leadership and back its motion.
Maritime transport seeks way out of rare challenges through digitalization

Xinhua) 08:56, October 03, 2021

-- The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges, unseen in decades, to the maritime transport sector, but industry players have been accelerating digitalization to tackle the difficulties.

-- Their efforts have helped reassess the old just-in-time supply chain model, create longer-term partnerships and build resilience to get out of the swamp and contribute to global trade recovery.

-- Some major economies have worked hard to ensure a stable and smooth international supply chain.

BEIJING, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges, unseen in decades, to the maritime transport sector, but industry players have been accelerating digitalization to tackle the difficulties.

Their efforts have helped reassess the old just-in-time supply chain model, create longer-term partnerships and build resilience to get out of the swamp and contribute to global trade recovery.

The Shanghai Containerized Freight Index, which reflects the spot rates of the Shanghai export container transport market, stood at 4,614.1 on Sept. 30. At the beginning of last year, the index was a little over 1,000.

On the other side of the Pacific Ocean, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach saw another round of congestion last month as businesses prepare for the coming Christmas season.

Some 61 container ships were at anchor or drifting in San Pedro Bay off two ports on Oct. 1, according to the Marine Exchange of Southern California.

Aerial photo taken on April 6, 2021 shows a view of the automated container terminal of Shanghai's Yangshan Port, east China. (Xinhua/Fang Zhe)

Since the second half of last year, ever-rising freight rates and port congestions have become the "norm," hugely impacting global supply chains, liner companies, foreign trade enterprises and consumers.

"I've been in the industry for 40 years, and I've never seen anything like this," said Lars Mikael Jensen, head of East-West trade, Global Ocean Network, A.P. Moller-Maersk.

The maritime transport network was so broad and the global supply chain was super-efficient before the pandemic, so when there was a delay in one port, it would certainly have an impact somewhere else, said Jensen when explaining the ripple effect of port congestion.

A set of COVID-19 pandemic-induced factors have combined to cause the strain on the maritime supply chain in the liner shipping industry, Jan Hoffmann, Head of Trade Logistics, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), said in a commentary published on the organization's website.

The swift rebound in containerized trade enabled by an early and rapid recovery in China and measures adopted in the United States and Europe that supported household income and expenditure are two key factors causing the strain on the maritime supply chain, Hoffmann noted.

The normal turnaround time for containers, trailers and ships in ports and intermodal transport links is slower than usual due to health regulations, said Hoffmann, adding that supply capacity is not growing fast enough to catch up with demand and the ability of ports to adjust is more constrained than that of shipping lines.

Photo taken on Aug. 15, 2021 shows a view of the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port in east China's Zhejiang Province. (Photo by Suo Xianglu/Xinhua)

Although the pandemic has given the container shipping industry a head-on blow, it has forced the industry to accelerate transformation and upgrading, which could be a blessing in disguise.

The pandemic has quickened the container shipping industry's digitalization.

With shippers' increasing need to plan ahead and manage the whereabouts of goods precisely amid global supply chain snarls, both deep-pocketed traditional freight giants and startups have worked hard to develop digital systems to offer customers better visibility.

"Instead of sending emails and asking where their cargoes are, they will be able to know exactly where their products are through our system," said Jensen.

The Danish logistics giant is also looking to orchestrate the entire supply chain for its customers, offering door-to-door service covering their transportation from the factories in the origin all the way to the distribution centers and shops in the destination.

Both the container shipping companies and foreign trade enterprises have learned from their experience during the pandemic that they have to build more stock and time buffer.

The high freight-rate volatility and capacity uncertainty have led more foreign trade companies to consider signing longer-term contracts with shipping companies, start shipping earlier to prepare for high seasons and increase inventories.

Shipping companies like Maersk are looking to offer more reliable schedules.

"The direction goes towards being sure that the cargoes arrive on time rather than having the fastest possible transit time," said Jensen.

Maritime transport is essential to keep global trade flowing and supply chains connected during and beyond crises, and the sector's efforts to get out of the turbulence have implications for global trade recovery.

Even with periodical lockdowns, travel restrictions, complex sanitation and clearance procedures at the customs, and many other inconveniences amid the COVID-19 pandemic, global trade did not come to a standstill.

"When the pandemic first started last year, we were worried ports would close down completely. But they have not," said Jensen.

It is important to note that the world was still connected back then, the goods did not stop moving across countries or regions, and there were still plenty of ships a week that were sailing from Asia to Europe with goods, he added.

A container ship is seen on the sea of Jiaozhou Gulf, north China's Shandong Province, Aug. 7, 2021. (Photo by Yu Fangping/Xinhua)

Some major economies have worked hard to ensure a stable and smooth international supply chain.

China has rolled out measures to avoid sporadic COVID-19 outbreaks at ports, speed up terminal operation and cargo turnover, and accelerate port customs clearance by adopting informationized and paperless procedures, said Ding Li, secretary-general of the China Ports and Harbours Association.

Container ships for domestic trade have begun to be used on foreign trade routes to increase international shipping capacity, Ding added.

(Web editor: Zhang Wenjie, Bianji)
Western media bias against China deplorable, dangerous

Xinhua) 09:09, October 03, 2021

Photo taken on April 20, 2021 shows the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

The past few years have seen a lot of deplorable cases where anyone who dared to maintain objective and impartial positions on China were accused of being on the payroll of the Chinese government or even worse.

BEIJING, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- For years, the unspoken truth about Western media is that their veneer of objectivity has come off a long time ago. While touting themselves as the epitome of trustworthiness and honesty, some media practitioners in the West have no qualms about propagating lies against China.

As the coordinated anti-China smear campaign is gaining steam, more intrepid journalists with a conscience are calling it out despite the tremendous pressure to silence them.

In one of the most excoriating rebukes against Western media's manipulation of the public opinion against China, Javier Garcia, head of the office of the EFE News Agency of Spain in Beijing, announced earlier this week that he would soon leave journalism, as the flagrant information manipulation by Western media "has taken a good dose of my enthusiasm for this profession."

The departure of journalists like Garcia is a giant loss to the industry, which is in dire need of introspection. For those who choose to stay and disagree with the highly biased and distorted reporting on China, they are usually confronted with a monolithic propaganda structure in the West to ignore, silence and discredit them.

Photo taken on March 11, 2021 shows the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

The past few years have seen a lot of deplorable cases where anyone who dared to maintain objective and impartial positions on China were accused of being on the payroll of the Chinese government or even worse.

While they are working arduously to suppress impartial information and hoping it to pay off, some media in the West, especially in the United States, should expect that the chickens will come home to roost, as their own political order is at risk.

Even James Murdoch, son of right-wing media mogul Rupert Murdoch who owns FOX News, castigated U.S. media for amplifying disinformation that successfully sowed falsehoods.

"Those outlets that propagate lies to their audience have unleashed insidious and uncontrollable forces that will be with us for years," he told the Financial Times shortly after the U.S. Congress riot in early January.

For those Western media who are still slandering China's peaceful development, it is time for them to think twice.

(Web editor: Zhang Wenjie, Bianji)
U.S. vaccination plods on as COVID-19 claims over 700,000 lives

Xinhua) 09:12, October 03, 2021

Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics said they created an antiviral pill that can reduce the risk of COVID-19 hospitalization and death by about 50 percent, but health experts cautioned that it wasn't a replacement for vaccinations, which remain the most effective path to ending the coronavirus pandemic if enough people get their shots.

NEW YORK, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- The United States has set the pace to expand the spectrum of COVID-19 vaccines, while its vaccination campaign drags on as it hit a grim milestone of 700,000 deaths in the pandemic that has entered its 19th month.

Topping the world, the United States on Friday surpassed 700,000 deaths from COVID-19, according to Johns Hopkins University's data. Meanwhile, the average number of people getting vaccinated, at 270,531 per day, is the lowest it has been since Aug. 15, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The CDC updated on Saturday that 214,597,690 people have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, making up 64.6 percent of the whole U.S. population; fully vaccinated people stood at 184,852,416, accounting for 55.7 percent of the total. A total of 4,363,791 people, or 2.4 percent of the fully vaccinated group, received booster shots.

Trying to add some bright color to the ongoing tragedy, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky told reporters at a White House briefing on Friday that weekly COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the United States were down by 15 percent from the previous week.

A man sits beside white flags placed on the National Mall to honor the lives lost to COVID-19 in Washington, D.C., the United States, Sept. 18, 2021. (Photo by Aaron Schwartz/Xinhua)

According to The New York Times' update, the seven-day average of confirmed cases of the pandemic stood at 109,192 nationwide on Friday, with its 14-day change striking a 27-percent fall. The COVID-19-related deaths were 1,883 on Friday, with the 14-day change realizing a 5-percent decrease.

WIDE-RANGING VACCINE REQUIREMENTS

"As many companies impose COVID-19 vaccine mandates, employees who refuse to get jabbed are getting the ax," reported CBS on Friday, adding that employers in the health care and aviation industries this week dismissed hundreds of workers who declined to get inoculated.

A case in point is Christiana Care, which is headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, and has 1,200 beds across three hospitals. On Monday, it announced that some 150 of its employees had failed to meet a Sept. 21 deadline to be fully vaccinated. As a result, they were fired.

Health care organizations account for most of the firings of unvaccinated workers, but other kinds of employers are also expected to follow suit when workers start reporting to offices again in earnest.

Currently, a dilemma is being weighed for some companies considering vaccine mandates: an acute worker shortage among retailers, restaurants, hotels and other service-sector employers, according to the report.

Pedestrians walk past a broadway theater in New York, the United States, July 2, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

On Friday, the Broadway League announced that all its 41 theaters in New York City will continue to require COVID-19 vaccinations for audience members, performers, backstage crew and venue staff at least through the end of the year.

Audiences also will be required to wear masks inside the theaters at least for the remainder of 2021, except while actively eating or drinking in designated locations.

The announcement extended the COVID-19 protocol policy that has been in place since Broadway resumed performances in July. At that time, the League said it would review the procedures in the fall. Theater owners will again review the policies by Dec. 1 for performances starting Jan. 3, 2022.

"We know that with these policies in place through the end of the year, we will continue to help our audiences feel safe and to deliver them the thrill of Broadway night after night," Charlotte St. Martin, president of the Broadway League, said in a statement.

PILLS, MORE VACCINES

Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics said on Friday that they created an antiviral pill that can reduce the risk of COVID-19 hospitalization and death by about 50 percent, but health experts cautioned that it wasn't a replacement for vaccinations, which remain the most effective path to ending the coronavirus pandemic if enough people get their shots.

"This can be used in conjunction with the vaccine. And it's not an alternative to vaccination. We still have to try to get more people vaccinated," Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), was quoted by CNN as saying. Gottlieb acknowledged that the antiviral medicine could be effective for those who choose not to get vaccinated as well as those who catch the virus while fully vaccinated.

Merck said that it will seek FDA emergency use authorization for its molnupiravir medication "as soon as possible." If permitted, it would become the first oral medicine that fights viral infection for COVID-19.

"If approved, I think the right way to think about this is this is a potential additional tool in our toolbox to protect people from the worst outcomes of COVID," White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jeff Zients said on Friday.

Photo taken on Aug. 23, 2021 shows the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in Silver Spring, Maryland, the United States. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua)

Also on Friday, the FDA announced that its independent vaccine advisory committee will hold three meetings in October to discuss COVID-19 booster shots, mix-and-match boosters and vaccines for children aged 5 to 11.

The first two meetings, on Oct. 14 and 15, will cover booster doses of the Moderna vaccine and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, both of which are authorized for use in adults. During the second meeting, the committee also will discuss data from the National Institutes of Health and the safety and efficacy of getting initial doses of one COVID-19 vaccine and, later, a booster dose of another manufacturer's shot.

Less than two weeks later, on Oct. 26, the FDA panel will discuss Pfizer's request to FDA to authorize its COVID-19 shot for 5 to 11-year-old children. No vaccines are currently available for kids under 12, and only Pfizer's shot is available for teens 12 to 17.

"The meetings set up a rough timeline for a slate of FDA decisions that could help the country avoid a damaging winter surge, and ultimately help bring the pandemic to an end," reported U.S. news portal Politico.

(Web editor: Zhang Wenjie, Bianji)
China sees 16 mln railway trips on National Day

Xinhua) 09:38, October 03, 2021

Passengers get tickets checked before boarding on a train at the Nanning Railway Station in Nanning, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Oct. 1, 2021. (Photo by Zhao Shilin/Xinhua)

BEIJING, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- China's railways handled 16 million passenger trips Friday, China's National Day, the railway operator said Saturday.

The China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. said 11.4 million passenger trips are expected by rail Saturday, the second day of the weeklong holiday.

Railway authorities have coordinated COVID-19 control measures and transport services to cope with the travel rush.

Some 127 million passenger trips are expected to be made by rail during the holiday rush that started on Sept. 28 and will last until Oct. 8, the operator said earlier.

(Web editor: Zhang Wenjie, Bianji)
End unilateral coercion, China calls

10:03, October 03, 2021 By Liu Yinmeng ( China Daily

On behalf of 30 nations, ambassador to UN says measures violate human rights

This file photo shows Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, speaks at a Security Council meeting on nuclear nonproliferation. [Photo/XINHUA]

China's ambassador to the United Nations on Thursday called for the complete and immediate lifting of unilateral coercive measures, stressing that they severely violate human rights and exacerbate humanitarian disasters.

Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the UN, made the joint statement on behalf of 30 nations at the General Debate of the Third Committee of the 76th session of the General Assembly. It was the second time China has made such an appeal along with other countries.

Unilateral coercive measures usually refer to economic measures taken by one state to compel another to change its policy, according to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Examples include trade sanctions such as embargoes, and the interruption of financial and investment flows between sender and target countries.

Unilateral coercive measures violate human rights, which is intolerable, Zhang emphasized. The ambassador called for "a global response based on unity, solidarity and international cooperation" to address the COVID-19 pandemic as it continues to have a severe impact on economic and social development in all countries, especially developing countries.

Sanctions have "severely hindered" the development, and the anti-epidemic efforts of targeted countries. They deprive those affected of the opportunity to fully realize their human rights, and impede their well-being and social welfare, the ambassador said.

Zhang stressed that unilateral coercive sanctions affect humanitarianism, which is unreasonable. Such measures should be lifted immediately and completely to ensure that targeted countries have the necessary resources and support for pandemic response and recovery, allowing humanitarian aid to reach those in need without delay or impediment so that the suffering of affected populations ceases immediately, he said.

Such coercive measures "have no basis in law", the ambassador underscored. States should avoid imposing unilateral sanctions that are not in accordance with international law or the UN Charter.

"The current circumstance calls for solidarity and unity rather than confrontation and division to address the global challenge and promote and protect human rights for all," Zhang said.

In recent years, the US and other Western countries have frequently initiated unilateral coercive measures against developing countries, which seriously violate the purpose and principles of the UN Charter and international law, and are contrary to multilateralism and the basic norms of international relations, he said.

The UN Secretary-General, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the special rapporteurs of the Human Rights Council, and many developing countries, have called strongly on numerous occasions for the elimination of unilateral coercive measures, Zhang said.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, the US and other Western countries have ignored "the unanimous voice of the international community" and intensified their implementation of coercive measures. This seriously jeopardizes the human rights of people in targeted countries and is strongly opposed and criticized by an increasing number of countries, the ambassador said.

The negative impact of the measures has elicited increasing concern from multiple UN bodies, including the Commission on Human Rights. The Human Rights Council adopted a resolution in 2014 stressing that unilateral coercive measures are contrary to international law, international humanitarian law, the UN Charter and the norms and principles governing peaceful relations between states.

The UN General Assembly has adopted resolutions against unilateral economic measures as a means of political and economic coercion against developing countries every two years since 1989; on the necessity of ending the US economic, commercial and financial embargo on Cuba each year since 1992; and on human rights and unilateral coercive measures each year since 1997.

Last year, both Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, made appeals to waive sanctions that undermine the capacity to respond to the pandemic.

The statement was jointly signed by 31 countries, including China, Russia and Pakistan.

(Web editor: Zhang Wenjie, Bianji)
Chinese builders in Sri Lanka pledge patriotism on China's National Day

10:54, October 03, 2021 By Tang Lu ( Xinhua

Chinese and Sri Lankan workers work at the Central Expressway Section I construction site near Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Oct. 1, 2021. The Central Expressway project is designed to run through central Sri Lanka to reduce travel time between cities in the country's western part and to promote economic development for areas along the route. (Xinhua/Tang Lu)

COLOMBO, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- It was a rainy day in the Sri Lankan capital, but the wet weather did not dampen the enthusiasm of a group of workers from a Chinese construction company to gather here Friday for a flag-raising ceremony to salute China's symbolic five-star red flag.

"Time flies and we are greeting a new National Day today. Let's wish our motherland a greater, more prosperous and powerful state. Let's strive to attain our goal of 2021 as soon as possible," said Cui Songming, project manager of Metallurgical Corporation of China Ltd. (MCC) at the Central Expressway Section I construction site near Colombo.

Looking up at the fluttering red flag, Cui said he has been feeling the growing strength of China after spending 13 years working in Sri Lanka.

"China's rising strength not only provides economic and technical support for our overseas projects, but also gives us a strong sense of pride for our country," Cui said in his speech.

Cui arrived in Sri Lanka in 2008 when the MCC was building the Colombo-Katunayake Expressway (CKE), the first-ever highway in the country.

"In 2013, Sri Lanka realized its 50-year-long dream of having an expressway, which was completed in time thanks to China's powerful strength and the dedication of Chinese workers," Cui said.

It was on this project that Sri Lanka adopted Chinese standards for highway construction for the first time, he added.

Hou Shehu, who is in charge of the company's contract affairs, came to Sri Lanka almost at the same time as Cui. Over the past years, Hou had only four chances to celebrate Chinese traditional festivals with his family back in China.

"Family is the smallest part of a country, which is composed of numerous families," Hou said.

"As a worker on China's 'Belt and Road Initiative' projects overseas, we have a sense of mission and responsibility, although sometimes we may even sacrifice ourselves to serve our country," Hou said.

"We are very happy and proud to see Sri Lanka's tourism industry flourishing, thanks to our hard work to improve the country's infrastructure," he added.

Xiao Shuai, who had planned to return to China after finishing the first project in the Outer Circular Highway-Northern Section II (OCH-NS II) located in the Colombo Metropolitan Region, changed his mind and chose to stay on.

"My vision has become broader after I worked overseas. I felt honored to have the opportunity to serve the country's 'Belt and Road Initiative' projects and be part of Sri Lanka's development," Xiao said.

Li Benquan, who is a designer of the Central Expressway Project, grew up in a mountainous village in Guizhou province in remote southwestern China.

He saw with his own eyes how Sri Lankan villagers had suffered from inconveniences caused by bad road conditions, including senior locals who were unable to get timely medical treatment when they fell ill, or children who were denied access to school.

"I could feel the eagerness of the villagers for a new road. I really hope that the highway will be completed as soon as possible so that the quality of life of local residents can be substantially improved," Li said.

The Central Expressway project is designed to run through central Sri Lanka to reduce travel time between cities in the country's western part and to promote economic development for areas along the route.

Liu Guohui, a scheduler at the project, has been working in Sri Lanka for more than four years.

"Living conditions here are certainly not as comfortable as in China, and the pandemic is more severe than in China. But I'm used to everything here and I get along very well with my Sri Lankan colleagues," Liu said.

"In April this year, when the COVID situation in Sri Lanka was bad, the Chinese Embassy here helped all of the Chinese workers and our Sri Lankan colleagues get vaccinated as part of the Spring Sprout inoculation program. I felt so proud to be a Chinese at that time," Liu added.

"Waste no day and never stop progressing," the motto at the MCC's worksites, is a constant reminder that work has to be completed on time.

The Central Expressway Project Section 1 has been severely impacted by COVID-19 since it began in September 2020. Due to the pandemic in Sri Lanka, the pace of construction has been disrupted, but the MCC management and workers were straining every nerve to catch up and finish the project as early as possible.

"As the construction is at a critical stage now, all staff should continue to work hard to make up for the lost time, even during our National Day", said Deputy Managing Director of the MCC Sri Lanka Branch Zhang Xiaolei.

Sarani Arundika Jayasekara, a Sri Lankan healthcare worker in the MCC for the past five years, has been sharing joys and sorrows with the Chinese workers while appreciating their work ethic.

"We are grateful that they have come to Sri Lanka to help build our country," Sarani said.

(Web editor: Zhang Wenjie, Bianji)
Airlines banking on innovation for less emission amid headwinds

11:06, October 03, 2021 By Zhu Wenqian ( China Daily

A Delta A350 aircraft takes off at an airport in Toulouse, France. Delta is the first US carrier to take delivery of A350 aircraft, which provides better fuel-efficiency features. CHINA DAILY

Global airlines are ramping up efforts to reduce carbon emissions and investing more in related projects, despite taking the brunt of financial pressures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Over the next 10 years, Delta Air Lines, the top airline globally by total revenues, said it plans to invest $1 billion to mitigate all emissions from its global business. The Atlanta-based airline will invest in driving innovation, advancing clean air travel technologies, accelerating the reduction of carbon emissions and waste, while establishing new projects to mitigate the balance of emissions.

Delta has ordered 55 new A321neo aircraft so far this year with European aircraft manufacturer Airbus.

"There is no substitute for the power that travel has to connect people, which our world needs today more than ever before. It is our responsibility to deliver on our promise to bring people together and ensure the utmost care for our environment," said Ed Bastian, Delta's CEO.

Delta said it would reduce its carbon footprint by decreasing the use of jet fuel and increasing efficiency. It has an ambitious fleet renewal program, and it will improve flight operations and increase the use of sustainable aviation fuels.

Delta's carbon strategy will account for emissions of its business in the air and on the ground. The carrier has been the first and only US airline to voluntarily cap greenhouse gas emissions at 2012 levels. In 2020, it retired more than 200 older aircraft and renewed its fleet with aircraft that are 25 percent more fuel efficient than the ones it is replacing.

In addition to the airline's main business, it also plans to invest in investigating carbon removal opportunities through forestry, wetland restoration, grassland conservation, marine and soil capture, and other negative emissions technologies.

Meanwhile, Air France KLM Martinair Cargo, the cargo unit of the Air France KLM Group, strengthened its cooperation with Chinese logistics company Sinotrans Global E-commerce Logistics through a sustainable aviation fuel program in July.

The program enables shippers and forwarders to power a share of their flights with sustainable aviation fuel, a cleaner substitute for conventional jet fuel, reducing carbon emissions by up to 85 percent of the total.

Sinotrans, headquartered in the economic zone near Beijing Capital International Airport, will offer a "green route" between Hangzhou, Zhejiang province and Amsterdam.

Earlier this year, Sinotrans and Air France-KLM Cargo signed a memorandum of understanding to further promote cross-border e-commerce business and contribute to Sino-Dutch and Sino-European trade cooperation.

By combining Air France-KLM's global network and air transportation resources with the advantages of Sinotrans in ground operations, customs brokerage and China's domestic trucking services, the two companies are partnering to further stabilize global supply chains.

"This is a milestone that will push the strategic cooperation between the two parties to a new level," said Xiao Chenglu, managing director of Sinotrans Global E-commerce Logistics.

In 2019, global passenger and cargo flights together discharged 920 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. Emissions by passenger flights accounted for 85 percent of the total, and cargo flights made up for the rest, a report by the International Council on Clean Transportation said.

Among the total, the United States, China and the United Kingdom were ranked as the top three countries in volumes of carbon emissions from air transportation. Emissions by the three countries accounted for 39.2 percent of the global total in 2019, the report found.

Yu Zhanfu, partner and vice-president for China at consultancy Roland Berger, said air transport has been the fastest and most efficient way for human transportation, and it is irreplaceable in contributing to domestic and international economic and trade growth.

"Global carriers are expected to show a higher demand of new aircraft in the next two decades. Exploring and improving various methods for energy-saving and carbon emission reduction remains a highly challenging task, as the number of aircraft constantly increases," Yu said.

During the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-20), Shanghai-based China Eastern Airlines saved more than 600,000 metric tons of fuel and reduced carbon emissions of about 2 million tons by using paperless products, new energy cars and degradable onboard products.

Since 2009, the State-owned carrier has sifted out more than 100 old aircraft with high emissions and its fleet is becoming increasingly younger.

China Eastern has also established a department dedicated to the work related to carbon reduction. In 2019, it became the first domestic carrier to introduce battery-free electronic baggage-checking tags, which allow passengers to track the luggage status on their mobile phones, at the Beijing Daxing International Airport. During the year, the airline invested 745 million yuan ($115.3 million) in carbon emissions reduction.

Annually, about 250 million paper baggage checking tags are produced in China, which requires a huge amount of special printers and disposable materials, costing over 100 million yuan.

Last year, China Eastern started to use electronic flight bag (EFB) for its whole fleet and became the first Asian carrier to take the move. EFB is a device that helps crew members perform flight management tasks more easily and efficiently with less paper.

At Beijing Daxing International Airport, the hub of China Eastern in the capital, 57 percent of the vehicles that China Eastern uses on the ground are new energy cars and all those for general-purpose are NEVs.

"China Eastern Airlines will fully implement the new development notion and promote energy conservation and environmental protection for the carrier's future low-carbon operation," said Li Yangmin, general manager of China Eastern Airlines.

(Web editor: Zhang Wenjie, Bianji)
China's Xiamen sees trade surge with RCEP members in first 8 months

Xinhua) 11:34, October 03, 2021

XIAMEN, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- The coastal city of Xiamen in east China's Fujian Province recorded a trade volume of 200.65 billion yuan (about 31.06 billion U.S. dollars) with member states of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in the first eight months of 2021, up 24.6 percent year on year, according to Xiamen Customs.

Of the total volume, imports amounted to 128.62 billion yuan and exports stood at 72.03 billion yuan, up 37.5 percent and 6.8 percent, respectively, compared with the same period last year. In August, Xiamen's trade with RCEP member states reached 28.78 billion yuan, a record high.

The city's state-owned enterprises contributed most to the growth, registering a growth of 30.4 percent year on year in trade with RCEP member states from January to August.

Major imported goods during the period included metal ore and heavy mineral sand, mechanical and electrical items, and agricultural products. Imports of metal ore and heavy mineral sand, in particular, increased by 72.7 percent year on year during the period.

Exports mainly included mechanical and electrical products and labor-intensive goods, according to the customs.

(Web editor: Zhang Wenjie, Bianji)
15 African countries fully vaccinate 10 percent of population against COVID-19

CGTN) 11:43, October 03, 2021

The central African nation of Sao Tome & Principe became the latest African country to fully vaccinate at least 10 percent of its population thereby achieving a target set out by the World Health Organization (WHO) to do so by the end of September.

According to the WHO, 15 African countries have met this target but most have relatively small populations and 40 percent are small island developing states.

"All these countries have enjoyed sufficient supplies of vaccines, and many could access doses from separate sources in addition to those delivered through the COVAX Facility, the global platform to ensure equitable access to vaccines," the WHO said in a statement.

Seychelles and Mauritius have fully vaccinated more than 60 percent of their populations followed by Morocco with 48 percent.

Tunisia, Comoros and Cape Verde have also vaccinated more than 20 percent of their populations.

Worryingly for the continent, half of the 52 countries that have received COVID-19 vaccines have fully vaccinated just two percent or less of their populations.

"Twenty-three million COVID-19 vaccines arrived in Africa in September, a ten-fold increase from June. Yet just 60 million Africans have been fully vaccinated so far and two percent of the more than six billion vaccines given globally have been administered on the continent."

"COVAX is working with donors to identify the countries that can currently absorb large volumes of vaccines and send them their way and plans to strengthen its support for countries that do not have other sources of vaccines."

Africa has the lowest vaccination rate of all regions globally while almost 90 percent of high income-countries have met the target of fully vaccinated 10 percent of their people against COVID-19.

The WHO pointed out that though the number of COVID-19 cases in the continent were declining, the public needed to remain vigilant and continue to adhere to the public health and safety measures.

(Web editor: Zhang Wenjie, Bianji)
Europe-Japan space mission gets 1st glimpse of Mercury

CGTN) 11:51, October 03, 2021

A joint European-Japanese spacecraft got its first glimpse of Mercury as it swung by the solar system's innermost planet while on a mission to deliver two probes into orbit in 2025.

The BepiColombo mission made the first of six flybys of Mercury at 11:34 p.m. GMT Friday, using the planet's gravity to slow the spacecraft down.

After swooping past Mercury at altitudes of under 200 kilometers, the spacecraft took a low-resolution black-and-white photo with one of its monitoring cameras before zipping off again.

The European Space Agency (ESA) said the captured image shows the Northern Hemisphere and Mercury's characteristic pock-marked features, among them the 166-kilometer-wide (103-mile-wide) Lermontov crater.

The joint mission by the European agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency was launched in 2018, flying once past Earth and twice past Venus on its journey to the solar system's smallest planet.

Five further flybys are needed before BepiColombo is sufficiently slowed down to release ESA's Mercury Planetary Orbiter and JAXA's Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter. The two probes will study Mercury's core and processes on its surface, as well as its magnetic sphere.

The mission is named after Italian scientist Giuseppe 'Bepi' Colombo, who is credited with helping develop the gravity assist maneuver that NASA's Mariner 10 first used when it flew to Mercury in 1974.

(Web editor: Zhang Wenjie, Bianji)
More batch of Chinese COVID-19 vaccines arrive in Myanmar

Xinhua) 14:05, October 03, 2021

YANGON, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- A new batch of 4 million doses of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines from China arrived in Myanmar's Yangon on Saturday, according to a release by the Chinese Embassy to Myanmar.

As of Saturday, China has supplied 20.6 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Myanmar, of which 3.9 million doses were donated by China, the release said.

According to the figures released by the Ministry of Health, over 3.86 million people have been fully vaccinated nationwide, while over 4.4 million people had received their first jabs as of Friday.

The number of COVID-19 infections in Myanmar has risen to 467,269 after 1,347 new cases were reported in the past 24 hours, the ministry's release said.

With 46 new deaths, the death toll now stands at 17,835 and a total of 421,265 patients have recovered so far.

COVID-19 was first detected in Myanmar on March 23 last year.

(Web editor: Zhang Wenjie, Bianji)
Tibet's foreign trade surges in January-August

Xinhua) 15:00, October 03, 2021

LHASA, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- The foreign trade of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region surged 125.07 percent year on year in the first eight months of 2021 thanks to rising demand from home and abroad, according to the local customs.

The imports and exports of the region totaled 2.36 billion yuan (about 365 million U.S. dollars) in the period, Lhasa Customs said in a statement.

Exports of the region rose 64.76 percent to 1.17 billion yuan, while imports soared 252.12 percent to 1.19 billion yuan.

Production and consumption demand in Tibet has been strong due to effective epidemic control, while global trade demand has also picked up with the economic recovery.

The region saw the value of outbound foreign assistance supplies surging over 702 percent year on year in the first eight months, amid China's intensified efforts to support other countries with COVID-19 control, the data showed.

(Web editor: Zhang Wenjie, Bianji)
Chinese military firmly opposes U.S.-UK-Australia nuclear-submarine cooperation

Xinhua) 15:56, October 03, 2021

BEIJING, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese defense ministry spokesperson on Thursday voiced firm opposition to the cooperation between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia on nuclear submarines.

Wu Qian, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, made the remarks at a press conference when responding to an inquiry on the nuclear-submarine technology deal between the three countries.

Whatever form it takes, the nuclear-submarine cooperation will gravely exacerbate the regional arms race, damage regional peace and stability, obstruct international efforts on nuclear non-proliferation and pose a threat to global peace and stability, Wu added.

(Web editor: Zhang Wenjie, Bianji)
Greece has rejected a request by the European Union to set up an independent process to monitor border controls and illegal migration.

The Greek snub is said to have infuriated Brussels, which has been extremely critical of Athens for its alleged illegal practice of migrant pushbacks. The rejection could imperil millions of dollars in financial support that Greece needs to boost its capabilities in fending off illegal migration. That is especially true as Europe braces for a wave of Afghan migrants streaming to the West after the Taliban takeover.

Asked in parliament, Greek Migration Minister Notis Mitarakis offered a blunt response about whether he would allow the EU to establish an independent watchdog to monitor border controls and illegal migration. He said that while the government in Athens was open to discussing the formation of independent monitoring committees on migration across the EU, Greece alone was not willing, as he put it, to "go it alone."

Mitarakis said that to create such a watchdog that would oversee how Greece is fending off illegal migrants and whether illegal pushbacks are taking place is not among the government's priorities.

There is no such issue, he insisted. He asserted it is Greece's sovereign right to defend its border as it sees fit. Greece has increased patrols along the Aegean Sea coast and erected a massive steel wall along its land frontiers with Turkey to fend off a fresh deluge of migrants.

Greek leaders also are considering setting up floating barriers along the Aegean waterway that divides Greece and Turkey. And with the West bracing for a new migrant exodus from Afghanistan, Athens says it is preparing a major media blitz to make known that it is no longer allowing free passage to illegal entries.

Reports from the UN, humanitarian aid organizations and migrants are documenting the increasing numbers of migrants that are being turned away -- often using nefarious practices such as "pushbacks."
Shanghai Tower welcomes holiday visitors

By:Zhao Chunyuan | From:english.eastday.com | 2021-10-03 15:35

Shanghai Tower is a must-go place to enjoy the beauty of Shanghai. On October 2, the Top of Shanghai Observatory, located on the 118th floor of Shanghai Tower, welcomed many visitors, who formed a long line in an orderly manner to ascend the building by elevator and overlook the scenery of the city.

(Photos: IC)


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After a virtual year, local history will be on display again at Folkfest New Braunfels
Press Release

October 3, 2021 De Lima lauds community efforts amid health crisis Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima lauded the organizers and volunteers of the community kitchen in different parts of the country for their joint efforts to ensure that immediate food relief and assistance will be provided to individuals affected by COVID-19 pandemic. De Lima, a social justice and human rights champion, said the rise of community efforts as shown in initiatives such as community pantries, and now community kitchens, highlight the Filipino Bayanihan spirit. "Despite the crisis, we continue to find inspiration from our countrymen who are working together to come to the aid of families who are struggling to put food on their tables," she said. "Saludo po tayo sa mga volunteers nating may tunay na malasakit sa kapwa at handang tumulong sa panahaon ng krisis. Lubos tayong nagpapasalamat sa mga katulad nila na nagbabahagi ng panahon at oras para tulungang makabangon ang ating mga kababayan, lalo na ang pinaka-nangangailangan," she added. The community kitchen allows volunteers, equipped with borrowed kitchen equipment and utensils, to cook food using ingredients from donations, as well as their own contributions. Once the food is cooked, the volunteers proceed with feeding the community. As of this writing, it is reported that more than 100 community kitchens have been launched in different parts of the country. Prior to this, community pantries, made of makeshift shelves or stalls on streets, were also organized in different parts of the country in an effort to extend aid and respond to the basic needs of the Filipinos that are struggling because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Community pantry is aimed at building a community that will give and take by their own will. It originated from the community pantry dubbed "Maginhawa Community Pantry" in Quezon City and pioneered by Patreng Non, which was later replicated in various neighborhoods in the country. In times of crisis like this, the lady Senator from Bicol said she hopes more people will be inspired to work together to keep the Bayanihan spirit alive. "The best thing we can do to fill the gaps in government response amid the pandemic is to act together and help each other survive the adverse effects of this crisis. Sa halip na pamumulitika at pagkakanya-kanya, bayanihan at malasakit sa isa't isa ang kailangan," she said.
Press Release

October 3, 2021 Gordon warns vs surge of fake news, clickbait headlines Senator Richard J. Gordon today warned against the continued dissemination of fake news and fake clickbait headlines designed to muddle and deflect the national attention from the corruption issues plaguing the Duterte administration. Gordon made the call as he noted that he and other senators probing the alleged anomalous government procurement of medical supplies and equipment have been subjected to disinformation and patently false stories masquerading as news. "Let's be more cautious against fake news and clickbait headlines populating our social media pages, most of them are patently false or rehashed issues thrown at us. Trust only those news stories from reputable mainstream media," he said. "Some unscrupulous people and groups are really out to discredit and demolish us. These kinds of online stories will continue to bombard us as election campaign will be highly partisan and will rely heavily on social media for information," he added. AFP news agency and Verafiles, an online fact-checking news organization, have flagged down pro-administration social media accounts on Facebook and Google (YouTube) where Gordon "folded and apologised to the President." Rappler news website also reported another fake news that the Philippine Red Cross which Sen. Gordon chairs has turned its blood donation program into a money-making business to discourage people from donating blood. Among these social media accounts they have flagged down include Trending Viral TH2, PH Breaking News, Inday Sara Para sa Masa, Unofficial Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa Solid Supporters, and Eagle eyes of the Philippines citizen-report. While he is seriously taking action against the continued rise of online disinformation, Gordon maintained he will not relent on his resolve to run after corrupt officials and private individuals who stole from the nation's coffers. "We are seriously investigating the barrage of disinformation, fake news and patently false or rehashed stories being spread online to attack us, especially those among pro-administration pages," he said. "This includes clickbait headlines that deliberately and unscrupulously poison our minds with misleading and inaccurate information in order to muddle and deflect our attention from the corruption issues under this administration," he added. Gordon, who also chairs the Senate Finance Committee G, said he expects the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) to take more decisive actions to shut down these social media accounts fomenting disinformation. In the last hearing on PCCO proposed PhP2.09-billion budget for 2022, Gordon questioned PCOO for hiring 1,479 contractual employees whom he and other senators believe to be paid trolls being maintained by the government.
According to a Tweet published on October 2, the future USS Carl M. Levin (DDG 120) Arleigh Burke-class Flight IIA guided missile destroyer for U.S. Navy was christened at the General Dynamics Bath Iron Works shipyard in Bath, Maine, on October 2, 2021. Last May, General Dynamics shipyard celebrated the launch of the future USS Carl M. Levin.

Follow Navy Recognition on Google News at this link

The future USS Carl M. Levin (DDG 120) Arleigh Burke-class Flight IIA missile destroyer for U.S. Navy was christened on October 2, 2021. (Picture source General Dynamics Bath Iron Works shipyard)

The USS Carl M. Levin (DDG-120) is a United States Navy Arleigh Burke-class Flight IIA guided missile destroyer. The first 21 destroyers (DDG51-DDG71) of the Arleigh Burke-class are categorized as Flight I, the next seven (DDG72-DDG78) as Flight II, DDG-79 to DDG-124 are classified as Flight IIA and ships starting from Ted Stevens (DDG 125) are classified as Flight III.

In FY1994, the U.S. Navy shifted DDG-51 procurement to the Flight IIA DDG-51 design, which incorporated certain changes, including the addition of a helicopter hangar. The Flight IIA ships entered production in late 1997. A total of 40 were commissioned and are in active service and 6 ships are under construction or sea trials.

The Arleigh Burke Flight IIA ships have several new features, beginning with USS Oscar Austin (DDG-79). Among the changes is the addition of two hangars for antisubmarine warfare (ASW) helicopters, and a new, longer 5-inch/62-caliber (127 mm) Mark 45 Mod 4 naval gun (installed onto USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG-81) and later ships). Later Flight IIA ships starting with USS Mustin (DDG-89) have a modified funnel design that buries the funnels within the superstructure as a signature-reduction measure. TACTAS towed array sonar was omitted from Flight IIA ships and they also lack Harpoon missile launchers.

The contract for the ship, along with the name, was first announced in a press release from General Dynamics, parent company of Bath Iron Works, on 31 March 2016. The official designation of DDG 120 as the Carl M. Levin by Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus was announced on 11 April 2016.

The Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are designed to provide multi-mission offensive and defensive capabilities. These ships serve as crucial assets in global maritime security, conducting anti-air, anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, as well as executing long-range strike and surface fire support missions. DDG 120 will be a Flight IIA destroyer with the Aegis Baseline 9 Combat Systems, including Integrated Air and Missile Defense capability.

In addition to Carl M. Levin (DDG 120), General Dynamics - Bath Iron Works (BIW) has five additional Arleigh Burke-class destroyers under construction, to include the future: USS John Basilone (DDG 122), the future USS Harvey C. Barnum Jr. (DDG 124), the future USS Patrick Gallagher (DDG 127), the future USS Louis H. Wilson Jr. (DDG 126), and the future USS William Charette (DDG 130). BIW is under contract to construct four additional Arleigh Burke-class destroyers with the Flight III configuration that includes enhanced Integrated Air and Missile Defense capabilities.
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A wicked tempo set by Missy Trix laid the groundwork for 1-2 favourite Date Night to lunge into the collapsing pace and power through to finish a sizzling mile in the second of five divisions for the $390,000 Bluegrass Two-Year-Old Filly Trot on Saturday (Oct. 2) at The Red Mile.

Missy Trix motored from the pylon post to an open lead with Pauline Hanover settling into second and Delilah Hanover into third approaching a :27 first quarter. Date Night raced fifth as the field strung out up the backstretch to a :54 half, where driver Andy Miller made his move with Bar Hopping filly.

Date Night procured cover from Delilah Hanover into the final turn as that pair aligned second and first, respectively, to three-quarters in 1:22.4. Delilah Hanover turned for home veering from the pylons before going into a gallop and leaving Date Night alone on the lead. Through the stretch, the Julie Miller trainee showed no signs of tiring as she slid past the beam in 1:50.4 to miss the world record for a freshman trotting filly, set in 2014 over the red clay by Mission Brief, by just one-fifth of a second. Ebbies Lady gave chase in second, beaten 8-3/4 lengths, while Delilah Hanover settled for third and A Perfect Helen took fourth.

With the win, Date Night remains undefeated from six starts and has collected $104,200 for owners/breeders Marvin Katz and Sam Goldband. She paid $3 to win.

Jiggy Jog S strolled to victory in the first division of the Bluegrass, stopping the clock going away in 1:52.2.

Second-choice Mon Cheval bucked and reared behind the gate when breaking stride, leaving Je Suis Si Belle to grab the lead from Jiggy Jog S on the first turn. Past the quarter in :29, Je Suis Si Belle hustled up the backstretch with the field single file behind her to a :56.4 half, where Mon Cheval caught the field and ventured overland to recoup ground through the final turn.

Mon Cheval marched closer towards the top, but began to stall as Jiggy Jog S readied to pop pocket past three-quarters in 1:25.1. With racetrack ahead off the corner, Jiggy Jog S jetted by Je Suis Si Belle and passed the line under wraps 3-1/4 lengths in front. Wallabee gave chase from third while Mrs Taylor took fourth and Mon Cheval faltered to last of the six.

Off the 3-5 favourite, Jiggy Jog S returned $3.20 to win when collecting her second victory in her seventh start. The daughter of Walner, driven by Yannick Gingras for trainer Ake Svanstedt, has accrued $106,068 in earnings for owner Jorgen Sparredal Inc.

Raised By Lindy rolled to the top off the final turn and strode under wraps to a 1:52.1 victory in the third division of the Bluegrass.

Driver Yannick Gingras floated Raised By Lindy to race fifth off the car while Baptism took the lead to a :27.3 first quarter with Danznqueen Hanover ranging uncovered for the front. Danznqueen Hanover assumed the lead into the backstretch before Baptism circled back to the front from the pocket to a :55.4 half as Raised By Lindy flushed cover from Adore Me to the far turn.

Adore Me advanced slightly uncovered to three-quarters in 1:24.4 but raced one-pace into the stretch as Gingras gave Raised By Lindy her cue. The Domenico Cecere-trained Walner filly stormed by Baptism in the straightaway and expanded her lead with each stride as Danznqueen Hanover overtook second from Baptism, beaten 6-3/4 lengths. Adore Me held fourth.

I didnt know the filly. I let Brian [Sears and Joviality S] go pretty easy there at Hoosier just hoping to be second at that point, Gingras said after the race of his first drive behind Raised By Lindy, which came in the $200,000 Kentuckiana Stakes. The filly didnt have a good week last week  I knew that going in. But she was super. I really liked her and I put a scare to [Joviality S] and I knew today shed be really good. She couldve been on the front I think and won as well, but anytime you can get a nice second-over trip well take it.

A homebred for the Lindy Farms Of Connecticut, Raised By Lindy won her third race from seven starts, pushing her earnings to $103,618. She paid $4.20 to win.

Palermo Hanover pulled a 39-1 shock capitalizing off the break of 1-9 favourite Misswalner Fashion to take the fourth Bluegrass split in 1:55.

Misswalner Fashion secured an uncontested lead to a first quarter of :30.1, which proved tepid enough to lure Eternal Lee off the pegs from third and blitz for the lead. Her acceleration up the backside proved too strong for Misswalner Fashion, who lost stride before a :57.3 half.

Eternal Lee steadied the tempo to the final turn as Ryder In The Sky got underway overland out of fourth. By three-quarters in 1:27.1, Ryder In The Sky rushed close to the leader but gave way as the pair from the backfield began to lift over the top. Palermo Hanover came closing quickest of all and held off Pioneer As  the longest shot on the board at 64-1  to win by 1-1/4 lengths. Eternal Lee settled for third with Cash Machine Girl taking fourth.

Returning $81.40 to win, Palermo Hanover nabbed her first victory from eight starts, pushing her earnings to $68,008 for trainer Noel Daley and co-owners Lenny Zelin and The Gandolfo Stables. Dexter Dunn sat behind the daughter of Father Patrick.

Lilbitalexis bolted through traffic to win the final division of the Bluegrass drawing away in a 1:52.4 mile.

Taking the lead through a :29.1 first quarter, Lilbitalexis found herself shuffled past a :56 half as Behindblueyes grabbed the lead before Brickhouse Babe brushed to the top into the final turn. American Beauty was left uncovered in pursuit of Brickhouse Babe to three-quarters in 1:24.4 and faltered into the stretch with the backfield fanning across the track. Room opened, with Brickhouse Babe drifting and Behindblueyes to the pylons, for Lilbitalexis to charge through and to the lead in midstretch. From there, the Walner filly coasted to a 5-3/4-length victory over Brickhouse Babe. Peyton Hanover closed for third along with Bold And Beautiful for fourth.

Trained by Richard Nifty Norman for owners Pinske Stables and David Hoese, Lilbitalexis won her sixth race from seven starts, pushing her earnings to $114,300. Dexter Dunn piloted the $2.40 winner.

Each division of the Bluegrass Two-Year-Old Filly Trot was sponsored by Arden Homestead Stable, Elbridge & Peter Gerry, Stoner Manor & Menhammar Stuteri AB, Jorgen Jahre Jr., William DeVan, Lawrence DeVan and LST Stables.

Early Action Hits Best Stride Late For Bluegrass Score

Early Action took the lead early, yielded control to Pebble Beach and tracked every move of that 3-5 choice before upending him in the final strides to win the second of three splits for the $330,000 Bluegrass Two-Year-Old Colt & Gelding Pace on Saturday (Oct. 2) at The Red Mile.

Leading to a :28.1 first quarter, Early Action let Pebble Beach brush by to the point into the backstretch and stayed put as River Ness advanced first over into a :55.3 half. Pebble Beach continued on the lead under minimal pressure to three-quarters in 1:23.2 before Early Action began to threaten off the turn. With each stride, Early Action cut into Pebble Beachs advantage until the Hunstville gelding eventually edged by just before the line to win by a head in 1:49.4. River Ness held third with Lous Sassin finishing fourth.

[Brian Sears] does a great job, winning trainer Joe Holloway said after the race. He also has the ability to  once he left with him  to get him to relax in the two hole. He doesnt need my advice. [Early Action] has improved. Unfortunately, we had to geld him, but after that the horse came around. He wasnt paying attention to business. Im not a big fan of gelding, never really had it work out too well. Ive had two in my career and this is the second one. Hes a high speed horse and hes coming along.

A winner in six races from eight starts, Early Action has earned $124,408 for owners Val DOr Farms and Ted Gewertz. Brian Sears piloted the $10.40 winner.

Longshot Nautical Hanover blew up the tote board and cracked the unbeaten streak of 1-5 favourite Gulf Shores when landing a 46-1 upset in the opening division of the Bluegrass.

Danger Zone zipped off the wings from the pylon post to lead Loukes Perry into the first turn while Gulf Shores, who bobbled slightly behind the gate, floated to race sixth. By the first quarter in :27.1, Danger Zone kept the clip hot to a :55.1 half as Gulf Shores attempted to flush cover from the back, securing a third-over position when Nautical Hanover committed to race uncovered to the turn.

Nautical Hanover made steady gains on his pace-setting stablemate to three-quarters in 1:23.3 and promptly took over the lead straightening for the finish. Gulf Shores shot off cover and charged after Nautical Hanover coming to the final eighth, but could not overpower the late leader who hit the beam a half-length better in a 1:51 mile. Seaside Way rallied for third and Last Beach finished fourth.

He raced great up in Canada in the Metro; he just got interfered with, co-owner Brad Grant said after the race. We mightve been third or fourth, so I was kind of surprised. Unfortunately I didnt get here in time [to bet him]  they were just going behind the gate when we walked in. So Ill take the purse.

In his maiden-breaking score, Nautical Hanover produced a $95.80 mutuel when making his 10th start while pushing his bankroll to $101,764 for owners Brad Grant, VJ Stable, Jablonsky Held Stable and In The Gym Partners. Tony Alagna conditions the Captaintreacherous colt and Todd McCarthy sat in the sulky.

The final Bluegrass division went the way of JMs Finaltreasure, who launched from the pocket to win in 1:50.4.

Securing the lead to a :27.1 first quarter, JMs Finaltreasure settled for the pocket up the backside as Wearinmysixshooter came rolling first over for the front. Wearinmysixshooter then led the field to a :55.1 half as an antsy Rose Run Xplosion blew off the pegs and rushed to the pacesetter around the final turn. However, Rose Run Xplosions uncovered bid was brief and he began to back through the field to three-quarters in 1:23.1.

As the backfield circumvented the tiring horse, JMs Finaltreasure had enough room to swing from the pocket and dash by a tiring Wearinmysixshooter through the lane to win by a widening two lengths. Captain Cowboy scooted up the inside for second, but a pylon violation in his rally disqualified him to fifth. PJ Lou assumed second, Atlas Hanover took third and Wearinmysixshooter finished fourth.

JMs Finaltreasure won his fourth race from 10 starts, pushing his earnings to $205,063 for owners Burke Racing Stable & Weaver Bruscemi, J&T Silva-Purnel & Libby and Phil Collura. The gelded Sweet Lou half-brother to Captaintreacherous had Yannick Gingras in the sulky for trainer Ron Burke and paid $5.20 to win.

Each division of the Bluegrass Two-Year-Old Colt & Gelding Pace was sponsored by the Stay Hungry Syndicate and Hanover Shoe Farms.

Live harness racing resumes at The Red Mile on Sunday (Oct. 3) with a total of nine stakes events spread through the $253,000 Bluegrass Three-Year-Old Colt & Gelding Pace, $208,000 Bluegrass Three-Year-Old Colt & Gelding Trot, $223,600 Bluegrass Three-Year-Old Filly Trot and $150,000 Bluegrass Three-Year-Old Filly Pace. On the betting front, Sundays card will feature a $40,000 guaranteed pool for the Pick 5, spurred by an $8,282.07 carryover on the Saturday card. The Pick 5 encompasses Races 2-6 and carries a 50-cent minimum.

First-race post time at The Red Mile is 1 p.m. (EDT).

(With files from Red Mile)
Night Pro eclipsed $1 million in career earnings on Saturday night (Oct. 2), when he dug in gamely to defeat Normandy Beach in one of two $8,800 Open Paces at Northville Downs. Lying In Cash captured the other Open, his third in a row.

Night Pro, in line to owner/trainer Dale Decker, used the entire first turn to clear Beauty Desires (Justin Irvine) from post six  and was strung out to a :28 first quarter in doing so. Decker rated the veteran pacer through a :57.3 half before the pair worked to fend off a first-over challenge from Bluebird Pacific (Kody Massey) through a :29 third quarter. While Night Pro shrugged off Bluebird Pacific rather easily, his biggest threat came in the form of Normandy Beach  whom David Lake pointed three-wide into the final turn off failing second-over cover. Off the corner for home, Decker asked Night Pro for all he had, and the 11-year-old son of Pro Bono Best held off Normandy Beach's late charge by a neck in 1:55.4. Beauty Desires held third up the open stretch, missing by only a neck.

"He was still strong all the way down the backside," said Decker. "He doesn't get home like he did when he was younger, so there's always a concern someone will loop him. But I felt pretty good because he was still tight, and he got the job done."

Night Pro has amassed $1,003,384 in his 182 career starts, winning 71 of them and earning 58 minor placings  all for Decker, who manages his small stable in addition to a full-time career as a home builder. After early success on the Indiana Sires Stakes circuit, Night Pro earned most of his seven-figure bankroll "the hard way"  capturing Open and Invitational events all through the Midwest.

"The last $200,000 was tough  he kept getting older, and it kept getting tougher. It's great; he's a nice class horse. If a guy like Ron Burke had him, he'd probably have a lot more money on his card, but that's not why I'm in it. I enjoy doing it, and I'll keep at it as long as I can."

Decker indicated that Night Pro also stood stud in Indiana the past couple years, and is excited to see what his star performer's progeny will do in seasons to come.

"The exciting part now for me is that he's got a few yearlings out there, so hopefully you'll see some of his two-year-olds racing next year."

Night Pro paid $16.40 to win.

In the other Open, Lying In Cash overcame his assigned post eight to earn his third consecutive win against Michigan's best pacers.

Driven by Don Harmon, the five-year-old Aracache Hanover gelding circled three-wide on the first turn pushed clear of Ogradys First Man (Charles Taylor) through a :27.2 first quarter. He then repelled a sustained outside challenge from Catch Me Conrad (Jason Merriman)  who advanced out of fourth on the far turn to engage the favoured pacesetter  through middle splits of :56.2 and 1:25.2. After the two dueled noses apart up the backstretch, Lying In Cash put away his rival off the home turn, winning by 1-1/4 lengths while driven out in 1:54.3. Catch Me Conrad maintained second. Diesel Accelerator (Kim Pluta) finished third after stalking the dueling leaders from second-over.

Scott Galloway trains Lying In Cash, a five-time winner in 11 starts this season who paid $4.60 to win, for owner/breeder Techia Lohmann.

In Friday night's (Oct. 1) features, Danikova ($3.40) and Jason Merriman repelled Princess Rockette to win the Fillies and Mares Open in 1:55, while I Get It ($2.80) and owner/trainer/driver Bob Rowland battled after being headed by Hail Caesar up the backstretch to win the Open Trot by a widening 3-1/4 lengths in 1:57.4. Merriman led all drivers with four wins on the card.

Racing returns to Northville Downs on Friday evening (Oct. 8); post time is 7:30 p.m. EDT.

(Michigan Harness Horsemen's Association)
Al Salam Bank-Bahrain has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) and entered into discussions with Ithmaar Holding for the potential acquisition by Al Salam Bank of a group of assets from Ithmaar Holdings group of companies.

Al Salam Bank is keen to maintain its growth trajectory and these discussions with Ithmaar Holding on a potential group of assets would complement Al Salam Bank's existing business lines, said a joint statement.

The potential acquisition will be subject to the completion of successful due diligence, the agreement of terms between both parties, and the receipt of all necessary regulatory and corporate consents, it said.

Shaikh Khalid bin Mustahil Al Mashani, Chairman of Al Salam Bank  Bahrain, said: Al Salam Bank has a robust track record in the M&A space evidenced by the successful acquisition and integration of Bahrain Saudi Bank in 2009 and BMI Bank in 2014. As part of our continuous efforts to explore expansion venues, Al Salam Bank is pleased to announce the signing of a memorandum of understanding and the commencement of discussions with Ithmaar Holding, a banking peer in Bahrain who has a rich history spanning almost four decades. Further cementing Al Salam Banks position as a leading financial institution in Bahrain, these discussions are earmarked to supplement the recently approved three-year strategy, accelerate Al Salam Banks growth trajectory, and further enhance our market positioning.

Prince Amr Al Faisal, Chairman of Ithmaar Holding, said: Ithmaar Holding holds a well-diversified portfolio of financial assets which includes retail banking businesses in Bahrain and Pakistan, major Takaful operations and significant real estate assets. The discussions with Al Salam Bank are in line with Ithmaar Holdings long-standing strategy of creating value for its shareholders, and we are pleased to sign this memorandum of understanding. This potential transaction will have a significant positive impact on Bahrains national economy and reinforce the Kingdoms position as a key regional Islamic banking hub. - TradeArabia News Service
Saint-Gobain, a global leader in the habitat and construction markets, is showcasing its sustainability at the Expo 2020 Dubai through its popular brands in the UAE.

These include Gyproc, Weber, Kimmco-Isover, Ecophon, Saint-Gobain Glass, SageGlass, SolarGard, Vetrotech, Saint-Gobain Films and Fabrics, Norton and Saint-Gobain PAM, which have worked together to provide an integrated package of solutions. Together they have been used in 61 Expo 2020 country pavilions.

The high-performance package includes wall and ceiling linings and acoustic partitions; specialist plasters, mortars and waterproofing; energy saving insulation products; fire-resistant glass doors and glass partitions; high performing of solar control and auto-tint glazing and protective window films, as well as cast iron drainage pipes, special performance membranes and cutting and grinding equipment, it stated.

Saint-Gobain pointed out that its focus on high-performance innovative building solutions, and ability to provide detailed certification on the environmental impact of each of its market leading products, has ensured its position as a key supplier of building materials for the Expo 2020.

"Our focus on sustainability and creating high performance buildings through solutions that perform at every stage, from design, construction, deconstruction and re-use. With over 350 years of knowledge and experience, this is our DNA and at the core of Saint-Gobains Purpose Making the world a better home," remarked Paul Button, CEO of Saint-Gobain UAE.

"As a global company, we have built a unique knowledge and expertise that will not only be demonstrated to Expo visitors but will prove the benefits of our work in practice for many years to come," he added.

Saint-Gobains sustainability credentials and unique ability to provide Environmental Product Declarations for its portfolio of products meant they were specified across the Expo site. Among these:

*A key focus for visitors is expected to be the Sustainability Pavilion, an eye-catching 130-meter-wide structure that not only demonstrates the latest in low energy and sustainable design techniques but has been designed to produce more energy than it uses. With their eyes on the ultimate Leed Platinum environmental rating, designers, Grimshaw architects, specified high performance products with low environmental impact throughout and were keen to understand how each contributed to their goal.

*Another striking centerpiece to magnificent Expo, Al Wasl Dome is the largest in the world. 130 metres in diameter, this stunning permanent structure is enveloped by a custom Sheerfill SGM-30 Tan architectural mesh developed by Saint-Gobain Films and Fabrics providing a unique projection screen, allowing in natural light and air flow, while reflecting heat to maintain a cool and comfortable temperature in the space below.

*Other notable buildings include the stunning new Expo Conference Centre and Exhibition Hall, which features Gyprocs high-performance partitions and ceilings throughout, as well as specialist Weber plasters and Bloc mortar, and partition acoustic insulation from Kimmco-Isover; and the Expo village, features huge volumes of Cool-Lite KNT from Saint-Gobain Glass to provide solar, thermal, and light input control for the 3000-plus Expo residents.

Vetrotech fire-resistant doors, partitions and curtain walling will ensure enhanced visitor safety in lobbies, corridors and main entrances and advanced Solar Gard window films cut energy usage and ensure a comfortable environment for visitors to the Expo parks and other specialist buildings.-TradeArabia News Service
Abu Dhabis ASPIRE, a technology unit of the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), will hold the Mohamed Bin Zayed International Robotics Challenge (MBZIRC) in June 2023, where tech innovators will participate to seek marine safety and security solutions to win more than $3 million in prize money.



Organised by ASPIRE, the MBZIRC is held every two years. The upcoming edition, called MBZIRC Maritime Grand Challenge, focuses on real-time solutions to maritime safety and security challenges and seeks to claim its place among the largest and most prestigious AI and robotics competitions in the world.



The Challenge is open to international universities, research institutions, companies and individual innovators from all over the world. It will involve a heterogeneous collaboration among unmanned aerial vehicles and unmanned surface vehicles, to perform complex navigation and manipulation tasks in a GNSS-denied environment. Call for registrations is now open.



Faisal Al Bannai, Secretary General of ATRC, said: We are proud that MBZIRC is going global by inviting the best talent from all over the world to participate. We have set a tough real-world challenge that will push the participants to the limits of their capabilities. The event is a great opportunity to demonstrate the pioneering scientific research work that is taking place in Abu Dhabi and the UAE.



The challenge will show how both the entities focus on niche areas of technology, while attracting global innovators to stimulate ideas, encourage collaboration, and push boundaries in advanced technologies to find systems solutions to global challenges.



For countries with long coastlines, ensuring maritime safety requires significant investment in sophisticated equipment and highly trained personnel, said Dr Arthur Morrish, Chief Executive of ASPIRE.



Using advanced robotic systems can not only help reduce costs, but also handle some of the often- dangerous tasks performed by humans. The motivation for holding the MBZIRC Maritime Grand Challenge is to take the technology out of the laboratory and test it in a real-world environment to see what is possible.



Dr Morrish underscored the two-fold purpose behind the competition: one is to focus on the important problems in autonomy of robotics while engaging the world community in a hard robotics challenge. The other is to find a solution to a real-world challenge facing the world.



The challenge is for a swarm of UAVs to identify a target vessel from several similar vessels in open waters in a GNSS-denied environment, and to offload specific items from the target onto an USV in the shortest possible time using autonomous technologies. This is a new kind of kind of exercise in autonomous robotics. A nice thing about this challenge is that you tell people what you want, but you dont specify an approach to do it, Dr Morrish added.



He said that this kind of a smart system will have practical application in other areas as well, especially as it can perform complex tasks of autonomous intervention in a GNSS denied environment.  TradeArabia News Service
The Sharjah Chamber of Commerce & Industrys (SCCI) new three-year strategy includes innovative plans that aim to achieve a paradigm shift in the SCCI's performance, work system, services, and support for the business community.

The strategy focuses on a set of goals including; supporting the business sector and promoting its positive practices towards a sustainable economy, developing and diversifying the emirate's exports, and managing the strategic partnerships to develop the system of foreign trade exchange and attract investment, according to the strategy approved by the Board of Directors of SCCI.

It also aims to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of economic studies to serve the interests of members and investors, develop a supportive environment for the growth and prosperity of entrepreneurship and SMEs, develop infrastructure projects and diversification of investment, and enhance the system of institutional excellence and optimal investment of the Chambers resources within a legislative environment that supports the business community.

This came during the 18th meeting of the SCCI Board of Directors, which was held at the Chambers headquarters. The meeting was headed by Abdullah Sultan Al Owais, Chairman, SCCI, and was attended by Sheikh Majid bin Faisal Al Qasimi, First Vice-President of the Chamber, Waleed Abdul Rahman Bu Khatir, SCCI Second Vice-Chairman, and members of the Board of Directors.

Also attending were Mohammed Ahmed Amin Al-Awadi, Director-General, SCCI, Abdulaziz Shattaf, Assistant Director-General of the Member Services Sector, Director of the Sharjah Export Development Center (SEDC), and Maryam Saif Al Shamsi, Assistant Director-General of the Support Services Sector.

"The SCCI embraces the strategic planning as a permanent work approach for it to foresee the future and develop its performance and services in order to effectively contribute to advancing the sustainable growth in Sharjah and diversifying its economy," said Al- Owais.

Al-Owais stated that the SCCI's major focus in the next three years is to support the business sectors (commercial, industrial, professional, agricultural and digital) by providing world-class services to enhance their competitiveness and achieve sustainable economic and social development, guided by a vision that aims to enhance the effectiveness business community in the context of a sustainable global competitive economy.

He underlined that the Chamber is committed to harnessing all capabilities to spur and support the private sector to keep pace with global changes in the business environment and help it innovate in its services and initiatives.

Al-Awadi highlighted a number of the SCCI's significant milestones made during the current year, in addition to the feasibility studies that focused on some emerging economic sectors and the mechanism of work to organise and advance them.

Al-Awadi stressed that the SCCI will do its utmost to launch new and innovative initiatives and programs to stimulate the private sector to increase its efficiency and competitiveness, encourage male and female entrepreneurs to engage in economic business in all its categories, and actively participate in the UAE's sustainable development process.-- TradeArabia News Service
The UAEs Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology is striving to create an attractive business environment for local and international investors in the industrial sector. It is also enhancing the regional and global competitiveness of local manufacturers.

Building the knowledge capabilities of partners in the private sector is in line with the strategic objectives of the ministry, Omar Suwaina Al-Suwaidi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, said participating in an introductory workshop for the food industries sector and the national authorities of metrological control.

To this end, the ministry has issued 1,294 standards and 623 mandatory technical regulations to partners in the industrial sector through the ministrys website.

Al-Suwaidi added that the ministry is working to integrate and involve representatives of all sectors in the technical committees concerned with setting standards, legislations and technical regulations in order to consolidate the institutional partnership approach and provide specifications according to the highest applicable international standards.

He noted that the UAE is the first country to update legislation related to metrology units based on the latest developments in the international system of metrology by member states, which collectively signed The Metre Convention in the International Bureau of Weights and Measures in 2018.

The UAE participated in the vote on the resolution as a key member of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM), which resulted in the redefinition of four basic units of measurement out of the seven included in the International System of Units, namely the kilogram (weight), the kelvin (temperature), the ampere (electric current) and the mole (material quantity).

The workshop aimed to raise awareness about the legal metrology units that are applied in the food and beverage industry sector, and their impact on food and beverage production and product quality.

Part of the ministrys programme to enhance the familiarisation with and awareness of metrology activities and services, the virtual workshop was attended by representatives of the public and private sectors, including the Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council, the Dubai Central Laboratory of the Dubai Municipality, Economic Development Departments, conformity assessment authorities, and food and beverages producers.

The workshop included presentations on the national strategy for industry and advanced technology, Operation 300bn, as well as the use of internationally compatible metrology units and their impact on raising national production efficiency, and enhancing the competitiveness and global acceptance of the UAEs food production sector.

FOOD INDUSTRY

For her part, Farah Ali AlZarooni, Acting Assistant Undersecretary for Standards and Regulations Sector at the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, confirmed that the workshop aimed to educate workers in the food and beverage industries sector about the importance of applying modern measurement systems to improve productive efficiency and enhance the competitiveness of Emirati products in global markets.

She added that the workshop discussed the units of the international system of measurement, ways of writing them, their symbols, and the abolition of units of measurement not universally accepted, which negatively affect the acceptance of national products outside the country.

AlZarooni stated that the ministry issues and reviews many legislations aimed at developing the infrastructure of metrology in the country, such as the National Measurement System, technical regulations for medical and environmental measurements, in addition to legal metrology programmes that are implemented in coordination between the ministry and its strategic partners, including the regulation of scales, fuel meters, taxi meters, packaged products and commercial meter measurements.

She emphasised that these programmes contribute significantly to raising confidence in the measurements used in the industrial sector and commercial exchanges in the country. She added that the country is also working to develop modern legislation that keeps pace with the industrial development in UAE to cover chemical, electronic and digital measurements in industry.

ACCURACY OF THE TOOLS

For his part, Khalaf Al Mazrouei, Executive Director of the Markets and Consumer Services Sector at the Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council, stressed that the Councils participation in the workshop is in line with the vital role of the Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council to cooperate with the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology in raising the technical capabilities of factories and companies in the country, based on the authorisation agreement signed between the ministry and the Council.

Al Mazrouei explained that the councils vision and mission are in line with the objectives of the Abu Dhabi Plan to build a strong and competitive economy. The vision focuses on upgrading the quality infrastructure, which will enable the Emirate of Abu Dhabi to excel globally, while the mission is to lead, facilitate and develop a quality infrastructure in the Emirate which is integrated and highly efficient at the global level, and promote a culture of quality, industrial development, competitiveness and consumer safety.

He added: The Council is also working to ensure the accuracy of legal measurement tools and the correctness of the quantity in pre-packaged goods and their compliance with their specifications and requirements. This is achieved through specialised technical work-teams, which also ensures that the correct units of measurement are used in the emirate. The council has participated in several campaigns to change the units of measurement, including the campaign to replace the yard unit with the meter unit and the campaign to replace the tula unit with the gram and milliliter unit.

For its part, the Dubai Central Laboratory of Dubai Municipality highlighted the role of the municipality in controlling legal measurement tools under the authorisation agreement issued by the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology. This supports the development of quality infrastructure in the Emirate of Dubai and the UAE in general and helps guarantee optimum results in the provision of correct, accurate and reliable measurements in accordance with the best practices of international standards.

The presentation prepared by the Dubai Central Laboratory touched on the programme for controlling the quantity of the product in pre-packaged goods in local factories, which would protect the rights of consumers on the one hand, and the rights of manufacturers, distributors, importers and the national economy on the other.

It referred to the verification methods and the correct presentation of measurement units based on Technical Regulation No. 3 of 2016 issued by the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology. These aim to verify the quantity of the product in pre-packaged goods both from local food factories and importers.-- TradeArabia News Service
International participants at Automechanika Dubai, the Middle East and Africas largest international automotive aftermarket trade show, have identified digitalisation and sustainability as the top two trends set to shape the future of the industry.

Many experts point to Covid-19 as a catalyst for change as organisers Messe Frankfurt Middle East prepares to welcome companies from across the globe.

The three-day trade show will return to the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) from December 14 to 16, 2021, and welcome companies from 57 countries across 15 pavilions.

Participants will be split across six product sections: Parts & Components; Electronics & Systems; Accessories & Customising; Repair & Maintenance; Car Wash, Care & Reconditioning; and Tyres & Batteries.

Representing Morocco  a country debuting at this years Automechanika  Soufian Chriki, Sales Director for Siprof said: The market is in transition with digitalisation, climate change, cryptocurrency, artificial intelligence and sustainable energy all having an impact.

Polish-based AS-PL, producers of alternators and starters, said while digitalisation has played a large role in its processes for years, the pandemic exacerbated this change.

Robert Snider, CMO at AS-PL, said: The process of digitalisation has been transforming the industry processes for some time. The pandemic accelerated this transformation as well. More and more processes in the industry have been automated for better effectiveness. And companies such as AS-PL, which cooperates with customers from various markets and countries, introduced systems that enable us to react faster and more efficiently when it comes to customer relationship management.

Lithuanias Elinta Charge, which is responsible for manufacturing public EV charging stations across Europe, explains its use of proprietary technology allowed for continued customer support despite travel restrictions.

All our charging stations are equipped with our elios.cloud back-end system solution, which allows us to monitor the charging station, communicate with it, detect an issue remotely and in many cases solve an issue without physically interacting with it, said Ignas Mikutis, CEO of Elitna Charge.

Mikutis, who believes digitalisation and going electric are dominating trends within the automotive industry, explained that sustainability also plays a key part in the design of their products.

Most importantly, we discuss with the team what is sustainable and how to avoid the pitfalls of greenwashing. Our take is very simple, we make things that last, and we build our solutions on three pillars: timeless design, advanced engineering and smart electronics.

The three-day trade event hosted over 30,000 visitors and 1,900 exhibitors in 2019, and has established itself as an international meeting point for global and regional players in the automotive industry. Automechanika Dubai is one of 17 instalments of Automechanika  the most successful automotive aftermarket trade fair brand in the world.-- TradeArabia News Service
APM Terminals Bahrain, the operator of Bahrains Khalifa Bin Salman Port (KBSP), recently joined other operating ports across 69 locations to commemorate the annual Global Safety Day programme under We Lead with Care.

The event focused on bringing together 300 employees, customers and contractors during the course of the three-day event at Khalifa Bin Salman Port and engaging them to listen, learn and respond to what people need to do to work safely and effectively, a statement from the company said.

APM Terminals Bahrain hosted exercises and demonstrations which were carried out throughout the three-day event. The opening ceremony was conducted with a speech from the Managing Director of APM Terminals Bahrain, Maureen Bannerman as well as Karl Darius Gnonlonfin, Head of HSE. They have highlighted the value and importance of safety at Khalifa Bin Salman Port and ensuring the safety of the employees.

All the port users were invited to participate in a virtual competition which involved suggesting and recommending ideas to improve safety at Khalifa Bin Salman Port. Entries submitted were recognized and rewarded with a token of appreciation. Moreover, employees participated in several interactive sessions which included board games, virtual Gemba for front liners and office staff as well as the Man Overboard exercise and many more other activities such as a load lifting process, special tools usage awareness and fire drill. Lastly the Traffic department held a road safety awareness session to conclude this years ceremony.

APM Terminals Bahrain constantly works toward improving their safety performance with regular awareness sessions and training; by continually implementing best practices and industry standards to improve the Health, Safety, and Environment performance of the terminal, the statememt added.--TradeArabia News Service
Grandweld Shipyards has been awarded a major new contract by Specialities Construction (SCC) to build four 50-tonne BP escort tugs to operate in Shuwaikh Port for Kuwait Port Authority. The design includes Escort Notation, Z-drive propulsion and added features such as firefighting and oil recovery.

This award ensures that Grandweld has a solid order book until the end of 2022 and further cements the companys position in the market for building customised, high-quality tugboats.

It is another sign of consistent and growing demand for Grandwelds products and services following two strong years of other major ship building and repair contract announcements.

Grandweld, part of Stanford Marine Group (SMG), is one of the regions leading shipyards, and provides a fully integrated service in shipbuilding, ship repair and engineering solutions. Grandweld has built a strong reputation for delivering innovative, reliable ships that is supported by excellent after-sales service.

Grandweld utilises advanced shipbuilding technology including a highly digitised workflow that is integrated with yard systems. To ensure customer needs are met, Grandweld selected renowned international tug-boat designer Robert Allan Ltd to produce a customised version of its TRAktor 2700-Z design, while Grandwelds engineering department will produce the highly detailed 3D production design.

Elias Nassif, Founder and Group CEO of SMG, commented: "We see exciting opportunities for growth across the region. This contract win for Grandweld in Kuwait is the latest in a growing pipeline of business and is proof that Grandweld is a competitive, innovative and high-quality shipbuilder in the tug market. We look forward to building these tug-boats here in the UAE to showcase our innovative engineering capabilities and strengthen Grandwelds order book visibility through the end of 2022.

Jamal Abki, General Manager, Grandweld Shipyards, said: At Grandweld, our goal is to develop long-term, sustainable relationships with our customers based on our ability to consistently deliver innovative designs and reliable products, all with our trademark customer service. This was a tender that was highly competitive, but we secured it because of our commitment to these strong values.

Eng Mubarak Al-Woqayan, CEO of Specialities Group Holdings, said: We actually considered other yards as far afield as Europe, but Grandweld offered a compelling combination of advanced shipbuilding technology, management know-how, and a demonstrated ability to deliver premium products and service. We are confident of Grandweld's ability to deliver the tugs that meet our expectations, all within the specified timeframe.-- TradeArabia News Service
Professional Communication Corporation, Nedaa announced it has deployed its Tetra and 4G critical communication and security networks at Expo 2020 site.

In accordance with the approved plan, Nedaa has activated all internal and external stations and towers, ensuring secure communications for all participating parties and emergency response teams, and contributing to the operational success over the duration of the event.

Nedaa secures communications and data transfer over its two networks for all mobile and smart devices, and for command centers used by different entities, including security authorities such as Dubai Police, Civil Defence, Dubai Ambulance, in addition to private security firms and Expo 2020 organising committees.

Further, Nedaa will support Expo 2020 with an on-site team of employees, technical engineers, and technicians from Nedaa and its subsidiary, Esharah Etisalat Security Solutions - Expo 2020 Official Secure Systems Provider.

Esharah will be responsible for providing on-site mobile and smart communication devices around the clock through its highly-trained staff. Moreover, the company will be present in the operations and control centre, ensuring swift response, network control and operation, and the availability of all necessary services during the six months of the largest event ever held in the Arab World.

Expo 2020 features a number of the most advanced, comprehensive, and specialised on-site solutions for communications networks, providing users with flexible and effective communications processes through a wireless network.

These advancements will allow users to leverage Nedaa 4G network, using smartphones, to quickly and safely make individual and group calls, transfer data, and conduct live and visual streaming connected to the control centers. This guarantees meeting the needs of emergency and crisis critical communications, plus managing and developing daily operation continuously, ultimately increasing operational efficiency and reducing completion time.

Expo 2020 is a key landmark in the UAEs leading development journey towards a future of technology, innovation, and knowledge. It is a unique international event where the latest future innovations are utilised to strengthen the information and communications technology infrastructure, reflecting the overall national advancement, said Mansoor Bu Osaiba, Nedaa CEO.

We are fully committed to supporting Expo management and the participating security authorities with smart communications capabilities of the highest standards, thanks to out on-site and around-the-clock networks that provide a unique digital experience, he added.-- TradeArabia News Service
Etisalat has announced an internet speed upgrade of up to 1Gbps, bringing tremendous value to existing and new business customers across the UAE.

Customers will also avail a host of benefits bundled with their connectivity such as free devices, exclusive digital and communication solutions, advanced telephony with flexible minutes and more.

Salvador Anglada, Group Chief Business Officer, Etisalat, said: Etisalat has always been at the forefront of empowering businesses with the most advanced digital solutions. This speed upgrade is a testimony to our commitment to the sector, giving us an opportunity to further cater to their requirements and helping them grow their business by enabling them in their digital journey.

Faster broadband speeds significantly keep business operations running smoothly, increase productivity, and provide businesses with quick access to resources, data and cloud-based applications.

Etisalats robust network has greatly contributed to help businesses achieve higher productivity and an efficient workforce. The new internet speeds provide customers with a premium experience which is not limited to high-speed internet connectivity.

Etisalats value proposition for businesses include free devices, a groundbreaking network protection, and a host of collaboration and digital solutions.-- TradeArabia News Service
Hitachi ABB Power Grids, will reinforce and showcase its sustainability, electricity and digital technology solutions and services at the 23rd Wetex and sixth Dubai Solar Show. The show is taking place from October 5 to 7 at the Dubai Exhibition Centre on the Expo 2020 Dubai premises.

Hitachi ABB Power Grids is a Titanium sponsor of Wetex, the regions premier event on power, water and environment event, organised by the Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (Dewa).

This edition of Wetex comes at a crucial time for businesses anticipating a post-pandemic economic growth surge, said Dr Mostafa AlGuezeri, Managing Director of Hitachi ABB Power Grids for the UAE, Gulf, Near East and Pakistan. He said: This years physical exhibition is also a testimony of the tenacity of the UAE in weathering the pandemic and normalising the situation to pave the way for business and economic growth.

This year, Hitachi ABB Power Grids key focus will be Sustainability and Digitalisation, demonstrating the companys versatile range of technology and electricity solutions that will reinforce a carbon-neutral future. The solutions and services are aimed at helping customers overcome complexity, increase efficiency, and accelerate the shift towards a carbon-neutral energy future.

We recently set out Sustainability 2030, our new strategic plan and commitment towards a sustainable energy future. Our presence at Wetex showcase will highlight our range of electric solutions supporting the four key pillars of Planet, People, Peace and Partnerships, he said.

Our sustainable strategy draws inspiration from the UNs Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Each of its strategic key pillars is linked to business targets contributing to creating social, environmental, and economic values.

Wetex is a perfect platform for Hitachi ABB Power Grids to highlight its latest technological advancements and discuss the latest trends related to energy, water conservation, saving natural resources, and building a sustainable environment.

The company is participating an official partner in the Swedish pavilion at the World Expo 2020 in Dubai. Hitachi ABB Power Grids will become Hitachi Energy from October 2021.-- TradeArabia News Service
St. Regis Hotels & Resorts, part of Marriott International, today announced the opening of The St. Regis Downtown, Dubai.

As the newest jewel in an exquisite global portfolio, The St. Regis Downtown, Dubai will feature the celebrated traditions, cherished rituals, and bespoke service born at New Yorks finest address of 55th and Fifth, and will seamlessly blend the brands storied history and heritage with the vibrancy of the destination, said a statement.

Located along the Dubai Water Canal, The St. Regis Downtown, Dubai is just minutes from the citys most famed attractions and landmarks. Guests are steps away from the worlds largest shopping mall, The Dubai Mall, and just a short drive to the citys design hub, Dubai Design District, and the International Financial Centre.

Dubais downtown district is a sought-after destination for global travellers and showcases the Emirates innovative vision, making it an ideal location for the St. Regis brands avant-garde style and highly personalized service, said Candice DCruz, Vice President  Luxury Brands, Europe, Middle East & Africa, Marriott International. This opening is an exquisite addition to our illustrious portfolio of luxury properties in the region and perfectly unites the spirit of the city with the timeless glamour of St. Regis.

We are looking forward to offering guests exquisite experiences that are steeped in history along with the brands iconic anticipatory service, which is purposefully tailored for each one of our global tastemakers, said Raja Zeidan, General Manager, The St. Regis Downtown Dubai. The St. Regis Downtown, Dubai will provide a distinct point of view on luxury hospitality in one of the citys most exclusive districts, and will offer global luminaries the chance to enjoy the cherished hallmarks of the St. Regis brand.

Elegant Design and Exceptional Accommodations

Drawing inspiration from the brands storied heritage, the hotels sophisticated aesthetic feature a palate of rich fabrics and gold accents to create an intimate environment of luxury and comfort. Elegant decor and contemporary interiors are accentuated with bespoke elements including two striking glass chandeliers and elegant gold chains in the lobby that are influenced by the jewellery found in Dubais Gold Souk. The intimate lobby features sophisticated lounge areas perfectly lit by a grand fireplace and a striking artwork inspired by Dubais skyline silhouette reflecting onto the Dubai Water Canal. As a nod to the brands vanguard spirit, the corridors and gathering spaces are adorned with a thoughtfully curated collection of contemporary art.

The St. Regis Downtown, Dubai boasts 298 lavishly appointed guest rooms and suites overlooking local landmarks such as the Dubai Water Canal and the Burj Khalifa, the worlds tallest building. The spacious guestrooms feature floor to ceiling windows, large open bathrooms, walk-in wardrobes and beautiful coral inspired wall sculptures. All guestrooms and suites offer the signature St. Regis Butler Service providing round-the-clock anticipatory service ensuring every guests stay is entirely unique.

Exquisite Culinary Journeys

The hotel invites guests and local luminaries to embark on unique culinary journeys with exceptional restaurants, bars and lounges. The Library offers an elegant gathering place to enjoy a locally inspired take on the acclaimed signature St. Regis Afternoon Tea. BASTA! is a lively Italian restaurant that expertly fuses the food and feel of a Roman Trattoria, Florentine Steakhouse and Neapolitan Pizzeria, serving traditional Italian cuisine with a modern twist. Inspired by the convivial atmosphere in the South of France, authentic French flavours are combined with a relaxed continental style at Bleu Blanc Oysters & Grill to create a perfect blend of relaxed Mediterranean fine dining. At the intimate St. Regis Bar, guests can socialise and enjoy a modern take on the world-renowned Bloody Mary cocktail, which was first created at The St. Regis New Yorks King Cole Bar in 1934. The St. Regis Bar features a mirrored mural embellished by starry lights stretching across the ceiling, depicting the glittering stars at night seen from the Arabian Desert. Additionally, a poolside bar with scenic views of Downtown Dubais skyline and the Dubai Water Canal is the ideal place to relax and enjoy a light meal in the sun.

Rejuvenation for the Body and Soul

A luxurious urban retreat, The St. Regis Spa features six treatment suites and offers bespoke treatments including Flotation Therapy in a flotation pod and a 24-karat gold age-defying facial, in addition to a traditional Arabian Hammam. Every spa treatment includes an additional 30-minute sensory experience to relax in the in-suite infused steam room or sauna. Guests can work out in the exclusive Fitness Center, featuring a range of cardio and strength equipment, or enjoy a leisurely swim in the scenic outdoor infinity pool overlooking the Dubai Water Canal.

Sophisticated Celebrations and Bespoke Events

Marking the brands legacy of iconic celebrations, The St. Regis Downtown, Dubai will debut an elegant Astor Ballroom in March 2022 with 564 sq m of event space. Through floor-to-ceiling windows this exquisite venue will be brightly lit with natural daylight and will feature an outdoor terrace where guests can enjoy expansive city views.  TradeArabia News Service
Dubais homegrown burger brand High Joint has revealed its plans for expansion in Saudi with multiple locations to be launched and operational in Riyadh by mid-November this year.



Pop-ups by High Joint at major events in the Saudi city are also in the pipeline, ensuring an extensive and exciting flagship entry into the country.



From a passion project by three Emiratis that started as a hole-in-the-wall in Al Manara nearly three years ago, High Joint has grown to operate two  soon-to-be three  locations across Dubai, implemented a city-wide delivery operation, collaborated with leading chefs such as Reif Othman and brands including Puma, as well as winning multiple accolades and awards  namely being recognised as one of the best burgers in town.



Representing the brands first move overseas, High Joint will create an all-new menu that takes into consideration the different audience and flavour preferences of Saudis, while paying tribute to its roots by putting Dubais favourite burgers on the menu, including best sellers such as the High Jamz, Waffle Waffle, The H, and the High Chicken.



We started High Joint from our very tiny in size but huge in character branch in Al Manara. A purely homegrown brand by three enthusiastic Emirati food lovers who wanted to bring people together from all over the world from that lovely and simple food  meat between two buns, said Dr Hamad Al Awar, Founder of High Joint.



From very early on, we intended to reverse the paradigm of importing burger brands from the USA and the rest of the world to exporting a Dubai homegrown brand across this region and to other countries around the world.



We look forward to sharing our explosive high flavours in Riyadh as well as learning from the people of Saudi and what they love to eat, to ultimately make High Joint more diverse and international in its flavours and creativity, he added.



High Joint offers burgers prepared using a mix of 100% fresh, 100% GMO and antibiotic-free premium quality prime cuts that are all grinded in-house.  TradeArabia News Service
A total of 16 major European airlines have committed to better information and timely reimbursement of passengers in case of flight cancellations following talks with the European Commission and consumer protection authorities.



The Commission had alerted the Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) enforcement authorities in December 2020 to address several airlines' cancellation and reimbursement practices in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic.



Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders said: It is good news for consumers that airlines cooperated during the dialogues, and committed to respecting passengers' rights and improving their communication. In the early phase of the pandemic, some airlines pushed vouchers on passengers. They were acting against EU consumer protection rules.



That was unacceptable. Following our joint action, I am pleased that most of them have now agreed to refund these vouchers. I call on authorities to ensure that the remaining airlines also offer a money refund for such vouchers.



Commissioner for Transport, Adina Valean said: I welcome the fact that the bulk of the reimbursement backlog has been cleared and that all airlines concerned have committed to solve remaining issues. This is crucial to restoring passengers' confidence. The recovery of the air transport sector depends on this. This is why we are also currently assessing regulatory options to reinforce passenger protection against future crisis, as foreseen in our Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy.



Following the dialogues, these are the commitments made by the airlines:



 remaining reimbursement backlogs have been cleared in the vast majority of cases and passengers will be refunded within 7 days as required under EU law;

 passengers will be informed more clearly about their passenger rights in the event of a flight cancellation by an airline;

 airlines will give equal prominence on their websites, e-mails and other communication to passengers to the different options the passenger has in the event of a flight cancellation by the airline: rerouting, refund in money and  if offered by the airline  refund in a voucher;

 airlines will, in their communication to passengers, clearly distinguish flight cancellations by the airline (and the passenger's ensuing statutory rights) from flight cancellations by the passenger (and possible contractual rights that the passenger may have in those cases under the airline's terms and conditions of carriage);

 passengers can be given vouchers only if they expressly choose them. Most airlines agreed that unused vouchers that the passengers at the early stages of the pandemic had to accept, can be reimbursed in money if the passenger so wishes;

 passengers who booked their flight through an intermediary and have difficulties getting reimbursement from the intermediary can turn to the airline and request to be refunded directly. Airlines are expected to inform passengers about this possibility and any conditions for requesting a direct refund on their websites.  TradeArabia News Service
(AFP via Getty Images)

Thomas Tuchel revealed he ripped up his Chelsea team because he feared something was lacking in his European champions.

On the back of two straight defeats, the German made five changes for Saturdays clash with Southampton  and it paid off with a 3-1 win.

All three goal were scored by players recalled to side, with Trevoh Chalobah, Timo Werner and Ben Chilwell providing the goals.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Callum Hudson-Odoi were the other inclusions after Wednesdays desperately disappointing 1-0 defeat to Juventus.

Tuchel admitted: In the last two games we lost and felt something was lacking so we decided to put Ruben because we were aware of the high pressing in midfield [from Southampton] and still we wanted to go through midfield and to have Ruben and [Mateo] Kovacic who can not only pass but drive with the ball to escape the pressing. That was the reason why we picked them.

Tuchel praised Werner for his decisive strike, which put Chelsea back in front after James Ward-Prowse cancelled out Chalobahs opener with a second half penalty.

Werner had seen an earlier goal ruled out by VAR  the 16th time that has happened to him since joining Chelsea.

We have the feeling every time he scores there will be a VAR decision to take it away from him, very narrow decisions, said the Chelsea manager. I remember one against Liverpool for example was super close.

He has to keep on going, he can improve his game, a lot to improve but we are happy and relieved also that he scored in the late minutes of this game. It was very important goal to secure the win and on the other hand he was there where he needed to be.

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Following an investigation by the Khmer Times, police raided a hotel-casino. A number of people were arrested and two victims released. Firearms were also found. Those arrested will be questioned after a 14-day quarantine. To avoid the crackdown, criminal activities are being moved away from the coastal city.

Phnom Penh (AsiaNews/Agencies)  Cambodian police arrested 14 people accused of criminal activities at a Chinese-owned hotel-casino on Ochheuteal Beach, Sihanoukville.

The authorities acted following the investigative work of the Khmer Times, which exposed how more than 8,000 people held prisoner by Chinese bosses were forced to engage in online fraud in a complex of buildings known as the China Project.

According to the Cambodian newspaper, shots were heard near the beach last Thursday. The next day, police raided the hotel. The criminals fired up to six shots as they attempted to flee to a nearby building. No deaths or injuries were reported.

The same criminal activities uncovered in the China Project investigation were found inside the Xihao Ying hotel-casino. In addition to online fraud, the authorities report enslavement, cross-border human trafficking and sexual abuse.

All those arrested are Chinese and were placed in solitary confinement for 14 days.

We are now waiting for them to complete their quarantine and we take further action in accordance with the laws, said Preah Sihanouk (Sihanoukville) provincial courts spokesman Huoth Vichetr.

Police officers arrested two other Chinese nationals, but it was later discovered that they were actually victims of extortion and were released.

Police also confiscated seven firearms, including three automatic rifles, an AK47, and several bulletproof vests. Now the authorities are investigating the origin of this paraphernalia.

According to the Khmer Times, the police carried out the arrests under pressure from the central government, eager to put an end to the violence in Sihanoukville.

The newspaper expects more raids in neighbouring areas. It seems in fact that criminal groups are moving to other locations, including O'tres, Victory Hill, in central Sihanoukville and near the port, as well as Battambang province and the capital.

Cambodia can also rely on Chinese help. We will continuously share information and provide encouragement to local law enforcement officers in their efforts to rid the coastal province and elsewhere of this menace, said the head of the Chinese Ministry of Public Security Task Force after the raid.

Chinese police and Cambodian police are looking for a way to resolve the problem, said officials with the China-Cambodia Law Enforcement Cooperation Office.

It is every police officers responsibility to crack down on crimes of this nature which are particularly horrific. Our government has a very strict policy to crack down on such crimes.
During the Angelus, the pontiff made a new appeal for peace in the increasingly violence-torn Asian country. In the commentary on the Gospel, the Pope spoke about recognising oneself as small, which is a starting point to become big, truly opening one's heart to Jesus. After more 100 deaths in an Ecuadorian prison, Francis called for praying to God to heal "the wounds of the crime that enslaves the poorest.

Vatican City (AsiaNews)  Pope Francis addressed a few thousand faithful in St Peter's Square at the end of todays Angelus, making a new appeal for peace in the beloved land of Myanmar, torn by fighting between the military and ethnic militias, especially in Chin State.

While the world follows developments in Myanmar with decreasing interest, fighting and repression are intensifying eight months after the coup d'etat of 1 February. In view of the situation, the pontiff urged the faithful to pray that the hands of those who live in this country not have to wipe away more tears of pain and death, instead, may they hold together to overcome difficulties and work together for the advent of peace.

The appeal for Myanmar came immediately after Pope Francis expressed sorrow over news from Ecuador about the violence in a Guayaquil prison that cost the lives of more than 100 people.

May God help us, he said heal the wounds of crime that enslaves the poorest and help those who work every day to make life in prisons more humane.

Before the Angelus, Francis gave a commentary about the Gospel passage in today's liturgy, focusing on the rather unusual reaction of Jesus, who was indignant not with those who argue with him, but with those who, to ease his tiredness, moved the children away from him.

This story became the occasion for a reflection on smallness as a way to welcome the Lord.

The disciple, the Pope said, must not only serve the little ones, but must see himself as little. This is the first step to open ourselves up to the Lord. Often, however, we forget it. In prosperity, in well-being, we have the illusion of being self-sufficient, that we can be enough for ourselves, of not needing God. We must seek our littleness and recognise it. That is where we will find Jesus.

In life recognising oneself as small is a starting point for becoming big. We grow not so much on the basis of successes and the things we have, but above all in moments of struggle and fragility. There, needful, we mature; there we open our hearts to God, to others, to the meaning of life.

In this sense, with God frailties are not obstacles but opportunities. A beautiful prayer would be like this  Lord, look at my frailties ... and then list them before him. This is a good attitude before God. In fact, it is in frailty that we surely discover how much God takes care of us.

Those who pray with perseverance know this well; in moments of darkness or solitude, God's tenderness towards us becomes ever more present. The Lord hugs us to himself, like a father with his child. Thus, we become big, not in the illusory claim of our self-sufficiency  this does not make anyone big  but in the strength of placing all hope in the Father. Just like the little ones do.
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Fon Fobuzie Martin Asanji II Facebook

Fon Fobuzie Martin Asanji II of Chomba has journeyed to eternity.

The influential traditional ruler breathed his last in the evening of Saturday, October 2, 2021.

Chomba is one of the four villages in Bamenda II Subdivision.

Fon Fobuzie II ascended the throne in 1967 as the 10th Fon of Chomba.

In April 2007, Fon Fobuzie feted his 40th anniversary on the throne, a ceremony which coincided with the first "lereh" traditional festival in 50 years. The festivities offered a rare moment to celebrate love and patriotism exercised by Chomba sons and daughters.

It was a rare celebration with rituals and purification coming 52 years after the late fon and traditional council banned "lereh".

Back in 2007, Fon Fobuzie Martin said the celebration of the "Nikwi" cultural festival in 2003 was a blessing for "lereh" to be revived as a traditional dance with a lot to show for the generosity of Chomba people because "lereh" offers a lot in feasting, eating, dancing, libation and consultations with ancestors while traditional titles are given to deserving sons and daughters of the land.

Fon Fobuzie was one of the traditional rulers of the North West Region who stood in solidarity with imprisoned former General Manager of the Cameroon Shipyard and Industrial Engineering Ltd, CNIC, Zachaeus Mungwe Forjindam.

Aside from being a traditional ruler, Fon Fobuzie was a teacher and educational administrator, serving as Principal of famous colleges including CCAS Bambili and GHS Mbengwi.

Fon Fobuzie was also an advocate for Womens rights and empowerment.

On November 28, 2012, the National Forum of Queens for Peace Initiative honored Fon Fobuzie. He was awarded the trophy of Champion of Women Empowerment.

The Fon of Chomba is hailed for creating a womens council in his village where women and men discussed pertinent societal issues together.

The forum that knighted Fon Fobuzie in 2012 was organised by an NGO, Woman in Alternative Action, WAA Cameroon, in collaboration with Urgent Action for Fund for Womens Human Rights, and other partners, and brought together wives of Fons, Chiefs and Lamidos nationwide.
Women teachers, who were teaching in all-boys-school in Kabul, are facing an uncertain future after a ban was imposed on them from going to work by the Taliban-led Ministry of Education.

Aziza, who is a chemistry teacher in Ghulam Haidar Khan high school in Kabul and is teaching for the last 33 years said, "I have taught chemistry for 33 years and now I am home with an uncertain fate. It has been over a month that I have been worried about my future."

Asadullah Kohistani, who is the Principal of Ghulam Haydar Khan high school said that the Taliban-led government has decided to ban female teachers from work and now the schools are struggling with a shortage of teachers.

"Women teachers do not come to schools, and we are facing a shortage of teachers," Kohistani said.

Students also voiced their concerns by saying that the ban on female teachers from going to work is creating a lot of problems, in education.

"We are facing a serious problem. Male teachers are unable to teach all the classes."

Meanwhile, Noor Mohammad Mutawakil, who is a member of the Taliban cultural commission under the Taliban-led Ministry of Information and Culture said, "The government is discussing these issues to find out how female teachers can continue their work and girl students can continue their education."

On Friday, a group of women in Kabul protested against the closing of schools and colleges for female students, saying that this is a violation of their fundamental rights in Afghan society.

As the Taliban took control of Afghanistan once again after 20 years, experts also believe that Afghan women are most likely to face an uncertain future under the terrorist group regime.

(ANI)

Also Read: Displaced Afghan woman sells infant to pay for treatment of daughter
Hong Kong activists on China's National day held protests in Taiwan and called on the people of the maritime nation to step up efforts to prevent the influx of "Chinese money" into their economy.

These pro-democratic groups were holding demonstrations against oppressive behaviour by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and warned of China's ongoing attempts to infiltrate the democratic island's media and political life, reported Radio Free Asia.

The activists also protested against the National security law imposed in Hongkong last year and expressed fear that a similar fate could befall Taiwan, if the island isn't careful about whom or what it lets in.

Meanwhile, the protestors also sprayed the portrait of the Chinese Communist Party's leader Xi Jinping.

"October 1 marks the date that their totalitarian regime was established, so we, the oppressed, are giving them the gift of protest in return," a Hongkonger named Sky said.

"Those of us who are in a free and democratic Taiwan will be presenting our congratulations to China in the form of a portrait of Xi Jinping," Sky added.

Meanwhile, the Hongkong groups also called on 23 million people of Taiwan to boycott the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, and for democratic reforms in Hong Kong and Macau, Radio Free Asia reported.

This protest was held in a string of demonstrations by hundreds of Hong Kongers, Tibetans and Uyghurs in London and Washington on 'marking' China's national day.

(ANI)

Also Read: One-third of BRI projects facing major implementation problems: Report
An event organised at Brussels Press Club highlighted that the re-emergence of the Taliban threatens peace and security of the "whole world" and expressed concern at Pakistan's support to international terrorism.

Filip Dewinter, who is a Belgian Senator highlighted that Pakistan is a terrorist state and supports international terrorism.

"It should also be clear too that Pakistan is a terrorist state and we should not deal with them either. It is as big a threat as the Taliban. Pakistan supports international terrorism. It happened before in the past and it will happen again. We need a complete boycott of Pakistan as it is a terrorist state and tries to destabilise the whole region," EU Political Report said quoting Dewinter.

He even said, "Taliban takeover with the help of Pakistan is big military, terrorist and security threat to the world."

"After the defeat of U.S led forces in the region, we now have new possibilities of radical Muslims travelling from Europe to Syria. This will fuel international terrorism. The Taliban has money, experience and the means to organise these kinds of people. This is a big threat and we should be aware of this threat," said Senator Dewinter.

Dewinter pointed out that the Belgium government should take the Taliban seriously and said, "Dealing with them is a bad thing: we should boycott them as that is the only way to deal with the Taliban. They are a threat for the whole free world and certainly for us Western Europeans."

Junaid Qureshi, who is the Executive Director of European Foundation for South Asian Studies (EFSAS) pointed out that terrorism has risen since the Taliban took over Kabul and said, "The Taliban wants to implement their kind of order but our fear is that this will merely serve to encourage terrorist groups, not only in Pakistan but in Jammu and Kashmir and elsewhere."

Qureshi also looked at the role Pakistan is playing in supporting terrorism.

"The event will shed light on a worrying trend: the fact that terrorism is spreading from this region of Asia (Taliban-led Afghanistan) and is supported by Pakistan. This threatens human rights and civil society in the region and also threatens the stability of the whole world," said EU Political Report quoting Qureshi.

He said such fears were shared by those in Jammu and Kashmir which, he said, was a region where its people wanted to live in "complete harmony".

(ANI)

Also Read: Displaced Afghan woman sells infant to pay for treatment of daughter
The Taliban's return to power amidst Pakistan's nuclear weapons program has escalated tensions among international communities.

With the Taliban coming to power, there has been an enthusiastic narrative among the conservative members of the Pakistani society including the government establishment who are excited and motivated by this development, Author Ronald Jacquard said in an article published in the Global Watch Analysis.

In a situation, when the radicals have taken charge of Afghanistan, the nuclear assets of Pakistan cannot anymore be considered remote by the international community.

Thus, the international community have to watch Pakistan's nuclear program cautiously until some form of stability returns to Afghanistan in order to prevent the country's nuclear assets from landing in the hands of rogue elements, writes Jacquard.

International communities were already worried about Pakistan's handling of nuclear weapons and sustaining itself as a stable and responsible member of the global community but the Taliban's development has escalated consternation among the countries.

Pakistan has been a key player in removing the Afghanistan government from power and establishing a group to a decisive position in Afghanistan with its dark nexus of terrorist groups in the region for over two decades.

Meanwhile, after the Taliban's takeover in Afghanistan, demonstrations were held across the world against Pakistan's involvement in the siege.

Several reports also claimed the presence of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence personnel in rallies carried out by the Taliban.

In such a situation, the role of the International Atomic Energy Agency and the larger global community would be crucial in this regard.

(ANI)

Also Read: Afghanistan: Women teachers face uncertain future after Taliban bans them from schools
The spin comes from the site's founder, who goes by the alias "Ann Jackson," citing safety concerns. Jackson is an ex-Mormon who claims to have worked in the LDS church's "temple clothing division." (LDS church spokesman Eric Hawkins would neither deny nor confirm the existence of a special church division devoted to temple garments.) Jackson says that each new member of the church is given a set of the special underwear once found worthy by the church. The garments resemble long underwear and are made of specific cotton polyester blends. They feature special stitching and are embroidered with Masonic symbols.
Therein lies what makes Get Out such a fascinating and crucial piece of revisionism. It featured the same scenario  a young, upper-middle-class white woman brings home an African-American boyfriend to meet her parents  but the fear and tension that motivates the story does not reside in the older white generation. It is felt by the black guy coming to the house with his white girlfriend, entering partly into the unknown and partly into hundreds of years of agonizing history. Peele takes you deep into that mans psyche, as evoked by Daniel Kaluuya, and in so doing you see the flip side of Guess Whos Coming to Dinner, one probably unimagined by all of the white people for whom the film was made, but likely not by the African-American audience who also came out in 1967 to see Poitier, and to hope for change.
I imagine that's a difficult thing to do. "Hamilton" has won Tony Awards, Olivier Awards, a Grammy, a Pulitzer Prize and the first Kennedy Center Honors ever given to a work of art and not a person. It has been hailed as a landmark for bringing hip-hop seamlessly into a Broadway musical, for its nontraditional casting of minorities as white Founding Fathers, and for its thrilling execution of the American origin story. Who are the few poor souls who don't actually like this thing?
About 1:45 p.m. Saturday, a 32-year-old man and a 1-year-old child were in a white Buick sedan driving west on Division Street in the 1100 block of North Larrabee Avenue in the Goose Island neighborhood, near the station located at 1160 N. Larrabee Ave. Police said the Buick was being followed by a maroon sedan and that unknown people in the sedan fired shots at the Buick, striking the man multiple times.
Patton said the woman and her daughter were held in the apartment, in the 1400 block of East 79th Street in Grand Crossing on the Far South Side, unable to leave the living room area. By Wednesday morning, the woman was allowed to call in to work and call her daughter out of school, but they were still being held against their will, the prosecutor said. At some point Wednesday, the 31-year-old was allowed to go to a hospital for treatment of the wound on her thigh, but she was not allowed to take her daughter out of the apartment, according to Patton.
About 1:45 p.m. Saturday, two people were shot while driving in the 1100 block of North Larrabee Avenue in the Goose Island neighborhood. A man traveling in a white Buick sedan, 32, was shot multiple times while being followed by unknown people in a maroon sedan, police said. The man was traveling with a 1-year-old child, who was not shot but suffered cuts on his feet from broken glass.
On September 22, 2021, Ambassador Qin Gang attended the online conversation jointly held by The Carter Center and The George H.W. Bush Foundation for US-China Relations and delivered a speech. Former US President Jimmy Carter and CEO of The Carter Center Paige Alexander sent a joint letter of congratulations to the event. Mr. Neil Bush, Chairman of The George H.W. Bush Foundation for US-China Relations, delivered remarks. Around 400 participants from various sectors of the US attended the conversation online. The event was broadcast live by CGTN.

Ambassador Qin spoke highly of the historic contributions made by Presidents Carter and George H. W. Bush to the development of China-US relations. He commended the efforts of The Carter Center and the Bush China Foundation to promote exchanges and cooperation between China and the US. He pointed out that thanks to generations of Chinese and American leaders and people, China-US relations have made remarkable progress. However, today, some Americans define America's relations with China as democracy versus authoritarianism, and try to stoke up ideological confrontation, which has led to serious difficulties in China-US relations.

Ambassador Qin pointed out that a basic criterion of democracy should be whether the people have the right to govern their country, whether their needs are met, and whether they have a sense of fulfillment and happiness. The idea of people first has been deep in the genes of the Chinese since ancient times. The Communist Party of China (CPC) was established with the mission to pursue happiness for the people. With the slogans of anti-dictatorship, anti-autocracy and anti-oppression, it enabled the people to become master of their own country and won the people's hearts. As the governing party, it has remained faithful to its founding mission: people-centered, and serving the people whole-heartedly. What China has today is whole-process democracy. The people have the right to election, and they can be broadly involved in national governance according to law. They exercise state power through the National People's Congress and local people's congresses at different levels. China also has a unique political consultation system and corresponding institutions, which are important ways for the people to exercise democracy. Any matters that concern people's keen interests are broadly discussed before major decisions are made to make sure what the people want are reflected in the final decisions. Most of the problems and conflicts of interests have been resolved and suggestions accepted in consultations, which also make implementation of the policies easier.

Ambassador Qin pointed out that in China, talents were chosen based on their abilities and merit since ancient times. A Chinese has to pass all kinds of exams in his or her lifetime. At work, there are additional trainings, assessments and selections, as well as oversight from superiors, colleagues, the public and the media. CPC members are also subject to Party disciplines, which are stricter than the law. The top leadership of China have all had long years of work experience from grassroots up to higher levels in different localities. As they rose through the ranks, they have got to know the people's kitchen table concerns. They deeply love the people, care about the people, and have become capable of managing complexities and getting things done for the people. At the same time, they are loved, trusted and supported by the people.

Ambassador Qin said, whether a system is democratic depends on whether it can represent the overall interests of the people and whether the people are satisfied. Whether it is good or not should not be judged by what we say, but what we do. When some people are busy fanning up the battle between democracy and authoritarianism, and putting together an alliance of democracies, absolute poverty has become a thing of the past in China, and 1.4 billion people are striving towards common prosperity. China has become the world's second largest economy and biggest trading nation, and contributes over 30% to global economic growth annually. Every day, 16,000 companies are created in China, and over 120 foreign enterprises are rushing to China, one of the biggest consumer markets and the top investment destination in the world. Almost every Chinese has basic medical insurance and old-age pension insurance. Products from remote areas are sold across the country through live streaming. Farmers in deep mountains and young people in cities take high-speed trains to look for jobs elsewhere and pursue their dreams. Green and low-carbon living has become a new fashion. The Chinese are driving 50% of the world's new-energy vehicles, on the biggest network of expressways in the world. 10% of the Chinese population have visited other countries to open up their eyes. Chinese astronauts have safely returned to Earth after several months' stay in our space station. The rights and freedoms of the Chinese are fully protected by the Constitution, and they are on their way to ballot stations. Muslims in Xinjiang and other places go to mosques nearby. One billion Chinese netizens get connected with the world for information and engagement at the click of a mouse. China has signed 26 international instruments on human rights. COVID-19 has been basically put under control in China, with 1.1 billion people fully vaccinated. China has provided vaccines to over 100 countries and international organizations, and will supply altogether two billion doses by the end of this year. The Belt and Road Initiative, guided by the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, will take tens of millions of people of other countries out of poverty. Over 2,400 Chinese peacekeepers are on duty worldwide. President Xi Jinping yesterday proposed a Global Development Initiative. China is working with other countries to build a community with a shared future for mankind.

Ambassador Qin pointed out that there are many difficulties and challenges on our way ahead. We are deepening reform, improving socialist democracy, and modernizing national governance. These efforts are to meet the people's aspiration for a better life and make greater contribution to mankind. China is pursuing peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy and freedom, which are common values of mankind. China's socialist whole-process democracy could be understood as this: from the people, to the people, with the people, for the people.

Ambassador Qin said, China and the US are different in history, culture and political system. But just as President Carter said, both the American and Chinese people desire peace and prosperity, and leaders in Washington and Beijing share one common goal: to create peaceful and stable conditions for their people to pursue happiness. This is the biggest commonality between China and the US. Our two countries should not and cannot change each other. Instead, we should break ideological barriers, discard zero-sum mentality, respect other countries, and accommodate each other without losing our own distinctions, so as to get along with each other in peace. President Xi stressed, "China and the United States need to show broad vision and shoulder great responsibilities. The two countries should look ahead and press forward, and bring China-US relations back to the right track of stable development as soon as possible, for the good of the people in both countries and around the world". Let's demonstrate strategic courage and political resolve to chart a new course in China-US relations.

Ambassador Qin also exchanged views with the audience on how China and the US can strengthen communication and dialogue, enhance mutual trust and cooperation, promote people-to-people exchanges, and respond to global challenges together, and what role China will play in economic integration of the Asia-Pacific.

President Carter and Mr. Bush said, the US-China relationship is the most important bilateral relationship in the world. Facing the new situation, the US and China should take a long-term vision, increase mutual understanding and trust through regular dialogue and communication, expand cooperation in various fields, and overcome the difficulties and challenges in bilateral relations so as to deliver more benefits to the two peoples and promote world peace and prosperity. The Carter Center and the Bush China Foundation will be committed to friendly exchanges between the US and China and play a positive role for the healthy and stable development of US-China relations.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges, unseen in decades, to the maritime transport sector, but industry players have been accelerating digitalization to tackle the difficulties.

Their efforts have helped reassess the old just-in-time supply chain model, create longer-term partnerships and build resilience to get out of the swamp and contribute to global trade recovery.

The Shanghai Containerized Freight Index, which reflects the spot rates of the Shanghai export container transport market, stood at 4,614.1 on Sept. 30. At the beginning of last year, the index was a little over 1,000.

On the other side of the Pacific Ocean, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach saw another round of congestion last month as businesses prepare for the coming Christmas season.

Some 61 container ships were at anchor or drifting in San Pedro Bay off two ports on Oct. 1, according to the Marine Exchange of Southern California.

Since the second half of last year, ever-rising freight rates and port congestions have become the "norm," hugely impacting global supply chains, liner companies, foreign trade enterprises and consumers.

"I've been in the industry for 40 years, and I've never seen anything like this," said Lars Mikael Jensen, head of East-West trade, Global Ocean Network, A.P. Moller-Maersk.

The maritime transport network was so broad and the global supply chain was super-efficient before the pandemic, so when there was a delay in one port, it would certainly have an impact somewhere else, said Jensen when explaining the ripple effect of port congestion.

A set of COVID-19 pandemic-induced factors have combined to cause the strain on the maritime supply chain in the liner shipping industry, Jan Hoffmann, Head of Trade Logistics, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), said in a commentary published on the organization's website.

The swift rebound in containerized trade enabled by an early and rapid recovery in China and measures adopted in the United States and Europe that supported household income and expenditure are two key factors causing the strain on the maritime supply chain, Hoffmann noted.

The normal turnaround time for containers, trailers and ships in ports and intermodal transport links is slower than usual due to health regulations, said Hoffmann, adding that supply capacity is not growing fast enough to catch up with demand and the ability of ports to adjust is more constrained than that of shipping lines.

Although the pandemic has given the container shipping industry a head-on blow, it has forced the industry to accelerate transformation and upgrading, which could be a blessing in disguise.

The pandemic has quickened the container shipping industry's digitalization.

With shippers' increasing need to plan ahead and manage the whereabouts of goods precisely amid global supply chain snarls, both deep-pocketed traditional freight giants and startups have worked hard to develop digital systems to offer customers better visibility.

"Instead of sending emails and asking where their cargoes are, they will be able to know exactly where their products are through our system," said Jensen.

The Danish logistics giant is also looking to orchestrate the entire supply chain for its customers, offering door-to-door service covering their transportation from the factories in the origin all the way to the distribution centers and shops in the destination.

Both the container shipping companies and foreign trade enterprises have learned from their experience during the pandemic that they have to build more stock and time buffer.

The high freight-rate volatility and capacity uncertainty have led more foreign trade companies to consider signing longer-term contracts with shipping companies, start shipping earlier to prepare for high seasons and increase inventories.

Shipping companies like Maersk are looking to offer more reliable schedules.

"The direction goes towards being sure that the cargoes arrive on time rather than having the fastest possible transit time," said Jensen.

Maritime transport is essential to keep global trade flowing and supply chains connected during and beyond crises, and the sector's efforts to get out of the turbulence have implications for global trade recovery.

Even with periodical lockdowns, travel restrictions, complex sanitation and clearance procedures at the customs, and many other inconveniences amid the COVID-19 pandemic, global trade did not come to a standstill.

"When the pandemic first started last year, we were worried ports would close down completely. But they have not," said Jensen.

It is important to note that the world was still connected back then, the goods did not stop moving across countries or regions, and there were still plenty of ships a week that were sailing from Asia to Europe with goods, he added.

Some major economies have worked hard to ensure a stable and smooth international supply chain.

China has rolled out measures to avoid sporadic COVID-19 outbreaks at ports, speed up terminal operation and cargo turnover, and accelerate port customs clearance by adopting informationized and paperless procedures, said Ding Li, secretary-general of the China Ports and Harbours Association.

Container ships for domestic trade have begun to be used on foreign trade routes to increase international shipping capacity, Ding added.
 Flash

Chinese embassies in various countries have held events to celebrate the 72nd anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC), during which Chinese ambassadors and foreign officials have eyed deeper cooperation.

Extending festive greetings to all Chinese compatriots in Vietnam, Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam Xiong Bo said in his speech during an online reception on Thursday that China will continue to fully support Vietnam's efforts in epidemic prevention and control as well as socio-economic development.

In his speech at the reception, member of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien said 2021 is a year with great significance for the PRC, and he congratulated the PRC on both its 72nd founding anniversary and the great achievements it had made this year.

Dien also expressed his wishes that the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership would keep going forward.

During an online event held on Tuesday, Chinese Ambassador to Ethiopia Zhao Zhiyuan said "China will work with Ethiopia and scale new heights in the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, bringing more tangible benefits to the two countries and peoples, and making more contributions to peace, stability and prosperity in the world."

Molalign Asfaw, director general of Asia Pacific affairs at the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at the event that the PRC's 72nd anniversary signifies the will and strong commitment of the Chinese people and government to determine their own future.

Commending China for its comprehensive support of Ethiopia's development aspirations, Asfaw said the East African country is willing to continue working with China in various areas of mutual interest.

Former Ethiopian President Mulatu Teshome said that "it is China that has always been standing with African countries in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic ... It is China that is always speaking for African countries at international forums with no conditions attached."

The past 72 years have seen a tremendous transformation in China, and the country keeps forging ahead with even more confidence, said Chinese Ambassador to Britain Zheng Zeguang during an online reception held Tuesday, which was also attended by Minister for Asia at Britain's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Amanda Milling as well as business leaders and scholars in Britain.

Zheng expressed his hope that China and Britain will make concerted efforts to reach a correct understanding of each other's development, respect each other, expand exchanges and cooperation, and display the courage to shoulder responsibilities as major countries.

Speaking at an online reception held Tuesday, Chinese Ambassador to the United States Qin Gang said that the consequential China-U.S. ties should be brought back to the right track of stable development as soon as possible.

On the occasion, Daniel Kritenbrink, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, on behalf of the United States, extended congratulations to the Chinese people and wished them peace, happiness and prosperity.

Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations and former U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew said China has achieved exceptional growth over decades, and that hundreds of millions of people had been lifted out of poverty and severe hardship.

President of the U.S.-China Business Council Craig Allen said the U.S. business community continues to attach great importance to China and looks forward to strengthening cooperation.

In a recent written message, Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades extended "warmest and heartfelt" congratulations on the PRC's 72nd founding anniversary, adding that Cyprus and China "have built mutual trust and a fruitful cooperation, characterized by enduring friendship and principled solidarity."

"I wish to reaffirm the strong will and determination of my government and me personally to expand our dialogue and widen the avenues of our cooperation with China, both at the bilateral and multilateral level," he said.

At an online reception held by the Chinese Embassy in Somalia, Somali officials expressed appreciation for the historic friendship between Somalia and China.

In his congratulatory message, Osman Abokor Dubbe, minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, said China has shown how hard work and integrity can create an economic giant, and spoke highly of the country's significant contributions in the fields of space, infrastructure and technology.

Fawziya Abikar Nur, minister of Health and Human Services, thanked the Chinese government for its consistent support of the the Horn of Africa country during the pandemic.

In a recorded message shown during a two-day virtual gala, Panama's Minister of Commerce and Industries Ramon Martinez congratulated the Chinese community in Panama on the PRC's 72nd founding anniversary, expressing the hope that the community can continue pushing Panama's economy forward, especially amid the pandemic.
Christian ministers reportedly received strict warnings from Communist party representatives to keep a low profile during celebrations for the National Day of the People's Republic of China on Friday.

According to Zhang Wei (name changed for security reasons), a local contact of the Christian anti-persecution charity Open Doors, some pastors were warned to "behave", "be quiet" and "be invisible in the public domain". If the churches did not 'behave,' their church meetings would run the risk of being stopped.

There were also reports of authorities making regular calls to house church pastors to reiterate their 'boundaries'.

"National Day is an opportunity for China show to the world its great power, and how it is advancing," says Zhang Wei.

"If any undesirable events such as protests, or any anything critical of the State, happen during this period, the government will lose face.

"As the government considers Christianity as western in origin, they see it as a threat of foreign infiltration. Therefore, the authorities warn the churches to minimize its activities."

Pastors who are suspected of conducting church activities other than low-profile regular Sunday services are forced to have "tea meetings" with the officials.

"For ordinary believers, the consequences may be just warnings or registration of their ID," says Zhang Wei. "For leaders and pastors, they would be interrogated for hours, detained overnight and be fined. There can be more severe consequences faced if the churches resist the authorities and cause disturbance."

The current clampdown comes as existing pressure on Christians is steadily tightening: officially-sanctioned churches are being instructed to display the Chinese flag along with the cross and integrate their teachings with "Chinese Socialist principles". There are reports of mass church closures and hundreds of crosses broken down from church buildings with little to no warning.

According to Julia Bicknell of World Watch Monitor, which analyses religious persecution trends, the party is trying to shape Chinese Christianity rather than suppress it: "There are now more Christians in China than members of the Communist Party. Unlike the Uyghurs, they can't detain all Christians. However, they are trying to adapt Christianity to their political mindset and beliefs."

Dr David Landrum, Director of Advocacy at Open Doors UK, said: "By applying the already familiar tools of intimidation, Chinese authorities are trying to make the Christians invisible. Despite their best efforts, the church is not going away anytime soon."
Last year I was watching an interview of a prominent figure in Jamaican politics. During her interview she briefly spoke about her Christian upbringing and her decision to get baptized as a teenager. However, I was most surprised by her assessment of her Christian journey as she could only attest to the rigours of her walk and not the Christ-given fruits of it.

I seek not to question the sincerity of her baptism, but it causes me to ponder how much we limit our journey with Christ to what we are allowed/disallowed to do. Where the fear of God is not what drives our obedience, but instead the fear of the consequences that certain sins may have on our social standing. Where our rational minds deceive us into cherry picking which sins are acceptable at a given moment.

I am not exempt from this mindset as I wrestle with it every day. Dying daily is very exhausting and sometimes I just want a break. Many times, I thought that giving in to the flesh would offer such a break but to my dismay it doesnt.

One piece combo or all-in-one special

The works of the flesh are so interconnected that it's impossible to participate in one and not the other. We can't be greedy without being selfish and envious. Satisfying our flesh opens cans of worms that we didnt bargain for.

Most times I think that if I only participate in smaller sins then I can control their consequences on my livelihood. How foolish is that thought? Don't be fooled! The desires of the flesh are to be resisted, not tamed. Our flesh often deceives us into thinking that an act of sin is just a one-piece combo when it's an all-in-one special.

But what should I do? Although I am saved, I still have the propensity to sin. In recent times, the Holy Spirit has shared some encouraging bits about how to approach my sinfulness considering Jesus gift of salvation. I would like to share these bits with you but before I do, I would like to address what should not be done.

Scaled eyes, weighted hearts

A prominent Christian speaker and poet in the US stated that in her struggle against sin, what hinders her from participating in a particular act is her unpreparedness to confess it if she was to indulge in it. This mindset has propelled her on the path of obedience. However, if we examine her statement closely, we can see the error which many of us grapple with daily.

Many of us weigh acts of sins based on people's perception of them. We scale them based on what is deemed acceptable/unacceptable to confess. This mindset has enslaved more than it has liberated.

Instead of people confessing and repenting of their sins, we are often led to pick our poison - where we are deceived into choosing lesser ways of satisfying our flesh to avoid exposure. Resulting in people choosing to stay in the closet instead of stepping into Gods marvelous light.

I struggle with porn, masturbation, and lust. I wrestle with them every single day. However, I have a good eternal father, a faithful friend in Jesus and a patient teacher in the Holy Spirit. This leads me into sharing what we should do with our sinfulness.

Do not pick your poison but be amazed by grace

Be amazed by the grace of God. His grace is sufficient for us as the Spirits power is perfected in our weaknesses. Our sinfulness should encourage us to seek him more and depend on our own strength less.

It is by seeking him that we understand Gods mind towards sin which propels us to resist sin a little more. As stated before, resisting sin is hard and exhausting, but the Holy Spirit is our promised comforter who gives us comfort when we are weary.

He is not only our comforter, but he is able to prevent us from stumbling. We have stumbled a lot, and we will definitely stumble some more. However, though we stumble, we are not under the control of anything, because of the power of the Spirit in our lives.

Our cumulative obedience to the Spirit produces much fruit. The work of God in our lives will take an entire lifetime, yet he promised to complete it. Our patience must be as integral as our intense desire to be like him.

Confession is good for our hearts, minds, and our walk

Our growing devotion to God is essential in our wrestle against sin but this must be complemented with confession. No sin cant be confessed, for there is no condemnation for us who are in Christ. Confessing our sin to other believers invites them to wrestle with us.

Don't fear confessing your sins to another. Another doesnt mean everyone or anyone but at least someone. Confession has been an integral part in my wrestle with porn, masturbation, and lust. Though confession is hard and sometimes risky, it helps, and has allowed me to make strides in my walk that I am not sure I would have made if I kept things to myself.

Confession and cumulative obedience to the Holy Spirit doesnt guarantee sinlessness in this life but produces much fruit which gives God glory.
It used to always baffle me when flying overseas, watching the safety video and hearing them say please help yourself before helping others. The thought of me putting my oxygen mask on first while I watch another struggle seems bizarre.

But more and more over the years, Ive come to realise the importance of this statement, especially within Christian ministry.

Mental health within the church

The rise in mental health awareness has been prominent especially in New Zealand. Whilst the issue is a big one tackling our society, it is one where the church has a mixed approach too.

Recently, there has been an influx of pastors globally, taking to social media to discuss, candidly their experiences with mental illness. Dont get me wrong, the church bringing awareness to issues that are debilitating society is important, and needed in order to bring the lost and hurting into the walls of the church.

However, it is also important to note that simply following Jesus or knowing Jesus loves you (no matter how long you have been in the church) does not prevent you from the chances of struggling with mental health. More so, it does not necessarily prevent the chances of church leaders struggling with mental health.

Mental health comes in the form of disease, illness etc- it is not necessarily a product of someones faith. You could be filled with faith, yet suffer from it.

Most recently, Jarrid Wilson pastor of Riverside Megachurch in American, lost his struggle with mental illness and passed away through suicide. This has shone light on the church and its leaders, many taking to social media to show their support by being transparent about their own struggles.

Is transparency enough?

However, transparency is no longer enough within leadership in the church. Its like saying to people Im struggling to get my oxygen mask on but you should make sure you put yours on, without being able to tell them how, or even worse, trying to tell them how while not really knowing how to get it on yourself.

Too often we use transparency within leadership as an answer to an issue as opposed to merely an identification of that issue. Using ones platform to bring awareness to a societal issue is proving to be valuable for outreach, yet can be detrimental for the health of the church if not dealt with properly. Why is this?

Biblically, the bible speaks of ensuring leadership of sober mind (2 Timothy chapter 4, verse 5). Being sober-minded is not just in reference to steering away from drunkenness or being high on drugs, it is in reference to anything that removes us from being able to make sound judgement.

Whilst it is great having church leaders admitting that being a leader does not mean things are perfect; it is not healthy to keep struggling leaders in a place of authority over a congregation.

Leaving leaders as they are, leading yet struggling, results in the blind leading the blind. I dont know how to put my oxygen mask on, but you should put yours on. Instead of offering them discipleship we are offering them promotion and responsibility of leading Gods people.

The biggest part of leadership is being willing to be a servant not raised on a pedestal. However, in saying how can we expect Gods people to trust the wise counsel of their church leaders who are currently in the same boat as them with mental health?

Transparency within the church comes from a place of humility not from a place of promotion. We cannot expect struggling leaders to shepherd Gods people when they themselves are lost and trapped by the voices in their head.

Look at the leaders in the bible. They were prime examples of this. Moses went up the mountain and stayed in the presence of God before talking to the people of Israel. Jesus believed in taking time with his father, going to place that is quite, being sourced by that before talking to his disciples.

Why? Because they knew that they needed to address their own thoughts and emotions before they could lead Gods people to do the same.

The humility of leaders is not shown simply by admitting defeat. It's by showing that they are willing to look after themselves, get the help they need, and be guided by others who can help them.

Discipleship over advocacy

The more we move towards relevancy in the church; the more we see church leaders subconsciously promoting society by their actions as opposed to getting alongside and discipline Gods people to stray from the norms of it.

So how should church leaders deal with mental illness- they should reach out, to their elders or their wise counsel. They should step down from leadership and look after their health, before trying to look after the mental health of others. Its about humbling yourself and admitting that you dont have it all together, not promoting the fact you dont have it all together.

Normalising mental health is not the job of the church. The church is commissioned to get alongside the lost, hurting and broken to disciple them (Matthew chapter 28, verse 16-20). The church, in essence is in prime position to de -normalise it by giving hope to those who are suffering, by getting alongside them.

God never wanted to see His people who were fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm chapter 139, verse 14), in His likeness and image (Genesis chapter 1, verse 27) to go through such challenges. It's not what is normal in Gods eyes.

Instead, it breaks Gods heart to see his people suffer. Yet so many of us are faced with such struggles and challenges.

The answer is to treat it. Its to equip our church leaders with the tools they need to help aid those they walk alongside who are suffering, but also to give them the chance to get the help they need if they struggle themselves.

Its making sure that the church is being led by leaders with sound judgement, who can guide those suffering at a time that they themselves do not need guidance from the same issue.

Whilst it is evident that following Jesus doesnt mean you will never deal with mental illness, or that even pastors can feel the impacts of it, the answer for the church is not just advocacy of mental health.

The answer for the church is discipleship, pray and focusing on the growth of individuals suffering, led by leaders of sound judgement. Helped by those who have already been helped and healed.
Communication in military is the backbone of modern warfare and are key to any military campaign. This sector is expected to experience a tremendous change in coming years due to high investment in military expenditure by some major powers. Military Communication includes all the aspects of communication that is required to make a successful operation.

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The competency to fight in wide geographical region, rigid terrains & challenging environment communications holds an integral part.

Products that include Military Communication are Alert measurement systems, Cryptography, Military radio systems, Nuclear command control, Satellite systems etc. Among the radio system many kinds are being used a few are ACP-131, AN/ARC-164, AN/ARC-5, HWU transmitter, Hallicrafters SX-28, SCR-197, SCR-203, and SCR-270 radar.

Investment in communication will remain strong throughout the next decade with greater focus on deployment of new technology, new regulations also technological modification of existing network structures as well as development of new SATCOM technologies. Europe & US is the major market for Military Communication but the demand is more than twice in Asia and North America. The private sector plays a pivotal role in procurement of defense equipment across the World mainly for the supply of non sensitive, non urgent, non core equipment.

The market of military communication is driven with the increase of weapon imports & demand for technology advances, as the efficiency gains with newer equipment using sophisticated technology with the deployment of new regulations & market solution.

The global economic downturn has a serious implication for defense procurement with is being considered as the major constraints.

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The global military communication equipment market is highly competitive with players like Boeing, BAE systems, Raytheon, General Dynamics, General Electric, Honeywell, Saab, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, United Technologies & many others.
Invisible Orthodontics Market: By Product Type (Clear Aligners, Braces, Clear Retainers), Age Group (Below 15, 16-35, Above 35), Application (Excessive Spacing, Crowding, Malocclusion, Others), Region (Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East & Africa) - Forecast to 2027

Invisible Orthodontics Market Forecast

Invisible Orthodontics Market held a value of USD 2598.8 Million in 2018 and is expected to register a CAGR of 13.99% during the assessment period of 2019 to 2025.

also read @ https://www.medgadget.com/2020/06/covid-19-impact-on-invisible-orthodontics-market-2020-growth-analysis-cagr-status-development-analysis-competitive-landscape-prediction-overview-forecast-to-2025.html

Due to lockdown implemented to control the COVID 19 spread, people are increasingly adopting teledentistry to straighten teeth at home comfort. And, the technology is providing uninterrupted services even during the coronavirus crises. Resultantly, the invisible orthodontics market is expected to witnesses a steady increase during the lockdown period as well.

Market Research Future (MRFR), in its recent report, asserts that the already booming global invisible orthodontics market would steadily grow at 13.99% CAGR during the assessment period (2019  2025). In 2018, the market valuation had reached USD 2598.8 Million. Additionally, factors such as the dramatically evolving dentistry and increasing product launch in the market foster market growth.

Moreover, the growing cases of dental diseases and inclination towards the correction of teeth deformities are escalating the growth of the market to furthered height. The growing focus of public and private organizations on catering to changing needs of customers influence the penetration of the invisible orthodontics substantially. Besides, the increasing support by regulatory authorities, in terms of investment and product approvals, is a significant growth propeller for the invisible orthodontics market.

Conversely, high costs of invisible orthodontics are estimated to restrict the market growth. Also, the emerging grey market for dental distribution, involved in illegal selling of low cost, poor quality products is hampering the growth of the market. Besides, poor compliance of patients with dentists instructions would inhibit the market growth, leading to other complications of using these products.

Global Invisible Orthodontics Market  Segmentations

The analysis is segmented into four dynamics;

By Product Type: Clear Aligners, Retainers, Braces, and other products.

By Age Group: Below 15, 16-35, and Above 35.

By Application: Crowding, Excessive Spacing, Malocclusion, and others.

By Regions: Europe, Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Rest-of-the-World.

Global Invisible Orthodontics Market  Regional Analysis

North America dominates the global Invisible Orthodontics Market The significantly larger share of the market attributes to strategic approaches employed by prominent players in the region. Besides, factors such as advances in technologies used orthodontic practices, improvements in 3D printing technology and the early adoption of these advanced technologies for the development of dental products foster the regional market growth.

Also, high per capita healthcare expenses and rising spending on oral health due to the well-developed economy in the region are major growth propellers of the market. Additionally, the high adoption of aesthetical approaches among the overall demographics in the region positively impacts the market growth. The North American invisible orthodontics market is estimated to retain its dominance throughout the predicted period.

Europe stands second in the global invisible orthodontics market. The market is majorly driven by the increasing regulatory support and the strong presence of distributors across the region. Increasing spending on health & wellness among demographics of the region and rising economic growth play a causal role in the development of the regional market. Moreover, factors such as well-spread awareness and consumers inclination towards maintaining overall oral health, foster the growth of the European invisible orthodontics market.

The Asia Pacific invisible orthodontics market is growing rapidly. Factors such as the burgeoning dental treatments and cosmetic dentistry industries in the region influence the growth of the market. Besides, direct marketing initiatives employed by industry players in the region play an important role in the regional market growth, targeting increasing numbers of audiences.

Furthermore, strategic alliances between key players are substantiating the growth of the market. Countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia are the major contributors to the growth of the regional market. The APAC invisible orthodontics market is projected to create a considerable revenue pocket over the forecast period.

Invisible Orthodontics Market  Competitive Analysis

The invisible orthodontics market appears highly competitive due to the presence of several well-established players. Industry players adopt strategies such as mergers & acquisitions, collaborations, and innovations to gain a larger competitive share. Also, well-established players focus on product approvals to expand their customer base and brace their position in the market.

Players are seen increasingly forming partnerships with clinics & hospitals to channelize their distribution network. Many players are collaborating with teledentistry orthodontists and helping them with the undisrupted supplies amid coronavirus crises. Manufacturers make heavy investments in R&D and building state-of-the-art facilities, which can help them develop a cost-effective portfolio and stable marketing network.

Invisible Orthodontics Market Major Players:

Players active in the global invisible orthodontics market include Align Technology, Inc. (US), 3M (US), Clarus Company (US), Dentsply Sirona (US), ClearPath Healthcare Services (US), Danaher Corporation (US), Institut Straumann AG (Switzerland), DynaFlex (US), Ormco (US), and Henry Schein, Inc. (US), among others.

Invisible Orthodontics Industry/ Innovation /Related News:

May 17, 2020 - SmileDirectClub (the US), a teledentistry company, announced they are helping their patients during the COVID 19 pandemic. Claiming the largest market share of direct-to-consumer orthodontics, the company says its achieving its aim of disrupting the entrenched orthodontia industry. The company stated that it has been providing consumers with an affordable and convenient option for those who cannot afford to miss school or work or are disabled and cannot get to multiple office visits.

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Gene Expression Analysis Market Research Report: Information by Product (Consumables & Instruments), Service (Gene Expression Profiling & Others), Application (Drug Discovery & Others), End User (Academic, Research Institutes & Others) - Forecast till 2027

Global Gene Expression Analysis Market: Technological developments in the field of genomics are projected to boost market growth at a healthy CAGR of ~ 9.1 % during the forecast period of 2018 to 2023

Market Highlights

It is estimated that the global gene expression analysis market is expected to hold a market value of USD 3,250 million and register a CAGR ~ 9.1% during the forecast period of 20182023. Gene expression analysis is research dedicated towards functional genomics extending the application purview of studying genes and gene transcripts. Gene expression analysis is the method used for extraction of data from a gene which is used for the production of a practical gene product.

also read @ https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/gene-expression-analysis-market-massive-growth-by-latest-developments-technology-usage-size-and-key-drivers-trends-by-2023-2021-01-05

Gene Expression Analysis Market segmentation

The increase in popularity of personalized medicine and the various technological developments is driving the market growth. The integration of genomic data into the clinical workflows is one of the key factors that is driving the global gene expression analysis market forward. The research in this field is dedicated towards extending the application of studying genes and gene transcripts.

On the basis of product, the global market can be split into:

Consumables

Instruments

Based on the services, the global gene expression analysis market can be classified into:

Sequencing services

Gene expression profiling services

Bioinformatics solutions

Others

Lastly, based on the application, the global product market can categorized into:

Diagnosis

Drug discovery

Research

Others

Gene Expression Analysis Market Regional analysis

Depending upon the geographical segmentation, America will dominate the Gene Expression Analysis Market attributing to the research activities and rising popularity of the gene expression tests. The well-developed healthcare sector will also boost the growth of the American market. Europe will hold the second position in the global market due to the availability of research funds. Asia-Pacific will be the fastest growing market as studied, with the rising investment from governments and the developing economies. The Middle East and Africa will also share the market but some restraints such as the decrease in the secondary care facilities for the past few years has led to the decrease in the growth of the global gene expression analysis market.

Gene Expression Analysis Market Key Players

GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, Illumina, Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc., BGI, PerkinElmer Inc., Agilent Technologies, Inc., QIAGEN, Oxford Gene Technology, Eurofins Scientific, Danaher, Genotypic Technology Pvt Ltd, Macrogen Inc. are some of the key players in the global gene expression analysis market.

Gene Expression Analysis Industry news

Illumina has collaborated with IDbyDNA, a metagenomics company, offering new next-gen sequencing that are focused on infectious disease and microbiology. Both these companies are working on the Explify platform that can detect the profile for over 50,000 microorganisms and 3,000 pathogens in the clinic for the use of sequencing giants hardware and library preparation systems.

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Global Laparoscopy Devices Market Research Report: Information By Product (Laparoscopes, Energy Devices), By Application (General Surgery, Gynecological Surgery), By End User (Hospitals & Clinics, Specialty Centers) - Forecast till 2027

Market research future will be publishing a cooked research report on Global Laparoscopy Devices Market that contains the information from 2019 to 2023. The laparoscopy devices market is expected to grow at a CAGR 8.30% during the forecast period of 2019 to 2023.

also read @ https://www.medgadget.com/2020/12/laparoscopy-devices-market-is-set-to-reach-usd-17206-32-million-to-grow-at-cagr-of-8-30-by-2023-says-market-research-future.html

Laparoscopy Devices Market Segmentation:

The global market for laparoscopy devices has been analyzed by MRFR experts on the basis of segments like product, application, and end user. Data gleaned from these segments are reliable as they are backed by scientific approaches and can be used for developing market strategies.

By product, the global study on the laparoscopy devices market can be segmented into energy devices, insufflation devices, laparoscopes, handheld instruments, access devices, suction/irrigation devices, internal closure devices, trocars, and others. The laparoscope segment has been leading the global market with the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Its valuation can reach up to USD 5091.77 million by 2023. Hike in the inclusion of advanced technologies and integration of these into hospitals is expected to boost the market.

By application, the global laparoscopy devices market includes bariatric surgery, gynecological surgery, general surgery, colorectal surgery, urological surgery, and others. The general surgery segment has a substantial market share and is expected to move forward with 7.79% CAGR during the forecast period. It includes sub-segments like hernia repairs, cholecystectomies, anti-reflux surgeries, appendectomies, and others. The bariatric surgery includes sleeve gastrectomy, gastric banding, gastric bypass, and others.

By end user, the market includes hospitals and clinics, ambulatory centers, and specialty centers. The hospitals & clinics segment had a 38.11% share of the global market in 2017.

Laparoscopy Devices Market Regional Analysis:

Better investment capacity and infrastructural support are expected to support North Americas prominence in the global Laparoscopy Devices Market. The US and Canada are expected to make a positive impact on the market with their substantial budgetary impacts. Asia Pacific would grow fast with India, Japan, China, South Korea, and other nations influencing the market.

Laparoscopy Devices Market Competitive Landscape:

The global market for laparoscopy devices is getting backed by companies like Smith & Nephew PLC (UK), Becton, Dickinson and Company (US), Cook Medical LLC (US), B. Braun Melsungen AG (Germany), Medtronic PLC (US), Olympus Corporation (Japan), Fujifilm Holdings Corporation (Japan), Richard Wolf GmbH (Germany), KARL STORZ SE & Co. KG (Germany), Stryker Corporation (US), and others. This is primarily due to their ability to impact the market with various strategic moves that focus on the expansion of the portfolio and client base. These companies develop their moves around concepts like mergers, innovations, acquisitions, and joint ventures. In fact, these companies are strengthening their prospect by boosting their funding for research and development, which leads to better launching of projects and marketing strategies.

Laparoscopy Devices Industry News:

The impact of COVID-19 on the healthcare sector is unprecedented in several ways. On the one hand, it is asking for a diversion of resources to a specific sector, on the other, it is creating space for innovations that would work with minimum contact and lessen the time of various procedures to free up resources. The laparoscopy devices market is expected to get boosted by such prospects and the increasing influx of financial resources to bolster the latest research and development projects. Countries have already started initiating plans to ease the inclusion of various developments.

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Global Epilepsy Devices Market: Information By Product Type (Wearable Devices, Conventional Devices and Implantable Devices), Technology (Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS), Responsive Neurostimulation, Deep Brain Stimulation and Accelerometry), Seizure Detection And Prediction Devices (Electroencephalogram (EEG), Intracranial EEG, Surface Electromyography (SEMG), Electrodermal Activity (EDA), Electrocardiography (EKG), Video Detection Systems, Implanted Advisory Systems), End Use (Hospitals & Clinics, Neurology Centers, Home Care Settings) and Region (Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Middle East & Africa) - Forecast till 2027

Market Highlights

Global Epilepsy Devices Market is expected to register a CAGR of 6.56% during the forecast period and is expected to hit USD 551.2 Million by 2027.

In epilepsy, the brain activity becomes abnormal, resulting in seizures or periods of unusual behavior, sensations, and sometimes loss of awareness. Although it could affect anybody irrespective of age and gender, its prevalence is significant and continuously increasing in the geriatric population.

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Epilepsy Research, UK (ERUK) launched a Doctoral Training Centre (DTC) Grant Scheme with the aim of capacity building of the UK epilepsy research environment. ERUK is currently inviting applications from research institutes to apply for multiple linked Ph.D. studentships to commence 2021-2023. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), a part of the USS National Institutes of Health, had appropriated USD 154 million in 2017 for research on epilepsy. The appropriation rose to USD 188 million in 2019 and is estimated to reach USD 203 million by 2020. The notable studies and research institutes that NINDS has funded include The Epilepsy 4000 (Epi4K), The Center for SUDEP Research (CSR), The Epilepsy Bioinformatics Study for Antiepileptogenic Therapy (EpiBiosS4Rx), The Channelopathy-Associated Epilepsy Research Center (CAERC), and The Epilepsy Multiplatform Variant Prediction (EpiMVP). The Epilepsy Foundation awarded USD 200,000 to two of the finalists who competed in the 9th Annual Shark Tank Competition on August 27 at the 2020 Epilepsy Pipeline Conference, Maryland, US. This included a grant of USD 125,000 to a researcher for a medical-grade smart-mattress device known as Chorus to reposition individuals and stimulate them post-seizure to prevent Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP). Similarly, National Institute for Health Researchs (UK) Research and Innovation for Global Health Transformation (RIGHT) program has awarded USD 6.6 million to fund a project investigating epilepsy in sub-Saharan Africa in February 2020.

Segment Analysis

Global Epilepsy Devices Market has been segmented based on Product Type, Technology, Seizure Detection and Prediction Devices, and End Use.

On the basis of product type, the global epilepsy devices market is segmented into wearable devices, conventional devices, and implantable devices. The wearable devices segment is further segmented into watches, bracelets, camera devices, mattress devices, anti-suffocation pillows, and others.

On the basis of technology, the global epilepsy devices market has been classified as vagus nerve stimulation, responsive neurostimulation, deep brain stimulation and accelerometry.

On the basis of seizure detection and prediction devices, the global epilepsy devices market has been classified as seizure detection and prediction devices, electroencephalogram, intracranial EEG, surface electromyography, electrodermal activity, electrocardiography, video detection systems, implanted advisory systems, and others.

On the basis of end use, the global epilepsy devices market has been classified as hospitals & clinics, neurology centers, home care settings, and others.

Regional Analysis

Global Epilepsy Devices Market, based on region, has been divided into the Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa. The Americas accounted for a larger share of the global epilepsy devices market. The large share is majorly attributed to the presence of key device manufacturers, increasing adoption of innovative software for detection of seizures, technological advancements, and high disposable income. Boost in the research funding in the European region, rising government initiatives, increasing number of patients suffering from epilepsy, an increasing number of manufacturers, improving economies, high disposable income per individual, and increased healthcare spending are resulting in the high the growth of the market in this region. The Asia Pacific region is anticipated to grow at a lucrative CAGR over the forecast period. A study funded by the Global Health Department of Sanofi and Grand Challenges Canada (grant number 032504) found that epilepsy affects more than 50 million people worldwide, 80% of whom live in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). n Southeast Asia, the prevalence was moderate (6%). Around 1012 million people with epilepsy reside in India. A significant number of patients do not receive appropriate treatment, leading to a large treatment gap. A high prevalence and incidence of epilepsy has been reported in onchocerciasis-endemic regions in Central and East Africa. There is compelling epidemiological evidence suggesting that this high burden is caused by onchocerciasis-associated epilepsy (OAE).

Key Players

MRFR recognizes the following companies as the Key Players in the Global Epilepsy Devices Market Boston Scientific Corporation, Medpage Ltd (Easylink UK), Cerbomed GmbH (TVNS Technologies GmbH), Liva Nova (Cyberonics), Compumedics, Nihon Kohden, MC10, Empatica, Inc, Medtronic Plc, Neuropace, Inc, and Natus Medical Incorporated.

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Global Aortic Valve Market: Information by Valve Type (Mechanical and Biological), Suture Type (Suture and Sutureless), Surgery Type (Minimally Invasive Surgery (Transfemoral, Transaortic Implantation, Transapical, and Trans-subclavian) and Open surgery), End-User (Hospitals, Ambulatory Surgery Centers) and Region (Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa) - Forecast till 2027

Market Highlights

According to MRFR analysis, Aortic Valve Market is expected to register a CAGR of 11.1% during the forecast period of 2019 to 2025 and held a value of USD 6,454.91 Million in 2018.

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An aortic valve is surgically implanted in the heart to replace a valve that has damaged due to heart valve diseases such as stenosis, regurgitation, and atresia. The replacement of damaged valves with prosthetic heart valves reduces the morbidity and mortality associated with aortic valve disorders.

The growth of the global aortic valve market is boosted by various factors such as the rising geriatric population, surge in prevalence of cardiac disorders, in conjunction with the introduction of innovative products in the market. According to the Heart Valve Voice, approximately 1.5 million people over the age of 65 years are currently affected by heart valve disease in the UK, and the number is expected to increase up to 19 million by 2050. Moreover, increasing product approvals are likely to provide favorable conditions for the growth of the market. For instance, in June 2017, the US FDA granted market clearance for aortic and mitral valve-in-valve procedures using the Edwards Lifesciences Sapien 3 transcatheter heart valve (THV).

However, product recalls due to safety reasons and changing regulatory landscapes are likely to hamper the growth of the market during the forecast period.

Several market players currently dominate the global aortic valve market. The key players are engaged in product launches and strategic collaborations to strengthen their market positions.

Regional Analysis

The market has been divided, by region, into the Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa. The Americas held the maximum share in the base year 2018, owing to the presence of established key players in countries such as the US and Canada. The aortic valve market in the Americas has further been branched into North America and Latin America, with the North American market is further divided into the US and Canada. The European aortic valve market has been categorized as Western Europe and Eastern Europe. The Western European market has been classified as Germany, France, the UK, Italy, Spain, and the rest of Western Europe. The aortic valve market in Asia-Pacific has been segmented into Japan, China, India, South Korea, Australia, and the rest of Asia-Pacific. The aortic valve market in this region is anticipated to be the fastest growing during the assessment period due to the booming geriatric population, rising prevalence of cardiovascular diseases, and favorable government initiatives for disease treatment. The aortic valve market in the Middle East & Africa has been divided into the Middle East and Africa.

Aortic Valve Market Segmentation

The Global Aortic Valve Market has been segmented based on Type of Valve, Suture, Surgery, and End User.

The market, based on valve type, has been divided into mechanical and biological. The mechanical valve segment is likely to be the largest due to the high adoption of mechanical valves in replacement procedures. The biological valves segment is predicted to be the fastest-growing due to the increasing awareness about the advantages of biological valves in replacement procedures. Magna Ease (Edwards Lifesciences Corporation), Hancock II (Medtronic), Trifecta (Abbott) are some of the well-known biological valves brands currently present in the market.

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The Global Aortic Valve Market has been segmented, based on the surgery type, into minimally invasive surgery and open surgery. The minimally invasive surgery segment is further divided into transfemoral, transaortic implantation, transapical, and trans-subclavian. It is expected to hold majority share of the market owing to shorter hospital stay, less pain, and faster recovery as compared to open-heart surgery.

The end users of the market are hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers. The hospital segment is likely to hold the maximum share during the forecast period
Pawan Kalyan, while attending a function of the film Republic starring actor Sai Dharam Tej recently in Hyderabad, slammed the AP government for its proposal to rope in AP Film Development Corporation to take up online sale of cinema tickets, at the request of the bigwigs in film industry itself, to address any lapses like tax evasion and hike in price, during sale of tickets in theatres. (DC Image)

Vijayawada: A section of Telugu film producers has drawn flak for triggering the recent public spat between the AP government and Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan on the proposed online sale of cinema tickets in the state.

Highly placed sources in Telugu film industry say that the role of some Telugu film producers should be suspected for provoking both the Jana Sena chief and also the minister for information and public relations Perni Venkata Ramaiaha for using abusive language targeting each other.

Pawan Kalyan, while attending a function of the film Republic starring actor Sai Dharam Tej recently in Hyderabad, slammed the AP government for its proposal to rope in AP Film Development Corporation to take up online sale of cinema tickets, at the request of the bigwigs in film industry itself, to address any lapses like tax evasion and hike in price, during sale of tickets in theatres. He even questioned the AP government how it could take control of private funds and personally targeted the minister for information and public relations Perni Venkata Ramaiah.

In a counter reaction, Ramaiah and other ministers and a host of ruling YSR Congress leaders targeted the Jana Sena chief for his vitriolic remarks against the state government.

Sources say though the Jana Sena chief was supposed to say a few words about Sai Dharam Tej who was hospitalised after a road accident but he lost his cool and targeted the government on online sale of cinema tickets allegedly at the provocation of the film producers who attended the function. Subsequently, a delegation of film producers led by Dil Raju met Ramaiah and Pawan Kalyan separately in Vijayawada recently.

A senior functionary of Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce said, Nobody has invited the delegation of film producers either to talk to the minister or Pawan Kalyan. We wonder when both of them are targeting each other, the delegation met them not certainly to facilitate a compromise, given the fact that the public spat between the two further intensified. Our industry wants to know the purpose behind the meeting of film producers whether it is for the benefit of the industry or for their personal benefit.

On the other hand, the Telugu film industry has appealed to the AP government to revise ticket rates in film theatres, permit 100 percent occupancy from the present 50 percent and allow screening of film for four shows in a day from the present three shows by giving relaxation of lockdown hours up to midnight from the present 11.00 pm.

Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce vice president M. Rama Dasu said, The state government has assured us to remit the sale proceeds of online cinema tickets back to us the next day and also has made it clear that it will not use such money, turning down all apprehensions on the issue.
Meanwhile, the Hyderabad police stepped up their vigilance and are trying to grab the kingpins distributing cannabis packets in the streets. (Representational Image: DC)

Vishakhapatanam: The Agency police have decided to use sniffer dogs and drones to curb smuggling of ganja which has reached alarming proportions over the last few years.

A high-level meeting was held in Visakhapatnam for the entire range covering Srikakulam, Visakhapatnam and Vizianagaram on the directions of the DGP on Sunday and several strategies were discussed in the meeting on destroying the crops and curbing the smuggling in all directions.

The Vizag range DIG L.K.V. Ranga Rao told this correspondent that they had taken it very seriously after Visakhapatnam turned out to be a place where high quality ganja is harvested and smuggled to major cities in India including Hyderabad.

Apart from smugglers, we are identifying outsiders who come to the Agency on the pretext of opening some shops and indulge in harvesting and smuggling of ganja, Ranga Rao said.

He said sniffer dogs would deter people from carrying ganja and with the help of drones, the extent of harvest could be identified apart from tracking the foot soldiers who carry the weed to different points of collection.

The weed is grown in 10,000 acres in Andhra Orissa Border (AOB), an area dominated by outlawed Maoists, and smugglers use two main routes to smuggle dry ganja. The major route is Chintapalli-Narsipatnam and the other is KD Peta to Rajamahendravaram. High end SUVs are used to carry the weed from these points to various cities in India.

Students and school dropouts are being used as pilots of these vehicles for which they are paid Rs 5,000 per trip.

Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has also taken up the issue seriously and asked the special enforcement bureau officials in a recent meeting to stop harvesting and smuggling of ganja and take stringent action against the culprits.

Vizag rural police seized 31,648 kgs of ganja worth Rs 6 crore in 2017, around 16,000 kgs worth Rs 3.2 crore in 2018, 21,970 kgs worth Rs 4.19 crore in 2019 and 23,475 kgs worth Rs 5 crore in 2020.

We have registered PD Act against 17 smugglers and destroyed over 82,400 kgs (82 tonnes) of dry ganja seized by the police in the presence of Drug Disposal Committee at Balighattam dumping yard in Narsipatnam of Vizag district in December last year, the DIG said.

Meanwhile, the Hyderabad police stepped up their vigilance and are trying to grab the kingpins distributing cannabis packets in the streets.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, West Zone, AR Srinivasa Rao, told this correspondent on Sunday that they were locating the sources from where the contraband was originating.

Much of the ganja is coming from Andhra Pradesh and Odisha and landing in Hyderabad through various routes. We are coordinating with all law enforcing agencies to put the menace to an end, Srinivasa Rao said.
Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy launching Clean Andhra Pradesh (CLAP) garbage vehicles as part of Jagananna Swachha Sankalpam scheme in Vijayawada on Saturday, Ministers Velampalli Srinivas(second from right), Peddireddy Ramachandrareddy(third from right), MP V Balasouri(right) and East constituency in-charge D Avinash (left) are also seen.

Vijayawada: Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy formally launched Jagananna Swachha Sankalpam - Clean Andhra Pradesh (CLAP) programme, aimed at providing better sanitation services to rural and urban areas here at Benz Circle on Saturday.

As part of the programme, the Chief Minister flagged off 4,097 garbage collection vehicles and inspected dust bins and vehicles used for garbage collection.

On the occasion of the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, the Chief Minister paid floral tributes to their portraits and then released a CD of Jagananna Swachha Sankalpam  CLAP. The Chief Minister appealed to the people to follow Gandhis ideals for clean Andhra Pradesh and to cooperate with the government for making the state in Clean Andhra through CLAP programme. Reddy inspected the CLAP bins and tricycle and other equipment and interacted with the staff.

Speaking on the occasion, minister for municipal administration and urban development Botsa Satyanarayana clarified that CLAP was not a Centres programme, it was purely by the state government. He explained that in urban areas, 3,097 hydraulic garbage autos and 1,771 e-autos had been arranged for waste collection and disposal and 38,000 sanitary workers would also be involved in CLAP. He said the state government would distribute 3 colour-coded dustbins (red, green and blue) for all 40 lakh households, where people could use them for waste disposal after segregating the waste. He said the programme would be initiated on a big scale and sought public participation to make it a success. He said the Chief Minister was specially focused on making Andhra Pradesh a clean state.

Minister for panchayat raj and rural development Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy said the main intention of the initiative was to make clean surroundings across the state with public participation. He mentioned that in the past, Swachh Varotsavalu were held and similarly this time, with active participation of people, a 100-day programme was initiated to bring awareness on maintaining clean villages and clean cities with proper waste disposal.

Mentioning that as many as 10,645 waste management sheds had been repaired and put in use while another 4,171 are being constructed under the NREGS, Ramachandra Reddy said almost 27,000 green ambassadors and 10,000 gram panchayat workers would take part in the programme and over 14,000 tricycles would be used for collecting waste. He further said apart from these, 10,731 high pressure toilet cleaners, 10,628 portable thermal fogging machines and 6,417 incinerators had been arranged. He urged people to be part of this initiative and to keep their surroundings clean just like their houses.

Endowment minister Vellampally Srinivas, municipal and urban development special chief secretary Y. Srilakshmi, MPs, MLAs and other public representatives were present on the occasion.
New Delhi/Raipur: After the crisis in Punjab Congress, things are once again heating up in the partys Chhattisgarh unit. On Saturday state chief minister Bhupesh Baghel said that Chhattisgarh can never become Punjab. Chhattisgarh is not Punjab, he told reporters at Bemetara in Chhattisgarh.

Though Mr Baghel was responding to the former chief minister and BJP leader Raman Singhs barb that Chhattisgarh is becoming Punjab, his message was clear. The messy leadership change in Punjab has caused political instability in Chhattisgarh where health minister T.S. Singh Deo has been demanding a leadership change.

In the last couple of days several Congress MLAs from the state have made trips to Delhi to demand a meeting with the high command to let chief minister Bhupesh Baghel continue. At present there are 31 Chhattisgarh MLAs of the party camping in Delhi.

Mr Baghel, who himself made several trips to Delhi in August, described the visits of Chhattisgarh Congress MLAs to Delhi as not unusual.

Everything should not be seen from a political angle. Media is making a mountain out of molehill, he said on Saturday.

Amidst mounting pressure on the party high command by Mr Baghels loyalists not to remove him, on Saturday he was appointed AICC senior observer for the upcoming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and he took to Twitter to disclose this.

Honourable Congress national president Sonia Gandhi has directed me to be the observer for the upcoming UP Assembly elections for the party. It is a big responsibility. I will try my best to live up to the expectations of the leadership of the party, Mr Baghel tweeted in Hindi.

Earlier this year Mr Baghel was the observer for the Assam Assembly elections which the Congress lost.

Assembly elections in UP are due in February next year.

Several Congress MLAs loyal to Mr Baghel have been camping in Delhi since September 28 to build pressure on the party high command to maintain status quo in Chhattisgarh. Mr Singh Deo has been pushing for the implementation of the purported formula of sharing the chief ministers post between him and Mr Baghel for 2.5 years each, allegedly evolved during the formation of Congress government in the state in 2018. The demand for change of guard surfaced after Mr Baghel completed two-and-a-half years as chief minister in June 2021.

After the Punjab leadership change, speculation is rife in the party that changes can occur in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. The speculation got credence when Congress leader Sachin Pilot had a long meeting with Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi. All the developments have stirred up the MLAs in the states who are trying to assess the winning side. As of now an uneasy calm prevails in Chhattisgarh Congress, but in the coming week another round of meetings of leaders from the state can take place with the high command.
Kadapa: The Telugu Desam (TD) announced that it would not contest the Badvel byelection in Kadapa district. The decision was taken at a meeting of the party's politburo chaired by party national president Nara Chandrababu Naidu and was disclosed by party state president K. Atchannaidu in an official statement.

According to the politburo, the TDP established a tradition in Andhra Pradesh after giving tickets to the family members of deceased MLAs, that it should be elected unanimously. The party politburo, which met at the TD headquarters in Amravati on Sunday, discussed the Badvel byelection. The YSR Congress has already finalised the name of former MLA late Dr Gunthoti Venkata Subbayyas wife Dr Sudha as its candidate from Badvel. She is already campaigning. Though the TDP announced Dr. Obulapuram Rajasekhar, who contested in the last elections, was its candidate, it decided to quit the contest now.

Jana Sena party chief Pawan Kalyan made it clear in Anantapur on Saturday that they would give value to tradition and decided not to contest the Badvel by-election. He said they were in support of Dr Sudha, who had already been announced by the ruling YSR Congress.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was in a dilemma when the Jana Sena party leader who allied with them announced so. BJP state president Somu Veeraraju, who met party leaders and activists in Kadapa on Sunday, told the media after the meeting that his party was ready to contest in Badvel.

He said they had already prepared a roadmap. Eight candidates applied for tickets and they had finalised and sent a list of three names to the party's central committee, he said, adding that the BJP was strongly opposed to family rule. The views of their party leaders and activists were also conveyed to its Central leadership, which said they would take appropriate decisions. Their decision is likely to be known in a day or two. All in all, the Badvel by-election continues to be unanimous. Last date to file nominations for the by-election is October 8. The Election Commission already announced that polling would be held on October 30 and the results would be declared on November 2.
Fundraising for jailed US Marine, who criticized Joe Biden when the messed up Afghan pullout, gathers more than $2 million donations. The marine colonel has gotten much support to fight the alleged gagging by the Biden administration to prevent any more unnecessary comments.

Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller, 40, scoured the White House, Pentagon, when he accused them of gross incompetence after the deaths of 13 young marines in the Kabul airport bombing.

He asked those responsible for the decisions that led to disaster and tragedy to get brave and accept accountability.

US Marine gets more than $2 million in donations

Last Monday, after he did follow orders to stop posting on social media, Scheller was silenced, arrested, and sent to the military prison at Camp Lejeune brig for allegedly breaking four military laws, reported the Daily Mail.

After serving his country for seventeen years and doing his duty, he would be in court in North Carolina. Many see it as persecution by the White House.

The fundraiser was headed by Eddie Gallagher, a Navy Seal who was charged with killing an ISIS pow in 2017 but pardoned by then-President Trump. His fundraiser, the Pipe Hitter Foundation, has gotten 26,000+ donations to reach $2,081,913.

All the donations will foot legal costs and help the marine's family whenever they lose military retirement benefits due to getting court-martialed under allegedly suspicious conditions.

This fundraising for the jailed US Marine who criticized Joe Biden is a move to let the administration know the public's sentiments.

Read Also: Biden Refuses Military Advice As His Decisions Have Endangered the West from Terrorism

The fundraisers' statement said that Stuart stood up for what is right and spoke out his mind, and said speaking would endanger his job, retirement, family finances to demand that someone in the higher-ups take responsibility. In the end, he did lose them but stood his ground, noted Task and Purpose.

Pipe Hitter Foundation remarked Scheller is the marine needed in such a time to push against what the Biden administration is doing to America. The administration has failed on many occasions, as its corrupt and failed policies have been getting worse. The fundraiser supports the US marine with #StandwithStu.

Despite the dangerous political and military atmosphere, his video on August 26 scathed the White House the same day the 13 Americans died in Kabul.

US Marine Scheller jailed for telling the truth in an online video

Netizens comment on his post on Twitter video saying that America cannot stay there forever remarked that many of his superiors just allowed things to happen. No one even said that abandoning Bagram Airfield was a strategic error. It set the stage to enable a rapid Taliban takeover, yet no one question it or wanted to lose their ranks.

"I have been fighting for 17 years. I am willing to throw it all away to say to my senior leaders, I demand accountability." - Marine Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller on the failures in Afghanistan that led to American servicemen dying. pic.twitter.com/JPH3nTctrG  David Hookstead (@dhookstead) August 27, 2021

Soon after, he was sacked as commanding officer of Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. He was part of the infantry division for training, but he compromised it by the video he posted, stated by a Marine Corps spokesman, Maj. Jim Stenger.

One of his videos was the cause of his being relieved, thirty-six hours after he posted the first video. This one was ten minutes long, leaving the military and taking the system down.

Another video was addressed to his wife, saying he does not know what she'll do in the coming three days, then gave out his wife's Venmo and Paypal info as well.

He stated that his superiors would need jobs and security when he makes his move. The fundraising for jailed US Marine who criticized Joe Biden is symbolic of patriots who feel the Biden White House has too many shortcomings.

Related Article: US Marine Sacked for Criticizing Biden in Furious Rant Following Afghanistan Disaster that Killed 13 Marines

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A new unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), revealed by China that looks like the US Valkyrie drone, engineered by Chinese hackers who stole the data. It is the same case with the US Black Hawk UH-60 that was also copied when they got a hold of one. However, the question remains about how good the drone is in comparison to the original.

The US-company Kratos built a UAV, but the drone might have performance differences compared to the original. Beijing wants to develop China's military technology to be better than most countries.

China unveils new system of weaponry

Last Wednesday, the long-ranged FH-97 drone was displayed, which can have varied weapons armed on it. Wu Wei, representing China Aerospace Science Technology Corp's, described the capabilities of the electronic warfare system, reported the Express UK.

Joe Hildebrand, a western journalist, then asked an ironic question, saying what could stop anything from going wrong, cited Sky News, especially when China has planes that can loiter for 24-hours, and shoot targets.

 China Aerospace Science & Technology Group Co. Ltd. will present the Feihong series of UAV at the Zhuhai Airshow 2021. It seems they range from traditional-shape ones(FH-95), to MALE ones (FH-97), to loitering munitions (FH-901) & to hybrid tri-rotor ones (FH-909) pic.twitter.com/AI9u38BmcV  Jesus Roman (@jesusfroman) September 24, 2021

This week, the Chinese military had the biggest air show that featured advanced technology systems that are cutting edge. Included in the exhibition is spacecraft technology and also another tech that Beijing will use in all probability.

Zhuhai, located south of the mainland where the airshow was held, was affected by COVID-19 related travel advisory that keeps it domestic. However, non-local observers were still there to see what China has in advanced military technology. Possibly, China has a US Valkyrie drone reverse engineered via stolen data.

Read Also: Experimental Laser on the Tip of Chinese Hypersonic Missile Makes It Faster

Kelvin Wong, a Singapore-based defense editor at Janes, remarked that primary systems used by the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) used to be a closely guarded secret. This time they are featured in the exhibition and have attracted attention from international bodies.

Showcase of Chinese military systems

Several military systems were on show, like the WZ-7 Xianglong flying at high altitudes with longer loitering time, noted Defense News, which touted to be equal to the Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk, a poorly designed engine.

Wong remarks that the WZ-7 Xianglong was seen at airbases near the India-Chinese and North Korean borders, especially the South China Sea.

So far, the baseline of optimal performance for the Sino-technology of engines is very low compared to a higher quality of western machines. For this engagement, the J-20 stealth fighter used Chinese jet engines, not Russian ones.

The PLA has two homegrown engines for the C-17 equivalent is for the Y-20 heavy transport, the plane designer said last Wednesday.

One is the J-16D with an electronic counter-measure suite that is supposed to be as good as the EA-18G Growler, seen parked during the exhibit. It is still up in the air if the plane can have the same capability as the Growler if it can stymy the air defenses of Taiwan.

Wong added the J-16D has three types of jamming equipment underneath, one for three aspects of an electronic signal.

Their Feihong UAV is their version of the expendable loyal wingman as force enhancers to protect piloted jets. Several nations are serious about the US with the best technology for now.

It was not mentioned if the drone would be sold to other nations, though many foreign guests were all ears. Another is new technology rockets for space use. If a US Valkyrie drone reverse engineered via espionage was indeed done, chances are it will be an inferior copy of the western design.

Related Article: China Researches Blackout Bomb Warhead on Hypersonic Missile to Knockout Communications and Power to Disable Enemy Cities in Non-Nuclear Attack

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A 4,000-year-old bull geoglyph in Russia, Siberia, threatens to upturn the recent prehistory of civilization compared to Nazca Lines in Peru and White Horse monuments in England. A blind spot existed with a large gap when it was carbon-dated. For many, it's another age that is largely unknown till further research.

The geoglyph is about two times older than the Nazca Lines in Peru and one thousand years more than the Chalk-lined White Horse at Uffington. Finding evidence to push the haze should rewrite such points in prehistory.

Geoglyphs are attached to notions of spiritual or religious meaning, and they are enigmatic structures that can be seen from the air only.

Huge bull geoglyph discovered in Tuva

The vast ground marking forms the image of a bull, which measures about 10 feet by 13 feet long, made with pebbles and sandstone to create it, reported the Daily Mail.

It was discovered at Khondergey, in the southwest of Tuva, near the Russian-Mongolian border, where it is a part of a burial site. The old marking is thought to come from the Bronze Age.

Archeologists from the Russian Academy of Sciences' Institute of the History of Material Culture say this is the first animal type geoglyph seen in Central Asia.

Marina Kilunovskaya, who heads the Tuva Archaeological Expedition, told The Siberian Times several things about the project.

She added that the bull is a typical image used in the Early Bronze Era by many civilizations of Central Asia. But in the Scythian era, it was a deer, not a bull.

Read Also: Stele Dating Back 2,600 Years Tells of a Pharaoh Who Was Murdered by His Subjects

Kilunovskaya states that until discovering these rock carvings (petroglyphs) in the region, it was largely unnoticed until recently as a sample of animal geoglyphs. Finding like the 4,000-year-old bull Geoglyph in Russia add to the mystery of the murky past of civilization.

She added that only half of the bull's back is prominent. Ignorance caused its destruction in the 1940s.

Geoglyphs mysteriously scattered all over the globe!

All over the world, these geoglyphs are seen and are of different ages. Peruvian Nazca Lines and the White Horse in Britain are the nearest in age to Russian find. Another marking is the Blythe Intaglios cut into the Colorado desert, near Blythe in California, which is not as old as 900 to 1200 B.C. when dated.

Another is the Cerne Abbas Giant in Dorset, England, of a nude figure of a man precisely 180-feet tall. A geoglyph is a naked man brandishing a massive club and displaying an enormous phallus. It was dug in by two feet deep and crushed chalk to fill in the lines.

Aside from the Tuva Bull, another moose, this time, is seen from above in Chelyabinsk. The great geoglyph of a moose also called an elk, is 1,100 miles from Tuva, scratched in the Zyuratkul Mountains, cited Sky News.

The size of the marking is about 902 feet long, first detected with satellite pictures. Researchers found tools made of stone nearby that show children helped to make it the geoglyph. Stanislav Grigoryev, a senior researcher from the Chelyabinsk History and Archaeology Institute, remarked no forced slaves were there, but rather it was a communal task.

In 2014, dozens of 50 geoglyphs of various shapes and sizes, including a massive Swastika, were discovered across northern Kazakhstan. The 4,000-year-old bull Geoglyph in Russia could be one of the oldest.

Related Article: Chankillo Observatory in Peruvian Desert Dates Back to 2,300-year-old, Used by Ancients To Track Yearly Seasonal Movements

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On Friday, 38 Chinese aircraft flew into Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ), marking the biggest daily Chinese intrusion into the region.

Chinese Aircraft Enter Taiwan's Territory

In a recently published article in Newsweek, Taiwan slammed China on Saturday after dozens of military aircraft flew into its air defense zone, claiming it was Beijing's most extensive invasion to date. On Saturday, 20 aircraft, all fighters save two anti-submarine aircraft, flew in the area of the Pratas Islands, according to Taiwan's Ministry of Defense.

It occurred less than 24 hours after the ministry said on Friday that 38 Chinese aircraft had flown into its air defense identification zone or ADIZ. Many nations establish this kind of airspace around their territory to monitor aviation traffic, although international law does not recognize it.

The ministry said that Friday's intrusion exceeded the previous high of 28 Chinese military aircraft into Taiwan's air defense zone in June. Taiwan Premier Su Tseng-chang noted, "China has been wantonly engaged in military aggression, damaging regional peace," according to a published report in NBC News,

Read Also: Taiwan Independence Means War, the Province Is a Sovereign of China

Intrusions of Chinese Aircraft

According to Taiwan's defense ministry, the first wave of intrusions on Friday included 18 J-16, four Su-30 fighter planes, two nuclear-capable H-6 bombers, and an anti-submarine aircraft. It claimed in a separate statement that the second was made up of ten J-16s, two H-6s, and one early warning aircraft.

In a map released by the ministry, the first batch of Chinese aircraft flew in a region near the Pratas Islands, with the two bombers flying closest to the atoll. A second chart indicated that the second group sailed down into the Bashi Channel, which divides Taiwan and the Philippines and is a vital waterway connecting the Pacific and the contested South China Sea.

Following this, the Taiwanese military employed aircraft to warn Chinese jets away, as well as missile systems to keep an eye on them, according to a published article in The Hindu.

China Views Taiwan as Part of Its Territory

China sees Taiwan as an illegal breakaway province that is part of its territory. When China's civil war between communists and nationalists concluded in 1949, with the former victorious, the latter established a parallel government in Taipei.

In a published article in Yahoo News, Xi Jinping has ordered the PLA to increase its preparedness and train for warfighting under "actual fighting circumstances," according to Derek Grossman, a senior military expert at the RAND Corporation. As a result, it's not unexpected that the PLA continues to fly into Taiwan's ADIZ as part of realistic training and conflict preparation.

Last month, Chinese state media warned that allowing Taiwan to alter the name of its representative office in the United States would result in "serious" military and economic repercussions. Meanwhile, the Biden administration is considering renaming the office the "Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office" (TECRO) to the "Taiwan Representative Office."

Related Article: Taiwan Claims They Can Shoot down Chinese Drones Circling the South China Sea

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Ecuador plans to pardon around 2,000 inmates following a recent riot to free up some space in prison.

Bolivar Garzon, the director of Ecuador's prison agency SNAI, said that women, those with disabilities, and terminally ill inmates will be prioritized on the pardon list and foreign nationals will be deported. As of press writing, 82 cases are being processed.

Last week, 118 inmates were killed and dozens were wounded following a riot at the Litoral penitentiary in Guayaquil. At least five of the deceased inmates were also beheaded.

However, only 41 out of the 118 deceased inmates have been identified. And Henry Coral, a police official, is seeking the help of family members to identify the other deceased inmates by telling authorities about any definitive marks on their loved ones bodies.

The riot was reportedly started by rival gangs in the prison.

According to reports, the deaths were caused by bullet wounds and grenade explosions. During the investigation, the guns, ammunition, 25 bladed weapons, three explosive devices, and various drugs were seized.

Read Also: Attica Prison Rebellion 1971: Bloodiest Riot In US History Where Inmates Demanded Prison Reforms But Ended In Death And Tragedy

Families of deceased and wounded inmates receiving support from Ecuador government

Families and friends of the deceased are being discouraged to visit the prison for now because it hasn't been secured completely.

Ecuador President Guillermo Lasso is urging families and friends to stay away from the area. However, the government also provided them with food and psychological support during this difficult time.

"I wish I was able right now to say that yes, we have completely secured the Litoral Penitentiary, but frankly I cannot. This meeting we just had was to organize the next steps forward, and I hope in the next few hours you will see some of the plans we agreed in action," he said via CNN.

Lasso also said that it is regrettable that prisons are being turned into territories of power. But he vowed to act with absolute firmness to regain control of Litoral prison and prevent the same incident from happening again, according to the Associated Press.

Ecuador president declares 60-day state of emergency

Following the harrowing incident, Lasso declared a 60-day state of emergency across all prisons in Ecuador. Military troops will be deployed to penitentiaries so that they can conduct searches and other surveillance measures.

Approximately $24 million will also be allotted to the prison systems during this time.

Three prison riots have taken place in Ecuador this year

According to Al Jazeera, the recent prison riot is not an isolated case in Ecuador. In recent months, there have also been several outbreaks of violence in various prisons in the area.

Officials believe that the gangs inside the prison are working with transnational criminal groups and are battling over the drug trafficking routes.

The clashes reportedly increased as Mexican drug cartels like Sinaloa and Jalisco Nueva Generacion have formed alliances with local gangs.

Earlier this year, 79 inmates died when three riots broke out in different prisons at the same time. In July, 27 others were killed at the Litoral facility.

Just last month, another prison was attacked by drones, but no casualties were reported.

Related Article: At Least 100 Dead In Horrific Ecuador Prison Massacre Where 5 Prisoners Got Beheaded

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North Korea claimed on Friday that it had launched an anti-aircraft missile in a test launch, the country's fourth in as many weeks after breaking a six-month suspension.

North Korea Remains Unresponsive from South Korea's Call To Begin Restoration

In a recently published article in Newsweek, South Korea offers to begin its restoration for peace and end its cold war with North Korea. However, DPRK remained unresponsive to the call and instead launched another missile recently that caught the international community's attention.

North Korea's lack of reaction contrasts with Kim Jong Un's earlier this week signals indicating that he was ready to reopen contact channels with South Korea. It can be remembered that Kim Jon Un said last week that he is willing to open their communication with the South Korean government again.

Simultaneously, he rejected US proposals to start a conversation, describing them as a "cunning" ploy to hide American animosity against North Korea. Kim also said that if the Koreas' relationship develops, South Korea must abandon its "double-dealing mentality," according to a published article in Daily Advent.

Read Also: North Korea's Cruise Missile Can Reach 932 Miles Reaching 80 US Military Bases in Japan, 73 in South Korea

Countries Confirmed that North Korea's Ballistic Missile Launches are Banned

South Korea, Japan, and the United States routinely acknowledge North Korean ballistic missile launches shortly after they occur, despite UN resolutions prohibiting them. However, they did not do so for Thursday's, indicating that the weapon tested was of a different kind. The Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea and the United States stated Friday that they were monitoring North Korean actions but did not explain.

North Korea began missile testing three weeks ago. The North, as it has done in the past, coupled a show of might with a more conciliatory gesture earlier this week, proposing to restore hotlines used by North and South Korea to schedule talks, coordinate border crossings, and prevent unintentional confrontations, according to a published report in USA Today.

Since early 2019, diplomacy aimed at persuading the North to give up its nuclear weapons in exchange for economic and political benefits has mostly stalled. North Korea is now subject to severe US-led financial sanctions, which come when its already fragile economy is experiencing huge setbacks due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Views from Analysts

According to Kim Dong-yub, a professor at Seoul's University of North Korean Studies, the launch seems to be the first step in a test to create a missile that can take down incoming enemy missiles and planes. He claimed the missile looks like the Russian-made S-400 air defense system, which has a maximum range of 400 kilometers (250 miles) and is capable of intercepting stealth aircraft, according to him.

According to the Korean Central News Agency on Friday, the anti-aircraft missile test was "very useful" in terms of researching and developing different potential anti-aircraft missile systems. The North's recent actions seem to put pressure on South Korea, which wants to repair strained relations on the peninsula, to convince the US to ease sanctions.

Related Article: South Korea Pushes To End Korean War To Restore Peace, North Korea Dismisses the Call

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Donald Trump is seeking the help of a Federal Judge to have his Twitter account restored.

According to reports, Trump's attorneys filed a motion in the US District Court in Miami to seek a preliminary injunction against Twitter and its CEO, Jack Dorsey.

The ex-POTUS and his attorneys believe that the social media platform is censoring Trump, which violates his First Amendment rights.

Twitter bans Trump amid fears he would incite more violence

Earlier this year, Twitter suspended Trump's account following the deadly US Capitol riots.

The riots took place shortly after Trump made false claims that the previous election was rigged. However, he has not proven his allegation of election fraud until today.

Twitter decided to permanently ban Trump after his supporters violently stormed the Capitol to prevent Congress from confirming Joe Biden's presidential win following the incident.

Twitter expressed its concerns over the possibility of Trump inciting further violence. That's why they decided to ban him from the platform.

Trump has also been banned from Facebook and Google's YouTube over similar concerns. As of late, it's still unclear up when Trump will remain banned from YouTube, but Facebook decided to ban him from the platform until January 7, 2023.

Read Also: Donald Trump Insists Supporters Showed On January 6 To Back His Election Belief, Says He Doesn't Want Them To Storm The Capitol

Trump questioned Twitter's decision not to ban the Taliban

In July, the former president of the United States filed a lawsuit against all three companies and their CEOs, claiming that he was wrongfully censored, according to the Associated Press.

His recent filing also questioned why Twitter has regularly allowed the Taliban to post their military victories across Afghanistan. Still, they censored him by calling his tweets misleading information, according to Reuters.

Donald Trump accused of spreading false information online

An analysis of Trump's most controversial tweets found that most of his posts primarily spread misinformation and distrust.

Sam Wooley, the director of propaganda research at the University of Texas at Austin's Center for Media Engagement, said that Trump's primary use of Twitter has been to spread propaganda and manipulate public opinion.

"He used Twitter to delegitimize information or to delegitimize the positions of his opponents. Since the November election, Trump has turned to Twitter as the core platform for spreading disinformation about the election... Trump uses social media and terms like 'fake news' and 'witch hunt' and his power there to create the illusion of popularity for ideas that actually have no basis in reality," Wooley told CNBC.

As of late, Twitter has not responded to Trump's recent filing.

Republican-led audit confirms Donald Trump lost to Joe Biden during 2020 election

Melania Trump's husband also made headlines recently after Cyber Ninjas confirmed that the 2020 election was not rigged.

A Republican-led audit in Arizona was held after Trump, and his supporters claimed that he should've won the election. However, the audit result proved that not only did Joe Biden win, he also won by a bigger margin than what was previously reported.

Despite the result, Trump and his supporters request other states to conduct an audit of the electoral votes. Texas Governor Greg Abbott agreed to have the votes from four counties be recounted.

Related Article: Stephen Colbert Projects Joe Biden Is Still President After Republican-led Audit In Arizona Showed POTUS Beat Donald Trump

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Brian Laundrie is still missing almost a month ago since his parents said he went on a hike near their Florida home.

But even though not much is still known about his whereabouts, experts say that there's still hope that they will find Laundrie sooner or later.

Brian Laundrie can't make a single mistake or he'll get caught

Bryanna Fox, a former FBI special agent and associate professor in the department of criminology at the University of South Florida, said that one mistake could lead authorities to Laundrie.

"In other words, he has to be perfect and make zero mistakes. Law enforcement, to be able to find him, they either have to find one clue or catch one mistake he made and that could blow the whole case open," she told CNN.

Several factors are complicating the search for Brian Laundrie

However, Fox also acknowledged the fact that it's been a struggle trying to locate Laundrie because he left the two key items that could've otherwise determined his movements.

Last week, reports revealed that Laundrie left his home without his wallet and cell phone. But he later purchased a burner phone from a nearby AT&T store.

The phone would've determined Laundrie's location and his wallet would've revealed his purchases. But without these two key items, the search for Laundrie has been a drag.

Read Also: Brian Laundrie's Family Denies Helping Son To Escape As Protesters Surround Property, Shouting 'Justice For Gabby Petito'

Fox added that most fugitives and missing persons tend to stay in populated areas. But the same cannot be said about Laundrie. The former FBI special agent is convinced that Gabby Petito's fiance decided to go off the grid.

Additionally, tropical conditions are also playing a huge part on the case because the more days pass, the odds of finding forensic evidence becomes slimmer.

Michelle Jeanis, an assistant professor at the University of Louisiana in Lafayette's Department of Criminal Justice, said that there also needs to be a balance between tips and actual evidence.

New witness claims to have seen Brian Laundrie on a trail in North Carolina

Since a lot of people have become invested in Laundrie's disappearance, they have been providing the FBI with tips and information. However, if this information doesn't direct the officers to Laundrie, then it could just prolong their search.

In fact, a new witness has come forward and said that he encountered Laundrie near the Appalachian Trail in North Carolina over the weekend, according to New York Post.

Dennis Davis said that he's confident it was Laundrie that he encountered after Dog the Bounty Hunter's daughter sent him an audio file of Laundrie's voice. He said that it sounded exactly like the voice of the man that he saw on the trail

The witness said that the man, who he believes is Laundrie, pulled up next to him to ask for directions to California using only back roads.

He added that the man also claimed to be looking for his way to California after his girlfriend called him and said that she loves him.

Supporters want to know what happened to Gabby Petito in her final days

A lot of people want to find Laundrie because they want to know what really happened between him and Petito during the final days of their cross-country trip.

Petito stopped posting photos and videos on her Instagram account at the end of August, and this left her family feeling worried. Their concerns grew after they learned that Laundrie returned home without Petito on Sept. 1.

The 22-year-old vlogger's body was found in Wyoming on Sept. 19, and her death was later ruled as homicide, according to Deseret News.

Related Article: Experts Explain Why It May Be Difficult To Find Brian Laundrie Despite Mounting Evidence Against Him

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NASA is giving the public a gift, the NASA Hubble Images, a new online tool that allows you to see a snapshot of deep space taken by the telescope on your birthday.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) developed a program to determine which celestial object the Hubble Space Telescope captured on your birthday to commemorate the Hubble Space Telescope's 30th anniversary.

The space telescope by NASA monitors the universe 24/7. The space telescope was launched on April 24, 1990, and was sent into orbit the next day. It has altered our perception of the universe, and astronomy has never been the same since.

NASA's Hubble Images on Your Birthday

The new page on NASA's website is titled, "What Did Hubble See on Your Birthday?" Only the user's birth date and month must be selected from the drop-down list before clicking submit, and then the tool searches for a photograph of the cosmos taken on that day over Hubble's 30 years in space.

According to FirstPost, the NASA Hubble Images brought a significant change that contributed immensely to scientists by providing evidence that gives a comprehensive understanding of the celestial bodies in our solar system, including galaxies, planets, nebulas, space vapors, and some of the most distant stars.

Click here to find out what NASA Hubble Images captured during your birthday.

For instance, if your birthday is on October 3, NASA's Hubble Images will display a unique photograph captured on October 3 and will give you immediate facts about the celestial thing captured.

The caption states, "On October 3 in 2009: GOODS South FieldMore than 12 billion years of cosmic history are shown in this panoramic view of thousands of galaxies in various stages of assembly. The view covers a portion of the southern field of a galaxy census called the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey (GOODS)."

Read Also: NASA Hubble Images: Space Telescope Captures Enchanting Photo of Star Nursery!

NASA's Hubble Just Turned 30

31 years ago, @NASAHubble launched into space 



To commemorate the occasion, astronomers aimed the renowned observatory at one of the brightest stars seen in our galaxy: AG Carinae.  https://t.co/LTXcWYxoHw pic.twitter.com/l46QFOlcSv  NASA (@NASA) April 24, 2021

To commemorate, NASA shared a photograph of one of our galaxy's brightest stars earlier this week. The star seen in the official published photo is about 20,000 light-years away and is named AG Carinae. According to the American space agency, the uniqueness of the star AG Carinae is among the cluster's largest.

In addition, NASA has been releasing breathtaking photographs obtained by the telescope on its social media accounts regularly. The Hubble Space Telescope, according to NASA, can detect objects as small as a "pair of fireflies in Tokyo that are less than 10 feet apart" from Washington, as quoted by FirstPost.

In 1990, the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA collaborated on the Hubble Space Telescope, launched for the first time in 1990. It was the first giant telescope to be launched into space, and it has been orbiting the planet ever since.

As reported by CTV News, the telescope does not move around the galaxy on its own. Instead, it orbits Earth at a speed of around 27,400 kilometers per hour, allowing it to gaze deep into space from above the cloud layer.

The Hubble Space Telescope, named after American astronomer Edwin P. Hubble, weighs as much as two "full-grown African elephants" and is about the size of a huge school bus, according to NASA.

Related Article: NASA Hubble Images and Videos: Space Telescope Makes Shocking Discovery in Jupiter's Great Red Spot
Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki, left, and Financial Services Commission Chairman Koh Seung-beom / Yonhap



'Unfair' crypto tax rules still face criticism



By Lee Min-hyung



Lawmakers are set to grill the leaders of financial watchdog agencies over the government's decision to levy income taxes on cryptocurrency trading starting in 2022.



Under the new tax policy, people whose annual cryptocurrency trading revenues top 2.5 million won ($2,100) will be subject to a tax equivalent to 20 percent of the income.



The decision, however, is still widely considered to be hasty, at a time when Korea's cryptocurrency market is still in its infancy and faces confusion amid a set of tough regulations imposed by financial authorities.



Lawmakers from both the opposition and ruling parties have also raised the need to delay levying the tax for another year to minimize confusion in the market. They argued it is more urgent for policymakers to establish legal safeguards to protect cryptocurrency investors before taking steps to tax them.



The central point is whether Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki will be able to justify the crypto taxation during an upcoming National Assembly audit on Wednesday.



But given his words during a recent Assembly interpellation session, chances are slim that the minister will change his stance regarding the crypto tax timeline.



"The cryptocurrency market has grown sharply and its size is as big as the benchmark KOSPI, but crypto traders do not pay any taxes at all," he said. Hong flatly refused to consider delaying the taxation timeline, saying that doing so could increase confusion in the market.



But criticism over the tax plan is growing even within the ruling camp.









Rep. Yoo Dong-soo of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) called for the need to revise the tax policy, as it comes with numerous loopholes on various issues, and opens up the possibility of tax evasion. Yoo is the leader of the DPK-led taskforce on cryptocurrency policy.



"The government needs to review the planned implementation of the policy, as it still lacks systematic enough details to win over the public and crypto traders," he said. "Under the current plan, only those who report their revenue will have to pay taxes, which is not fair."



There are more potential legal loopholes in the scheduled crypto taxation initiative, but the government and financial authorities plan to move forward with its quick implementation, citing the need to establish an infrastructure for crypto taxation, according to the lawmaker.



Yoo Seong-min, a minor presidential contender from the main opposition People Power Party, also criticized the crypto taxation plan as lacking "fairness," one of the core criteria being pushed by President Moon Jae-in since he took office in 2017.



Starting from 2023, stock investors are liable to pay taxes on capital gains topping 50 million won, while they do not have to pay taxes below that level. But the standard for cryptocurrency is much stricter, which Yoo said is unfair.



"The government should put an end to the unfair crypto tax plan immediately, as it is not fair when compared with tax plans for stock trading," he said.





Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki, right, shares hands with Financial Services Commission Chairman Koh Seung-beom at the headquarters of the Korea Federation of Banks in Seoul, Sept. 30. Joint Press Corps.
This photo provided on Oct. 1 by the North Korean government shows what North Korea claims to be the test firing of a newly developed anti-aircraft missile in North Korea, Sept. 30. North Korea blasted the U.N. Security Council Sunday for convening a meeting on its recent missile launches, calling it "a manifestation of double-dealing standard." AP-Yonhap



North Korea blasted the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) on Sunday for convening a meeting on its recent missile launches, calling it "a manifestation of double-dealing standard."



Jo Chol-su, director of the international organization department at the North's foreign ministry, made the remark in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), stressing that the missile tests were for "self-defense" purposes.



The statement came after the Security Council convened a meeting on Friday to discuss Pyongyang's latest weapons tests, including the test-firings of what the North claimed was "an advanced anti-aircraft missile" and a "hypersonic missile."



Last month, the North also fired two short-range ballistic missiles from a train and launched a long-range cruise missile.



"The UNSC ... put on the table the issue pertaining to the DPRK's exercise of sovereignty. This means an open ignorance of and wanton encroachment on the sovereignty of the DPRK and a serious intolerable provocation against it," Jo said, referring to the North by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.



Jo accused the Security Council of "keeping mum" about the joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea while finding fault with the North for its "normal and planned self-defensive measures."



"This is a denial of impartiality, objectivity and equilibrium, lifelines of the UN activities, and an evident manifestation of double-dealing standard," he said.



The official added that the communist state has "never acknowledged the partial and illegal U.N. 'resolution' that seriously encroaches upon the right to existence and development of sovereign states."



"I express strong concerns over the fact that the UNSC amused itself with the dangerous 'time-bomb' this time," he said, adding that the weapons tests have never posed any threats or harm to the security of the neighboring countries.



On Friday, the UNSC convened a closed-door meeting at the request of the U.S., Britain and France but reportedly did not reach an agreement for a joint statement due to the opposition from China and Russia. (Yonhap)
President Moon Jae-in salutes during a ceremony to mark the 73rd Armed Forces Day in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, Friday. Yonhap



Critics concerned about Seoul staying mum on Pyongyang's provocations



By Nam Hyun-woo



South Korea is striving to resuscitate peace momentum on the Korean Peninsula, releasing a series of messages directed toward the North, which, in turn, has also shown some signs recently of a reconciliatory attitude.



However, some criticism has been raised that Seoul is turning a blind eye to Pyongyang's repeated military activities, while casting a rosy outlook on the possibility of inter-Korean talks. Meanwhile, the Kim Jong-un regime has been sending confusing signals through a contradictory combination of missile launches and conciliatory speeches.



During a ceremony to mark the 73rd Armed Forces Day, Friday, President Moon Jae-in stressed the fact that the military's strong defense capability and readiness will enable permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula, and that his trust in the military helped him propose a declaration to ending the Korean War to North Korea at the United Nations last month.



"I have pride in our solid security posture. I have proposed adopting an end-of-war declaration, opening a new era of conciliation and cooperation, to the international community based on such trust and pride," Moon said.



Moon's speech came just hours after North Korea announced that it had again launched what it claimed to be an anti-aircraft missile a day earlier. It was Pyongyang's fourth round of missile launches in September, which came along with statements that it may reopen stalled communication channels with Seoul.





This photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency, Friday, shows what North Korea claims to be the test-firing of a newly developed anti-aircraft missile in the country the previous day. Yonhap




The Chinese character meaning "king" is seen written on the palm of conservative main opposition People Power Party presidential contender Yoon Seok-youl during a live television debate, Friday. Yonhap



By Kwon Mee-yoo



The Chinese character for "king" was seen written on the palm of conservative opposition presidential contender Yoon Seok-youl, stirring controversy that it might have a ritualistic meaning, which he denied.



Yoon was seen with the character () on his left palm during a live television debate among the presidential hopefuls of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), Oct. 1, when he waved his hand while talking.



Soon, more pictures were revealed of Yoon bearing the letter on his hand during two previous debates. His rivals within the PPP and the liberal ruling party have raised suspicions that he is relying on shamanistic rituals to stay ahead in the presidential race.



Rep. Hong Joon-pyo of the PPP, a seasoned politician who emerged as a major rival of Yoon after announcing his second presidential bid, criticized the former prosecutor general for "writing a talisman" on his palm.



"This is the first time I've seen someone earn their doctoral degree via fortune-telling, and this is the first time I've seen a shaman involved in a presidential race. I was skeptical of the news I had heard that Yoon has a shaman helping him become president, but now that it's been revealed that he wrote a talisman on the palm of his hand, all I can think is that this is just absurd," Hong wrote on Facebook, Sunday.



Hong's reference to the doctoral degree targeted Yoon's wife, Kim Keon-hee, whose doctoral dissertation was about using avatars for fortune-telling content development.










Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung widened his lead in the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's (DPK) presidential primary race on Sunday by winning a comfortable majority of votes in the race's second "super week."







After Sunday's primaries, Lee's support rose to 54.9 percent of the votes cast since the race began early this month, up from Saturday's 53.51 percent, while support for his rival Lee Nak-yon fell to 34.3 percent from 34.67 percent.







Support for former Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae and Rep. Park Yong-jin came to 9.1 percent and 1.6 percent, respectively.







The race is scheduled to wind up with a primary in Seoul on Oct. 10.







If the current trend holds, Governor Lee is expected to win the party's ticket for March's presidential election without a run-off vote.







Sunday's results showed again that the DPK's primaries have seen almost no impact from a snowballing land development scandal in Seongnam, south of Seoul, allegedly involving the governor during his time as the city's mayor in 2015.







The main opposition party has accused Lee of masterminding a scheme that ended up providing astronomical profits to asset management firm Hwacheon Daeyu and its seven affiliates after the firm, which was previously unheard of, was selected as a civilian partner for the project in Seongnam.







Governor Lee said his latest win signals "the people's mandate to tackle corrupt forces within society's establishment" and pledged to do his best without putting his mind at ease throughout the rest of the primary.







Former DPK Chairman Lee, meanwhile, said he sees the possibility of an upset as still open. While thanking his supporters, the former prime minister also said he "will try to understand" the hearts of those who did not support him. (Yonhap)


This file photo shows Yoo Dong-gyu, a key suspect in a land development scandal in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. Yonhap



A Seoul court on Sunday issued an arrest warrant for a key suspect in a snowballing corruption scandal surrounding a lucrative land development project near Seoul, over charges that he played a key role in helping a private asset management firm collect huge profits from the project.



Prosecutors requested an arrest warrant for Yoo Dong-gyu, former acting president of Seongnam Development Corp., on Saturday on charges of breach of trust and bribery in connection with the project to develop apartment complexes in Daejang-dong in the city of Seongnam, south of Seoul.



On Sunday, the Seoul Central District Court issued the warrant for Yoo's arrest after questioning him for over an hour. The court ruled that Yoo posed a flight risk and could destroy evidence.



The scandal centers on revelations that the previously unheard-of asset management firm, Hwacheon Daeyu, and its seven affiliates reaped profits of more than 1,000 times their investments after the firm was selected as a partner for the 2015 project.



Yoo is suspected of involvement in the selection process as acting president of Seongnam Development Corp. and designing the profit distribution arrangements in a way that benefited the firm while inflicting losses on the city.



He was also accused of receiving 1.1 billion won ($930,138) in kickbacks.



Yoo, however, has denied any wrongdoing.



The scandal has been the hottest issue in South Korea in recent weeks amid opposition accusations that Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung, the front-runner in the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's (DPK) presidential primary, holds responsibility as he was mayor of Seongnam at the time.



Yoo is considered a close associate of Lee, and it was during Lee's term as mayor that the Daejang-dong project was undertaken. Moreover, Hwacheon Daeyu is 100 percent owned by a former journalist who interviewed Lee seven months before establishing the firm.



The main opposition People Power Party (PPP) has accused Lee of masterminding the whole scheme, and called for an independent counsel investigation into the scandal while urging Lee to step down as a presidential candidate.



However, Lee has categorically rejected all allegations as "fake news," including his relationship with Yoo, arguing that he did not gain a single penny from the project and that the opposition party is raising allegations against him in an attempt to cover up its own wrongdoings.



He was referring to revelations that the 32-year-old son of former PPP lawmaker Kwak Sang-do received 5 billion won ($4.24 million) in severance pay from Hwacheon Daeyu after about seven years of work, an unreasonably high amount for an employee whose monthly salary was only about 3.8 million won ($3,213).



Critics claimed that the severance pay was intended as bribes to his father.



After the revelations came to light, Kwak left the PPP and ultimately gave up his Assembly seat on Saturday.



Hwacheon Daeyu is also suspected of paying high-profile, influential people in the legal community, including a former Supreme Court justice and a former special prosecutor, in the form of hiring them as legal advisers.



On Sunday, fresh allegations surfaced that the firm's owner, Kim Man-bae, gave 10 billion won to a relative of former special prosecutor Park Young-soo who looked into the corruption scandal involving former President Park Geun-hye.



That raised suspicions that some of the money could have flowed to Park.



Both Kim and Park denied the suspicions.



A lawyer for Kim claimed that the money was lent to the relative, surnamed Lee, in a completely lawful manner. Park also claimed that Lee is a very distant relative and he knows nothing about the transaction between the two. (Yonhap)




By Peter S. Kim





Over the past few months, China dominated global headlines with its draconian clampdown on its national champions, notably tech giants like Alibaba. We continue to see the Chinese authorities pressure their big tech with talks of breaking up Alibaba, founded by billionaire Jack Ma.



Other measures, including requiring tech companies to hand over user data to the government, threaten to shake the foundation of tech companies whose customers expect absolute protection of personal information.



China's scrutiny of its national champions is part of a determined and strategic "cleansing" of social side effects from decades of high economic growth and economic reform. Investors hoping for a regulatory reprieve could be disappointed, judging by Beijing's history of scrutiny on Macau casinos, Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement, and South Korea's THAAD situation, which continues after many years.



It appears South Korea is poised for a coincident path as it gears for an all-important presidential election next year. South Korea had its China moment with the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) charging that Kakao Pay and Naver Financial's investment product comparison services violated the Financial Consumer Protection Act. The act, introduced in March, obliges companies that sell financial investment products to register with the FSC within six months.



Kakao Pay and Naver Financial assumed they do not need to register as they do not directly sell investment products but instead compare and recommend investment choices. There are rising voices from regulators and politicians that Kakao Pay and Naver Financial are intermediaries distributing investment products. As part of their service, users can make investments via Kakao Pay and Naver Financial's apps. Both companies are prohibited from providing their services from Friday unless they register.



Naver and Kakao represent Korea's two notable big tech companies benefiting from many businesses migrating online. With their vast customer base, big online companies like Kakao and Naver introduced various financial products online and earned growing commission revenues from retail investors. Kakao Pay's main service provides mobile money transfers and payments, but higher profit growth has been from recommending investment options like funds and other investments based on product comparisons.



Last month, the founder of the Kakao group, Kim Beom-su (Brian), pledged over $250 million to aid small merchants and to exit businesses that compete with small, self-owned firms. In addition, the Kakao group vowed to focus on creating "social value." Kakao's donation runs parallel to Alibaba's $1.5 billion pledge to promote China's "common prosperity" initiative. Kakao has been accused of destroying self-owned businesses' livelihoods by penetrating areas such as taxi and home delivery services.



The Korean government has a long history of protecting mom-and-pop store owners. In 2012, with the rapid spread of large discount stores owned by corporations, the government forced them to close every second Sunday to favor the smaller stores. Also, around the same period, the government banned large corporations from owning bakeries. Both of the measures are still in effect today.



It is worth noting that Naver, for the past few years, has come under increasing scrutiny due to its growing size and influence over the Korean economy. Its "price comparison" engine for non-financial products was a point of similar scrutiny from the government many years ago, where it was accused of unfair trade practices by revealing price comparisons of different products and forced price competition among vendors. In 2017, Naver was formally categorized as a "large corporation" by the anti-trust watchdog Fair Trade Commission, a tag with heavy operating restrictions.



Kakao could be moving towards a similar course. Recently it was briefly among the five largest listed companies in Korea. The irony is that Kakao's taxi business was a beneficiary of another regulatory clampdown when the government banned a ride-hailing company after it was found to violate taxi licensing law.



The Korean government is torn between the political need to protect existing jobs versus a desire to nurture new, high-growth industries like e-commerce. Unfortunately, the new economy industries' profits are often driven by machines replacing working-class employees. The presidential election cycle has opposing parties keen to ride on any vote-getting themes, particularly working-class frustrations from COVID-19 and the widening income gap.



Korea Inc. is trying to make a generational transition from outdated manufacturing industries to new economy businesses. Stifling innovation in this critical juncture is an unaffordable obstacle confronting Korean entrepreneurs.



The populist-led election is not unique to Korea as we observe from other parts of the world the intensifying discontentment by the working class public with the tech billionaires glorifying their businesses. With the government's COVID-19 spending stimulus soon to fade with the vaccination, Korean workers will likely voice their discontent at the polls next year. Therefore, in the current populist environment, achieving the hard-earned status of a large and successful company involves a new set of challenges for Korean entrepreneurs to overcome.





Peter S. Kim (peter.kim@kbfg.com) is a managing director at KB Financial Group.


A young man eating his dinner in the early 1900s / Robert Neff Collection



By Robert Neff



When Sumner Vinton and his wife traveled to Japan and Korea in 1918, they found themselves under strict surveillance. The world was still at war and visitors were few. It was only natural that they were suspected of being German agents and were questioned unmercifully. Vinton wrote:



"The Japanese secret service is indefatigable and unescapable. I do not remember having to tell the color of my grandfather's eyes or the age of my mother's stepsister, but every other detail of personal and family history was mercilessly uncovered in the exhaustive inquiries to which we were subjected at each stop."



Although the Japanese secret police were polite, Vinton was convinced that they held "a constant suspicion" of him and his wife  especially when they discovered that the Americans' purpose for traveling was to take pictures for their religious publications.



It is a shame that Vinton did not describe the train ride from Fusan (Busan) to Seoul and then on to Pyongyang. Two years earlier, an American visitor described the wonderful service provided on the train  especially the dinner which was declared to be "vastly better" than those served aboard trains in Japan:



"The tiffin (luncheon) was table d'hote and cost only one yen (50 cents). It comprised seven courses, and its main features, relieved of their French disguises, were soup, fish, chicken salad, beefsteak, brown potatoes, succotash, ice cream and lady fingers, apples, oranges, bananas and coffee. Plenty of everything good. Electric bell at every table. Speedy service. Eternal politeness. And if this were not enough, ice cream and wafers were served at 3 p.m.!"



Much of Vinton's description of Korea seems to have concentrated not so much upon the country but with his problems of the ever-present Japanese secret police who "practiced their English on us in securing the salient facts of our biographies."





A small Korean restaurant in the early 1900s / Robert Neff Collection


Gov't takes steps to support entry of more firms



This article is the second in a series of stories highlighting the emergence of the private space industry, in which companies are helping the sector take a major leap.  ED.



By Yi Whan-woo



Korean companies are capitalizing on their exclusive areas of expertise to join the private-sector space race, with Hanwha Group and Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) specialized in satellites and rockets, LIG NEx1 in navigation systems and Korean Air in aircraft design and manufacturing.



The country's private space tech industry is still in its nascent stage compared to that of the United States, which has made tangible progress as seen from commercial space flights by SpaceX, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic.



Korea spent $412 million in space research and development in 2018, according to OECD data. The U.S. topped the list with $26.3 billion, followed by France with $3.42 billion and the United Kingdom with $2.4 billion.



When it comes to the level of technological development, Korea was at 60 percent of the U.S. level in 2019, while China was at 89 percent and Japan at 86 percent, according to data compiled by the U.S. National Technical Information Service (NTIS).



Against this backdrop, the Korean government is lowering barriers for private companies of all sizes to enter the space tech industry. The government is also is seeking to transfer technology and knowhow on projectile development for commercial purposes.



A joint decision in May to terminate U.S. guidelines that have long restricted Korea's development of missiles has allowed individual firms to develop space launch vehicles.



All of these steps are apparently right on track. Morgan Stanley projects the global space industry will generate more than $1 trillion in revenue by 2040, up from $350 billion in 2018.



The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy also sees the space tech industry as full of promise and ranks it as the second-most-lucrative business after semiconductors.



"For the private sector to take the initiative in the space race, the government should recognize private companies as investment partners," said An Hyung-jun, a principal researcher at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), a government-affiliated, multi-disciplinary research lab.



The Federation of Korean Industries (FKI), a business lobby group, suggested launching a Korean version of NASA and increasing government spending on the space industry to help more private companies step in.



Hanwha, KAI, LIG Nex1 compete for lead



Hanwha Group is assessed by multiple sources as the most active when it comes to the commercial aerospace business.



The conglomerate in March launched an aerospace taskforce called "Space Hub" led by Kim Dong-kwan, the corporate owner family's heir apparent and the eldest son of group chairman Kim Seung-youn. The taskforce consists of aerospace engineers from affiliates.



Among the affiliates is defense and IT arm Hanwha Systems, which announced a $300 million investment in the London-based satellite communications company OneWeb in August.



The investment allows Hanwha Systems to acquire an 8.8 percent stake in OneWeb that aims to establish a global internet network using a fleet of 648 low-Earth-orbit satellites by next year.



The satellites will provide high-speed and low-latency internet services around the world and could power internet-of-things devices for future services.





"Nuri," Korea's first domestically developed space rocket / Korea Times file
Volunteer workers at the Korea Pavilion demonstrate augmented reality (AR)-based experience using mobile devices to UAE officials on an external ramp overlooking the surrounding view of the Expo 2020 Dubai, Oct. 1. The pavilion is managed by state-run Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA). Courtesy of KOTRA



Korea Pavilion adds to support for Busan's 2030 expo bid



By Yi Whan-woo



DUBAI _ At first glance, visitors to the Korea Pavilion appear to be taking photos with their smartphones while standing on an external ramp crossing the facade of the structure and overlooking the surrounding view of the Expo 2020 Dubai.



But the visitors in fact are waiting for an urban air mobility (UAV) vehicle to arrive, made possible by augmented (AR) technology that blends a virtual image of a UAV with the real world, on mobile devices provided by the pavilion.



The AR experience is among the multiple programs of the pavilion that capitalize on Korea's most up-to-date digital technology in order to help visitors get to know about the country, including its industries, culture and tourism. It also assists the bid for the 2030 expo to place in Busan, in a casual manner.



For instance, UAVs are one of the industries Korean businesses seek to nurture as their next growth engines.





Some of the 1,597 spinning cubes that form the facade of the Korea Pavilion are used to create an augmented reality (AR)-based experience to visitors. Courtesy of KOTRA



While the 1,597 spinning cubes that collectively form the facade are designed to express the dynamic spirit of Korea, some of them are also designed to display AR-created images of the highly-connected lifestyles of Koreans based on 5G wireless technology.



As part of Busan's expo bid efforts, the cubes, combined with AR technology, promote a hyperloop, or pod in a pressurized tube, as a means of travel between Busan and Seoul by 2030.



Through the "Vertical Cinema," a gigantic screen vertically tilted toward the audience, viewers can lie down and watch computer-edited images of Korean landscapes throughout the four seasons, temples, along with traditional and K-pop performances.



Such a cinematic experience is experimental and is not available in commercial movie theaters.



"AR indeed was one of the keywords for designing the Korea Pavilion," said Moon Hoon, a member of team, Mooyuki Architects, named after him and his two colleagues, Yun Seong-bong and Kim Dong-gyu.











Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) President and CEO Yu Jeoung-yeol delivers a speech during the opening ceremony of the Korea Pavilion at the Expo 2020 Dubai, Oct. 1. Courtesy of KOTRA





Visitors line up to enter the Korea Pavilion on the opening day of the Expo 2020 Dubai, Oct. 1. Courtesy of KOTRA
In this Oct. 22, 2019, file photo, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte arrives with daughter and first lady Sara Duterte-Carpio to attend the enthronement ceremony of Japan's Emperor Naruhito in Tokyo. Reuters-Yonhap



Philippine President Rodrigo's daughter would run for president in next year's election and her father's long-time aide, who filed his vice presidential candidacy, would be her running mate, broadcasting firm ABS-CBN news reported late on Saturday.



Sara Duterte-Carpio is currently mayor of Davao, the Philippines' third-largest city, and filed on Saturday to run for mayor again. She has previously said she would not run for national office next year.



ABS-CBN news based its report on an interview that Duterte had with a broadcast journalist right after he announced that he was retiring from politics while accompanying his closest loyalist, Senator Christopher "Bong" Go, who filed his vice presidential candidacy.



He was asked: "So is it clear, Sara-Go?"



"It is Sara-Go," Duterte said in response.



When asked to confirm what the president said, Duterte-Carpio's spokesperson, Mayor Christina Garcia Frasco told Reuters: "The extent of my knowledge is also what was reported in local news. We have no comment on the same."






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We seek an associate attorney with 0-4 years of family law experience to join our Bend, Oregon office. While you feel the full speed of our client needs/demands, youll appreciate the self-directed opportunities to fully practice law and personally work with clients from day one. On your own, but not alone. Well be available with our layered experience and ideas to assist and guide you to become your best. This isnt your typical family law attorney position. At SKH, associates can have their own cases that require conducting a hearing in the morning and in the afternoon collaborate with a partner on a case of first impression in Oregon. SKH associates handle complex and intriguing legal issues, often involving substantial assets and business interests, and assist on some of the regions biggest family law cases. For us, clients come first. Stahancyk, Kent & Hook is a family law firm that has been providing clients with creative solutions for difficult times since 1986. With thirty years serving the Northwest market, SKH represents family law clients across five Oregon and SW Washington locations. Our dedicated team focuses on providing clients exceptional legal services and outstanding customer service. We look for the most positive pathway to resolution for clients. With such unwavering standards, solid protocols and ever-expanding schedules, our professional team thrives with these challenges. It feels good to do it right, and we celebrate working together. We win awards because we work hard to keep our staff strong, especially during COVID, leaving nothing to chance. Named a 2021 Top Workplace by the Oregonian. This award means we will ask for your best, expect you to work hard for your own success, and provide you a great expanse of opportunity and the resources to succeed. Over the decades, SKH has helped many associates build successful family law practices with support from our team-oriented structure and environment. Are you next? Consider yourself firstDo you: Like to be relied on and known for on time, polished work?

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Private office

Free parking available on-site

Technical and social media support staff

Complimentary lunches on-site daily Rare but Real: Practicing at SKH provides associates with an exciting environment to hone trial, research, problem-solving, and client skills; all the elements to build a successful, rewarding career Lets Talk: If, considering your strengths/interests, & qualifications, you see a fit; submit a resume, cover letter and writing sample in PDF or Word format, and three (3) references. We will confidentially respond to every candidate who submits information. SKH is an equal opportunity employer, dedicated to a policy of non-discrimination in employment on any basis, including State and Federal protected classes. Job Type: Full-time Pay: $54,000.00 - $60,000.00 per year Benefits: 401(k)

401(k) matching

Dental insurance

Disability insurance

Health insurance

Life insurance

Vision insurance

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Sodexo is seeking a Food Service Manager 3 for Saint Francis Medical Center located in Trenton, New Jersey. Saint Francis Medical Center is a 125 bed Acute care hospital that seeks to provide quality care for the community that it serves. Seeking well rounded manager to drive Sodexo Retail Programs, patient feeding (Expressly for You - EFY), and safety as well as supporting the culinary program. Cafeteria on site. Client managed employees. Management team consists of GM, Ex Chef, and this FSM. The hospital is part of Trinity Health System. You will also have administrative responsibilities such as inventory, safety audits and cash handling. Will oversee staff of 30. Our Food Service Manager 2 will work various shifts during the week and some weekends. Will drive sales and provide exceptional customer service to the patients, staff and visitors of this great hospital.

Is this opportunity right for you?

At Sodexo, you will find the ingredients for a great career in food service management specializing in Retail and Patient Feeding Management. With benefits including schedules that encourage work-life balance and continuing education opportunities, you'll enjoy an improved quality of life that's unique in the hospitality industry.

Are you the experienced food service manager we're seeking?

We are looking for candidates who will manage:

frontline staff;

cash handing process;

department HACCP and safety programs for regulatory compliance;

frontline training programs;

opening and closing the operation; and

daily operation standards.

The ideal candidate will have the following:

Strong leadership and communication skills

Proven client relationship skills

Successful customer service skills

Careers in Healthcare:

Working for Sodexo in Healthcare allows you to offer patients, healthcare professionals and caregivers around the world the best healthcare experience possible while influencing patient satisfaction, as well as cost reduction and increased productivity for our clients. Sodexo's unique CARES culture develops a dynamic atmosphere where employees are respected, turnover is low and career growth opportunities are created from within.

Working for Sodexo:

How far will your ambition, talent and dedication take you? Sodexo fosters a culture committed to the growth of individuals through continuous learning, mentoring and other career growth opportunities, along with the performance of organizations. We believe it is important for our work to be meaningful to all who contribute to it, and we remain faithful to our mission, our core values and the ethical principles that have guided us since 1966. We support these values and help them thrive in each employee.

We strive to make working for Sodexo a genuinely great experience with benefits to promote your professional, personal and financial well-being, and to improve your Quality of Life now and into the future. Our experiences with our over 50 million customers each and every day enable us to develop Quality of Life services that reinforce the well-being of individuals, improving their effectiveness and helping companies and organizations to improve performance ... every day.

Apply Now!

Are you ready to start your Sodexo career? Apply now!

Not the job for you?

At Sodexo, we offer Food Service Management and Retail Management positions in a variety of business segments, including Corporate, Schools, Universities, Energy and Resources, Government and Agencies, Healthcare, Senior Living and Sports and Leisure locations across the United States. Continue your search for Food Service Management jobs.
You are a strategic, innovative Data, Analytics & Reporting Manager ready to help clients optimize their business.

Sodexo is seeking a Data, Analytics & Reporting Manager. The incumbent is responsible for providing overall reporting and strategic analysis of the account's performance as per the KPI Matrix as well as from technologies offered. Under the direction of the Business Governance Leader, the candidate delivers the comprehensive KPI reporting and makes recommendations on strategic initiatives, and business solutions to facilitate the delivery of IFM services.

Are You the One?

Our clients depend on your expertise to help them to optimize their business. If you are a Data, Analytics & Reporting Manager with the ability to develop innovative technical solutions while successfully managing key performance indicators to drive strong business results, this may be the opportunity for you!

Key Responsibilities:

Responsible for the reporting, analysis formatting and adjustments to the Key Performance indicators for the contracted services

Facilitates data collection, analysis and reporting in partnership with the Business Governance Leader and other key team members to provide client with data and recommendations for decision-making

Conduct root cause analysis of performance deficiencies, focusing on solution development implementation

Will apply the client and corporate goals, values, and objectives in the development of initiatives and opportunities

Responsible for ensuring strategic alignment is evident in operational and strategic efforts across the unit

Utilize SMART model techniques in goal and objective development to obtain desired outcomes

Provide reporting with respect to the formulation of the budget in conjunction with the Sr. Finance Manager and Site Managers, applying insight, data and IFM standards

Assist The Business Governance Leader in contributing to a key operational program, such as innovation

Implement proven strategies to ensure operational excellence in technology and strategic planning for the account

Responsible for all data collection, formatting and analysis for contractual reporting, on schedule as per the contract

Address and analyze Hospitality and Facilities trends

Make program recommendations based on analysis/trends

Track community site metrics in conjunction with Circles Group

Establish tracking and analysis for post COVID cleaning

Is this opportunity right for you? We are looking for candidates who have:

Excellent verbal and written communication skills

Budgeting experience

Learn more about Sodexo's Benefits

Not the job for you?

At Sodexo, we offer Facilities Management positions in Corporate, Schools, Universities, Energy and Resources, Government and Agencies, Health Care and Senior Living locations across the United States. Continue your search for Facilities Management jobs.

Working for Sodexo:

How far will your ambition, talent and dedication take you? Sodexo fosters a culture committed to the growth of individuals through continuous learning, mentoring and career growth opportunities.

Make an Immediate Impact.

Sodexo is the North American leader for Quality of Life Services. More than 150,000 Sodexo employees work to improve the quality of daily life for our 13,000 client sites in North America. Sodexo partners with clients to help them attain their strategic vision by developing Facility Management service solutions that increase the effectiveness of their people, enhance their business processes and optimize their infrastructure, which deliver tangible outcomes.

Our client portfolio spans multiple markets across the nation including education, corporate services, health care and government services, which means we can offer a career full of variety, challenge and tremendous growth opportunities.


Salary $86,424.00 - $131,996.80 Annually Location (Sequoia Plaza) *ART Bus Accessible*, VA Job Type Full-Time Department Department of Human Services Job Number 6346-22B-DHS-EM Closing 10/14/2021 12:00 AM Eastern Position Information Arlington County's Department of Human Services is seeking an experienced Clinical Program Manager in the Aging and Disability Services Division (ADSD) to lead an advanced professional team of trauma informed clinicians. This team serves older adults and individuals with disabilities with serious and persistent mental illness and promotes the highest level of independence in their community of choice. ADSD's philosophy is to "make a real difference in people's lives by meeting them where they are." This employee will strive to ensure every person seeking services from ADSD receives high quality, equitable services in a timely manner reflecting best practices.



This employee will have four core areas of responsibility: Oversee the management of referrals, assessments, admissions and daily operations of a 7 member clinical team which serves approximately 230 Arlington residents age 60 and over who need outpatient and community based mental health services;

Serve as Project Officer to the Mary Marshall Assisted Living Residence (MMALR), a 52 bed residence for persons with serious mental illness, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and/or physical limitations;

Provide oversight of discharge planning and case management services for individuals returning to Arlington from Piedmont Geriatric Hospital

Perform direct clinical supervision of referrals, admissions and psychiatric evaluations for mental health treatment of individuals with developmental disabilities; To learn more about DHS Aging & Disability Services, please visit ADSD .



Responsibilities include: Manage program budget of approximately $3.8 million, directing the budget activities, reviewing invoices for accuracy and verifying the delivery of good and services, and adhering to County purchasing requirements;

Operates and monitors state compliance standards of the Same Day Access intake process and authorizes new admissions and discharges;

Monitor program service delivery to ensure compliance with local CSB and DBHDS mandates and codes, Medicaid and Medicare rules and regulations, the State Performance Contract and other contract requirements;

Collaborate and coordinate referrals across CSB and community-based programs for older adults and individuals with disabilities; and

Maintain best practice clinical standards for older adults with serious and persistent mental illness and individuals with disabilities and an integrative model of behavioral healthcare across the Division, and Department of Human Services. Arlington County DHS is committed to delivering client services in an effective, equitable, respectful, and trauma-informed manner. Our staff is dedicated to ensuring our clients are approached, engaged and cared for in ways that demonstrate competency, sensitivity and awareness of factors which impact the client experience including but not limited to: cultural identity, gender, racial, and ethnic diversity, religious/spiritual ascription, physical capability, cognitive and literacy levels, sexual orientation, and linguistic needs.

Selection Criteria Minimum: Master's degree in a clinical discipline such as Counseling, Social Work, Psychology, Psychiatric Nursing, or other directly related clinical discipline, all of which required a clinical practicum prior to graduation involving diagnostic and treatment services;

Considerable (at least three years) of full-time post-Master's Degree experience providing mental health services, including experience providing mental health services to the older adult/geriatric population and/or individuals with developmental disabilities.

Licensure in the Commonwealth of Virginia as a Mental Health Professional within 90 days year of hire. Substitution: A directly related higher level clinical degree may substitute for the Master's Degree education requirement and one year of clinical mental health service experience. In the case of this substitution, qualifying work experience must have been gained after the acquisition of the directly related higher level clinical degree.



Desirables: Preference may be given to applicants with experience in one or more of the following: Working in a human services environment serving a diverse ethnic/cultural population;

Expertise in trauma-informed care and clinical assessment; and/or

Clinical license (LPC, LCSW, LCP, LMFT, LMHP) in the State of Virginia.

Special Requirements A pre-employment criminal records check will be conducted. It may include checks of the following: criminal record, driving record, education, professional licensure, and credit history. You may be required to sign a release authorizing the County to obtain your background information.



Applicant must possess, or obtain by the time of appointment, a valid motor vehicle operator's license from the applicant's place of residence or the applicant must have the ability and willingness to use alternative methods of transportation to perform assigned duties and responsibilities at locations other than the primary worksite. If the applicant possesses or acquires a license, the applicant must provide or authorize Arlington County to obtain a copy of the applicant's official state/district driving record. Any offer of employment may be contingent on a favorable review of the applicant's driving record.



Must complete pre-hire federal background check and State of Virginia Central Registry check.

Additional Information Letter of Interest: A complete application will include a letter of interest which describes how your background and experience align with the responsibilities and qualifications of this position.



Work hours: Core business hours between 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 pm. on Monday - Friday; 40 hours per week with occasional evenings and weekends.



Please complete each section of the application. A resume may be attached, however, it will not substitute for the completed application. Your responses to the supplemental questionnaire are required for this position. Please do not give "see resume" as a response to the questions. Incomplete applications will not be considered . Arlington County Government employee benefits depend on whether a position is permanent, the number of hours worked, and the number of months the position is scheduled.



Specific information on benefits and conditions of employment can be found on the Arlington County Human Resources Department website: (see application details)



Permanent, Full-Time Appointments

All jobs are permanent, full-time appointments unless otherwise stated in the announcement. The following benefits are available:



Paid Leave : Vacation leave is earned at the rate of four hours biweekly. Leave accrual increases every three years until eight hours of leave are earned biweekly for twelve or more years of service. Sick leave is earned at the rate of four hours biweekly. There are eleven paid holidays each year.



Health and Dental Insurance : Three group health insurance plans are offered - a network open access plan, a point-of-service plan, and a health maintenance organization. A group dental insurance plan is also offered. The County pays a significant portion of the premium for these plans for employees and their dependents. A discount vision plan is provided for eye care needs.



Life Insurance : A group term policy of basic life insurance is provided at no cost to employees. The benefit is one times annual salary. Additional life insurance is available with rates based on the employee's age and smoker/non-smoker status.



Retirement : The County offers three vehicles to help you prepare for retirement: a defined benefit plan, a defined contribution plan (401(a)), and a deferred compensation plan (457). The defined benefit plan provides a monthly retirement benefit based on your final average salary and years of service with the County. You contribute a portion of your salary on a pre-tax basis to this plan. General employees contribute 4% of pay; uniformed public safety employees contribute 7.5% of pay. Employees become vested in the plan at five years of service. The County also contributes to this plan.



For general employees, the County also contributes 4.2% of pay to a defined contribution plan (401(a)) . The County also matches your 457 contribution, up to $20 per pay period, in this plan. The 457 deferred compensation plan allows you to set aside money on either a pre-tax (457b) or post-tax (457 Roth) basis up to the IRS annual limit. New employees are automatically enrolled with a pre-tax contribution equal to 2% of your base pay.



Other Benefits: The County also offers health, dependent care, and parking flexible spending accounts; long-term care insurance; tuition assistance; transit and walk/bike to work subsidies; a college savings plan; wellness programs; training opportunities; and a variety of other employee benefits.



Permanent, Part-Time Appointments:

Part time employees who work ten or more hours per week receive paid leave and benefits in proportion to the number of hours worked per week.



Limited Term Appointments:

Benefits are the same as permanent appointments except that the employees do not achieve permanent status.



Temporary Regular Appointments:

Temporary regular employees who work 30 hours or more per week are eligible for health, dental, and basic life insurance as described above. They are also eligible for vacation, sick leave, and paid holidays.



Temporary Seasonal and Occasional Appointments:

Temporary employees who work on a seasonal basis or variable hours receive sick leave, but do not normally receive other paid leave or benefits. Exceptions are noted in individual announcements.




Salary $57,387.20 - $114,732.80 Annually Location (Sequoia Plaza) *ART Bus Accessible*, VA Job Type Full-Time Department Department of Human Services Job Number 4411-22B-DHS-EM Closing 10/7/2021 11:59 PM Eastern Position Information The Child & Family Services Division (CFSD) is filling an exciting, challenging, and professional financial position which is responsible for fiscal, budgetary, administrative, and technical support. CFSD provides a comprehensive array of social service programs to Arlington County residents with the goal to prevent abuse, neglect, or exploitation of children, and to promote the self-sufficiency of families by providing services that preserve and strengthen families and ensure the health, safety, and well-being of Arlington's children.



To learn more about our services, please visit CFSD.



The Management & Budget Specialist ensures that CFSD maintains financial responsibility as CFSD acquires and utilizes resources to their fullest potential. The work of this position encompasses a broad perspective of analyzing current and future trends and associated costs; maximizing fiscal and staff resources; reviewing expenses and revenues for accuracy; and recommending improvements to programs and policies.



Responsibilities: Assists in the preparation and administration of the CFSD budget of approximately $22 million;

Use MS Office for creating fiscal tracking documentation, spreadsheets, presentations, reports, and other documents;

Create correspondence and reports to DHS leadership and County citizens to communicate program plans;

Participates in the procurement of goods and services and payments for service providers;

Tracks state and federal funds received from the Virginia Department of Social Services, Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services as well as other state, federal, regional and local agencies to ensure highest quality and standards are met; and

Provides supervision including hiring, assigning work, training, and providing performance feedback to a staff of three accounting technicians. Although a background in fiscal oversight and budgeting is critical for this position, the ideal candidate will also have strong communication skills to present clear and concise analysis and interpret complex budgetary issues; convey programmatic needs; develop long and short range planning scenarios; research and develop performance measurements; maximize existing resources; and maintain successful working relationships



Arlington County DHS is committed to delivering client services in an effective, equitable, respectful, and trauma-informed manner. Our staff is dedicated to ensuring our clients are approached, engaged and cared for in ways that demonstrate competency, sensitivity and awareness of factors which impact the client experience including but not limited to: cultural identity, gender, racial, and ethnic diversity, religious/spiritual ascription, physical capability, cognitive and literacy levels, sexual orientation, and linguistic needs.

Selection Criteria Minimum: Bachelor's degree in Finance, Business, Public Policy, Public Administration, Economics or a related field; and

Experience in the finance, planning, and administration of publicly funded programs. Substitution: Additional qualifying experience may be substituted for the education requirement on a year-for-year basis.



Desirables: Preference may be given to candidates with experience in one or more of the following: Financial management including reporting and compliance reporting of state and/or federal programs;

Working on state or federal grant audits;

Supervising, leading, or guiding the work of others; and/or

Master's Degree in Finance, Accounting, or related degree.

Special Requirements Applicant must possess, or obtain by time of appointment, a valid motor vehicle operator's license from the applicant's place of residence. The applicant must authorize Arlington County to obtain, or the applicant must provide, a copy of the applicant's official state/district driving record. Any offer of employment may be contingent upon a favorable review of the applicant's driving record.



A background check is required and may include checks of the following: criminal record, driving record, education, professional licensure, and credit check and may require signing a release authorizing the County to obtain this information. The position will require travel around Arlington County. Applicant must possess or obtain by the time the appointment a valid Driver's license from the applicant's place of resident or be willing to use alternative modes of transportation.



A pre-hire background check and State of Virginia Child Welfare and Neglect Central Registry may be required.



An assessment of MS Excel skills may be administered.

Additional Information Work Hours: 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday with some flexibility.



An online application is required. Your responses to the supplemental questionnaire are considered part of the application process and are required for this position. Please do not give "see resume" as a response to the questions. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Arlington County Government employee benefits depend on whether a position is permanent, the number of hours worked, and the number of months the position is scheduled.



Specific information on benefits and conditions of employment can be found on the Arlington County Human Resources Department website: (see application details)



Permanent, Full-Time Appointments

All jobs are permanent, full-time appointments unless otherwise stated in the announcement. The following benefits are available:



Paid Leave : Vacation leave is earned at the rate of four hours biweekly. Leave accrual increases every three years until eight hours of leave are earned biweekly for twelve or more years of service. Sick leave is earned at the rate of four hours biweekly. There are eleven paid holidays each year.



Health and Dental Insurance : Three group health insurance plans are offered - a network open access plan, a point-of-service plan, and a health maintenance organization. A group dental insurance plan is also offered. The County pays a significant portion of the premium for these plans for employees and their dependents. A discount vision plan is provided for eye care needs.



Life Insurance : A group term policy of basic life insurance is provided at no cost to employees. The benefit is one times annual salary. Additional life insurance is available with rates based on the employee's age and smoker/non-smoker status.



Retirement : The County offers three vehicles to help you prepare for retirement: a defined benefit plan, a defined contribution plan (401(a)), and a deferred compensation plan (457). The defined benefit plan provides a monthly retirement benefit based on your final average salary and years of service with the County. You contribute a portion of your salary on a pre-tax basis to this plan. General employees contribute 4% of pay; uniformed public safety employees contribute 7.5% of pay. Employees become vested in the plan at five years of service. The County also contributes to this plan.



For general employees, the County also contributes 4.2% of pay to a defined contribution plan (401(a)) . The County also matches your 457 contribution, up to $20 per pay period, in this plan. The 457 deferred compensation plan allows you to set aside money on either a pre-tax (457b) or post-tax (457 Roth) basis up to the IRS annual limit. New employees are automatically enrolled with a pre-tax contribution equal to 2% of your base pay.



Other Benefits: The County also offers health, dependent care, and parking flexible spending accounts; long-term care insurance; tuition assistance; transit and walk/bike to work subsidies; a college savings plan; wellness programs; training opportunities; and a variety of other employee benefits.



Permanent, Part-Time Appointments:

Part time employees who work ten or more hours per week receive paid leave and benefits in proportion to the number of hours worked per week.



Limited Term Appointments:

Benefits are the same as permanent appointments except that the employees do not achieve permanent status.



Temporary Regular Appointments:

Temporary regular employees who work 30 hours or more per week are eligible for health, dental, and basic life insurance as described above. They are also eligible for vacation, sick leave, and paid holidays.



Temporary Seasonal and Occasional Appointments:

Temporary employees who work on a seasonal basis or variable hours receive sick leave, but do not normally receive other paid leave or benefits. Exceptions are noted in individual announcements.




Library Associate  Childrens Services Application Deadline: Monday, October 11, 2021 at 5 PM Hours: Monday  Thursday, alternate Friday/Saturday with some evenings Salary: $19.6099 Hourly Characteristics of the Job Under the close supervision of the Childrens Services Coordinator, provides services to children with a focus on birth to 8th grade and their parents, caregivers, teachers and advocates; plans and presents programs in the library and off-site; cultivates relationships with school and community groups and manages assigned areas of the collection; exercises independent judgment in application of a variety of established policies and procedures; provides skilled, efficient and courteous service to the public. May act as a lead worker. Examples of Duties Provide reference and readers advisory services to children and adults interested in childrens material by applying knowledge and judgment of library resources to provide materials to meet patrons interests, reading levels and needs.

Offer prompt and friendly service and a welcoming and safe environment to customers on a daily basis and explain and interpret established policies and procedures relating to the library as needed.

Understand and utilize multi-faceted library computer system; perform search functions and keep accurate records; assist users with library catalog, databases and Internet computers.

Operate and maintain general and specialized office equipment, such as cash registers, computers, fax machines, calculator, copy machines, multi-line phone system, die cut machine, label maker, etc.

Serve as a liaison with schools and community groups to promote library use and services both in the library and off site.

Select, develop, deselect and weed childrens library collections within an established budget.

Develop, implement and evaluate childrens programs and activities in the library and community.

Contact, schedule, request library funds and contract for program performers.

Participate in planning and execution of grant programs and help fulfill requirements of funded programs.

Seek and obtain resources or funds for summer reading prizes. May seek grant opportunities to aid in funding childrens programming and materials.

Market books and other library materials to enhance their appeal and promote their use by browsers including the creation of bibliographies.

Create visually appealing displays appropriate in the Childrens Department.

Engage in public relations and marketing such as talks and interviews promoting childrens services, writing public relations (PR) copy for programs, creating signs and posters, brochures, and blog content.

Other duties may be assigned. Training and Experience Bachelors degree from an accredited college or university; or any equivalent combination of training and experience which provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Knowledge of childrens literature, as well as reading and interest levels; current reading, viewing and listening interests and trends of children; early literacy concepts; business English, spelling and arithmetic; modern office practices and procedures; reader interest levels, books and authors; library classification systems, numerical and alphabetical library filing; and telephone etiquette. Skill in public relations; typing, data entry, arithmetic calculations and operating office machines with reasonable accuracy and speed to satisfy departmental needs; and in communicating with other employees and the general public. Ability to convey a cheerful and positive personal image; handle confidential information with discretion; exercise initiative, tact and independent judgment within area of responsibility; learn assigned clerical tasks, library terminology and perform detailed accurate work; effectively convey library policies and procedures to the public; learn the use of the librarys computer systems and equipment; follow oral and written instructions; communicate effectively with patrons and staff, both orally and in writing; establish and maintain effective working relationships with other employees and the general public; learn to operate a multi-line telephone system; work calmly under stressful conditions; perform several tasks simultaneously; work as a team and independently; maintain reliable attendance and schedule; be flexible to adapt to changing situations, work duties and varied work schedules; perform programs and give presentations to all ages; and portray a strong commitment to library service and working with children, as well as an appreciation of childrens literature. Ability to speak Spanish desired. Certificates, Licenses, Registrations Valid Illinois drivers license or equivalent. Physical Demands The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand, sit, talk, hear and perform considerable repetitive motion involving the use of fingers, hands and limbs. The employee is occasionally required to stoop, bend and lift and push books and other library materials up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision and ability to adjust focus. The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet. EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

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Product Design Engineer Santa Clara Valley (Cupertino) , California , United States Hardware Summary

Posted: Sep 30, 2021 Weekly Hours: 40 Role Number: 200294255 As a member of a multi-functional design team at Apple, you will help to create the next generation of the world's finest mobile devices. You will conceive, design, and bring into production products that will re-define the mobile experience. You will work closely with many different cross functional teams including Industrial Design, Hardware Engineering, Antenna, Reliability, Packaging, Safety and Marketing. You should have significant prior experience in Unigraphics and/or Pro-E, be extremely well organized and able to balance numerous program needs simultaneously. Your excellent communication and social skills will help you to quickly grasp issues and drive the appropriate developments to resolution. This role affords you the opportunity to interface significantly with other departments within Apple and external partners. We do work in a dynamic environment and which will require you to quickly find creative, dynamic solutions. The people who work here have reinvented entire industries with the Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV, as well as four generations of Apple Watch. We have done the same with services, including iTunes, the App Store, Apple Music, and Apple Pay. The same passion for innovation that goes into our products also applies to our practices - strengthening our commitment to leave the world better than we found it. You should join us to help deliver the next groundbreaking Apple product. Key Qualifications Experience in mechanical design (preferably internships or working experience in consumer electronics).

Demonstrated ability in plastic and metal part design.

Handheld/portable device experience.

Experience in Design for Manufacturability (DFM), and Design for Assembly (DFA), statistical tolerance analysis techniques, functional dimensioning, and geometric tolerancing.

Experience with component modules (LCD, batteries, camera modules, etc.) and interconnects (FPC design and ACF bonding), a big plus

Integration of wireless antenna (GSM, GPS, Wifi) into mechanical enclosures, a big plus

Integration of electrical subsystems (LCD, microphone, speaker, receiver, camera)

Unigraphics fluency desirable.

Experience working with overseas manufacturers, a big plus

Mandarin language skills a benefit.

The ability to travel internationally (20%+). Description You will be working with many internal teams and contract partners, leading Design integration and architecture efforts. You will demonstrate creativity in problem solving, ability to think dynamically and outside of standard convention, and adapt quickly to new technical areas. We promote innovation and new technology to further improve Apple's hardware performance and user experience. Drive industry with advanced package solutions and specs Education & Experience BS degree with an emphasis in Mechanical Engineering, with at least 2 years of related industry experience


EurAfrican Forum 2021 (www.EurAfricanForum.org) will take place in october, over three days: the 20th, 21st and 22nd of october 2021.

 Getting Along  New paths for Cooperation between the Twin Continents  is the theme chosen for the 4th edition of EurAfrican Forum. Hence, this year the discussion will focus on the cooperation between the Europe and Africa, the twin continents.

As before, the 2021 edition brings together major changemakers of African and European continents, such as entrepreneurs, activists, leaders, public and private decision makers, as well as other players who contribute to a positive dialogue between the two continents.

The program of EurAfrican Forum 2021 will be focused on seven discussion panels:

Perspectives on Economy for Europe and Africa after the Free Trade Agreement

Gig Work and digital platforms and technologies

Fueling the Growth of Commerce

Making way for green growth and inclusive transitions

Culture & Market

The Digital ID Revolution

Media & Digitalization

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Regional

4 militants who fled from Bdesh camps surrender to Tripura Police

AGARTALA, OCT 2 (IANS) | Publish Date: 10/2/2021 1:28:44 PM IST

Four Bangladeshi trained extremists of National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) have surrendered to the Tripura police and deposited arms and ammunition, police said on Saturday.

A police official said that the four NLFT militants -- Doberam Reang (47), Sailendra Reang (22), Sampral Debbarma (46) and Subhalal Tripura (22) -- surrendered to the officials of the special branch of Tripura police on Friday.

The NLFT cadre, who fled from the Jupui camp under Bagaichari police station of Rangamati district in southeast Bangladesh, during the surrender, have deposited a US made revolver, one improvised gun, a Chinese grenade and some ammunition, incriminating documents and Bangladesh currencies of 800 taka.

During the preliminary interrogation, the guerrillas have confessed that they joined NLFT (PD faction) in 2019 in the outfits Bangladeshi camp along with other extremists.

During field experiences of these extremists, they realised their so called fight for independence of Tripura is totally farce. They have comprehended that there is no future prospect in this path of violence. On the other hand, the NLFT (PD) group is facing a serious financial and organisational crisis. Feeling frustrated with the present predicament of NLFT organisation and continuous pressure and motivation of Tripura Police, have forced them to leave the path of insurgency, an official statement said.

Most of the members of the NLFT, which in grouping with other militant outfits of the northeastern region setting their hideouts and camps in the neighbouring countries have been demanding a sovereign Tripura, had already deserted the outlawed group and surrendered to the government during the past several years.
State

By-poll: CEO Nagaland holds meeting with political parties

DIMAPUR | Publish Date: 10/2/2021 1:18:53 PM IST

State chief electoral officer (CEO), Shashank Shekhar convened a meeting with political parties at his office chamber on October 1.

At the meeting, CEO and his team of officers apprised the members present about the schedule for by-election, protocol to be followed and various other election related activities.

Various measures to be taken for free and fair election, ECI instruction and supreme court directions were also discussed.

CEO informed that with provisions of Model Code of Conduct (MCC) have come into force with immediate effect for Tuensang district till the completion of by-election.

They were also briefed about election expenditure monitoring process which included expenditure related to campaigning such as public meetings, public rallies, posters, banners, vehicles, etc., within permissible limit.

It was apprised that failure to lodge account of election expenditure would result in disqualification of candidates as per section 78 of representation of people Act, 1951.

It was also brought to notice of the members that distribution of money, liquor or any other item to the voters to influence or intimidate was an offence under IPC and representation of people act, 1951.

The political parties were apprised on commissions notification about prescribed timeline for publicity of criminal antecedents of candidates during the period following the last date of withdrawal and up to 48 hours before ending with the hour fixed for conclusion of poll.

The meeting also discussed guidelines to be followed by political parties, polling parties and candidates due to COVID-19 during the conduct of by-election. Brief highlights of the use of EVM/VVPAT were also shared.
Regional

Congress leader Jairam accuses BJP of destroying hard-earned unity of India

Jairam Ramesh

Correspondent IMPHAL, Oct 3 | Publish Date: 10/3/2021 12:13:29 PM IST

Former Union minister Jairam Ramesh, who has been assigned as one of the three AICC observers in Manipur on Sunday launched a scathing attack on the BJP accusing the ruling party at the Centre as well as the state of destroying the unity and social fabric of the nation and the state. He said that the hard-earned unity in diversity by the Congress has been destroyed by the BJP.

Ramesh, who is currently camping in Imphal, was addressing a one-day political interaction programme of the MPCC organized by Thoubal District Congress Committee today at its office at Thoubal.

He said that the unity among different sections of the people which was brought about by the Congress has been ruined by the BJP since the saffron party came to power at the Centre.

The hard-earned unity of the nation has been destroyed by the BJP, he alleged.

He said, Congress unites, BJP divides. That is the main difference between Congress and BJP.

Congress brings people of different religions, faiths, languages, communities, castes, and tribes together while BJP divides the fabric of the society, he added. In Manipur, the Congress has brought the people of all sections of the society both in hills and valleys together with the notion of peace and harmony and to bring about a balanced development.

However, since the BJP came to power in the state, he said the social fabric of the state has been destroyed.

People in the hills as well as valleys of the state were fed up with the BJPs aggressive false propagandas. They want to say bye-bye to the BJP, he added.

Enough is enough,changes will certainly come in the state as well as in the country, he said while turning towards the state Congress leaders and members to work hard as savior of the people.

You must know that people are fed up with the BJP. The BJP government in the state has ruined the state which was once considered to be the jewel of the nation.

There have been no developments in the state since the BJP-led coalition government came to power four and a half years ago.

All the developmental works initiated by the Congress in its 15 years rule have been destroyed. The efforts of bringing a balance in the development both in hills and valleys have been halted.

The financial health of the state has been messed up since the BJP-led government came to power four and a half years ago and converted the state into Money-poor.

The coalition government had ruined the state. All developmental activities remained on halt while the saffron party was still trying to fool the people of the state, he added.

Senior state Congress leader and former chief minister O Ibobi Singh who also attended the programme expressed confidence that the part would return to power again after the 2022 elections to the state Assembly.

He told the gathering that Congress still has the guts to fight the BJP.

If we work hard, Congress candidates can win any of the assembly constituencies. Time has come to fight tooth and nail, he said.

The former three-time chief minister of the state claimed that nothing was done by the BJP in the last four and a half years of its tenure.

Everybody knows it, he said, and asked the Congress leaders and members to work hard unitedly at their level best to ensure to reap the fruit of failure of the saffron party-led government in the state.
International

Pakistan interior minister defends talks with banned terror group TTP

ISLAMABAD, OCT 3 (PTI) | Publish Date: 10/3/2021 12:03:15 PM IST

Pakistans Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid has defended the governments move to hold talks with banned terror group Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) for reconciliation, saying the negotiations are for good Taliban.

Rashids remarks came after Prime Minister Imran Khan in an interview with Turkish government-owned TRT World news channel revealed that his government was in talks with the TTP with the help of the Taliban in Afghanistan, drawing criticism from politicians and victims of terrorism.

The TTP, commonly known as the Pakistani Taliban, is a banned terrorist organisation based along the Afghan-Pakistan border.

Defending the governments move, the minister said the offer was not for militants who were responsible for bloodshed in the country, including the December 2014 massacre in the Army Public School (APS) in Peshawar which left over 150 people dead, Dawn newspaper reported.

We know very well whos good and whos bad. Anyone who thinks we are not aware of that, hes mistaken, he doesnt have sense, he said.

The offer of talks was only for good Taliban and negotiations on this were taking place at the highest-level, he said.

He maintained that it was not appropriate to fight with those who have surrendered to adopt peaceful lives.

The case of those who were involved in incidents like the APS is different. And the case of those who left the country for different reasons is different, he said on Friday while responding to a question about the merit and mechanism of talks with the TTP.

We are not surrendering to anyone and this process is at a very early phase. No one needs to jump to conclusions at this stage.

Prime Minister Khan on Friday offered amnesty to the TTP provided the militant organisation lay down arms, disclosing that the government was holding talks with some groups of the outfit seeking reconciliation.

The disclosure attracted a strong reaction, mainly from the opposition Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), which questioned the move to hold negotiations with the TTP without taking Parliament into confidence, arguing that it would only add to the pain and grief of the families of the martyrs.

The TTP has been involved in various attacks in Pakistan for more than a decade which killed thousands of people.

The government is now trying to use the influence of the Afghan Taliban over the TTP to reach a peace deal and end violence.
State

Shifting of DC office: Dmu CSOs form core panel; to hold mass citizens rally on Oct 5

DIMAPUR, OCT 2 (NPN) | Publish Date: 10/2/2021 1:50:04 PM IST

As resolved on September 30, the Dimapur-based Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) formed a core committee against shifting of deputy commissioner (DC) office Dimapur at a meeting on October 1, 2021.

The core committee through its media cell said it had at a meeting on October 2, 2021 unanimously decided to object the publication dated September 29, 2021 and strongly demanded the government to reconsider the order dated September 7, 2021 issued by principal secretary home. The meeting also reaffirmed the September 29 ultimatum served on the state chief minister.

Further, the core committee resolved to hold a mass citizens rally on October 5, 2021 at 9am in case there was no positive response from the state government till October 4, 2021. The rally would be taken out from Clock Tower junction to DC office.

The committee has, therefore, appealed all the responsible citizens of Dimapur district to be ready to assemble at the venue for the cause of Dimapur citizens.

As informed earlier, the core committee is comprised of two members each from CSOs and five senior citizens as members, besides legal advisers.

It may be mentioned that the Civil Society Organizations had served a five-day deadline with effect from September 29, 2021 on the chief minister to cancel the September 7 home department notification for shifting of the district election office and disaster management cell to the new complex at Chumoukedima including all other orders/notice issued by the government.

The CSOs also demanded removal of the tag HQ: Chumoukedima; Camp: Dimapur from the letter head of DC Dimapur.

The ultimatum was jointly signed by presidents/representatives of DUCCF, Sumi Council Dimapur, Dimapur Naga Students Union, Naga Council Dimapur, Eastern Nagaland Peoples Union Dimapur, GBs Union Dimapur, Ao Senso Telongjem Dimapur, Naga Women Hoho Dimapur, Kachari Tribal Council Nagaland, Dimapur Eastern Naga students Union and Dimapur Lotha Hoho.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-10-03 20:15:54|Editor: huaxia

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-- China is further displaying its unremitting pursuit of aerospace dream and commitment to wider opening up at the Airshow China 2021.

-- China has been working hard to master independent key and core technologies in its aerospace sector, to safeguard national security, economic development, and people's livelihood.

-- The Airshow China is a platform for global companies to cooperate with China, the world's second-largest civil aviation market with strong post-pandemic prospects.

-- Exploring the sky and universe has been a never-ending dream of the nation.





by Xinhua writers Hu Tao, Hong Zehua, Wang Pan

ZHUHAI, Guangdong, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- China is further displaying its unremitting pursuit of aerospace dream and commitment to wider opening up at the Airshow China 2021, attracting the world's attention with moves far beyond inspiring acrobatic flights.

China unveiled an array of new military and civilian aircraft, its latest space exploration achievements, and a series of cutting-edge electronic technologies and products at this year's Airshow China, or the 13th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province.

About 700 companies from around 40 countries and regions brought thousands of exhibits to participate in the airshow both online and offline.

An AG600 large amphibious aircraft performs during the 13th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, or Airshow China 2021, in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province, Sept. 28, 2021. (Xinhua/Liu Dawei)

SERVING THE NATION, PEOPLE

Rounds of cheers broke out among the audience for the amazing flight shows, including flights of the J-20 stealth fighter jets powered by domestically developed engines, the water-dropping performance of the AG600 large amphibious aircraft, and an independent flight of the Wing Loong-2 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

All these aircraft highlighted China's independently developed core and key technologies.

A J-20 stealth fighter jet performs aerobatics during the 13th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, or Airshow China 2021, in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province, Sept. 28, 2021. (Xinhua/Liu Dawei)

The J-20 was among the array of new aircraft brought by the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force to the airshow. Others included a new high-altitude reconnaissance drone, WZ-7. The Y-20 heavy transport aircraft and other major battle equipment were also displayed at the show.

The PLA Air Force is working in line with the strategic requirements of integrating air and space capabilities as well as coordinating offensive and defensive operations. Its goal is to advance toward building itself into a world-class strategic air force, said Commander of the PLA Air Force Chang Dingqiu at the airshow.

A Wing Loong-2 large unmanned vehicle (UAV) is displayed during the 13th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, or Airshow China 2021, in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province, Sept. 28, 2021. (Xinhua/Liu Dawei)

China has been working hard to master independent key and core technologies in its aerospace sector, to safeguard the national security, economic development, and people's livelihood.

"Wing Loong performed the large UAV's first airshow flight. The great progress comes from the development of the country's complete aviation industry, and also from the advancement of key technologies," said Li Yidong, chief designer of the Wing Loong series UAV and deputy general manager of AVIC (Chengdu) Unmanned Aircraft System Co., Ltd.

"Wing Loong has started to serve the people in emergency rescue support, meteorological monitoring and artificial precipitation missions," Li said.

Boeing's exhibits are seen during the 13th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, or Airshow China 2021, in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province, Sept. 29, 2021. (Xinhua/Deng Hua)

SHARING OPPORTUNITIES

The aerospace industry not only reflects a country's sci-tech and manufacturing strength, but also connects a long industrial chain with many industrial players globally.

The Airshow China is a platform for global companies to cooperate with China, an open aerospace power and the world's second-largest civil aviation market with strong post-pandemic prospects.

"China is a big market, and is continuously opening up. Boeing is very bullish on the Chinese market," said Sherry Carbary, Boeing China president.

"We continue to look for opportunities to invest in China in support of our customers," she said.

At the airshow, Boeing and local partners announced plans to create two new production lines for converted freighters in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou. The plan will add capacity for the 767-300 Boeing Converted Freighter (BCF) to help meet strong market demand.

Airbus' exhibits are seen during the 13th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, or Airshow China 2021, in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province, Sept. 29, 2021. (Xinhua/Deng Hua)

Airbus Helicopters signed a strategic cooperation agreement and a contract with State Grid General Aviation Company to enhance its support and service capability with more localized solutions in China.

"I really love the energy and excitement about the airshow. We have brought here some really new and interesting things, such as connected aircraft solutions and green aviation technologies. We're signing many new cooperation agreements with customers and partners," said Steven Lien, president of Honeywell China and Aerospace Asia Pacific.

China is the U.S. aerospace giant's second-biggest market. "The wider opening up of China and its economic vitality will enable us to do even more of what we've been doing for the past decades here, and we are sure to continue to accelerate," Lien added.

Honeywell's exhibition hall is seen during the 13th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, or Airshow China 2021, in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province, Sept. 29, 2021. (Xinhua/Deng Hua)

NEVER-ENDING PURSUIT

Exploring the sky and universe has been a never-ending dream of the nation. Thanks to the unremitting efforts in the space exploration and aviation sector, the dream has gradually come true.

At the airshow, a long queue lined up at the booth of the China National Space Administration (CNSA). Lunar soil, together with the Chang'e-5 re-entry capsule and the sealed container that brought the lunar soil back to Earth, attracted thousands of visitors every day.

"The booth has been a super popular spot since the opening of the airshow as countless introductions were given every day. Kids and teenagers are so excited to see what's on the moon," said a guide.

People look at the parachute and return capsule of the Chang'e-5 probe on display during the 13th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, or Airshow China 2021, in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province, Sept. 29, 2021. (Xinhua/Liu Dawei)

The Mars exploration mission is also a carrier of this Chinese dream. On May 22, China's first Mars rover Zhurong drove down a ladder and landed on the surface of Mars, making China the second country after the United States to operate a rover on the red planet. Zhurong's small steps on the red planet marked a huge leap for China's deep space exploration.

According to Wu Yanhua, deputy director of the CNSA, China has operated 152 launch missions, sending 341 spacecraft into orbit, and signed 44 space cooperation documents with 14 countries and two international organizations over the past five years.

China has carried out various cooperations with countries including Russia, Brazil, Germany, Italy and Pakistan in missions exploring the moon, Mars and outer space, Wu said.

"It is our dream to explore the universe and make better utilization of the universe for the benefit of mankind, which cannot be realized without persistent efforts and cooperation with countries all over the world," Wu said.

A new high-altitude reconnaissance drone, WZ-7, is displayed at the 13th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, or Airshow China 2021, in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province, Sept. 29, 2021. (Xinhua/Liu Dawei)

More Chinese youths are taking up the missions of their predecessors. David Hong, a Hong Kong student at Shenzhen University, said he was considering a career in the aerospace industry after watching the airshow.

"I am so proud of my country. It is an honor to have the opportunity to witness the cutting-edge technologies and talk with the engineers and developers. I would be excited to be part of the aerospace industry and contribute to my country and my people," said Hong.

(Xinhua reporters Tian Jianchuan, Huo Siying, Hu Nayun, Huang Guobao, Li Jiale, Wang Ruiping, Wang Haoming, Wang Feng, Lyu Chengcheng also contributed to the story.

Video editor: Zhang Xinyi) 
MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisas move to reshuffle the top leadership of his party is meant to kick- start preparations for another high stakes election in 2023 against President Emmerson Mnangagwas Zanu PF.

Zimbabwe is already in election mode despite the next major polls being over a year away.

Mnangagwas government suspended by-elections last year following the outbreak of Covid-19, but this has not stopped the major political parties from seeking to energise their bases and trying to outdo each other in the battle to win the hearts and minds of Zimbabweans.

Chamisa, who is out to prove that his political career is not dead after he was left bruised in the battle to succeed MDC founding leader Morgan Tsvangirai, on Friday moved to reward some of his loyalists with key positions in the MDC Alliances national executive.

Some of the people that were appointed into the executive include Daniel Molokele who is the new deputy treasurer general, Ostalos Siziba (deputy spokesperson) and Promise Mkwananzi (committee member).

Yesterday, the MDC Alliances 2018 presidential candidate said he was excited about his new team.

I am so excited, Chamisa said on Twitter. We have competent, smart and hardworking people in our leadership team.

Thank you Zimbabwe for believing and staying with us. Zimbabwe is the land for the special, gifted and talented.

A new great Zimbabwe is our task.

In a communique after a national executive committee meeting on Friday, MDC Alliance spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere said the opposition party was gunning for six million votes in 2023.

Mahere said they were aware that Mnangagwas government was sponsoring divergence of the citizens with a view to maintain the status quo and continue the suffering of the people, poverty, injustice and corruption.

Against this background the party is mobilising the citizen. The party remains resolute and principled under difficult circumstances, she said.

Our core business is to secure transformation and change in Zimbabwe by winning elections and forming the next government.

With the people, we stand united in our central goal with is to win elections and take power. We thank the citizens for standing firm in rejecting dictatorship, corruption and injustice.

She said the Citizens Converge for Change mantra was not the new name for the party, but a big idea and clarion call to place citizens at the centre of all decision-making, united to win the nation for change and transforming peoples lives at local and community level.

In this regard, the peoples leadership will continue implementing Zimbabwes Agenda 2021 plan articulated by Nelson Chamisa at the start of the year, Mahere said.

She said the MDC Alliance has rolled out an intensive rural mobilisation and penetration strategy.

We continue to energise the rural party membership and structures as well as championing the cause and issues of the communities in rural areas, the communique read.

In the 2018 elections, Chamisa narrowly lost to Mnangagwa, but he refused to recognise the Zanu PF leaders victory as he insisted that the polls were rigged. Standard
THE Matabeleland South branch of the MDC-T led by Douglas Mwonzora on Friday resolved to work with councillors affiliated to the MDC Alliance led by Nelson Chamisa in an electoral pact that will see them fielding one candidate to contest elections in the province.

More than 80 council by-elections are pending across the country, and more than 40 parliamentary seats are vacant after the MDC-T recalled legislators and councillors affiliated to the MDC Alliance.

However, by-elections were suspended by government due to COVID-19 regulations.

In Matabeleland South, Mwonzoras MDC-T provincial executive has said it is opposed to recalls and wants unity talks with other opposition parties to ensure victory against Zanu PF.

We are planning on having one single candidate from the MDC Alliance or MDC-T so that we push the Matabeleland South agenda. The electorate is clear that it wants a united MDC, Matabeleland South provincial chairperson Ekem Moyo (MDC-T), who is former Gwanda South legislator, said.

On Friday, the provincial executive led by Moyo, provincial secretary-general Younger Moyo and organising secretary Bekezela Maplanka met a number of MDC Alliance councillors in Gwanda to strike a unity pact.

We have to think of the electorate. At the end of the day, it is our feeling that constituents should not be sacrificed because of our differences as the leadership. We have to work for the good of the electorate which voted us into power. In our engagements with ordinary party supporters and the general citizenry, they are clear that they are not happy with all this infighting, Moyo said.

In Matabeleland South, we have a number of councillors from the MDC Alliance that we are working with because they were elected and should not be sacrificed or fired.

In terms of section 129(1)(k) of the Constitution, legislators and councillors can be recalled at the instigation of the party that got them elected into Parliament.

Electoral watchdogs like the Zimbabwe Election Support Network (Zesn) have, however, expressed concern over the slow pace in implementing electoral reforms ahead of the by-elections and general elections in 2023.

Zesn calls upon the government to move with speed in the implementation of the electoral reforms, as most remain unattended to at a time when Zimbabwe is barely two years away from yet another set of harmonised elections in 2023, Zesn said in a recent statement.

If addressed early, the reforms would contribute to a more credible electoral process. Having to rush electoral law changes on the eve of elections, as has been the case in the past, is not in the best interest of democracy. Newsday
Former president Robert Mugabes family says his spirit is fighting back after mysterious deaths and illnesses hit families of some traditional leaders that were pushing for the exhumation of the late strongmans remains.

The battle to exhume Mugabes remains has been raging since early this year when a chief in his rural Zvimba village convicted former first lady Grace Mugabe on of violating local custom by burying the former Zanu PF leader in a courtyard at his Kutama home.

Zimbabwes founding leader died in September 2019, two years after he was toppled in a military coup and he was buried in his Zvimba rural home.

Aerial view of Mugabes mausoleum at his Zvimba rural home which Chief Zvimba wants him exhumed from

His family insisted on burying him at his home instead of having his remains interred at the National Heroes Acre, arguing that he left instructions that his burial must not be presided over by his erstwhile Zanu PF colleagues.

Chief Zvimba resurrected the war over Mugabes remains after ordering Grace to ensure that they were exhumed and reburied in Harare.

Mugabes relatives said one of the traditional leaders behind the fiasco, Chief Beperere, born Alfred Tome, succumbed to Covid-19 last month.

His son Edward, who was spokesperson for the Zvimba chiefs when they met President Emmerson Mnangagwa in September last year to demand the reburial of Mugabe, was said to be now suffering a mysterious ailment.

One of Edwards sons is also said to be sick. Chiefs Zvimba and Chidziva are also said to be now bed-ridden.

Tinos Manongovere, the headman who took Grace Mugabe to the traditional court demanding Mugabes burial, blamed Chief Zvimbas woes on old age.

There is nothing amiss about his ill health, Manongovere said.

Remember he is advanced in age. At more than 80 years old you cant expect him to be running up and down like a teenager.

Dominic Matibiri, a member of Mugabes family, said they believed Mugabes spirit was avenging.

The spirit of the departed have a way of settling issues with the living, Matibiri.

As Mugabe family, we will not mourn Chief Beperere with others because we feel that he was being punished by the avenging spirit for taking part in the exhumation judgement.

Chief Beperere was Mugabes chief and should have presided over the matter but instead, decided to trick us by taking the matter to Chief Zvimba, a great justice anomaly.

Mugabe family spokesperson Leo Mugabe said his uncle died a bitter man.

I can confirm that he died a bitter man, Leo said.

Whether he is still bitter, that I dont know because I have never been to the world of the dead and thus I have not experienced it.

As the battle over Mugabes remains rages in courts, traditional leaders in Zvimba are said to be now pushing for closure in the matter through customary means.

Last week, a traditional leader identified as Headman Chisora is said to have advised Manongovere to arrange for the grave that was set aside for Mugabe at the National Heroes Acre to be filled up with the help of a spirit medium.

The event was supposed to take place last Saturday, but the spirit medium cancelled at the last minute, saying he had a bereavement in Kwekwe.

Leo said he was aware of plans to fill up Mugabes grave at the national shrine. That one I am aware of and we welcome the move because Mugabe is not going to be buried there, Leo said.

This will put to rest all this. I understand they (Chisora and Manongovere) made contact with the Mugabe family, that is why I know it.

Government should be aware of this, especially the Home Affairs minister.

They simply have to fill it up and keep (the mausoleum) for symbolism purposes. Standard
MDC-T leader Douglas Mwonzora has claimed that Zimbabweans have no plan that could remove the ruling Zanu PF party at elections.

The former MDC Alliance secretary-general accused some opposition parties of only being active on social media, but without strategies to replace the ruling party in 2023.

Critics accuse Mwonzora of working with Zanu PF to destroy the larger rival faction led by Nelson Chamisa ahead of the 2023 elections.

Mwonzora has so far recalled more than 40 MPs and 80 councillors that were elected on the MDC Alliance ticket, and is also trying to take over the partys name.

Last week, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission did not invite the MDC Alliance to a Harare provincial stakeholder engagement meeting, alleging that its party name was under contention.

We need to understand the values of democracy and plurality in our society. Zimbabweans are free to choose their political leaders. In other words, we should know exactly what we want to replace Zanu PF with, Mwonzora told NewsDay.

The objective is to take over power peacefully and democratically and govern differently, thereby changing the lives of the people for the better. In other words, the main objective should not be power for the sake of power. It should be power to change the lives of our people.

Mwonzora accused other opposition parties of losing focus.

We have seen political parties whose main objective is to spread hate and propaganda on social media against other political parties, he said.

Political analysts in Zimbabwe have in the past urged opposition parties to gang up against Zanu PF in the 2023 elections.

But National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) president Lovemore Madhuku told NewsDay that it was imperative to evaluate what could replace the Zanu PF government before pushing the coalition agenda.

As the NCA party, we are not forming a coalition with anyone. Zanu PF is currently not in office as it is a government that is not functional. I also do not believe that everyone in government is Zanu PF, Madhuku said.

We have a government that is not performing and it must be replaced. It is not a question of just removing a government, but the issue is who must replace it. Zanu PF must be replaced with a competent team with appropriate qualities that meet the peoples needs. Newsday
New York, US (PANA) - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said in his message for the International Day of Non-Violence, which fell on Saturday, that the day provided an opportunity to usher in a new era of peace, trust and tolerance
If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this





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RAWANews, October 2, 2021

Sayed Maroof Sadat, an Afghan journalist, was assassinated in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, local media reports. He is the third journalist killed since the Taliban takeover. Two others were killed in Kabul Airport explosion in August.

Last month, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) had expressed concern over the safety of journalists in Afghanistan and slammed the Taliban for suppressing freedom of the media in the country. Since Taliban rule solidified in the country, at least 153 media outlets have had to shut down over increasing threats towards journalists while female media employees have been barred from work entirely.
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress has won all three seats, including the crucial Bhabhanipur from where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was contesting, and Odisha's ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) won one seat where polling was held on September 30.

The Trinamool won Bhabanipur, Jangipur and Samserganj assembly constituencies, and the BJD has won Pipili.

Banerjee has defeated her nearest rival Priyanka Tibrewal of BJP by a record margin of 58,832 votes from Bhabanipur. Earlier, Banerjee had won from Bhabanipur by a margin of 54,213 votes in 2011.

With this win, Mamata Banerjee secured her position as Chief Minister. Having lost to former aide Suvendu Adhikari in Nandigram in the Assembly polls earlier this year, she had get elected to the Assembly within six months.

Banerjee secured 71.9 per cent of the total votes polled while Tibrewal secured 22.29 per cent of the votes. CPI-M candidate Shreejib Biwas managed to get only 4,201 votes.

"I am indebted to the people to Bhabanipur because they helped me win with a record margin. The most interesting thing is we didn't lose in any of the wards. The polling in Bhabanipur has always been low and there was rain. Despite that people came out in numbers and gave us votes," Banerjee said.

BJP's Tibrewal said, "I am overwhelmed by the affection of people and commitment of my party leadership and workers who put in many times more effort than myself. I express my deep sense of gratitude.. I rededicate with greater vigour to be in service of people."

In Jangipur, Trinamool's Jakir Hossain defeated his nearest rival Sujit Das of the BJP by margin of 92,489 votes. Hossain got around 69 per cent while BJP's Das received only 22.17 per cent.

In Samserganj, Trinamool's Amirul Islam defeated Congress candidate Zaidur Rahaman by 26,379 votes. BJP's Milan Ghosh was third, with just over 10,000 votes.

In Odisha, BJD's Rudrapratap Maharathy's won from Pipili by defeating BJP' son Ashrit Pattnayak by 20,916 votes.
Megaproject is not the panacea to all the infrastructural deficiencies, rather one of the best available alternatives.

by Kazi Mohammad Jamshed

The history manifests that Megaprojects may become landmarks for a country by bringing transformational impact on the lives of the long-deprived people. Infrastructure-megaprojects are material drivers for accelerating the economic growth of developing countries especially while in transition to developed countries. As Bangladesh is on the highway to be graduated from LDCs, this leads the country to adopt the much-talked megaproject culture- a tendency to combine multiple projects into one megaproject. Though Bangladeshs success story, especially in managing funds for big-ticket megaprojects, has been applauded worldwide, criticism arises on the prudency of these investment decisions. How wise are these investment decisions?

By prioritizing eight mega-infrastructures as fast-track projects, Bangladesh is basically planting seeds for sustainable future. These widely-discussed projects are Padma Bridge and Rail Link, Metro Rail, Chattogram-Coxs Bazar Rail Link, Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, The Coal-Fired Power Plant of Matarbari and Rampal, and the Payra Sea Port.

To materialize the vision-2041 of becoming a developed country, Bangladesh is giving big-push for timely implementation of its flagship projects since these are expected to raise the countrys GDP by 4% upon successful completion. Even amid economic fallout triggered by Covid-19, the construction of these megaprojects is going on in full swing to set the stage for economic take-off. The ongoing megaprojects are intended to make the country exceptionally rewarding in terms of economic margin and safe investment by upgrading existing physical infrastructure and creating an exemplary business environment.

The outlay of a big chunk of resources on long-awaited megaprojects results in the biggest investment boom in Bangladeshs development history- showcasing economic rise and development records. These staggering projects are expected to transform the economic face of the country by opening new business horizons and acting as an economic development engine. For instance- the Padma bridge will connect 21 southern districts with the capital ensuring cheap and regular supply of raw materials needed for industrialization; the Matarbari port will boost cross-border trade through facilitating speedy port service and integrated connectivity.

These multi-billion-dollar projects are duly weighted to generate sustainable returns from the land of Bangladesh. Governments effort to mobilize the investors and donors, to ensure hefty investment for megaprojects, created a big financial space for hard infrastructure development. The country is trying to utilize megaprojects as a lever to turn it into lucrative investment destinations by offering tangible benefits e.g., logistics support, and non-tangible benefits e.g., competitive environment.

These signature projects, if properly managed, will successfully address Bangladeshs infrastructure deficiencies, transport crises, and power shortages in a sustainable manner. But the iron law of megaprojects- over budget, over time, over and over again created the megaprojects paradox- giving birth to two opposite schools of thought regarding their impact on the community. One school criticizes megaprojects questioning financial viability and complaining about cost overrun, environmental degradation, and overburdening external debt. While another school justifies megaprojects stating that government usually conducts extensive cost-benefit analysis before reigniting any giant-project and cancels any project if it is not economically viable or environmentally sustainable e.g., scrapping plan of Sonadia deep sea-port.

Investing in megaprojects to stimulate economic development has been one of the most popular policy instruments since the 1930's great depression. Even the Sustainable Development Goals Framework emphasized spending about $57 trillion on infrastructure by 2030 to ensure desired global GDP growth. Bangladesh envisaged implementing large-infrastructure megaprojects, even before Agenda 2030 was adopted, to make the country investment hotspot of South Asia. East Asian Tigers, in their early days of development, invested heavily in ground-breaking megaprojects to deliver economic and social goods to the masses. To give momentum to the economy and change the course of national progress, Bangladesh is following in the footsteps of The Asian Story of Grand Success- a miracle of economic transformation. Bangladesh may also take lessons from the Gyeongbu Expressway of South Korea to generate optimum output from megaprojects.

These high-yielding projects will act as an economic game-changer, through revenue generation for maintenance and capital accumulation for future funding, to take the growth rate to two-digit miracle number. These 'trait making' not 'trait taking' projects will change the social structure and landscape by exploiting economies of scale. The gravest challenge is to address cost escalation due to snail's progress, redress red-tapism to avoid a debilitating effect on implementation, and prevent fund embezzlement to make sure that these initiatives do not turn into leaky buckets. These projects may go off the rails due to overcomplexity, overoptimism, and poor execution that also needs to be addressed.

Megaproject is not the panacea to all the infrastructural deficiencies, rather one of the best available alternatives. It is the responsibility of the government to confirm that the cost underestimation and benefit overestimation tendency is avoided while planning. Megaproject promoters, while promoting their pet-projects, should be handled carefully since they may create a distorted hall-of-mirrors making the situation extremely perplexing to decide which projects deserve undertaking and which not. It is the best project that should be implemented, not the one that looks best on paper. These epoch-making initiatives of Bangladesh, taken to date so far, is just the beginning of a journey; a journey that can shed more light on the path towards more prosperity.

Writer's Bio: Kazi Mohammad Jamshed, a strategic affair and foreign policy analyst, working as a Assistant Professor at department of International Business, University of Dhaka. He can be reached at kazi.duib@gmail.com
The fear is not for the immediate, but a shortage of turkeys and pigs in blankets among others over Christmas. This is perhaps, considered intolerable and far from being English.

by Victor Cherubim

Half stocked supermarket shelves today, closed petrol pumps and not forecourts, are a common sight in London and the South East. Some say this is due to a crippling shortage of Heavy Duty Vehicle (HDV) drivers after Brexit, and changed career patterns, as well as few Driving Test Centres open for heavy goods vehicles tests in UK during the pandemic. Besides, drivers from European Union were barred from UK, as they were classed unskilled.

Now in an about turn as Brits grapple with the petrol crisis, the Government of Britain is offering every inducement possible; short term visas to 5000 EU lorry drivers, as well as getting the military services to provide petrol bowser drivers from 4 October 2021, as petrol queues are mapped out in great detail.

The fear is not for the immediate, but a shortage of turkeys and pigs in blankets among others over Christmas. This is perhaps, considered intolerable and far from being English.

Whilst all this is happening, Bradford based, Morrisons 497 supermarket chain (4th largest in Britain) was sold by auction on orders of the Takeover Panel to the highest bidder, a US Investment Group (CD&R). England has always been vied in the Takeover trade as it is a very profitable business centre for US investors, not only for asset stripping.

Boris Johnsons Conservative Party Conference in Manchester 3 October 2021

Inside Boris Johnson is a plan to get a grip and move on, end the fuel crisis, level up the North of England Red Wall constituencies that he won over from Labour, in his 80 odd seat commanding majority in December 2019 and perhaps, retire to write his memoirs. But only time will tell whether Brexit, the Pandemic and Panic Buying bite at the supply chain?

Unlike others before him, he cannot sit still. Visas will be granted up to 300 drivers immediately, permission to stay in the UK until at least till the end of March 2022. A further 700 drivers will arrive by the end of October for a short spell until February 2022. Besides,

Hauliers in UK will be made to track down prospective drivers and give them jobs working alongside 280 Army recruits. All this and more known as Energy, Food and Fuel crisis, will be thrashed out at the Tory Party Conference in Manchester and will be the theme for Boris over the next few months, at least until Christmas.

Identity Politics

We are told that levelling up of Britain, taking a Grip of the situation and keeping Coronavirus under control during the winter, will be Boris paramount concern to help celebrate Christmas after nearly two years of hard grind in the economy.

But the definition of Identity Politics is much more. It is a tendency for a people of a particular religion, race, social background and culture, to form exclusive political alliances, moving away from the traditional broad based party politics.

This is neither new either in UK or even Sri Lanka as it refers to a feature of politics in which groups of people with particular shared racial, religious, ethnic or social and cultural identity, seek either outwardly or inwardly to promote their own specific values, concerns and interests.

The aim of Identity Politics is to secure political freedom of a specific group of people who have been marginalised within its larger context.

In the UK, imagine the idea of levelling up. You would note that over time the Red Wall of Labour held constituencies in the North of England voted Conservative, partly because they were not to be called the Working Class and wanted a share of the so called freedoms  the standard of living  that London had, but not necessarily to match the South of England, but at least start to enjoy the same wages as paid in London, perhaps, the same social facilities that the capital of UK, London has enjoyed over centuries.

The dramatic rise of Identity Politics is regardless, as both a cause and an effect of the rise of Popularism.

According to The Guardian in UK: when groups feel threatened they retreat into tribalism, causing groups of people to become more defensive, more us versus them.

This is an ideology that has been in much of Conservative Party thinking over some time.

Because everything relates to identity of who people really are, whether they want to be liberated from being called the working class, or the Work Horse, the time had come to be free as a Conservative and vote Conservative. This is the new era that is taking root and promised by the Government of Boris Johnson.

The Corona virus pandemic has further accelerated this change, as more and more people all over Britain want the freedom to work a number of days from home rather than permanently in a working environment called The Office.

The hope is that People and Governments will no longer be in a bind, or attempt to think only binary, but will have the freedom of choice, which has been lacking over many fields of human endeavour
System error

error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.

context: ... 21: </%method> 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: </%perl> 28: <table width="90%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> 29: <tr> ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25

/usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951

/var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17

/usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149



Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 129 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 160 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fcb2bb318)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fcb2e53f0)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fcb2bb318)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1305 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 958 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fcb2e53f0)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fcb1a9c78)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1303 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 436 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fcb2e53f0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fcb2e53f0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fcaa9c890)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fcb12fd50)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fcb12fd50)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0
System error

error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.

context: ... 21: </%method> 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: </%perl> 28: <table width="90%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> 29: <tr> ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25

/usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951

/var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17

/usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149



Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 129 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 160 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fcb3a07f8)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fcb513228)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fcb3a07f8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1305 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 958 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fcb513228)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fcb319960)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1303 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 436 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fcb513228)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fcb513228)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fcaa9cd58)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fcb513018)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fcb513018)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0
System error

error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.

context: ... 21: </%method> 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: </%perl> 28: <table width="90%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> 29: <tr> ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25

/usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951

/var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17

/usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149



Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 129 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 160 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fcb061248)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fcb33a860)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fcb061248)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1305 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 958 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fcb33a860)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fcb31df40)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1303 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 436 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fcb33a860)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fcb33a860)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fcaa9ce78)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fcb1f67d0)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fcb1f67d0)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0
System error

error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.

context: ... 21: </%method> 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: </%perl> 28: <table width="90%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> 29: <tr> ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25

/usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951

/var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17

/usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149



Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 129 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 160 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fcb2b79b8)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fcad913f0)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fcb2b79b8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1305 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 958 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fcad913f0)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fcb2fc700)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1303 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 436 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fcad913f0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fcad913f0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fcaa9ca70)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fcb323f30)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fcb323f30)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0
System error

error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.

context: ... 21: </%method> 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: </%perl> 28: <table width="90%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> 29: <tr> ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25

/usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951

/var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17

/usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149



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He is an independent scholar who is also a widely read and highly regarded author.

by Anwar A Khan

The veteran journalist Abdul Gaffar Choudhury went to the UK for treatment of his wife and could not return to Bangladesh for 22 years after the assassination of Bangladeshs Founding Father, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Chowdhury is a proud Bengali and an even prouder journalist and columnist, a living legend. A superstar in his field, he definitely has firm ties to Bangladesh. An octogenarian, he is a Bangladeshs born British writer, journalist, columnist, political analyst and poet. He is perhaps best known for writing the lyrics to Amar Bhaier Rokte Rangano Ekushe February which is the most widely celebrated song commemorating the Bengali Language Movement. It has been regarded by listeners of BBC Bengali Service as the third best song in Bengali.

Choudhury worked as a journalist in different national newspapers in Dhaka. During the 1971 Bangladeshs Liberation War, he worked for Joy Bangla, Jugantar and Anandabazar Patrika. In the UK, he runs a newspaper named Notun Din. He has written more than 35 five books. Some of his notable works are: Danpithe Shawkat, Chandrodwiper Upakhyan, Nam Na Jana Bhore, Nil Jamuna, Shesh Rajanir Chand, Polassey Thekey Dhanmondi, Bastobotar Nirikhey  He lives in London from where he regularly writes columns for Bangladeshs national dailies, in Bengali newspapers of Bengali community in the UK and in a daily newspaper in Kolkata.

He has produced a film on the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman called Polassey Theke Dhanmondi. The multitalented personality has received many awards for his immense contributions to journalism and literature, such as, Bangla Academy Award, Ekushey Padak, UNESCO literary Award, Bangabandhu Award, Shanghati Lifetime Achievement Award Sadhinota Padak, Manik Miah Padak, PIB-Sohel Samad Memorial Award...Former Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid said, Abdul Gaffar Choudhury, a veteran journalist and columnist, is a living legend who has been working for the peoples welfare throughout his life. He has enlightened and inspired us and showed the ways. He is a classy writer, who has written relentlessly for the country and its people. His illustrious song about Ekushey February is not only played in Bangladesh but also all over the world.

He is not a mere individual only. He is a formidable institution. Gaffar Chowdhury is one of the few personalities who have been involved in almost all historical events of Bangladesh.

Eminent journalist and columnist Syed Badrul Ahsan has aptly said of him, Gaffar Chowdhury speaks for all of us. In fact, he has spoken for all of us. We must now speak up for those whose contributions to national history have systematically been vilified by the forces of counter-revolution, by those who have cleverly and in subtle manner been promoting communal politics through the spurious theory of Bangladeshi nationalism. It is time to put zindabad politics in a straitjacket. Remember, he is the most insightful and inspiring columnist of our generation.

His missions success hinges on the true spirits of our glorious Liberation War of 1971 when he walks calmly through enemy fire to flip a switch, reprogrammed imperial robot, when he sacrifices his safety to block an attack against his comrades. Where all the main characters live to celebrate their success; perhaps, the change reflects our own nations less optimistic view about how easily battles can be won. On a scale of history, his columns, indeed, are re-imagining human possibilities for which Bangladesh was created in 1971. Gaffar Chowdhurys columns will always inscribe Bangladeshs historical memories.

Each day of the enjoyment of freedom for all of us is the ultimate expression of gratitude to all people those who like them fought to a standstill against human oppression articulated in the discourse of Abdul Gaffar Choudhurys columns. Our leaders legacies find voluble or communicative expression in the centrality of the idea that his life radiates through his articles; the idea that we have the ability to create a new form of life. A new form of life anchored on unity, democracy, secularism and justice. These principles, Chowdhury, has been living for all his life, are not just hollow statements. They are foundational to a new form of life.

He used to hold on to the immutable laws of history in so far as they are prescriptive of what is most desirable for human life in Bangladesh. He has taken exception to the current the culture of feeding frenzy, moral corruption, societal depravity, political dissolution, the gross and sleaze enveloping human mind that would put to shame even some of the vilest political orders known to human history. Once again, here is to the human possibility! Just when a dispassionate observer could have thought the ravages of age have deprived him of his trademark intellectual vitality, Chowdhury let rip in his vintage moral mode.

Yet, he has remained forever measured, a towering moral icon who would not compromise with anything outside the framework of superior human values. In this connection, he was once again reaffirming the courage, humility, selflessness and generosity of freedom fighters within the cultural framework of self-reflection. Indeed, a measure of self-reflection is needed if human civilisation is to endure. He feels the current democratic government is a pre-condition to the sustenance of our democracy and good governance. For him the mainsprings of a cultured politics are the practice of truth-telling; being honest, expressive and unambiguous in public discourse.

He believes that a free media culture is vital to the growth of democracy, and support for initiatives that drive such a culture is a priority for the country. We are proud that he still continues a fearless tradition of exposing wrongdoing in the public interest. From corruption and governance issues to health, the environment and poverty, we hope he will be working to turn the dross of greed and self-interest into fertiliser for democracy. He is one of a number of initiatives aimed at improving the quality of all genres of journalism in the country from a far-flung country where he has been residing.

Chowdhury is a prominent Bangladeshs scholar, writer and specialist in political historical studies. His articles have been describing as an appeal to people of Bangladesh to respect their cultures, values, and traditions and take a firm stand against alien ideas that pollute our minds and undermine the country. He contends that true scholarship requires rigorous intellectual discipline and entails objective enquiry and analysis of facts and evidence including admitting failures and shortcomings, a position he forcefully articulates in his works.

He is an independent scholar who is also a widely read and highly regarded author. He responds by saying that he is just an ordinary citizen of Bangladesh, like tens of millions of others, deeply concerned about the plight of his country for being ruled by some unbridled military dictators and their unsavoury lieutenants for a long time.

His experience also inspires his thinking regarding Bangladesh and its relationship to the Western world, which has led to several academic works dedicated to the subject. He writes about Bangladesh as a whole in such a way as to suggest that he possesses not only a keen understanding of the way things are, but also a deep understanding of the way they should be. In fact, as the years have passed, and as those early optimistic moments after the true spirits and of our Independence War of 1971 have slipped away, he has taken it upon himself to write about why Bangladesh has fallen short of its vision because of some staid and unabashed so-called politicians.

He has become disillusioned with the leadership on the realm of the countrys politics through the years, filled with broken promises, and not long after the country won independence because of usurping of the states power by some debased military dictators and their mango-twigs.

He also strongly admires PM Sheikh Hasina as a political leader of the people like her father and contends that among the new breed of Bangladeshs leaders, she has shown great promise to build up Bangladesh prosperously. By his sharpened writing skillshe still holds those views today, crystallised into an ideology for a new Bangladeshs liberation and forcefully articulated the same things in his writings.

I still remember his courageous pronunciation which he made in an interview with a renowned Bengali weekly magazine, Bichitra (now defunct) after Bangabandhus brutal murder in 1975, I do not want to return to the country of illiterate soldiers. Whenever I shall return, I shall return to the country as a triumphant man (Ashikhito sepoyder deshey phirey jetey chaina, Jey din phirbo, Sheydin bijoyir beshey phirbo). Chowdhury is now very ill and bed-ridden. With deep-chested, I remember this far-famed polymath of our countrys history. I also salute him and pray for his early recovery from illness.

The End 

The writer is an independent political analyst who writes on politics, political and human-centred figures, current and international affairs
Megaproject is not the panacea to all the infrastructural deficiencies, rather one of the best available alternatives.

by Kazi Mohammad Jamshed

The history manifests that Megaprojects may become landmarks for a country by bringing transformational impact on the lives of the long-deprived people. Infrastructure-megaprojects are material drivers for accelerating the economic growth of developing countries especially while in transition to developed countries. As Bangladesh is on the highway to be graduated from LDCs, this leads the country to adopt the much-talked megaproject culture- a tendency to combine multiple projects into one megaproject. Though Bangladeshs success story, especially in managing funds for big-ticket megaprojects, has been applauded worldwide, criticism arises on the prudency of these investment decisions. How wise are these investment decisions?

By prioritizing eight mega-infrastructures as fast-track projects, Bangladesh is basically planting seeds for sustainable future. These widely-discussed projects are Padma Bridge and Rail Link, Metro Rail, Chattogram-Coxs Bazar Rail Link, Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, The Coal-Fired Power Plant of Matarbari and Rampal, and the Payra Sea Port.

To materialize the vision-2041 of becoming a developed country, Bangladesh is giving big-push for timely implementation of its flagship projects since these are expected to raise the countrys GDP by 4% upon successful completion. Even amid economic fallout triggered by Covid-19, the construction of these megaprojects is going on in full swing to set the stage for economic take-off. The ongoing megaprojects are intended to make the country exceptionally rewarding in terms of economic margin and safe investment by upgrading existing physical infrastructure and creating an exemplary business environment.

The outlay of a big chunk of resources on long-awaited megaprojects results in the biggest investment boom in Bangladeshs development history- showcasing economic rise and development records. These staggering projects are expected to transform the economic face of the country by opening new business horizons and acting as an economic development engine. For instance- the Padma bridge will connect 21 southern districts with the capital ensuring cheap and regular supply of raw materials needed for industrialization; the Matarbari port will boost cross-border trade through facilitating speedy port service and integrated connectivity.

These multi-billion-dollar projects are duly weighted to generate sustainable returns from the land of Bangladesh. Governments effort to mobilize the investors and donors, to ensure hefty investment for megaprojects, created a big financial space for hard infrastructure development. The country is trying to utilize megaprojects as a lever to turn it into lucrative investment destinations by offering tangible benefits e.g., logistics support, and non-tangible benefits e.g., competitive environment.

These signature projects, if properly managed, will successfully address Bangladeshs infrastructure deficiencies, transport crises, and power shortages in a sustainable manner. But the iron law of megaprojects- over budget, over time, over and over again created the megaprojects paradox- giving birth to two opposite schools of thought regarding their impact on the community. One school criticizes megaprojects questioning financial viability and complaining about cost overrun, environmental degradation, and overburdening external debt. While another school justifies megaprojects stating that government usually conducts extensive cost-benefit analysis before reigniting any giant-project and cancels any project if it is not economically viable or environmentally sustainable e.g., scrapping plan of Sonadia deep sea-port.

Investing in megaprojects to stimulate economic development has been one of the most popular policy instruments since the 1930's great depression. Even the Sustainable Development Goals Framework emphasized spending about $57 trillion on infrastructure by 2030 to ensure desired global GDP growth. Bangladesh envisaged implementing large-infrastructure megaprojects, even before Agenda 2030 was adopted, to make the country investment hotspot of South Asia. East Asian Tigers, in their early days of development, invested heavily in ground-breaking megaprojects to deliver economic and social goods to the masses. To give momentum to the economy and change the course of national progress, Bangladesh is following in the footsteps of The Asian Story of Grand Success- a miracle of economic transformation. Bangladesh may also take lessons from the Gyeongbu Expressway of South Korea to generate optimum output from megaprojects.

These high-yielding projects will act as an economic game-changer, through revenue generation for maintenance and capital accumulation for future funding, to take the growth rate to two-digit miracle number. These 'trait making' not 'trait taking' projects will change the social structure and landscape by exploiting economies of scale. The gravest challenge is to address cost escalation due to snail's progress, redress red-tapism to avoid a debilitating effect on implementation, and prevent fund embezzlement to make sure that these initiatives do not turn into leaky buckets. These projects may go off the rails due to overcomplexity, overoptimism, and poor execution that also needs to be addressed.

Megaproject is not the panacea to all the infrastructural deficiencies, rather one of the best available alternatives. It is the responsibility of the government to confirm that the cost underestimation and benefit overestimation tendency is avoided while planning. Megaproject promoters, while promoting their pet-projects, should be handled carefully since they may create a distorted hall-of-mirrors making the situation extremely perplexing to decide which projects deserve undertaking and which not. It is the best project that should be implemented, not the one that looks best on paper. These epoch-making initiatives of Bangladesh, taken to date so far, is just the beginning of a journey; a journey that can shed more light on the path towards more prosperity.
Just over a year ago, Ann Jenkins, whose name many people will recognise as the force behind Playa Patrol in La Herradura, was diagnosed with aggressive stage four metastatic breast cancer which has also spread to her lungs and sternum. Ann has already had a mastectomy and is undergoing chemotherapy.

However, the many friends and acquaintances that Ann and her husband Christopher, who are both Canadian, have made while living in La Herradura are determined to help her to raise funds for Dendritic Cell Therapy (DCT), which the couple believe could help to save Ann's life.

Dendritic cells can communicate with the body's T cells and help the immune system recognise and attack abnormal cells, such as cancer cells. Blood is taken from the patient to develop a bespoke DCT vaccine, which is then administered. The treatment is currently only available in Marbella and Berlin and comes at a cost. As such, Ann's friends and contacts are rallying to raise the 50,000 euros needed for the treatment.

A 'Razzle Dazzle in Pink' fundraising event and auction is scheduled for 14 October in El Gaucho restaurant in Puerto Banus. It is being organised by Sonia Ingriselli, a fellow Canadian and Admin on the Canadians Living in Spain Facebook group. Sonia said, "Ann is part of the page and I know many businesses throughout Banus and Marbella. They quickly volunteered to help the cause."

On the same day, The Hideaway bar in La Herradura is also hosting a Pink October charity night, again with an auction. Donations include a painting by local British artist Steffi Goddard and spa days, among other items.

As well as the foreign community, the president of the Parent Teacher Association at La Herradura's primary school has also told Ann that they are planning to hold a family fun day on 17 October, at El Chambao de Joaquin beach bar in La Herradura, with some of the proceeds going towards Ann's cause. During the lockdown the couple donated 10 old iPads they had brought from Canada to help children who did not have laptops at home. "We are so welcomed into our little village and feel very humbled," Ann said.

A GoFundMe page has also been set up and so far just over 27,000 euros have been raised.

Ann is keen to stress that the fundraiser isn't just about saving her own life, but about the treatment itself and how it could help future patients.
The Liberian Peoples Party (LPP) concurs with the decision of the citizens of Grand Bassa and Nimba Counties and asks the Lawmakers to reject the latest Mittal Steel US$800m Amended Agreement.



The LPP accordingly demands that Arcelor Mittal Liberia fulfills its obligations in keeping with the law and in accordance with best practice.

Further, the Party urges Legislators to be guided by evidence that Mittal Steel (Arcelor Mittal Liberia), Firestone, Liberia Agriculture Company, Salalah Rubber Corporation, Aureus Gold, and 13 other companies paid a paltry US$1.5m in taxes.



Therefore, the steel-giant should not demand more favorable concessionary terms from the Government of Liberia given the dismal amount of US$1.5m (US$83,333 on an average) paid in taxes last year.



Why then is Mittal Steel, in its 2021 Amended Agreement, demanding more favorable concessionary terms from the Government given its minuscule tax contribution to the economy?

The US$800m Amendment is bad, particularly where the President George Weah-administration will give away two major public assets of Liberia, a railway, and the Port of Buchanan.

Also, it is a bad amendment if Mittal Steel will replace the annual payment of US$3m to Nimba ($1.5m), Bassa ($1m), and Bong (US$0.5m) with US$0.9m, US$300k.



Further, it is a bad amendment if Mittal Steel will not pay the arrears of the annual US 3 million dollars County Development Funds stipulated within the amended 2010 Mineral Development Agreement.

In the face of the above, LPP wonders why the Weah-administration would enter into the US$800m Agreement when Arcelor Mittal has not fulfilled many of the provisions stipulated in the $1.5b Investment Agreement signed in 2010.



Neither has the company produced its anticipated 46m tons, according to Global Witness. The 46m tons production would amount to 39% of Mittal Steels worldwide 119m tons. (https://dofasco.arcelormittal.com/who-we-are/arcelormittal-group/about-arcelormittal.aspx.



Importantly, why not amend the 2010 Agreement and increase Liberias 15% ownership to 45% in Mittal Steel? The 45% ownership, at least, might represent the value of Liberias 46m tons in proportion to its worldwide 119m tons.



The estimate is reasonable because Mittal Steel will be using US$1.5b (1%) of its US$130b worldwide investment to produce the 46m tons. Predictably, the total production of iron-ore, like any goods and services, depends on the grade and quantity of the iron-ore and total investment. In essence, with good iron-ore, Mittal Steel invested $1.5b. Using assets contributed as the basis for determining the percentage of ownership is a long-standing business practice.



In fact, Mitta Steel used this logic and reduced Liberias ownership from 30% to 15% when the parties revisited the 2006 Agreement during the 2010 Amendment exercise which effectively returned the Yekepa-Buchanan railway and the Port of Buchanan to national ownership.



In response, Mittal Steel reduced Liberias 30% ownership to 15% when Liberia took back the ownership of the railway, and the Port of Buchanan, according to Global Witness and the 2017/2018 Report of Liberia Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (LEITI) (https://eiti.org/files/documents/10th_and_11th_eiti_report_for_liberia_003.pdf).



In addition, our history shows that Liberia and investors in iron-ore have used assets to determine ownership. For example, documents available for other mining companies indicate that Liberia held 37% ownership in the Liberian American Swedish Mining Company (LAMCO) and 50% ownership of the Liberian Mining Company, according to sources. (www.archive.unu.edu/unupress/unpbooks/un29me/uu29meOb.htm).



It is difficult to find out if LAMCO and others fulfilled their responsibilities, including sending the correct export tax withheld from buyers.

In the case of Mittal Steel, there is limited information on the tax on profits or dividends paid. However, there is information on tax withheld on goods sold to buyers as well as payments in fulfillment of its Corporate Social Responsibility obligations.



Page# 10 of the 2020 Liberia National Budget, all numbers expressed in American dollars, showed that buyers in Liberia paid or will pay import tax US$186m, US$195m, US$171m, US$178m, and US$215m in 2017/2018 through 2020 respectively. On the other hand, buyers outside of Liberia paid or will pay export tax US$6m, US$17m, US$7, US$7, and US$7m for the same period.

Let us review the export tax that Mittal Steel should have withheld from buyers and sent to the taxing authorities in 2016/17 and 2017/18, according to Page# 64 of the Liberia Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (LEITI).



Mittal Steel produced 1,306,052 tons and 3,186,254 tons in 2017 and 2018. Prices were US$46 and US$86 in 2016/17 and 2017/18 respectively.

Mittal Steel received US$54,697,457.00 and US$273,667,356 for the products and should have withheld and sent US$5,469,745.00 and US$27,366,735 to authorities if the tax rate was 10%, and not at zero% for consumable goods, according to the Liberia Revenue Code.



Mittal Steel, like any seller of goods and services, was not responsible to pay the export taxes, rather it was required to withhold the tax from the buyers just as a US vehicle dealership is required to withhold import tax from a buyer in Liberia and send the tax to the taxing authority.



The US$27,366,735 calculated for 2017/18 versus the US$17m for 2017/18 reported on Page# 10 of the 2020 Liberian National Budget indicated that Mittal Steel might have changed the production figure, or the parent dictated the selling price of the iron-ore.



Assuming argumentum, if Mittal Steel indeed remitted a lower export tax, did it pay the US$3m per year in accordance with the 2010 Agreement? The answer is no! The 2017/18 LEITI report shows that Mittal Steel paid US$220,728 and US$131,930 in 2016/17 and 2017/18 respectively which pales in comparison by far to the US$53m paid by Liberians.



Interestingly, another extractive company involved in gold mining, called Bea Mountain, paid a paltry US$487,177 and US$1,651,323 in 2017 and 2018 respectively. Worse, the 19 companies paid US$1.7m on profits and the rest of the US$53m represented withholding taxes, including payroll, etc. This simply means that ordinary Liberian employees are needlessly bearing an unfair tax burden.

President Weahs administration, for unexplained reasons, has failed to launch an investigation into prior concessionary agreements.



From all indications, this administration appears to have dismissed the Audit Findings of the Moore Stephens Audit Firm, a foreign-based audit institution. The Firm reported, in 2014, that its investigation and audit findings showed that former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf awarded 64 fraudulent concessionary agreements. But the former Presidents administration has never questioned the audit findings.

Unfortunately, the Weah-administration has used the opinion of a non-licensed institution to dismiss the findings of a credible and internationally recognized and licensed audit firm.



Page# 11 of the Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development stated The 2018 APRM review concluded that the process of securing, negotiating, and implementing these concessionary agreements in Liberia met internationally accepted best practices and brought benefits.(www.emansion.gov.lr/doc/Pro-Poor%20Agenda%20For%20Prosperity%20And%20Development%20book%20for%20Email%20sending%20(1).pdf%20-%20Compressed.pdf).



In conclusion, LPP urges the Lawmakers to reject the US$800m 2021 Agreement and should encourage the Weah-administration to publish the US$800m Amendment Agreement in keeping with best practice and in accordance with Provision# 120 of the LEITI Act.

The Secretariat:

J. Yanqui Zaza

Chairman

Liberian Peoples Party (LPP)

+231-776-491-322
Tenants in Bahrain, where villa and apartment rents have declined, continue to hold bargaining power over landlords, according to CBRE, a commercial real estate and investment firm.

To attract tenants and avoid high vacancy rates, property owners are now offering incentives, such as lower rates and rent-free periods.

At the same time, developers are enticing potential buyers with rent-to-own schemes, as well as attractive payment plans and guaranteed returns, CBRE said in its latest report on the trends driving the kingdoms real estate sectors.

Bahrain is increasingly a tenant-led market, with tenants having greater bargaining power and flexibility in negotiating with landlords, the report said.

CBRE said that landlords in the country are expected to continue to offer lower rents to be competitive with tenants having greater bargaining power and flexibility.

New builds with outdoor space and extensive facilities on site are performing better than those without.

The affordable and social housing segments dominate demand in Bahrain with the government-backed loan scheme, Mazaya, providing the millennial generation with the opportunity to purchase first homes.

Developers are offering rent-to-own schemes, attractive payment plans and guaranteed returns, to attract investor and owner-occupier demand, stated the report.

On the office space in the kingdom, CBRE said occupiers are expected to take advantage of subdued market conditions and continue flight to quality as vacancy rates remain significant.

Bahrain is the most cost-effective location in the GCC to set up offices, and a CBRE survey on the country shows 60 per cent of respondents in the country prefer to work from the office.

The CBRE report stated that physical offices were here to stay; with portfolio optimisation and a well-managed remote working strategy.

It also noted enhanced demand from local tech and fintech start-ups with key government initiatives being introduced across the region to support and encourage innovation and technology.

Theres a significant increase in second generation space entering the market over the last 12-18 months, with this trend likely to continue, placing further pressure on rental performance as supply increases and demand is limited.

Looking at the retail segment of the market, the report says increasing pipeline supply will maintain downward pressure on rents in the kingdom.

Landlords in Bahrain have supported tenants during periods of trading restrictions as a result of Covid-19 to varying degrees.

Store design optimisation and omnichannel strategy introductions are expected to allow for faster recovery and better profitability, the report said.

Landlords with flexible lease terms, malls with flexible/convertible/open spaces will witness greater retailer interest.

Drive thrus remain popular as are plazas that offer a rounded experience, it added.-TradeArabia News Service
Mentorship Forum Middle East (MFME) 2021 has announced Gulf International Bank (GIB) as a partner for its second annual forum taking place as a hybrid event in Bahrain on November 11.

As a forum partner, GIB supports regional initiatives that help raise awareness about mentorship to accelerate career progression and professional growth for the next generation of business leaders in Bahrain and across the Middle East.

MFME 2021, to be held at the Gulf Hotel, will focus on the importance of Prioritising Mentorship in a New World. Given the talent development challenges businesses face as a result of Covid-19, the forum will look at how mentorship can play a role in ensuring the organisations talent development goals get back on track in todays new working environment where in person, on-the-job-learning from peers and senior leaders have been severely curtailed.

Abdulaziz Al-Helaissi, GIBs Group Chief Executive Officer said: We are delighted to support the 2nd Annual Mentorship Forum Middle East. As a talent-driven financial organisation, we continue to be committed to train and develop our employees. Mentorship has proven to be a very effective way to help younger professionals gain exposure and fast track their learning and career progression. At GIB, we have seen the benefits first-hand and look forward to be part of this forum and share GIBs experience.

Zahraa Taher, Managing Director of FinMark Communications, the forums founder and organiser, added: Having taken part in the inaugural event, GIBs vote of confidence in the forum and the importance of mentorship is particularly gratifying. We look forward to working closely with GIB to maximise their use of mentorship internally as another key training and development tool.

The forum is expected to attract strong participation from the leading regional and international speakers and attendees. The inaugural event in 2019 saw more than 250 senior HR and mentorship practitioners as well as C-suite leaders take part. Similar numbers are expected to attend this years forum, both virtually and in person, arranged in line with the governments current regulations for events.

The event will be highly interactive and feature a series of keynote addresses, panel discussions and workshops to promote knowledge sharing and hands-on-learning.

A key aim of the forum is to provide the attending HR managers and decision makers with practical insight and tips on how to evaluate effective mentorship schemes and develop tailored internal programmes to meet their goals.-- TradeArabia News Service
The Sri Lanka Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai was inaugurated on October 1 with a ceremony featuring Magul Bera song and a Kandyan Dance performance enveloped by traditional dance costumes followed by the national anthem and lighting of the lamp.

The keynote address was delivered by the Sri Lankan Consul General to Dubai & Northern Emirates and the Deputy Commissioner General for Expo Nalinda Wijerathna.

Located in the 'Opportunity' district, the 300 sq m pavilion brings the planning principles of the ancient civilization to life, focusing on the islands three pillars Authenticity, Compactness and Diversity. Visitors can immerse in an experience inspired by water  emphasising the value of adaptability and agility, the will to transform challenges into opportunities.

Visitors can enjoy a fresh cup of Ceylon tea courtesy of the Sri Lankan Tea Board, while the retail space facilitated by the Export Development Board boasts an array of produce ranging from spices to Batik clothing.

Consul General Wijerathna said: Sri Lanka has a rich maritime history with shipping, trade and cultural links. Inspired by an aquatic theme, the pavilion creates a warm and welcoming space for visitors and highlights its potential as a delightful destination in the world.

With 350 waterfalls, more than 25,000 water bodies and 103 rivers, 33 per cent of the island is forest area. It has 26 National Parks and 8 UNESCO declared heritage sites.

Sri Lanka Tourism Chairperson and Commissioner General for Expo Kimarli Fernando said: Post Covid travellers are looking for tranquility, peace, serenity and healing and Sri Lanka is well positioned to offer visitors all these. A walk in our mountains, a dip in our natures ponds, a glimpse through our history and culture will create a lasting memory.

The Sri Lanka pavilion will host a range of events including a fashion show featuring traditional batik designs, a wedding show, a cultural dance show, a drum festival plus a childrens storytelling session featuring work by childrens books author Late Sybil Wettasinghe.-TradeArabia News Service
Euro Motors, the official Ferrari dealer in Bahrain, celebrated the inauguration of its newly renovated showroom at Al Hamriya in Sitra.

The new Ferrari showroom features a luxurious new customer lounge complete with interactive screens, surround sound, and beautiful Ferrari Poltrana Frau leather furniture, where clients can relax and enjoy an Italian-inspired coffee bar with a selection of refreshments.

This spacious area is the ideal meeting place for Ferraristi in Bahrain to experience a warm community feel and share their passion for the Prancing Horse, said a statement from Euro Motors.

Guests can take inspiration from the new heritage wall running throughout the showroom which features an array of classic Ferraris, while connecting to the present with a full TV wall projecting the latest Ferrari material, models, and events including the Formula 1 races, it stated.

The opening was marked by an impressive display of classic and special edition Ferraris including a Ferrari Enzo, 488 Aperta, and a Ferrari Monza SP2.

Commenting on the launch, Mathew Morgan, General Manager at Euro Motors, said: "We are excited to start a new chapter with our newly renovated showroom, designed to make our clients feel at home and provide an immersive brand experience."

The opening of Euro Motors fully renovated Ferrari showroom underlines the dedication to the Prancing Horse in the kingdom. The new showroom is the ultimate space for Prancing Horse aficionados to discover the entire Ferrari range in a spacious main display area, while enjoying the state-of-the-art facility.

"We have always been committed to providing our customers with the highest standards of service and maximum ownership value, and we look forward to continue fulfilling this vision of excellence at the brands new home in Bahrain," he stated.

Euro Motors said the showroom offers the Prancing Horse brands discerning clientele and prospective owners the opportunity to experience the famous brand in an immersive state-of-the-art facility.

Customers can also create a Ferrari as unique as they are in the reimagined Atelier where their dream Ferrari can be configured and they can select from a broad array of modification options including colors, steering wheels and carbon fiber trims on display, it added.
GE Renewable Energy has been selected by Energie Eolienne du Maroc (EEM), a leading developer of wind projects and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nareva Holding, to supply 40 onshore wind turbines for the 200 MW Aftissat onshore wind farm extension in Morocco.



EEM will operate the Cypress turbines at 5.0 MW, with a rotor diameter of 158m. GE's scope of work also includes a 20-year full-service contract.



The project is expected to start operations in 2023 and is intended to support industrial companies under power purchase agreements, in line with Moroccos goal to install 52% of renewable energy capacity by 2030.



This marks the first order in Morocco for GE's Cypress onshore wind platform, the company's largest onshore wind turbine in the field, and GE's largest Cypress wind farm in the Middle East & Africa region. This also adds up to GE Renewable Energys 287 MW of installed base and backlog in Morocco, which includes the 200 MW Akhfenir wind farm that Nareva and GE have built together in 2016.



Gilan Sabatier, Onshore Wind International Chief Commercial Officer, GE Renewable Energy, said: Morocco has a great potential for wind energy and has been an early mover in the journey toward renewable energy integration, achieving great progress in its renewable energy targets. We are thrilled to be partnering with Nareva to implement our Cypress technology in Morocco, confirming our commitment to the countrys wind energy development.



Since 2009, Morocco has adopted an ambitious energy policy placing renewable energies at the center of the national energy mix. By 2030, the share of renewable resources will have to reach 52% of installed capacity. This is an important turning point for the Kingdom, which is on the way to become one of the most committed emerging countries to the development of wind and solar energy.



The Cypress onshore wind platform enables significant Annual Energy Production (AEP) improvements, increased efficiency in service ability, improved logistics and siting potential, and ultimately more value for customers. The two-piece blade design enables blades to be manufactured at even longer lengths, improving logistics to drive costs down and offer more siting options in locations that were previously inaccessible.  TradeArabia News Service
Mauritius officially re-opened its borders today (October 3) as it lifted restrictions for fully vaccinated travellers who will be able to explore the paradise islands beaches, mountains, waterfalls and lagoons after they land.

With 83 per cent of its adult population double-vaccinated against Covid-19, the island is seeing huge demand from international travellers.

There were joyous scenes at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam international airport as the first planeloads of tourists touched down. Deputy Prime Minister Steven Obeegadoo, who was there to greet the arrivals, said: This is a great day for Mauritius, and we are delighted to be able to welcome tourists back. Our strategy of vaccinating our citizens first before re-opening has meant we can lift restrictions with confidence.

Tourism is crucial to our economy, but so is the safety and security of our citizens, and it is thanks to our response to the coronavirus pandemic that we are able to re-open our borders as planned.

Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA) Chairman Nilen Vencadasmy said: Tourism accounts for more than 25% of our nations GDP and employs thousands of people directly and indirectly, so we are pleased to welcome visitors to our shores. It was vital that we implement strict health protocols to protect our citizens, and we remain vigilant in maintaining all necessary safeguards to protect visitors and the local population.

Hotel and airline bookings for Mauritius have soared in recent weeks, and additional international flights have been added to keep up with demand.

Many major airlines fly to Mauritius, including British Airways, Emirates, Air France, South African Airways, Air Austral, Air Seychelles, Turkish Airlines, Kenya Airways, Edelweiss, Austrian Airlines and Mauritiuss flagship carrier Air Mauritius.-TradeArabia News Service
Dubai hosted the opening ceremony of the World Expo 2020, in which Turkmenistan is participating. This is the first world-class exhibition held since the beginning of the pandemic.

Turkmenistans pavilion at the EXPO attracts visitors with its design that embodies the symbols of the country, such as the Akhal-Teke horse and national carpet. Innovations in the national economy as well as the country's export potential and cultural traditions are the focus of the Turkmen exposition.

EXPO-2020 in Dubai will last until the end of March 2022. Over 190 countries, various organizations and foundations participate in the exposition under the slogan Connecting Minds, Creating the Future. It is expected that about 25 million guests will visit the exhibition. The EXPO organizers offer a rich program, including entertaining events and interactive shows, educational and music-dance performances. These events will allow the guests of the exhibition to get acquainted with the traditions and customs of the peoples of the world, including the Turkmen people.

 TURKMENISTAN.RU, 2021
Over 50 environmental activists arrested in Helsinki  Law Enforcement 09 Oct 2021 | 1:11 AM Helsinki, Oct 8 (UNI/Sputnik) Fifty-one activists of the environmental group Elokapina, part of the international movement Extinction Rebellion, were arrested in central Helsinki during a rally demanding that the government declare a climate emergency, the local police reported on Friday. see more..

Suspected Nazi camp guard dies aged 96 in Bavaria  Prosecution 09 Oct 2021 | 12:46 AM Berlin, Oct 8 (UNI/Sputnik) A man suspected of having served as a guard at a Nazi concentration camp, near the small Bavarian town of Flossenburg, has died at the age of 96, the state prosecutor said Friday. see more..

Gas blasts kill 7 miners in northeastern Zimbabwe - Police 09 Oct 2021 | 12:44 AM Harare, Oct 8 (UNI/Sputnik) Seven people, including six foreigners, have died as a result of gas tank explosions in a gold mine in northeastern Zimbabwe, police said on Friday. see more..

India working with global vision to build world order: Om Birla 08 Oct 2021 | 11:13 PM Rome, Oct 8 (UNI) Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Friday said India is working with a wider global vision to build a world order based on energy justice, climate justice and economic justice. see more..
Colombo/New Delhi, Oct 3 (UNI) Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Sunday visited the Oil Tank Farms at Trincomalee, which are run by Indian oil major Indian Oil Corporation (IOC)s subsidiary, the Lanka IOC, where he was briefed about the possibilities of further strengthening the India-Sri Lanka energy partnership.





The Indian High Commission tweeted that Foreign Secretary Shringla was briefed about the development undertaken at the Lower Tank Farms of the project, located in the port city of Trincomalee, in the northeast coast.



Foreign Secretary @harshvshringla visited the Oil Tank Farms at Trincomalee today. LIOC briefed him about the development undertaken at the Lower Tank Farms and the possibilities for further strengthening India-Sri Lanka energy partnership to enhance SLs energy security, it tweeted.



In February 2003, an agreement was signed between Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Sri Lanka Treasury, and Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) to lease the China Bay oil tank farm in Trincomalee. The oil tanks built by the British prior to World War II were lying idle for 70 years. The deal valid for 35 years, is extendable for 99 years. According to the lease agreement, IOC would pay an annual amount of $100,000, which IOC has been paying. Currently only 15 out of the 99 oil tanks are used by IOC, according to the Financial Times, Sri Lanka.



In 2017, an MOU was arrived at between the two governments, for operating 15 oil tanks by the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) in the lower tank farm zone; and by a joint venture of Ceylon Petroleum Corporation and the Lanka IOC in the upper portion consisting of the remaining 84 oil tanks in the upper tank region.



The tanks have a capacity of 12,250 KL.



In February this year, the Indian High Commission had issued a press statement stressing that the deal between the two countries on the 99 World War II-era Trincomalee oil tanks has not been scrapped.



There is no truth in reports in some sections of the media that the understanding between India and Sri Lanka on jointly developing and operating the Upper Tank Farm at Trincomalee has been scrapped, it had said.



Energy Minister Udaya Gammanpila told the media that negotiations were on with the Indian Government to re-acquire the Trincomalee oil storage tanks leased to the Indian Oil Corporation in 2003. He explained that a joint company of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) and the Lanka Indian Oil Corporation (LIOC) would be formed for the operation of the oil tank farm, retaining a majority stake for the CPC.



Earlier on Sunday, the Foreign Secretary paid a visit to the Sri Dalada Maligawa temple in Kandy, capital of the Central Province, and prayed at the revered temple.



The Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka tweeted a photo of the Foreign Secretary praying at the revered Sri Dalada Maligawa temple, also known as the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic in the city of Kandy. He was received by the head priest of the temple.



Foreign Secretary @harshvshringla begins his visit by seeking blessings at Sri Dalada Maligawa. He was received warmly by Hon'ble Diyawadana Nilame of the temple, the tweet said.



A Google translation from Sinhalese of another tweet by the Indian HC said, Shringla prayed for the welfare and prosperity of the Sri Lankan people and also that the centuries-old ties between India and Sri Lanka be further strengthened.



The Sri Dalada Maligawa temple, in a tweet, said that the Indian Foreign Secretary visited the temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic today (October 03) to pay his respect and to obtain blessings."



Earlier, Shringla arrived at the Katuayake International airport on Saturday night on a four-day official visit. He is accompanied by a three-member delegation.



He was received by Indian High Commissioner Gopal Baglay and senior officials from the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry.



According to the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry, Foreign Secretary Shringla will call on President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, and Foreign Minister G. L. Peiris.



He will also visit Kandy, Trincomalee and Jaffna during his four-day stay.



His visit comes as the Indian Armys Mitra Shakti contingent was received earlier in the day with ceremonial honour by the Sri Lanka Army at Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport.



The two forces will engage in the largest friendly joint military exercises in the sub-continent.



This is the 8th edition of the India-Sri Lanka bilateral joint exercise Mitra Shakti at the Combat Training School, Ampara in Sri Lanka to be held from October 4-15. The exercises will involve tactical level operations in an international Counter Insurgency and Counter Terrorism environment.



The Foreign Secretarys October 2-5 visit is at the invitation of the Sri Lankan Foreign Secretary.



The visit will contribute towards consolidating the longstanding multifaceted relations and enhance bilateral partnerships between two countries, the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry statement said.



This is his first visit to Sri Lanka since assumption of office as the Foreign Secretary of India.



The visit also comes two days after India's Adani Group sealed a deal to develop and run the strategic Western Container Terminal at Colombo Port.



Adani Group will have a 51% stake in the ports Western Container Terminal (WCT) becoming the first-ever Indian port.

UNI/RN
New Delhi, Oct 3 (UNI) Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi hit out at the opposition and accused them of using secularism for their political convenience.

Political parties, who enjoyed power for the maximum time in the country, adopted the path of divide and rule by using secularism for their political convenience he said while addressing a programme organised by Bhartiya Baudh Sangh in New Delhi.

The Minister said the country is celebrating its 75th anniversary of Independence. While we celebrate Independence, we must also remember the Horrors of Partition.

In an apparent attack on Congress, Naqvi said we have to remember who was responsible for the Horrors of Partition, we have to remember who conspired to sacrifice Indias interests for their narrow-minded political self-interests.

Praising the teaching of Lord Gautam Buddha, the Minister said his teachings of spiritual self-confidence continue to show us the path of inner peace and self-capability by erasing all the contradictions.

During the last seven years, the Government has worked for inclusive empowerment with commitment to Constitutional values. It has ensured development with dignity of all the sections including the Minorities, he added.

UNI JA SHK1923
Telangana Governor participates in Air Force Day celebrations 08 Oct 2021 | 11:35 PM Hyderabad, Oct 8 (UNI) Telangana Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan on Friday participated in 89th Indian Air Force Day celebrations held at Air Force Academy, Dundigal here. see more..

Telangana Assembly adjourned sine die 08 Oct 2021 | 11:16 PM Hyderabad, Oct 8 (UNI) The Telangana Legislative Assembly was adjourned sine die on Friday evening. see more..

Institutions should focus on Holistic education with Human values: UGC Chairman 08 Oct 2021 | 11:14 PM Hyderabad, Oct 8 (UNI) University Grants Commission (UGC) Chairman Prof D P Singh on Friday emphasized that Higher Educational Institutions should focus on holistic education through inculcation of human values and professional ethics. see more..

Kerala will add 7,000 more deaths to 'COVD death list': Minister Veena George 08 Oct 2021 | 10:40 PM Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 8 (UNI) Kerala Health Minister Veena George on Friday told the State Assembly that 7,000 more deaths will be added to the Kerala COVID death toll. see more..
Nepali Congress delegation meets EAM Jaishankar, BJP chief Nadda 09 Oct 2021 | 1:21 AM New Delhi, Oct 8 (UNI) A three-member Nepali Congress delegation on Friday met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and also BJP president JP Nadda. see more..

Rahul Gandhi has chosen "paths" of 70s: Nadda 09 Oct 2021 | 1:19 AM New Delhi, Oct 8 (UNI) BJP national president Jagat Prakash Nadda on Friday took a jibe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and said the "paths" that he has chosen are the paths of 70s. see more..

PM Modi speaks with new Japanese PM Kishida, both agree on potential to enhance cooperation in high tech areas 09 Oct 2021 | 12:59 AM New Delhi/Tokyo, Oct 8 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday spoke on phone with new Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and conveyed his congratulations and best wishes on assuming charge of his office. see more..

CBI apprehends two absconders in WB post-poll violence case 09 Oct 2021 | 12:26 AM New Delhi, Oct 8 (UNI) Two absconders, including a minor, have been apprehended in connection with a case related to post-poll violence and other offences in West Bengal, said CBI on Friday. see more..
Chief Minister Tests Positive for COVID-19

The Chief Minister, the Hon Fabian Picardo QC MP, has tested positive for COVID-19 upon his return from the United Kingdom. Mrs Picardo, who travelled with the Chief Minister, has tested negative.

Mr Picardo was asymptomatic and his condition was detected in the PCR taken within 24 hours after arrival from the UK.

As a result of this outcome, Mr Picardo is required to self-isolate at home. This will require that all his appointments should be cancelled, including attendance at the Conservative Party Conference to host the Gibraltar Government reception and attendance at the Fourth Committee hearing at the United Nations, which was scheduled for next Tuesday and for which Mr Picardo had obtained a diplomatic visa for travel. Alternative arrangements are being made for both these appointments.

The Chief Minister said: "I feel perfectly well and have come home as required by the Contact Tracing Bureau. I know this is an important time for Gibraltar, so, to an extent, I am happy to have got the disease now so that I am able, hopefully, to continue to deal with the negotiations to come on the UK/EU Treaty in Gibraltar's future relationship with the EU. For now, alternative arrangements are being made for engagements in the next ten days. I have had no symptoms whatsoever and have therefore been in contact with many people in the past 24 hours since my arrival into Gibraltar. The test result will now require me to share that data with the Contact Tracing Bureau."
New Self-isolation Policy Allows Pupils to Return to Education

HM Government of Gibraltar on the advice of the Director of Public Health and the COVID-19 Strategic Coordination Group announced the relaxation of isolation requirements for those who are identified as close contacts to positive cases of COVID-19.

There is no change for those who test positive for COVID-19 as they must continue to isolate for the full ten days.

'As the schools returned after the summer holidays we have been reviewing carefully the cases identified in schools and school age children. Relaxation of the rules allows for school children to return to education because at the moment there is low risk of onward transmission in schools.'

'From the 1st of September 36 pupils, representing less than 1% of school age children, and 12 members of staff have tested positive for COVID-19. Not all of these cases contracted COVID-19 in the school setting. Some cases of infection were transmitted as a result of household transmission, extra-curricular activities and social mixing outside of the school setting.'

'Larger numbers of close contacts requiring self-isolation have been identified through contact tracing of these cases resulting in 30 staff and 401 pupils, 6.30% of school children, being identified as close contacts and requiring self-isolation for 10 days. Since the change in self-isolation policy on the 30th September we now have 2 individuals self-isolating related to schools.'

'Schools are working closely with Public Health and will continue to take precautions to reduce any risk of onward transmission but we ask that should you develop any symptoms however mild, to contact 111 to request a swab and isolate until you receive the result.'

Public Health says it will continue to review all information available and if there continues to be a reduction in positive cases, further relaxation of the isolation rules can be considered.
(The Center Square)  State lawmakers expressed concerns over the price of medical marijuana Friday at a Louisiana Medical Marijuana Commission meeting at the state Capitol.

The commission met to discuss laws and regulations affecting the states medical marijuana program, but legislators took a keen interest in low enrollment and the cost for patients.

The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry is the lead agency in the licensure and production of medical marijuana in Louisiana. LDAF Commissioner Mike Strain testified that a central problem to mitigating costs is that marijuana still is an illegal drug.

You may wonder why this is not covered by Medicaid, Medicare and insurance. It is because it is not a prescription product, its a recommendation product," Strain said. "Theres a fine line there.

Strain said physicians cannot write prescriptions because medical marijuana has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, thus government and private insurance wont cover the costs.

According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, marijuana is listed as a Schedule 1 drug, along with heroin, LSD, ecstasy and other illegal substances. Thirty-five states have some form of legal marijuana use  medical, recreational or both  lawmakers said.

Rep. Jack McFarland, R-Jonesboro, said he appreciated the challenges associated with the federal illegal designation, but urged Strain to do more.

I think we need to come up with some solutions and recommendations from your department that can alleviate some of these concerns, McFarland said.

Strain responded that lawmakers could cut an end-user tax.

Theres a 7% tax at the end that you could eliminate immediately, legislatively, Strain said.

Strain explained how cholesterol and high blood pressure medication can cost $600 but consumers dont pay that amount when its covered by insurance. Thats not the case with medical marijuana, he said.

For the average family, this is not paid for by any other mechanism other than cash, Strain said.

McFarland countered that Arkansas, a neighboring state, has 90,000 medical marijuana patients while Louisiana has only 12,000 patients.

Since 2015, we have passed 11 different acts amending and improving this process for the public. More states are coming on board and they are not having to do all this, McFarland said. Arkansas is years ahead of us. Mississippi and Texas are coming on; its not hard for people to drive across state lines.

Rep. Travis Johnson, D-Vidalia, said high prices could support the marijuana black market.

Louisiana allows medical marijuana for patients with defined health conditions, such as cancer, HIV, seizure disorders, muscular dystrophy, glaucoma and PTSD. Lawmakers suggested many eligible people do not have reasonable access to the medical treatment.

Commission chair Joseph Marino, I-Gretna, said the states production and distribution system has close to no competition and that people have very, very little options.

If we had more access and more options with the growers and dispensaries, you would think the cost would come down, Marino told Strain.

According to the LDAF, Louisiana has only two licensees who are authorized to grow and cultivate medical marijuana in the state. Both are universities: Louisiana State University Agricultural Center and Southern University Agriculture Center.

Louisiana also has only nine dispensaries where patients can buy medical marijuana. They are spread across different regions.

If somebody has to drive an hour or hour and a half  they might decide its not worth the effort, Marino said. The patient number would probably be higher if it was more accessible and affordable.

Strain said he believed increasing demand hinges on more doctors approving medical marijuana to treat their patients.

We have to educate physicians, and they have to be comfortable writing recommendations, Strain said.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-07-20 08:19:17|Editor: huaxia

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Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune (R) meets with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L) in Algiers, Algeria, July 19, 2021. (Xinhua)

ALGIERS, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said on Monday that Algeria is ready to deepen cooperation with China in various fields under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

The Algerian leader made the remarks during his meeting with visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Tebboune asked Wang to convey his cordial greetings to Chinese President Xi Jinping, while also extending his warm congratulation to the Communist Party of China (CPC) on its 100th anniversary of founding.

Tebboune spoke highly of the outstanding achievements the Chinese people have made in the course of revolution and construction under the leadership of the CPC.

Noting that China and Algeria share a long history of friendship and mutual trust, Tebboune said Algeria's policy on China has never changed since the North African country gained independence. He cited that Algeria has always deemed China as a diplomatic priority and stood firmly with China.

As both countries have entered a new stage of development, it's hoped that they will deepen cooperation in the areas of economy, trade, investment, energy, mining and infrastructure construction under the BRI framework, so to achieve common development which will also benefit other developing countries, said Tebboune.

He stressed that Algeria has supported China in the past, is still supporting China now, and will continue to support China even more in the future.

The Algerian president also congratulated China on the 50th anniversary of restoring its lawful seat in the United Nations, adding that Algeria expects China to play a bigger role in international affairs to promote regional and global peace and stability.

For his part, Wang conveyed warm greetings from President Xi to Tebboune.

Praising Algeria as a country of heroism and principle, Wang said Algeria has always adhered to an independent policy and upheld justice in international affairs, which has earned respect from the international community.

Fifty years ago, Algeria and other developing countries, battling against pressure and interference, gave full support to restoring the lawful seat of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations, Wang noted.

"Fifty years later, I came to your country to celebrate this historic event and to show gratitude to our Algerian friends," said the Chinese diplomat.

Wang added that his visit also aimed to send out a clear message: China will continue to treat Algeria as an important partner in strengthening unity and cooperation among developing countries under the new circumstances.

China stands ready to join hands with Algeria to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries and uphold international justice, he said.

China and Algeria, Wang said, used to be comrades-in-arms who fought side by side and now have become partners in seeking common development and prosperity.

The mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries has great potential and space for development, Wang said, adding that China encourages its enterprises to invest and do business in Algeria.

China is willing to work with Algeria to translate their high-level political mutual trust into tangible results of cooperation, help Algeria accelerate the pace of industrialization, and enhance its capacity for independent development, the Chinese diplomat said.

Wang promised that China will continue to provide COVID-19 vaccines to Algeria and promote cooperation in vaccine production to help Algeria overcome the pandemic at an early date.

Also on Monday, Wang held talks with Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-08 21:18:05|Editor: huaxia

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KATHMANDU, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Investment Board Nepal (IBN), a high-level government body formed to facilitate large-scale investments, on Wednesday unveiled a strategic plan aiming to attract investments of 10 billion U.S. dollars in the next five years.

Nepali Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, who is the board's chairperson, rolled out the "Business Plan 2021-2025" on the occasion of its 10th anniversary.

"The IBN aims at attracting projects worth 10 billion U.S. dollars in the next five years as per the plan," the agency said in a press statement.

Under the five-year business plan, efforts would be made to create jobs for at least 100,000 people through the implementation of investment proposals.

Addressing the anniversary ceremony, Deuba said his government is committed to creating a conducive environment for private sector investment through necessary legal and policy reforms.

He acknowledged, however, that attracting large-scale investments in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic is challenging. "The COVID-19 has led nations to lean toward inward investments, so attracting investments is likely to be more challenging," he said.

According to Deuba, Nepal faces an annual fiscal gap of 6 billion U.S. dollars in its effort to achieve sustainable development goals by 2030. "The IBN has an important role to play in mobilizing private sector investments, including FDI (foreign direct investment), to fulfill this gap," he said.

On the occasion, Nepali Finance Minister Janardan Sharma also said that domestic resources are not adequate to take the country toward strong economic growth.

"We want to bring foreign investments and encourage domestic private sector too," he said. "But we have to approve the investment proposals in a timely manner so that the investors could implement the projects at a cost as low as possible."

According to the minister, who is vice chairperson of the IBN, the board has approved investments worth 833 billion Nepali rupees (7.07 billion U.S. dollars) for 27 projects over the past decade. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-15 13:17:17|Editor: huaxia

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ULAN BATOR, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Lab test results have showed that COVID-19 caused the deaths of two beavers in Mongolia, the country's General Authority for Veterinary Services (GAVS) said Wednesday.

"Two beavers died in mysterious circumstances in our country last month, and laboratory test results have showed that the COVID-19 caused the deaths," Adiyasuren Tuvshinbayar, an expert of the authority, told Xinhua over the phone.

This is the first confirmed cases of animal deaths in the country due to COVID-19.

The dead beavers were from the Beaver Breeding Center at the Environmental Department of the capital Ulan Bator, and another seven beavers of the center have tested positive for the virus, according to the country's National Center for Zoonotic Diseases (NCZD).

Beaver ranchers of the center tested positive for COVID-19 in August and the beavers may have contracted the virus from their ranchers, Nyamdorj Tsogbadrakh, director of the NCZD, told Xinhua.

The seven beavers infected with the Delta variant of COVID-19 showed several symptoms, including cough, runny nose and sticky eyes, Tsogbadrakh said, adding that the beavers have fully recovered from the disease thanks to proper treatments.

In addition to the beavers, the country has confirmed that two pet cats have tested positive for COVID-19. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-19 21:41:23|Editor: huaxia

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KATHMANDU, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- With the latest consignment of COVID-19 vaccines landing in Kathmandu on Friday, Nepal has now received all 6 million doses the government purchased from China in August, local media reported.

According to the Kathmandu Post, a consignment of 4.4 million doses of vaccines arrived in the capital city Friday afternoon. Sagar Dahal, chief of the National Immunisation Programme under the Ministry of Health and Population, confirmed the arrival of the Chinese vaccines.

Figures from the ministry show that the country has received 17.85 million shots of vaccines so far from several countries.

"In line with the availability, we have inoculated the largest number of people with Chinese made Vero Cell vaccine," Dahal told Xinhua on Sunday.

"There is hardly any complaint about the side effects of the Chinese vaccine," he said. "There is also widespread acceptability of this vaccine among the Nepali population." Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-10-02 23:33:38|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese and Sri Lankan workers work at the Central Expressway Section I construction site near Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Oct. 1, 2021. The Central Expressway project is designed to run through central Sri Lanka to reduce travel time between cities in the country's western part and to promote economic development for areas along the route. (Xinhua/Tang Lu)

by Tang Lu

COLOMBO, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- It was a rainy day in the Sri Lankan capital, but the wet weather did not dampen the enthusiasm of a group of workers from a Chinese construction company to gather here Friday for a flag-raising ceremony to salute China's symbolic five-star red flag.

"Time flies and we are greeting a new National Day today. Let's wish our motherland a greater, more prosperous and powerful state. Let's strive to attain our goal of 2021 as soon as possible," said Cui Songming, project manager of Metallurgical Corporation of China Ltd. (MCC) at the Central Expressway Section I construction site near Colombo.

Looking up at the fluttering red flag, Cui said he has been feeling the growing strength of China after spending 13 years working in Sri Lanka.

"China's rising strength not only provides economic and technical support for our overseas projects, but also gives us a strong sense of pride for our country," Cui said in his speech.

Cui arrived in Sri Lanka in 2008 when the MCC was building the Colombo-Katunayake Expressway (CKE), the first-ever highway in the country.

"In 2013, Sri Lanka realized its 50-year-long dream of having an expressway, which was completed in time thanks to China's powerful strength and the dedication of Chinese workers," Cui said.

It was on this project that Sri Lanka adopted Chinese standards for highway construction for the first time, he added.

Hou Shehu, who is in charge of the company's contract affairs, came to Sri Lanka almost at the same time as Cui. Over the past years, Hou had only four chances to celebrate Chinese traditional festivals with his family back in China.

"Family is the smallest part of a country, which is composed of numerous families," Hou said.

"As a worker on China's 'Belt and Road Initiative' projects overseas, we have a sense of mission and responsibility, although sometimes we may even sacrifice ourselves to serve our country," Hou said.

"We are very happy and proud to see Sri Lanka's tourism industry flourishing, thanks to our hard work to improve the country's infrastructure," he added.

Xiao Shuai, who had planned to return to China after finishing the first project in the Outer Circular Highway-Northern Section II (OCH-NS II) located in the Colombo Metropolitan Region, changed his mind and chose to stay on.

"My vision has become broader after I worked overseas. I felt honored to have the opportunity to serve the country's 'Belt and Road Initiative' projects and be part of Sri Lanka's development," Xiao said.

Li Benquan, who is a designer of the Central Expressway Project, grew up in a mountainous village in Guizhou province in remote southwestern China.

He saw with his own eyes how Sri Lankan villagers had suffered from inconveniences caused by bad road conditions, including senior locals who were unable to get timely medical treatment when they fell ill, or children who were denied access to school.

"I could feel the eagerness of the villagers for a new road. I really hope that the highway will be completed as soon as possible so that the quality of life of local residents can be substantially improved," Li said.

The Central Expressway project is designed to run through central Sri Lanka to reduce travel time between cities in the country's western part and to promote economic development for areas along the route.

Liu Guohui, a scheduler at the project, has been working in Sri Lanka for more than four years.

"Living conditions here are certainly not as comfortable as in China, and the pandemic is more severe than in China. But I'm used to everything here and I get along very well with my Sri Lankan colleagues," Liu said.

"In April this year, when the COVID situation in Sri Lanka was bad, the Chinese Embassy here helped all of the Chinese workers and our Sri Lankan colleagues get vaccinated as part of the Spring Sprout inoculation program. I felt so proud to be a Chinese at that time," Liu added.

"Waste no day and never stop progressing," the motto at the MCC's worksites, is a constant reminder that work has to be completed on time.

The Central Expressway Project Section 1 has been severely impacted by COVID-19 since it began in September 2020. Due to the pandemic in Sri Lanka, the pace of construction has been disrupted, but the MCC management and workers were straining every nerve to catch up and finish the project as early as possible.

"As the construction is at a critical stage now, all staff should continue to work hard to make up for the lost time, even during our National Day", said Deputy Managing Director of the MCC Sri Lanka Branch Zhang Xiaolei.

Sarani Arundika Jayasekara, a Sri Lankan healthcare worker in the MCC for the past five years, has been sharing joys and sorrows with the Chinese workers while appreciating their work ethic.

"We are grateful that they have come to Sri Lanka to help build our country," Sarani said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-10-03 08:48:28|Editor: huaxia

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ISLAMABAD, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- Five security personnel were killed when terrorists attacked their vehicle in North Waziristan district of Pakistan's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, an army statement said Saturday night.

The security personnel from paramilitary troops Frontier Corps and Levies were in the vehicle when it came under attack, the military's media wing Inter-Services Public Relations said in the statement.

"Clearance operation is in progress to eliminate any terrorist found in the area," following the incident, the statement added.

A surge in terrorist attacks on security forces in Pakistan has recently been witnessed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and southwest Balochistan provinces. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-10-03 10:13:48|Editor: huaxia

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WELLINGTON, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand reported 33 new community cases of COVID-19, said Ashley Bloomfield, Director-General of Health from the Ministry of Health at a press conference on Sunday.

Of the new community cases, 32 were in the country's largest city Auckland, one case was in the Waikato region in the central part of the North Island of New Zealand. Additionally, there was one new community case reported outside Auckland. The case was not added to Sunday's case number tally, due to the time of reporting.

Following Sunday's new cases reported outside of Auckland, part of the Waikato region will be upgraded to COVID-19 Alert Level 3 restrictions from 11:59 p.m. Sunday night for five days, said Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at the press conference.

The prime minister urged New Zealanders to get vaccinated as soon as possible as the vast majority of the cases have not been vaccinated.

"Vaccination makes a difference, it keeps people safe," said Ardern.

The total case number of COVID-19 in the current Delta variant outbreak in the New Zealand community reached 1,328, including 1,309 in Auckland, 17 in Wellington and two cases in Waikato, said Bloomfield.

There were 26 COVID-19 patients in New Zealand hospitals including 3 in intensive care units (ICUs) or high dependency units (HDUs), said Bloomfield.

New Zealand recorded 3,995 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic, the health ministry said.

Auckland is at COVID-19 Alert Level 3 restrictions. Gatherings are limited to ten people. The rest of the country is at Alert Level Two restrictions with indoor activities limited to 100 people.

The cabinet will decide the potential Alert Level changes for Auckland on Monday. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-10-03 12:41:33|Editor: huaxia

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WELLINGTON, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- Air New Zealand is asking customers to get ready for international travel by getting vaccinated. From February 2022, the airline will require customers traveling anywhere on its international network to be fully vaccinated.

"We're getting ready to reconnect with the world and letting customers know what they need to do to be ready to take off when we can," said Air New Zealand's Chief Executive Officer Greg Foran on Sunday.

Air New Zealand's vaccination requirement will apply to all passengers aged 18 and older arriving or departing New Zealand on an Air New Zealand aircraft. Customers who are not vaccinated will be required to present proof that vaccination was not a viable option for them for medical reasons.

"Being vaccinated against COVID-19 is the new reality of international travel - many of the destinations Kiwis want to visit are already closed to unvaccinated visitors. The quicker we get vaccinated, the sooner we can fly Kiwis to places like New York, Vancouver and Narita.

"We've been hearing from both customers and employees that this measure is important to them. It came through loud and clear in our recent consultation process with employees and we want to do everything we can to protect them. Mandating vaccination on our international flights will give both customers and employees the peace of mind that everyone onboard meets the same health requirements as they do," Foran said.

These requirements will sit alongside the measures the airline already has to keep New Zealand safe. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-10-03 13:25:12|Editor: huaxia

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CANBERRA, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- Australia's international border closure has caused "extreme levels" of distress among people separated from their friends and families, a survey has found.

Researchers from the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI) and Flinders University surveyed about 4,000 people on mental health linked to travel restrictions in a study published recently.

It found that 84 percent of respondents reported "high or very high levels of psychological distress" and 75 percent had "poor mental wellbeing."

International travel to and from Australia has been heavily restricted by the federal government since March 2020 to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Participants in the survey identified being separated from partners and family as the most common source of grief.

"While psychological distress was extremely high across all groups, partners who were separated and international students experienced the highest distress," authors Matthew Iasiello from the SAHMRI and Kathina Ali from Flinders wrote in the report, according to News Corp Australia on Sunday.

The study was released days after Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that international travel will resume in November when states and territories hit key vaccination targets.

On Sunday, Australia reported more than 1,900 new locally-acquired COVID-19 cases as the country continues to battle the third wave of infections.

New South Wales (NSW), Australia's most populous state with Sydney as the capital city, registered 667 new local cases and 10 deaths.

There have been 372 COVID-19 related deaths in NSW since June 16 this year, said the statement from NSW Health.

Victoria, the second-most populous state with Melbourne as the capital city, reported a further 1,220 new local cases and three deaths.

The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) recorded 38 new cases, only 14 of which were in quarantine for their entire infectious period.

It takes the number of cases reported over the last three days in Canberra to 142, following the record two-day run of 52 cases.

According to the latest data released by the Department of Health, 79.4 percent of Australians aged 16 and older have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose and 56.5 percent are fully vaccinated. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-10-03 13:40:04|Editor: huaxia

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KABUL, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- Three people, including a journalist, have been killed in a shooting in Afghanistan's eastern province of Nangarhar, authorities confirmed on Sunday.

"Journalist and author Sayyed Marof Saadat along with his relatives were traveling in a sedan along a road in Police District 5 of Jalalabad city on Saturday evening when gunmen in a rickshaw opened fire on them," a security source told Xinhua anonymously.

Saadat's son and the driver of the vehicle were wounded in the shooting, the source said.

An independent Afghan media group Afghan Journalists Safety Committee (AJSC) has condemned the murder.

No group has claimed responsibility for the shooting so far. Taliban authorities were investigating the case, according to the source.

Since the Taliban takeover in mid-August, at least 10 people have been killed and many others wounded as Jalalabad, about 120 km in the east of Afghanistan's Kabul, was hit by a series of bomb attacks reportedly claimed by militants affiliated to an Islamic State group opposing the Taliban government. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-10-03 15:49:56|Editor: huaxia

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WELLINGTON, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- Full vaccination will become a requirement for non-New Zealand citizens arriving at the country from Nov. 1, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said on Sunday.

Travellers will be required to declare their vaccination status when registering with the Managed Isolation Allocation System, as well as presenting proof of vaccination or a relevant exemption to their airline and to customs officers once they land.

"Getting vaccinated is the most effective measure against the transmission of COVID-19, and the risk of serious illness or death," Hipkins said.

"To further reduce the possibility of the virus getting through our border, we are introducing the requirement for air travellers aged 17 and over, who are not New Zealand citizens, to be fully vaccinated to enter New Zealand.

"This is an important step in our Reconnecting New Zealand strategy."

The COVID-19 Technical Advisory Group has recommended that a full course of any of the 22 COVID-19 vaccines approved by a government or approval authority, with the last dose being at least 14 days before arrival, will be acceptable at this stage. Guidance will be prepared on what will qualify as evidence of vaccination or an exemption.

"Most people coming to New Zealand tell us they are already vaccinated. This requirement makes it formal and will provide an extra layer of protection at the border. It will work well alongside the announcement today that everyone on board an Air New Zealand aircraft travelling internationally will need to be fully vaccinated from February 2022."

Everybody arriving will still be required to complete 14 days in managed isolation and quarantine, and all travellers except those from exempt locations will still need to have evidence of a negative COVID-19 test result from an accredited laboratory within 72 hours of their first scheduled international flight.

The requirement will not apply to New Zealand citizens, children under the age of 17, and those who are unable to be vaccinated for medical reasons. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-10-03 17:43:40|Editor: huaxia

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VIENTIANE, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- The National Taskforce Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control of Laos on Sunday reported two new COVID-19 deaths, both of them had not been vaccinated before passing away.

Deputy Director General of the Department of Communicable Diseases Control under the Lao Ministry of Health, Sisavath Soutthaniraxay, told a press conference here that the country recorded 301 COVID-19 cases and two new deaths in the past 24 hours.

The new deaths involved a 48-year-old woman living in Champasak province and a 84-year-old man living in Vientiane province.

The Lao Ministry of Health on Sunday reported 296 new locally transmitted cases and five imported cases.

As of Sunday, the total number of COVID-19 cases in Laos reached 25,214 with 22 deaths. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-10-03 21:34:48|Editor: huaxia

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Afghan Taliban members stand guard at the site of a blast in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, Oct. 3, 2021. At least two civilians were killed and four others wounded after an explosion occurred at the middle of a crowd outside a big mosque in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, on Sunday, a Taliban spokesman confirmed. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

KABUL, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- At least two civilians were killed and four others wounded after an explosion occurred at the middle of a crowd outside a big mosque in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, on Sunday, a Taliban spokesman confirmed.

Sayyed Khosti, a spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, told local media that the blast occurred in Police District 1 of Kabul, adding that the authorities will soon arrest the perpetrators behind the attack.

"A bomb explosion occurred at a civilians' aggregation near the gate of Eidgah Great Mosque this afternoon. Unfortunately the blast caused casualties among the civilians," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid wrote on Twitter.

The Italian War Victims Emergency Hospital tweeted that four wounded people were admitted to the hospital in central Kabul.

Earlier in the day, Mujahid, who also serves as deputy minister of information and culture, said that a prayer ceremony was underway for his deceased mother in the Eidgah Great Mosque Sunday afternoon.

Unofficial sources said at least 35 people were affected by the explosion. They said Taliban security personnel arrested three suspects following the attack near the blast site.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far.

The country has witnessed a spate of bomb attacks staged by the militants affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) outfit since Taliban's takeover in mid-August. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-10-03 22:59:13|Editor: huaxia

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A student of Dhaka University receives a dose of COVID-19 vaccine at the campus in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Oct. 4, 2021. Bangladesh launched a special inoculation campaign lasting till Oct. 17 for top leading university's teachers, students, officials and employees Monday. According to a press release, students, teachers and officials will receive the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine through on-the-spot registration. (Xinhua)

DHAKA, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh will launch a special inoculation campaign for top leading university's teachers, students, officials and employees Monday.

The campaign, which will continue till Oct. 17, will begin at a temporary set-up at Dhaka University's Martyred Intellectual Doctor Muhammad Murtaza Medical Centre in capital Dhaka.

According to a press release, students, teachers and officials will receive the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine through on-the-spot registration.

Also, it said another campaign to offer the second dose would begin from Nov. 1.

The vaccination campaign is being launched as the varsity's authorities have recently recommended the reopening of halls from Oct. 5 for bachelor's final year and master's students.

The university's halls remained closed since March, 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic. Enditem
Ahora | El jefe de Estado, @PedroCastilloTe, junto con la primera dama, @LiliaParedesN y la comitiva, se dirigen a la region Cusco para cumplir actividades oficiales en Pichari y Sacsayhuaman.#IIReformaAgraria pic.twitter.com/AaBNgxsH3V
Ahora | El presidente @PedroCastilloTe, junto con el titular de @MINPRODUCCION, el alcalde de Pichari y el director ejecutivo del @ITPproduccion, participa en la inauguracion del CITE Agroindustrial Vraem, en Cusco.

?? En vivo: https://t.co/pRXowMonfJ
" " Cats are drawn to boxes, as any cat lover can attest. But why? Nobody really knows. Chris Winsor/Getty Images

It's common knowledge that if an empty box of any size is left unattended and a cat finds it, that cat will sit inside. Tiny cats in large boxes, large cats in tiny boxes  doesn't matter. "If I fits," the cat says in its little cat brain, "I sits."

Anyone who lives with a cat has seen this happen. And it doesn't even have to be a box; it turns out any square will do. A piece of paper, a laptop, anything rectangular seems to light up that box-sitting instinct in housecats. In 2017, the Twitter hashtag #CatSquare highlighted this cat quirk. Merely taping an empty square on the floor was enough to lure a cat to sit or lie down inside it.

A couple of years later, this hashtag would help animal psychology researcher Gabriella Smith at Hunter College, City University of New York, construct an experiment to gauge cat cognition. In April 2021, her research, entitled "If I Fits, I Sits: A Citizen Science Investigation Into Illusory Contour Susceptibility in Domestic Cats," was published in Applied Animal Behaviour Science.

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Does the Box Have to Be Real?

Smith had seen #CatSquare on Twitter and knew that cats would sit inside a 2D square made of tape, not just inside a 3D box. "So then the question became, does the square actually have to be there?" Smith says.

"When we ask, 'What is this animal seeing?' people think of using dogs because they're so easily trained," Smith says. "But cats are the perfect candidate because we already know they will sit in a 2D square." Not only do cats not have to be trained to do this, they don't even have to come into the lab to do it. Cat owners (or as cats call them, servants) could easily tape shapes to the floor and record their cats' reactions.

Thus the first cat cognition experiment to use citizen scientists was born. And what better timing than during the COVID-19 pandemic? Smith put out the call for volunteers (via Twitter, of course) in June 2020. Much of the world was on lockdown to some degree, and cat owners were looking for something  anything  to do in their homes. Plus, Smith notes, "Cats perform best at home. In the lab, they wouldn't behave naturally."

" " Ash is seen here sitting inside a Kanizsa square. Her owner, Tara McCready, participated in the citizen science study and took the photo. Gabriella Smith

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The Experiment to Find Out

She designed the experiment so the humans could gather cat data over six days. Participants were given templates to print out: a square to tape on the floor, and a set of "Pac-Mans," as Smith calls them, that could make an illusory square. Officially, this is called a "Kanisza square," which means that pieces of an image construct a complete image in our brains. Our minds see an image, in this case of a square, in the negative space.

So if you face the Pac-Mans with their mouths toward each other, there's an illusion of a square on the floor. Our eyes connect the dots. If you face their mouths away from each other, we don't perceive any significant shape. Would cats see the same things?

Smith went into the experiment with frankly low expectations and an open mind. She was truly curious to know the answer to her question: Will cats sit in a square that isn't really there? She had no preconceived ideas for what the cats might choose to do. She says that was helpful in designing the experiment, as her biases for one shape or another weren't in play. "I was lucky I had any participants at all, given how cats are."

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The Results

She gathered data over the summer of 2020, with participant humans sending in five-minute videos of the shapes on the floor. If the cat positioned its body within any of the shapes for at least 30 seconds, it counted as a data point. Of course, cats are cats. "I watched a lot of empty videos," Smith says. Sometimes the cat would saunter through the video without sitting at all.

Smith recruited 500 participants, and 30 were able to complete the entire six-day sequence of tests. Of those, nine cats chose at least one of the shapes by sitting inside it  with all four feet  for at least three seconds. Though the data set is small, cats did indeed choose the Kanisza square illusion as often as they chose the complete square taped on the floor. They chose both of these more often than the non-shape made by the Pac-Mans facing away from each other.

While this was Smith's first time using citizen scientists to gather data, she has since been involved in another half-dozen citizen science studies with dogs in the Animal Behavior and Conservation Program at Hunter College.

She notes that you don't have to have the cleverest animal in the world to participate in projects like this. "All you have to do is follow instructions." Then just let your pet do its thing. Or not. It's all data. Science!

This research might seem pretty low stakes to some people, but it offers new insight into animal cognition and psychology. We now know that cats can connect the dots and see a square that isn't there. It's also a springboard for more potential research. "We see videos from zoos of large cats sitting in boxes, which makes sense because it's safe like a cave or den," Smith says. But would a wild cat sit inside the outline of a square? Or a Kanisza square that isn't a square at all?

This is the fun part of science: Asking questions and devising ways to learn the answers  and then letting those answers inspire new questions.

" " This collage of cats sitting in squares includes photos from cat owners who participated in the study. Gabriella Smith

Now That's Science! Want to give this experiment a try with your own cat? Gabrielle Smith was kind enough to share the templates and instructions for the experiment with readers. You can print out your own set of Pac-Mans and give it a try. The data won't be used for this particular paper since it's already been published, but it will satisfy your curiosity.
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 3, ARMENPRESS. Armenia has never been involved and will never be involved in any conspiracy against Iran, because Armenia extremely values those relations and we will never forget that Iran was the path of life for Armenia in the early 90s, Prime Minister of Amrenia Nikol Pashinyan announced during a meeting with the Armenian community in Lithuania, where he is on an official visit.

The correspondent of ARMENPRESS reports that Pashinyan also emphasized that Armenia has warm relations with Iran. President Raisi assumed the office in August 2021, and I also assumed my officie in August, following the elections, and we have already met twice. This is a fact showing how much we value our relations. It is not something new that there are certain circles that manage to publish materials in the Iranian press from time to time that Armenia is involved in some conspiracies against Iran. I am confident that our Iranian partners know that the Republic of Armenia has never been and will never be involved in any conspiracy against Iran, because we extremely value those relations and we will never forget that Iran was the path of life for Armenia in the early 90s. This is such a firm ground for our relations that rules our any involvement of Armenia in any anti-Iran conspiracy, Pashinyan said.

Pashinyan admitted that the economic relations between the two countries are hampered by economic sanctions. He also emphasized that Armenia will never be involved in any conspiracy against Iran and thats so obvious that there is no need to even talk about that. Just the opposite, we have major projects with Iran. During our discussions with Raisi we suggested that they should be accelerated, particularly, the 3rd high-voltage power transmission line is under construction, Pashinyan said, adding that the Armenian side hopes to prolong gas for electriciy contract. During the meetings I also suggested that we should return to the issue of the construction of Meghri reservoir and HPP, which I think is very important not only in terms of energy, but also in terms of joint management of water resources, PM Pashinyan said.
VILNIUS, OCTOBER 3, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan reaffirmed his readiness to meet with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

Speaking at a meeting with the Armenian community of Lithuania as part of his official visit, PM Pashinyan also addressed the issue of POWs and the mine field maps when asked on the matter.

Look, the President of Azerbaijan announced that he is ready to meet with me. Let me say that I had said back in July that [Armenia] is ready to meet on both high and highest levels, which means on the foreign ministerial and prime minister-president levels. In my recent speech to the UN General Assembly I said that the Nagorno Karabakh issue awaits its resolution and I can say that for several times already we have welcomed the statements by OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs where for several times theyve noted the need for resolving the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and restoring the peace process for this goal, Pashinyan said.

In this context the prime minister noted that just like before, he is now also announcing that he is ready to meet with the president of Azerbaijan. To your specifically mentioned question I can give the following answer: I am ready to take with me to the presumed upcoming meeting the maps which are talked about, and these maps are the ones which do not separate the militaries of Armenia and Azerbaijan from one another, meaning they dont have a military practical security significance, they rather have only humanitarian significance because they are located behind Azerbaijani military lines. I am ready to take with me to the meeting all maps we have and I call on the Azerbaijani president to bring with him all captives.

Look, the president of Azerbaijan is complaining that the quality of the maps which weve transferred in the past is poor. Look, lets make two records: first, we gave the maps which we had, meaning its not like weve kept the good quality maps in the drawer and gave them the bad ones. I do not rule out and I know that there is an issue with the quality of maps, why? Because the quality of the map depends of the quality of the cartographer, their professional skills, we have what they drew. And here we are honest, open, and we dont have intentions to deceive anyone, because this isnt only about Azerbaijan, but also our mediator partners, who are our friendly countries, our colleagues. It wouldnt be honorable to try and do something in another way in that situation. We gave the maps we had, we dont have other ones, I mean in terms of the terrain which weve already transferred. This is a fact, this must be noted as reality. Regarding trust, it is clear that Azerbaijan doesnt trust us in this situation, we dont trust Azerbaijan and the whole issue is for us to try and move forward with small steps in a way for there to develop some kind of trust. This trust is important so that we are able to solve also humanitarian issues swiftly, and return our captive brothers to their families as soon as possible, Pashinyan said.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
The films plot is a mumbo jumbo of past sins, a sullen villain and a killer virus

Rating:

I love Daniel Craig, but I didnt love No Time to Die. I liked it, because of Craig.

I didnt expect to cry at the end, but I did.

I was terribly sad to see Craig go. But I was also upset because No Time To Die isn't the thrilling, electrifying, grand send-off that Craig, the best James Bond ever, deserved.

Though Daniel Craigs Bond has had a chequered career, alternating between dazzling highs and dreary lows  from the cool swagger of Casino Royale (2006) to the mind-bogglingly dull Quantum of Solace (2008), from the thrill of Skyfall (2012) to the needlessly confounding Spectre (2015) -- his last Bond venture should not have been a melodramatic intercontinental jaunt involving a sad betrayal that wasnt, a five-year-olds knitted cuddly toy, too much domesticity, a whiny villain and death by nanobots.

No Time to Die, the 25th film in the Bond series, is depressingly like a big-budget Bollywood film. If it wasnt powered by Craigs presence, style and gravitas, it could well have been one of those Tiger Zinda Hai type of hyped-up dullness with Salman Khan.

James Bond is the worlds greatest survivor. No one else in the history of cinema has been persecuted, chased, shot at, imprisoned or laid in more hostile beds than Bond. But even he cant survive the sort of prosaic, self-conscious political correctness and multicultural sensitivity that No Time To Die is burdened with.

For a while now Bond has been mired in human emotions and boring complications of life to seem "real". Thats a criminal offence because Bond is supposed to be the coolest dude, a British spy who has so much chutzpah that were he to sprinkle a pinch of it on the world, wed all be rising to offend with audacity.

But No Time To Die ticks so many inclusive, politically-correct boxes that after a while you want it to take a breath and calm down. Halfway through the 2 hour and 44 minute long film, I felt like screaming, "Its okay, we get it. We know you are a good, decent, gender-race sensitive film that wont tolerate a sexist joke. But can you please just have some fun?"

I wish someone had done that while the film was being written and directed.

After about five or six directors said no, including Danny Boyle, No Time To Die wound its way to Cary Joji Fukunaga. A director of Asian descent, he came to direct Bond after making HBO's True Detective series, and the 2011 Jane Eyre starring Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender.

No Time To Dies screenplay  written by him, Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and Phoebe Waller-Bridge (of Fleabag fame)  is feminist and populated by lots of actors of colour.

The impenetrable world of white, male spies has been breached, and the film has no trouble deciding who will hold the baby and who will wield the gun in a fight sequence.

But the films plot is a mumbo jumbo of past sins, a sullen villain and a killer virus.

No Time To Die opens on a frosty note. Young Madeleine Swann witnesses the murder of her mother but escapes. The film then cuts to many years later, in Materna, Italy, where Bond and a fully grown Madeleine Swann (Lea Seydoux) are enjoying romantic coitus. Their bliss is interrupted by an exploding tomb and a misunderstanding.

Lurking everywhere is the imprisoned but active Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Christopher Waltz) and his evil empire, Spectre. There's also terrorist Lyutsifer Safin (Rami Malek) whose face has been cracking up with the urgent desire for revenge, and a gun-wielding man with an artificial eyeball that he keeps losing and recovering. There's also a DNA-specific virus that's designed to kill, and Russian scientist Valdo Obruchev (David Dencik) whom the Mi6 thought fit to employ and who, inexplicably, seems to be working to destroy the world but save Bond.

The CIA reaches out to a retired Bond to contain the spread of the virus, sexy agent Paloma (Ana de Armas) lends a helping hand, a woman calls herself 007 and it all ends on a Second World War military base with missiles set to go off.

There is really only one cardinal rule for Bond films: They have to be cool. There is nothing intricate or complicated about the best Bond films. They are the ultimate in fun and their feats of cinematic daring-do dwarf our wildest imaginations.

The chases and fights in Bond films are the benchmark of thrilling action sequences. Moneypenny is cool. Q is not cool but his gizmos are. Martinis that are shaken are cool. The glamorous locations where Bond struts his stuff, hot women in bikinis and backless gowns with a thigh holster are cool. And Bond films' villains, deadly, stunning and memorable, may not be cool, but they make the climactic fight of good over evil very cool.

The few high points of No Time To Die are moments when the film uses some of these old Bond tricks and treats  the signature Bond tune comes on during a chase, we smile when Craig says Im Bond, James Bond, and laugh when hes being mildly naughty in the bedroom.

Hans Zimmers music is fabulous, as are some of the car and bike chase sequences.

But all this is trivialised by a trite love-betrayal angle, a clueless child, and a villain who is forever whining about how he has been wronged.

Maleks Safin is like a sulking old relative who has been holding on to a grudge. He keeps talking about the same thing in a grating whisper, coming across as more creepy than scary.

In just one scene Christopher Waltz's Blofeld gives a masterclass in what velvety villainy is all about. He crawls on our skin and soul before getting under it.

Daniel Craig is amazing, but he is done with Bond.

His macho swag is intact, but his heart isnt in it. In the films last fight, his paunch worried me. And as he stood defeated by nanobots, a knitted doll tucked in his suspenders, I knew its time to say goodbye to Daniel Craig.

We come to Bond because his only true bond is with himself. Craig has, over five films, forged too many bonds and hes ready to die for them.

We need a Bond who never says die. Who stops missiles and then orders a martini. Not one who gets defeated by nanobots and is ready to die for love.

Craig is not the most dashing Bond. That trophy goes to Sean Connery. But his excitingly unreadable and rugged face, that sits so beautifully on a body and personality made up of British elegance, steely, Russian-esque, shirts-off grit and a taut bootie, is irresistible.

He deserved a better goodbye. And so did we.

No Time To Die

Cast: Daniel Craig, Lea Seydoux, Rami Malek, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw, Naomi Harris, Jeffery Wright, David Dencik, Christopher Waltz, Lashana Lynch

Direction: Cary Joji Fukunaga

Playing in theatres
West Australians who refuse to get vaccinated against COVID-19 are being warned they will eventually face consequences amid "troubling" hesitancy in some areas.

Almost half of West Australians aged 16 and over are fully vaccinated, while about two thirds have had at least one dose.

WA's continued border closures have helped prevent major outbreaks but acted as a disincentive against vaccination for those happy to remain isolated.

Health Minister Roger Cook on Monday again refused to nominate a reopening date, only saying it would be "towards the end of the year" when it's hoped more than 80 per cent of West Australians will have had two jabs.

But he warned some freedoms could be stripped from those who refused to cooperate.

"There will be consequences as a result of people not getting themselves vaccinated as we get towards those higher numbers," he told reporters.

"Push will come to shove at some point in the future."

Mr Cook acknowledged vaccination rates were "troubling" in some areas including his own electorate of Kwinana, south of Perth.

He added that some remote Aboriginal communities could remain closed off to visitors unless vaccination rates improved.

"We need to have a public conversation about what it looks like when those borders come down completely," he said.

"It means in Western Australia, that we'll be looking again towards masks playing a role in our lives, we will need to look again to potentially limiting the number of people in particular venues.

"It will be a challenging time but the only time we can confront that is when we have very high vaccination rates."

Authorities are keeping a close eye on the Stolt Sakura oil tanker docked in Fremantle after 12 of its 22 crew members tested positive for COVID-19.

Six of the crew have been taken to hospital in Perth, including two who are in intensive care in a serious but stable condition.

Story continues

WA Health reported on the weekend that a returned diplomat had tested positive to the virus while isolating at a Perth serviced apartment.

A family member has also tested positive but Mr Cook said other close contacts had been cleared and the public health risk was extremely low.

More than 150 passengers who boarded a Virgin flight from Adelaide to Perth last week are meanwhile being asked to isolate and get tested after South Australian authorities listed Adelaide Airport as a COVID-19 exposure site.
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"It's funny, because you take this perfectly good piece of fabric, cut it all up and sew it back together. But sewing it back together is a very mindful thing," she said of quilting. "It's very personal."

Along with her work space and quilt showroom area, Quilts by Commission carries inventory that hobbyists will be hard-pressed to find anywhere nearby, McCall said. Currently, the shop has vibrant Ankara cottons from Africa, and both silk kimonos and dyed indigo fabric from Japan, among other items. If not quilts, they're ideal for tote bags or other pieces of home decor, she suggested.

Also in the shop is a table where people can participate in charity quilts. The one there now is part of McCall's partnership with Cayuga County Habitat for Humanity, which since 2018 has seen her create welcome quilts for the families who work with the nonprofit to rehabilitate their next homes. Anyone, regardless of experience, can sit at the sewing machine and make a block for it.

As some learn their way around a needle, other quilters continue to advance the hobby as an art form, McCall said. The annual "Quilts=Art=Quilts" at the Schweinfurth Art Center, for instance, shows how some are using fabrics to send personal, political and other messages. Whether it's those artists or people new to quilting, she wants Quilts by Commission to cover them all.
Last week, SportsCenter host Sage Steeles comments about how Disney and ESPNs vaccine mandate were sick and scary made headlines. That clip was one provided to Awful Announcing and other websites in advance of her appearance on an upcoming episode of Uncut with Jay Cutler podcast.

Not included in those clips was one making the rounds on Sunday in which Steele discusses racial identity. In it, Steele, who is of African-American and Irish/Italian descent, is talking about a time she was asked how she would identify her race in the U.S. Census. In her answer, she pivots to President Barack Obama and throws a random dig out that is certainly raising some eyebrows on social media.

ESPN anchor Sage Steele told Jay Cutler it was fascinating Obama indicated he was Black on his census form considering his Black dad was nowhere to be found. pic.twitter.com/dfrnDydFd8  Resist Programming ? (@RzstProgramming) October 3, 2021

If they make you choose a race, what are you gonna put? Well, both, said Steele. Barack Obama chose black and hes biracialcongratulation to the President, thats his thing, I think thats fascinating considering his black dad is nowhere to be found but his white mom and grandma raised him, but okay. You do you. Im gonna do me.

Listen, Im pretty sure my white mom was there when I was born, she continues. And my white family loves me as much as my black family.

The larger point of the conversation was about how Steele identifies and far be it from anyone to tell her how to do so. But its the pointed way that Steele posits that a person with parents of different races shouldnt identify with one of them if that parent acts a certain way that is certainly rubbing people the wrong way. That ones own identification is owed to one parent over the other based on their actions. Not to mention the comment feeds into a lot of myths and negative connotations about black fathers.

As you might imagine, there were quite a few responses to this line of thinking on Twitter.

Le Sigh. My Dad wasnt around when I was younger. Im still Black. ??  Cari Champion (@CariChampion) October 3, 2021

Sage Steele is EXACTLY who we thought she was !!!!! https://t.co/6Ln62DouEm  Etan Thomas (@etanthomas36) October 3, 2021

Along with this and her comments about the vaccine policy and Obamas father, Steele also discusses her feelings on up-and-coming female journalists having to deal with harassment and worse from male athletes, saying that when you dress like that, Im not saying you deserve the gross comments, but you know what youre doing when youre putting that outfit on.

Its a bit unclear if Steele is trying to lose her job with ESPN, but given their disdain for talent who wade into political and cultural discussions, its hard not to imagine theyre noticing at this point.

[Uncut with Jay Cutler]
The Seattle Mariners are surging and trying to make the playoffs for the first time since 2001. Standing in their way in the Wild Card standings are the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, but its a moot point if the Mariners dont win out.

Saturday night, Seattle was in the middle of a three-game series with the Los Angeles Angels to wrap up the regular season. After dropping the first game in the series, the Mariners were fighting for their playoff lives. They entered the bottom of the 8th inning down 4-3 after giving up three runs in the top. They got themselves in prime position to retake the lead by loading the bases for Mitch Haniger, who smacked a two-run single that put the Ms up for good.

Mitch Haniger comes through again! A 2-run single with 2 outs in the 8th gives the Mariners a 5-4 lead. Haniger is 4-for-5 and has driven in all 5 M's runs.  pic.twitter.com/3rjHMEus4k  The Comeback (@thecomeback) October 3, 2021

The whole play is fantastic but putting it over the top is the call by Dave Sims. In a cool touch, there was a camera on Sims as he was watching everything unfold, and getting to see what hes doing while making the epic call makes it even better.

Sims has been the voice of the Mariners since 2007 so having the opportunity to call a playoff game would be pretty special to him. But regardless of whether or not Seattle is able to seal the deal, hes enjoying the heck out of the experience.

"I've been doing this as a long time as a writer and a broadcaster. This is one of the best nights I've ever had. This is awesome."  Mariners announcer Dave Sims, caught up in the moment.  Ian Browne (@IanMBrowne) October 3, 2021

While were at it, dont forget about Rick Rizzs, the radio voice of the Mariners, making the big call as well.

The crowd is going bonkers here at the corner of Edgar & Dave! You gotta love Rick Rizzs on the call. pic.twitter.com/DJbReS9RfL  Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) October 3, 2021

Seattle hosts the Angels Sunday afternoon and needs to win for a chance to make the playoffs (the potential scenarios are too complicated to break down here). Win or lose, Sims will be up the booth calling the action. On the chance they do something special, you might want to tune in.

[Mariners]
Chapter 8



Peter, we are going to have a beach party this saturday, do come, Melody texted in Wechat.

This saturday? replied Peter, I have to work all day till late on every weekend, the busiest time.

What a pity, Melody replied. Can't you just ask for a leave? We havent gone out for weeks!

Just then, the doorbell began to buzz. Peter saw a mans face turning up in the CCTV camera, so he quickly ended the Wechat session, Talk to you later Love.

His job, though paid handsomely, was not admirable by societal convention. It was a massage parlour, another name for a low-end brothel in Sydney. So he had never told anyone about his new job. Melody was still thinking he worked in a Yum Cha restaurant. But that job was canceled three weeks ago and while going through the ads in a Chinese newspaper, he came across a Receptionist Wanted at a Massage shop. He had heard about this type of indecent business but at that moment his curiosity overcame his aversion and at last, after a minute of hesitation, he dialed the number.

The boss was a Chinese Australian, a nice middle-aged woman, particularly kind, praising his good English, saying there is nothing wrong with the job, really. So her smiles, pretentious or not, had earned his trust, cleared much of his remaining concerns. Three weeks had now passed and he had earned the amount of money he would have had to work for months on other types of jobs.

Safety was the key consideration in running the business. Rose, the boss, had trained him extensively on how to tell the good and bad faces apart.

The one in the camera was rather typical. A little timid, shifty, anxious, daring not to look around but keeping alert for any passing eyes or sounds.

Without further scrutiny on the man, Peter pressed the button, and with a buzz, the heavy, metal-framed security door clicked to open.

Welcome, Sir, Peter greeted him politely with a smile, How may I help you?

The man muttered, Well

Peter, now certain he was not coming for any other purpose, beckoned him through the corridor, Follow me please.

Inside the room, Peter said to him, Take a seat and wait a second, and made his exit.

Three girls, then free and available, were in the living room watching TV. After being noticed they all arose, and after throwing off their outfit, filed into the room where the man was waiting. Peter stayed at the doorstep, while the girls lined up, in their bikinis, waving Hi and their names one after another to the customer.

When they were out of the room, Peter stepped in. So, what is your choice, Sir?

The man on the sofa, handling a colourful magazine, one of the pornography piles on the table, looked up and said uncertainly, Ehmm...the left one?

The left one? Kathy?

I didnt fetch her name.

Yes, that must be Kathy, said Peter, So what service, 30 minutes for $90, or 60 minutes for $160.

30 please.

The man was then led to another room, and Peter went out to inform Kathy of her new business.

An hour later, the man leaked out. Kathy had been clever enough to persuade him to have an extension.

As the receptionist, Peters job was answering calls, greeting customers and managing possible disputes. So far so good, the only disadvantage was that he couldnt find enough time with Melody. Since their trip to Hunter Valley, he had grown more in love with her. Her spirit, her active body, and of course her wealth, had combined to become a magic to him. With her, he was never bored, with plenty of her ideas and adventures, as well as his own that would also run more readily under her stimulation. And he wondered why he had not discovered this earlier in their first dates. And how absurd it had been that he could have disliked her simply because of her make-up.

But he couldnt spare time as freely as Melody, who didnt have to work. All she thought about was enjoying life, making love, going to an art gallery, doing all sorts of things that could help inspire her artistic creativity.

He had to admit that when he saw those ladies in the shop, half-naked, he did have a mans instinctive reaction, but instead of wanting them, he always wanted Melody. Does this prove my true love for her? he wondered. His experience with her was so sweet and unforgettable that it had consumed all his sextual imagination, and he felt he couldnt have enough of her.

Sometimes, the girls even flirted with him, who in their eyes was still a student, framed in a pair of innocent glasses. But no matter how erotic their figures were, he couldnt get rid of the feeling that they were somehow stained.

Peter, come over, Kathy was calling.

Peter left the desk and went to the room. Kathy was asking him to help tie up her bra from the back. He had helped her for quite a few times, and he knew that she had never given up seducing him.

Facing her sleek back and full and round buttocks, Peter gained the laces to meet at the tiny locks. Then just as Peter was about to leave, Kathy turned suddenly, grabbed one of his hands and placed it straight onto her hairy field.

Kathy  Peter laughed off, battling the Good and Bad sensation of the soft and rough, her wildly grown turf. I need to watch the camera closely or Rose will fire me on the spot.

And Kathy, giggling, her body in tremors, pushed him away.

Kathy was a girl never quite serious. She was from Vietnam, coming to Sydney as a tourist. She had creamy skin, with a fleshy waist-round and sizable breasts. She had once told him that she had a boyfriend in Vietnam who had been with her for four years.

Do you still love him? he asked. Why hadnt he accompanied you to Australia?

Of course I love him and we are planning to get married this spring, she spoke now in a more serious manner. But now I wish I could stay in Australia, and later find a way to bring him over.

That would be very difficult?

Yes, very, said Kathy. I may have to get someone to marry first, and then divorce, and then I can sponsor him.

That would take many years?

Yes, it is really hard, isnt it?

Well, good luck, Peter said, wishing her all the best in her better-life seeking endeavours.

One night after his evening shift, in Melody's car, the only love-bed of theirs for the last three weeks, Melody asked him to quit his now unusually busy restaurant job. We couldnt get away travelling because of it, she said unhappily, who was bodily connected on his lap, at the back seat.

With his hands Peter cupped her head and pressed it down so that he could glide his lips from her nipples along her neck up toward her lips. In her car, it was the best position after many of their experiments, with intimate eye contact of their connectivity.

You know, Melody, explained Peter. I have vowed to my parents to become independent when I get to university. My stubborn father had often argued that I was a boy much spoiled by my mother and more so by my grandparents. I have therefore resolved to change the way he was thinking of me. See, Melody, I cant do without a job, of all types, and the current one, although with long hours, has extremely, extremely big wages.

Amused by her favourite Extremely, Melody deliberated a jerky move that shot Peter a gasp and he had to squeeze her buttocks hard for a stop-signal.

Extremely big wages? Melody patted his face, At a Yum-cha house?

Yes, Peter decided to stick to his lie. It is unusually good, isnt it? But still it is just a kind of job. I have been trying many things, fruit picker, kitchen hand, office cleaner, even having learnt how to make cocktails so I can be a bartender.

Well, how could you get good pay at a restaurant? I have heard that Chinese bosses often pay less than the minimum wage to students. You are not telling me the truth, are you?

Peter was hesitating. Could he possibly hide it forever from her, as smart as she is?

Of course not. Okay, okay, but you promise you wont get overly surprised.

Melodys spirit went up, shaking him, Oh my god, you do have secrets from me, what, what, quick, quick...

Well, I am a receptionist, in a Massage.

Massage? her eyebrows twitched. Is it an honest massage, or for something else?

Something else.

Oh my god, Melody exclaimed, her body giving such a twist that his member nearly slipped out of her. You really work in that place?

Calm down, Melody, Peter begged, stabilizing her, now regretting having told her of his secret, It is nothing but a kind of job, taking phone calls, greeting customers, that is all.

But you see those girls?

Of course, but that is nothing, I don't feel a thing.

I dont believe you, she said, arent they beautiful, and sexy?

Well, sexy, of course, otherwise they may not have their job? But beautiful? I dont think so. Think for a moment, how can they be beautiful, considering they are doing that with so many men.

So you think they are...they are dirty?

Well, sort of

Oh, so interesting, I wonder how they can handle it?

You dont need to wonder, Melody, you are rich, never lacking money, and you have a free and strong mind, and never have to do anything you dont like.

Are there girls from China?

Kind of a mix, mostly from Asian countries and also occasionally Europeans, said Peter whose worry had now eased by many of her questions, and he added one more report intending to please her, There was once a journalist from Britain who, in my view, was the most beautiful western woman I had ever seen.

Ah? Melody stared intensely, So you ...

Oh, no, no, denied Peter in haste, How come, I am just a receptionist, Melody!

Melody laughed. But a receptionist has the potential to turn into a client, as convenient as you are. Anyway, tell me how beautiful she is.

Well, hard to describe, just like the face and figure of some movie star.

Why would she do such a thing?

Well, I heard from other girls that she needed money for her holiday, and also she found it a good way to know more about men and the general society, as the need of her profession of journalist, serving multiple purposes.

Oh, such a novice but terrible idea, said Melody, But could it really be a way to understand men, and society?

Well, it must be, Peter said, at least to her.

Are you sure you have not  with her? Melody pinched his ears. If you tell me another lie, I would she began to nibble his lips.

The moment his mouth was set free, Peter went on explaining, Melody, you should have faith in me, see, to me, she was only like a clothes model or a kind of good looking sculpture. I can only have a real desire for Asian girls, as I have realized after seeing her...

Melody cut in swiftly, Seeing her, whom? Seeing her what?

Peter knew he had made another blunder. Now he had to reveal more to complete the whole picture. Well, in addition to taking calls and receiving customers, I also need to check and clean up things after they have finished, and oftentimes the girls are still naked, putting on their flimsy things. But, dont allow your imagination to go off the track, I am all acting Professionally, and it is forbidden for me to have any affairs with them.

So, you see her naked?

Peter answered with a hard kiss. And just at that moment Peter had lost his control and, seizing her with all his might, he emptied his body and soul into her, who had sucked him like the black hole of the sun.

The next day, Melody sent a message, Peter, can I visit your shop?

Peter was alarmed, Why?

Dont panic, I am only curious, I just want to know what it is like.

Oh, my god, I thought you were so impressed by that journalist, and ..

Peter, what are you thinking about, in no way I would do that.

Melody, listen, I wont let you come near the place, Peter said, unusually firm.

Why?

No reason, just no, no, no, I dont want you to have the least trace of that feeling.

Her next text came a little late, showing the rare retreatment from her strong-headed ways, Okay, may I have another easier ask then, can you introduce one of the girls, preferably Chinese to me?

Why?

Just have a chat, you see, I want to know more about Them.

But I don't think they would like to talk to you. Even myself have little chance chatting with Chinese girls, said Peter, It is understandable that they avoid any possible encounters that may lead to their exposure.''

Try your best anyway, I will double the price paid to them, telling them I mean no harm.

Really, double price? Peter was amazed, and stopped short of saying you could just pay me for that sort of information. Melody, dont waste your money. What I have already told you is not enough for you?

Certainly not, I need the perspective from a woman, and they wont tell you a man everything in that nature. See, I am not bold enough to try it myself like that Journalist, hahaha...

Melody, you are either crazy or really bored to death.

Come on, Peter, I just want to have a chat. That is all.

Well, I may try but I cant guarantee.

Bingo, I am Waiting for you.

And Peter knew what her Waiting really meant.

Three days later a meeting was arranged for Melody, and Mellisa who was a sophomore university student as she had revealed to him for the first time. The place was in a German bar at Rocks, only ten minutes of walk from the Opera House.

Peter accompanied them to the bar, and, after downing a one-litre jug of the German beer, he left them alone, so that the two girls could retain their females privacy.

Mellisa, thank you for agreeing to see me, began Melody, very much in the tone of a journalist.

Never mind, and thank you as well, returned Mellisa, who in her jeans looked as natural and innocent as any other girl of her age.

You know, since Peter told me he worked at the place, my curiosity was so strong that I even conceived the idea of doing it for one or two days myself, for the sake of a lifetime experience. I know this sounds exceedingly crazy, but you know, I sometimes can't resist that kind of fantasy.

Melissa, amused and much relaxed by Melodys fantasy, burst into laughter.

Sorry, no offense, she apologized for her outburst, But yes, it is exceedingly crazy. And my advice here is, you should never ever contemplate the idea, even if you are desperately in need of quick money like me before, which is clearly not in your case. See I should never have started it in the first place.

But Peter told me that there had been a British journalist who were quite okay with gaining such experience.

You mean Natalie? said Mellisa, but how could we Chinese compare to her? They have a very different culture, living their own life, individualist as they are. But we tend to live in a close-knitted community, we dont have the option not to care about other peoples opinion.

Well, I cant entirely agree with you. We are after all China's new generation. People on the planet are not much different from each other, save for the environments in which we are brought up, Melody paused to sip her dark beer, forked a short piece of German sausage and sent it to her mouth. I just want to know how one may feel, I mean, doing it with a great number of total strangers.

Well, that experience is not fun at all if you must imagine sorry, what is your name again?

Melody.

Melody, trust me, it is absolutely not fun at all. Most of the girls are just for the quick money, only very very few who might take it as a kind of lifestyle, even for the more open westerners.

Would you mind then telling me how you felt about it, especially at the beginning? said Melody, going straight to the critical part of her interest.

Mellisa drank her beer, as if borrowing some courage from it in order to revisit her past. My first time was a real shock, though somehow I felt amazed as much as disgusted. The man was a very fat man, nearly three times my size everywhere. I had never seen such an enormity, in its naked form, with flesh wrapping and creasing in every place. During the process, I was half-dazed, kind of smothered, and molested by a slow-moving and panting monster, and I was not exactly able to feel what he was doing to me.

How? You couldnt feel?

I guessed I had been super nervous, you know, for the first time, and it was not at all like what I had pictured in the scenarios. And later, like most first timers, I kept washing my body, a hundred times, but that kind of feeling will never go away. It is not about the actual stuff, dirt as such, rather than the mind and memory.

So have you been feeling any better, or worse, since then?

How could it be better? Even if you are not as nervous, you then have your full attention back to your physicals, that is when you feel repulsed by the very intrusion, you feel you are a toilet.

Oh, what a word... Melody couldnt help but be amused, So .. have you had any pleasure at all, I mean even the mere physical response, under some rare circumstances?

No, no, never to me, pleasure has never been a word for me. Some other girls told me they had feelings occasionally, but not me. I couldnt have any kind of positive feelings in it. It was a monetary transaction, I was a machine. I just wanted it to finish quickly.

Not even when the man is very good-looking, or say, has a great athlete body with six-packs?

In that case, your mind would be busily wondering about this strange man, and couldnt relax even if you had wished so. Your mind is in contradiction with your body, like oil and water, not compatible. Sometimes your body might be caught unawares by what they did to you, and so provoked, but your mind was always ready to suppress it.

Oh...how could you separate your mind and body?

Well, you force it, until it becomes a habit. The body is not thinking, yet still alive to feel things. So I must rally my mind to fight against it. This is not like when I am with my boyfriend, where they can be on the same page.

You have a boyfriend?

Yes, he is also a student here.

Ah?

Yes, it is surprising, isnt it? But he would never know about it, and I love him, more so after all my secret suffering experience. My real feelings are all reserved for him. Oftentimes I had to close my eyes only thinking of him to pass the hard times.

Oh

Since my fathers business turned bad, I have been making money to support myself. My parents are already in deep debt, and I dont want to add more burden to them.

It is really hard for you.

Yes, but what can I do? I have done a lot of jobs, most paying very little, let alone the number of hours is limited by my study. I still need graduation otherwise it will be a total sinking of my life.

Cant your boyfriend help?

He comes from an average family, having to work hard to make money too.

Melody, who had never had to worry about money, for the moment had a surge of sympathy for the poor couple, and also seemed to understand more about her hard-working Peter, and her enduring resentment towards her parents, for not having cared for her enough in her earlier years, seemed aso lessening, and she suddenly felt she was missing them and wanted to see them and embrace them, with their faces now replacing her grandmas in the moments of her reminisces.

Melody drank a large mouthful, followed minutely by Mellisa. After a minute more of silence, Mellisa continued, Some men were really rude, and curel, that was when you would feel scared. And that was also when my tears might just come, without warning. They, like a vampire, seemed to enjoy it. I am afraid those terrible faces will just stay with me for the rest of my life as a nightmare.

Did they really hurt you, I mean physically?

Not much of that physically if that is what you mean. But the whole thing is kind of being raped, when you have no feelings, especially when some men seem never to finish. The worst is that they may think you begin to have some feelings, and went more excited.

That is horrible.

Yes, that is why some girls used drugs to help them cope. But then, some customers were very nasty, who would complain about you being like a robot, not nice and kind and conversational to them, and even refused to pay the money. Anyway, I am going to quit as soon as I have enough to pay for my two more years of tuition and expenses.

What are the ways of protecting yourselves

You mean contraception?

Yes.

Oh, you remind me of a terrible guy, who deliberately let it drop off in the process. As soon as I felt something was not right, I yanked him off. I was so angry and panicked that I shouted at him before rushing out of the room, to clean myself hundreds of times.

That is terrible... but, have you met any nicer and kinder men at all?

Of course, most of the men are okay, gentlemen like. Some of them dont do anything, just talk with you and pay you and go. In some ways, we are like doctors, or psychiatrists. Well, there are all sorts of different people, like a circus of male animales.

Are there many Chinese men, or students?

I met some Chinese tourists, quite annoying actually. They said they came to this place to find Oz girls - foreign ladies, and were disappointed to have only Chinese available. It was so shameless for them to say it in front of me, as if me, a pretty enough Chinese, could only be their second choice. If not for the sake of money, I would slap hard on their faces.

Why didnt they go to other places to get what they wanted?

Well, perhaps they didnt know how.

Any students?

Yes and they are mostly very shy. And I guess quite a number of them are first timers. Honestly, those were the times I could feel a little bit fun, and even wanted to help them a bit. After all, they are our nicer country fellows, hahaha...

Affected by Mellisas better mood, the air of their conversation was lightened. In the eyes of other diners around them, they were a pair of close friends with great merriments.

Mellisa, I want to know something more private, if you dont mind.

Well it is okay, that is why I am here with you anyway.

Ehm... Melody hesitated, I don't know how to put this. It is, how would you feel when you make love with your boyfriend, the one you really love, after this? You said you had all the feelings for him...but..

Well, there was of course a negative impact. I couldnt concentrate enough and he often thought I was just tired. And I tended to automatically compare him to other men of so many different sizes and figures. Anyway, one thing is certain, I get distracted easily and feel less and less thrilled by him.

Are you saying it affects your physical feeling?

Yes, definitely. My body was not so responsive to him. I am afraid that is the price I have to pay, and I may never recover from it.

Ehmm, that is no good, Melody gave a thoughtful comment, is there anything positive, well, you know what I mean, for example, that you know better about man so that you know better how to handle them, or know better about the human nature and do better in your future marriage or career for example?

I guess so. I think I understand more about the nature of man. For example, they can be exceedingly different between in-the-state and out-of-the-state.

What do you mean by that?

That is, when they are aroused, they are kind of controlled by their lower half of body, as if they are drugged that way, do the things they wouldnt do at normal times, she took a sip and continued, Another learning is that, so many graciously looking persons, are not actually happy, I have seen lawyers, sometimes politicians, people with prestigious positions, who, like all men, wanted mere strangers to listen to them. They are very much the same, I think, when without clothes on.

Haha, but they can still be very different, returned Melody. Another thing, after your experience, do you think you have become more mature, more rational, and less emotional?

I think I become more independent, more insensitive. Put this way, if one day I find my boyfriend betray me, I may not feel as furious as others. So long as he only did it out of his lower half of body, I may forgive him more easily.

That is interesting, said Melody, running to the end of her questions. Well, that is all for me, and thank you again for your time.

Melody texted Peter to ask him to come back and he replied, Melody, I am here at Opera Bar, can you two just come here. The scenery is extremely fantastic.

So, Melody called the waitress and paid the bill. Then the two strolled towards the opera bar which was located at the base of the Opera House.

But half way, Mellsia said, I think I better go, you two enjoy the rest of the evening.

Melody, who by now had almost treated her as one of her friends, remembered what Peter had told her that Mellisa couldnt possibly befriend anyone who had known her secret.

Well then, thank you very much, really, said Melody, handing her an envelope with the payment.

At a table in the open area of the Opera Bar, Peter said joyfully, So, Melody, are you happy now? Is your curiosity properly satisfied, if not extremely?

Well, it is fulfilling properly, laughed Melody, I cant imagine such a beautiful girl doing this sort of thing.

Well, that is her secret. Everyone must have their secret, mustnt they?

Tell me yours?

My entire secret is buried in you already, you should tell me yours instead, Peter said, Tell me more about your other boyfriends, your secrets, your fantasies...

If I tell you, I am afraid you will be so jealous that you would run jumping over into this sea, Melody said, pointing her finger at the shimmering waves.

Am I so vulnerable?

Peter, seriously, have you ever had the temptation to go to Massage?

Well, Peter smiled, The truth is, no. I know you wont believe me. But I just think they are dirty. You know what, everytime I go into the room and dispose of the stuff, it is kind of disgusting...

Are you a kind of cleanliness freak?

Well, sort of, my imagination cant go too tangible, like what is occurring at my workplace.

So, honestly, you dont have any possible sextual inclination, as a man, towards Mellisa?

Only if I dont know what she has been doing.

Melody thought for a moment, and let her words out bluntly, You know, I had boyfriends before, so...?

Well, that is a totally different matter, Peter said, feeling embarrassed, as he found he could not even convince himself. Well, Melody, I dont know any of your boyfriends so in my mind, you are just with me, with no one else, Tangibly with me.

Melody decided not to embarrass him further. Ha, lets forget it, lets sit on the stony chair on the bank, and drink.

But it is cold to sit.

It is cold for you, not me.

Peter, catching her hint, sat on the surface, while Melody sat on him.

The moon was shiny, with the mosquito-like seagulls crossing it. The petals of Opera House looked like an array of egg shells, with a mix of white lights gleaming on the surface. It was so much more beautiful in the cover of night, Peter thought, than a mere spread of tiles in the daylight that would cruelly expose its sallow stains and possible cracks imposed by nature.





~ To Be Continued ~
1. Just go have a cup of coffee (difference between a manager and a leader):

* mangers tell you what to do

* leaders inspire/influence you (relationship, trust, etc.)

2. Try (to apply for things like management/MBA programs), it does not hurt.

3. AI (third time coming to us):

* We are not asking machines to "do" (things) this time

* We are asking machines to "think" for us (even tougher: to "feel" for us)

4. TSMC vs NVDA (He worked at TSMC for 10 years and started the TSMC R&D when no other foundries were doing R&D)

1) Both are great companies with commonalities

2) Both hold integrity/intelectual integrity as #1 rule

3) Diffs:

a) TSMC has less tolerance toward mistakes (nature of the business --- yield) (but its R&D is just like NVDA --- risk taking and tolerance toward failures)

b) NVDA is very tolerant for mistake (has to innovate or will die anyways, so must take risk tolerate failures)

5. Do right things at the right time (visionary)

a) Bill Gates: do PC when nobody is

b) Steve Jobs: do tablet when people laugh at him

c) TSMC: do foundry when people think he is crazy

d) NVDA: do "CPU computation with GPU's power" 12 years (year 2009) when nobody does it (ahead by 12 years!)

Q&A session:

1. Education: when I was not internalizing the management knowledge at school. But later on in my career when I look at the notes and the books, they became the foundation of my leadership skills!

2. Universities have a very close relationship with, and pay attention to, the industries. But as professors, their focus should be on teaching! Today's professors are over-drawn to industries to make money with their Ph.D students rather than teaching!

3. Professors: Academic teaching is more important than application-driven research

(Peter Yeh: well, Bell Labs, IBM research, academic research funding are down. So we need what you said, not to replace those that are down)

4. AI will not kill human being(because it did not invent us). But like a-bomb, we need leaders to have the ethics. --- China has done exceedingly well in Sci and Tech and Economics. But I keep worrying if their ethics is progressing the same way?

5. Advice to young people:

a) dont work too hard. Have fun but be a nice person (USA was like that 30 years ago. Drawn to USA not because of standard of living or economics)

b) dont focus on loboring as AI-maching can do that. Focus on intelligence and innovation

c) Holistic view: never understimate the intelligence of people not in your field of expertise. They can sometimes bring in excellent solution to your problem.

d) dont let robot play gold/sing karoke. You do it!

6. Is computer science a must-have for people entering AI field?

a) I feel that "science + art" is something AI can shine on!

b) AI/Deep-learning training what everyone needs

c) Learning w/o thinking, you will be confused. Thinking w/o learning, your thinking will dryout quickly (/

7. NVDA has transformed from IC component company to IC Chip-platform company

8. Learn less, think more:

- 20-40% people in companies are wasting their time --- they are just doing w/o thinking

-10% people in companies are counter-productive
By Tetsushi Kajimoto

TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan will compile a large extra budget immediately after a looming general election to ease the economic blow of the pandemic and boost long-term growth in key areas, a ruling party heavyweight said on Sunday.

"What must be tackled at first is vaccinations. This is the strongest of coronavirus measures," Akira Amari, newly appointed secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), told public broadcaster NHK's political debate programme.

Japan should boost its vaccination rate from the current 60%to 70% to 80%, levels seen as easing anxiety among the public, Amari said.

"We have responded with various measures by tapping emergency budget reserves. Now that the reserves are drying up, we will compile a considerably large extra budget immediately after the election."

Given dire public finances, Japan's incoming prime minister, Fumio Kishida https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/japans-ruling-party-votes-new-leader-who-will-almost-certainly-be-next-pm-2021-09-28, may have little choice but to sell more government bonds https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/japan-may-sell-more-bonds-fund-next-premier-kishidas-stimulus-package-2021-10-01 to fund a pandemic-relief package that he said would be worth hundreds of billions of dollars.

Amari, a former economy minister seen as a key ally of Japan's longest-serving premier, Shinzo Abe https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/japan-shadow-shogun-abe-assured-clout-over-next-pm-kishida-2021-09-30, said the supplementary budget would focus on the environment, digital and infrastructure.

He said the government may consider extending job subsidies, while Keiichi Ishii, his counterpart at the LDP's small coalition partner Komeito, called for cash payments of 100,000 yen ($900) to everyone up to 18 years old, or roughly 20 million people.

CABINET LINEUP

Kishida, a former foreign minister who won the LDP's leadership race on Wednesday, is expected to be elected prime minister by parliament on Monday, replacing Yoshihide Suga, by virtue of the party's majority in the lower house. He is expected to name his cabinet later in the day.

Story continues

He will lead the LDP in a general election that must be held by Nov. 28.

Finance Minister https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/former-olympics-minister-suzuki-be-next-japan-finance-minister-yomiuri-2021-09-30 Taro Aso's brother-in-law, Shunichi Suzuki, is set to replace Aso, while Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi will keep his post, Japanese media said.

Hirokazu Matsuno, an education minister in Abe's cabinet, is set to become chief cabinet secretary, a core position and the top government spokesperson, reports said.

Kishida will retain Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi - younger brother of Abe - and name Education Minister and Abe ally Koichi Hagiuda as trade and industry minister, the point person on energy policy, NHK reported.

Finance ministry bureaucrat-turned lawmaker Takayuki Kobayashi is likely to assume the new post of minister dealing with economic security policy, with an eye on assertive China, NHK said.

Former deputy trade minister Daishiro Yamagiwa will likely become economy minister, implementing coronavirus measures and running the prime minister's Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy advisory group.

Seiko Noda, who ran against Kishida, is likely to get a ministerial post along with some other female lawmakers, NHK said, in line with Kishida's aim of having women make up 30% or more of his cabinet.

Tetsuo Saito, Komeito's number two, is likely to be named transport minister, replacing fellow Komeito lawmaker Kazuyoshi Akaba, media reported.

($1 = 111.0500 yen)

(Reporting by Tetsushi Kajimoto; Editing by Christopher Cushing and William Mallard)
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha Harivansh (Photo/ANI)

By Amit Kumar

New Delhi [India], October 3 (ANI): The seventh G-20 Parliamentary Speakers Summit is scheduled to be held on October 7-8 in Rome, the capital of Italy.

An eight-member parliamentary delegation from India including Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh and Secretary Generals of both Houses of Parliament are set to participate in the summit.

Sources from Parliament told ANI that the Summit is expected to discuss a variety of issues including response to the social and employment crisis caused by the COVID -19 pandemic.

Duarte Pacheco President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) will address the Summit in the opening session and Prime Minister of Italy, Mario Draghi will be the keynote speaker.

"The seventh G-20 Parliamentary Speakers Summit will also discuss, rebooting economic growth in terms of social and economic environmental sustainability and 'Sustainability and food Security after the COVID-19 pandemic'," sources further said. (ANI)
Business man on stock market financial trade indicator background.

Written by Daniel Da Costa at The Motley Fool Canada

After a September that saw stocks sold off considerably and suffered one of the worst months of the pandemic, its understandable to wonder about the state of the stock market right now.

Volatility has been slowly creeping into markets lately for several reasons. However, despite the increase in volatility and headwinds the market and economy are facing, they are no different than theyve been for the last year.

Although the market may look choppy sometimes, you dont have to worry about short-term volatility if you invest for the long run. Plus, you dont want to sit on the sidelines forever trying to wait for the perfect opportunity to buy stocks.

So if youre going to invest your money and want to grow it meaningfully, you must forget about the volatility and buy stocks that you want to own for years.

Here are three of the best stocks on the market to help you get started today.

A highly safe utility stock if youre worried about a market pullback

If youre concerned about the state of the stock market, one of the first stocks you might want to buy is a safe utility stock like Fortis (TSX:FTS)(NYSE:FTS). Fortis is a massive electric and gas utility stock that serves over three million customers.

Utilities are excellent investments because the services they offer are essential to customers. So its not an industry where you ever have to worry about a slowdown in sales.

Furthermore, the assets are regulated, and the industry has huge barriers to entry, making utility stocks extra-low risk. Because of this, utilities are excellent dividend stocks and are some of the best investments to protect your money.

Fortis, for example, has increased its dividend for 47 consecutive years, and today its stock yields an impressive 3.8%.

So if youre worried about the state of the stock market but want to get your feet wet and start investing, Fortis is one of the best low-risk stocks you can buy today.

Story continues

A top long-term holding

If youre looking to take on a bit more risk than a stock like Fortis, you may want to consider a top stock like AltaGas (TSX:ALA).

AltaGas is still a highly safe stock like Fortis. In fact, a large portion of its portfolio is a gas utility business. However, AltaGas also owns midstream operations in the energy industry. So although its total revenue isnt as safe as Fortiss, AltaGas is a stock that offers more growth potential for investors.

In fact, as the energy industry recovers, AltaGas is seeing a major recovery in its operations. And with new projects like the Ridley Island Propane Export Terminal helping to bring Canadian energy to international markets, AltaGas has tonnes of growth prospects.

Year-to-date, the stock is already up nearly 40%, making it one of the most impressive companies on the market. So if youre looking to invest your money today, AltaGas is an excellent choice for a long-term investment.

A high-growth stock

Finally, for investors who are looking to take on more risk and looking for a stock that offers some of the best growth potential on the stock market, you may want to consider Voyager Digital (TSX:VOYG).

Voyager Digital is a unique cryptocurrency stock that is growing its business rapidly. Through a series of impressive acquisitions, Voyager Digital has built an incredible cryptocurrency company thats seeing its operations expand exponentially.

The company offers users a platform to buy over 60 different cryptocurrencies at some of the fastest speeds and lowest prices. It also offers the ability to buy over 30 assets that you can stake to receive a yield on your investment.

Thats not all, though. Voyager also has an exchange based out of Europe and even has its own token with a market cap of more than $500 million. As a result, its business has exploded in popularity along with the rest of the crypto industry.

In just one year, its assets under management went from $150 million to more than $5 billion showing the rapid growth potential of its portfolio.

So if youre looking for one of the top growth stocks on the market, Voyager Digital looks like an excellent stock to buy and hold for years.

The post Is it Safe to Invest in the Stock Market Right Now? appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada.

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2021
During the opening episode of the new season of Saturday Night Live, cast members paid tribute to former SNL cast member Norm Macdonald.

Macdonald died last month (14 September) age 61, after a long illness with cancer. He was one of the most popular members of the long-running comedy show in the US, often hosting the shows Weekend Update slot.

Michael Che and Colin Jost paid tribute to MacDonald, devoting the final minute of their sketch to classic moments from the comedian.

These included jokes about Bill Clintons marriage, a poorly planned airport and a building climber known as Snakeman. The montage closed with a clip of Macdonald delivering a pointed joke about O J Simpson - something the comedian alleged led to him being removed from the show in 1998.

Introducing the tribute, Jost said: It is a bittersweet night for us tonight. Norm is the reason that I ever wanted to do Weekend Update and so tonight we thought wed turn the last few jokes of Update over to Norm.

Pete Davidson also paid his own tribute, wearing a Norm Macdonald t-shirt during another sketch.

SNL creator Lorne Michaels paid tribute to Macdonald last month, saying: All of us here at SNL mourn the loss of Norm Macdonald, one of the most impactful comedic voices of his or any other generation.

There are so many things that well miss about Norm  from his unflinching integrity to his generosity to his consistent ability to surprise. But most of all he was just plain funny. No one was funny like Norm.

Macdonald was a cast member on SNL from 1993-98 and was most well known for the shows Weekend Update segments along with his droll, deadpan style.

He was born on 17 October 1959 in Quebec City, and began his career in the comedy clubs of Canada. He appeared as a contestant on Star Search in 1990 after which he was hired to write for Roseanne Barrs sitcom Roseanne between 1992-93. He joined SNL in 1993 and remained there for five years.

After leaving SNL in 1998, Macdonald went on to star in his own comedy series, The Norm Show which ran from 1999-2001. He also had a recurring role on The Middle and appeared on numerous late night chat shows over the years including Late Night With David Letterman and Conan.
The interesting reason why NOAA is a part of the U.S. Department of Commerce

The interesting reason why NOAA is a part of the U.S. Department of Commerce

This Day In Weather History is a daily podcast by Chris Mei from The Weather Network, featuring stories about people, communities and events and how weather impacted them.

--

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is an American agency that monitors oceanic and atmospheric conditions, forecasts weather, charts the sea, manages the protection of marine life and more. It operates under the United States Department of Commerce. Though NOAA is a result of multiple predecessors, it was officially formed on Saturday, Oct. 3, 1970.

President Richard Nixon wanted to create an agency that supported "better protection of life and property from natural hazardsfor a better understanding of the total environment[and] for exploration and development leading to the intelligent use of our marine resources".

1024px-NOAA WP-3D Orions

"Two NOAA WP-3D Orions." Courtesy of Wikipedia

Nixon listed NOAA under the Department of Commerce instead of the Department of Interior because he was feuding with the interior secretary, Wally Hickel. They disagreed on Nixon administration's Vietnam War policy. Nixon disliked a letter Hickel wrote that urged him to cede to the Vietnam War demonstrators. So, Nixon punished Hickel and didn't give him NOAA.

NOAA emerged from previous organizations such as the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, formed in 1807, the Weather Bureau of the United States, formed in 1870, and the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries, which was formed in 1871.

NOAA has six major line offices, including the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the National Ocean Service (NOS), and the National Weather Service (NWS).

Since 2001, NOAA has led the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's working group to address climate science. In 2017, NOAA employed over 11,000 civilian employees.

800px-NOAA logo.svg

"National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the U.S. logo." Courtesy of Wikipedia

In 1971, NOAA received its official emblem. "A white, gull-like form links the atmosphere to the sea or Earth. The Earth and atmosphere and the interrelationships between the two are, of course, major concerns of NOAA," said NOAA's first administrator, Dr. Robert White. "The line defining the top of the gull's wings also resemble the trough of a foaming ocean wave against the blue sky. A creature of sea, land, and air, the gull adds an ecological touch to the Earth-sky motif."

To learn more about NOAA, listen to today's episode of "This Day In Weather History."

Subscribe to 'This Day in Weather History': Apple Podcasts | Amazon Alexa | Google Assistant | Spotify | Google Podcasts | iHeartRadio | Overcast'
Justin Trudeau drives a tractor at the International Plowing Match and Rural Expo in Walton, Ont., on Friday, September 22, 2017. Research suggests a rural-urban split between Liberal and Conservative supporters has been deepening since the 1960s. (Chris Donovan/Canadian Press - image credit)

According to Elections Canada, the metropolitan areas of Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver  the country's three biggest cities  account for 116 of Canada's 338 ridings. And the results in those ridings help to tell the story of both the Liberal victory and a fundamental split in federal politics.

Of those 116 ridings, the Liberals won 86  more than half of their national total. The Conservatives won just eight.

That Liberal strength in cities is part of an urban-rural split that now defines the electoral map in Canada. New research suggests the urban-rural divide between the Liberal and Conservative parties has never been wider.

But that split raises questions that go beyond partisan competition.

That new research was produced by professors David Armstrong and Zack Taylor of Western University and Jack Lucas from the University of Calgary. Using data on population density, location, economic activity and social diversity, they developed a new measure of "urbanity" that allows them to track long-term trends in party support since Confederation.

What they found is that Canada's two major parties began to diverge in the 1960s: Liberal support began to get more urban, Conservative support began to get more rural. That trend accelerated after the Canadian Alliance and Progressive Conservative parties merged in 2003 to become the modern Conservative Party. The gap between the two parties was larger than ever before in 2019.

Then it got even bigger in 2021. According to the work done by Armstrong, Lucas and Taylor, the Liberals won all 25 of the most urban ridings in Canada and 109 of the top 150 most urban ridings. The Conservatives won just 23 of those urban ridings.

Identity and party

Of the 150 least urban ridings, the Liberals won 34 while the Conservatives took 81.

An urban-rural political divide is not unique to Canada. But there could be many reasons explaining why Canadian politics has developed this way  everything from economic and social trends to policy choices to the lasting significance of political foundations that were built 60 years ago.

Story continues

"On one side, Prime Minister [John] Diefenbaker's identity as a small town Prairie lawyer, and his bitter criticism of business and media elites in Canada's big cities, may have pushed professionals and wealthy voters in urban areas away from their traditional loyalties," the researchers write.

Chuck Mitchell/Canadian Press

"At the same time, a profound transformation inside the Liberal Party, in which a set of highly educated urban professionals came to play a leading role both as strategists and political candidates, appears to have increased the Liberal Party's appeal in the urban context."

To some extent, the divide might be accentuated by the first-past-the-post system, Taylor said. Though a colour-coded electoral map might suggest otherwise, there are still people living in rural Alberta who vote Liberal and residents of downtown Toronto who vote Conservative.

Polarization and policy

The dangers of polarization have been evident across Western democracies over the last six years. But the existence of an urban-rural divide in voting patterns isn't necessarily cause for panic  even if it's always important to mind the gaps.

"What I worry about is that when parties become uncompetitive in each other's turf for very long periods of time ... they can't recruit good candidates, they can't be visible to voters. And as a result, they don't really hear what people in those regions want and what their hopes and aspirations and fears are," Taylor said in an interview.

"And that means that there's kind of a policy tin ear for whichever party manages to cobble together a winning coalition."

After the 2019 election, some observers expressed concerns about a lack of Western representation in Justin Trudeau's cabinet. Before that, Stephen Harper had to go to extraordinary lengths to find cabinet ministers from Vancouver and Montreal.

In their own study for the Public Policy Forum earlier this year, Peter Loewen, Sean Speer and Stephanie Bertolo used survey data from the 2019 election to compare public opinion in 84 rural ridings with the views held by voters in the other 264 "non-rural" ridings.

Divided on the big questions

The researchers stressed that "most disagreement between urban and rural Canadians is a matter of degree rather than fundamental principle" and "there is ultimately more that connects than separates urban and rural Canadians." But they also found notable differences on a few big issues: climate change and carbon taxes, immigration and trust in government.

Those could be some of the defining political issues of the next 30 years. But how much those differences matter, Lucas said, might depend on whether urban and rural areas are simply moving along the same trajectory at different speeds or are actually diverging.

Dave Chidley/The Canadian Press

"People disagree in politics, along many dimensions. There are differences in the average policy positions of Canadians on gender and on region and on age and on any number of other things, including place of residence. And those disagreements in themselves are part of what it means to have competitive democratic representation," Lucas said.

"Where they turn into polarized politics is when they're connected to misperceptions of 'the other' and also kind of resentment where anything that is going to benefit the other side must be a bad thing."

'Somewheres' and 'anywheres'

In an increasingly urbanized country, the party best able to appeal to urban voters might have a significant advantage. But the Liberal Party's dominance in urban Canada doesn't absolve the Trudeau government of the responsibility to speak and act with all Canadians in mind.

That same responsibility to avoid stoking resentment can be applied to the Conservative Party. Last year, Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole flirted with the idea that the world could be divided between "somewheres" and "anywheres." He didn't stick with that thesis, at least publicly, but the Conservative platform did state that the country can't afford "a recovery for downtown Toronto" alone.

Nothing about politics in a democracy is destined to continue uninterrupted. At some point, the electoral map might end up looking very different.

For now, the urban-rural split is a window into how federal politics has developed over the last 60 years. But, with any luck, what unites urban and rural voters will continue to transcend their differences.
(CNN)  Taiwan has reported a record number of incursions by Chinese warplanes into its air defense identification zone (ADIZ) for the second day in a row, Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense said on Saturday night.

The self-governing island said a total of 39 Chinese military aircraft entered the ADIZ on Saturday, one more than the 38 planes it spotted on Friday.

The 38 and 39 planes respectively are the highest number of incursions Taiwan has reported in a day since it began publicly reporting such activities last year.

The incursions on Saturday came in two batches  20 planes during daytime hours and 19 planes at night, the ministry said in two statements. They were made by 26 J-16 fighter jets, 10 Su-30 fighter jets, two Y-8 anti-submarine warning aircraft and one KJ-500 airborne early warning and control plane, the Defense Ministry said.

In response to the incursions, the Taiwanese air force scrambled aircraft, issued radio warnings, and deployed air defense missiles systems, the ministry added.

Maps provided by the Taiwan Defense Ministry showed all of the Chinese flights on Saturday were in the extreme southwestern part of the island's ADIZ.

The incursions did not violate Taiwan's airspace, which extends 12 nautical miles from its coast. The US Federal Aviation Administration defines an ADIZ as "a designated area of airspace over land or water within which a country requires the immediate and positive identification, location and air traffic control of aircraft in the interest of the country's national security."

Before the past two days, the previous single-day record for People's Liberation Army (PLA) flights into Taiwan's ADIZ was in June, when 28 Chinese military planes entered.

The incursions on Friday came as Beijing celebrated 72 years since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

Taiwan and mainland China have been governed separately since the end of a civil war more than seven decades ago, in which the defeated Nationalists fled to Taipei.

However, Beijing views Taiwan as an inseparable part of its territory  even though the Chinese Communist Party has never governed the democratic island of about 24 million people.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has refused to rule out military force to capture Taiwan if necessary.

In the past, analysts have said the PLA's flights likely serve several purposes for China, both demonstrating the strength of the PLA to a domestic audience and giving the Chinese military intelligence and skills it would need in any potential conflict involving Taiwan.

"Xi Jinping has instructed the PLA to heighten its readiness and prepare for warfighting under 'realistic fighting conditions.' Hence, it is relatively unsurprising that the PLA continues to fly into Taiwan's ADIZ as part of realistic training and preparation for armed conflict," Derek Grossman, a senior defense analyst at the RAND Corporation policy think tank, told CNN on Saturday.

Despite the increase in PLA flights and the harsh rhetoric, Grossman doesn't think combat is imminent.

"I don't think there is a high or even medium probability of a Chinese attack or invasion of Taiwan," he told CNN.

"The PLA still has many vulnerabilities, especially when faced with the near-certain intervention of the United States with possibly  probably?  Japanese and Australian support," he added. "China understands the severe downsides of a failed attack or invasion of Taiwan and will probably continue to bide its time."

But any intended message from Beijing may not be about the main island of Taiwan, other analysts say.

The maps provided by Taiwan's Defense Ministry show the PLA Air Force flights are coming in the vicinity of Pratas Island, which sits at the top of the South China Sea and is actually closer to Hong Kong than Taiwan.

This island has no permanent residents but is home to a small Taiwanese military contingent and has an airstrip. Analysts note it is flat and would be difficult to defend.

"China could take control of the Pratas Islands whenever Chinese President Xi Jinping decides," Yoshiyuki Ogasawara, a professor at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies wrote on The Diplomat in December.

"The islands are a potential flashpoint that now need to come to the attention of the US, Japan and other democratic countries," Ogasawara wrote.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "China sends 77 warplanes into Taiwan defense zone over two days, Taipei says."
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 3)  Police officers involved in 50 drug war cases may face criminal charges upon further investigation by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the Department of Justice (DOJ) said.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said Sunday that the DOJ and the Philippine National Police (PNP) discussed last Oct. 1 the findings on the second drug war review report.

The DOJ noted that based on the facts gathered by the PNP Internal Affairs Service, the police officers involved in these cases were not only administratively liable -- the existing evidence pointed to their possible criminal liability as well, said Guevarra in a message to reporters.

The DOJ thus informed the PNP that these cases will be endorsed to the NBI for case build-up and filing of criminal complaints if warranted by the evidence, he added.

The PNP turned over to the DOJ 52 cases, but one case was found to be not drug-related while no death was recorded in the other case. A total of 153 policemen are involved in the operations, the DOJ said.

Guevarra said the DOJ and NBI will have a meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 5 regarding the deadline for the case build-up.

The NBI was not part of the DOJ team that examined the 52 cases. If the NBI will deem that the PNP-IAS findings are enough, they may file the complaints directly. If the NBI think that more evidence will be needed, they will further investigate and build up the case, he said.

In the meantime, Guevarra said the DOJ will look into around 100 drug-related cases, pending preliminary investigation or court trial, involving law enforcement agents who were charged or accused of violating the law in connection with the drug war.

As of Aug. 31, government data showed that 6,191 people have died in 213,504 anti-illegal drug operations since 2016.
Davao City (CNN Philippines, October 3)  One of President Rodrigo Duterte's three children confirmed they were staying in Davao City and would not seek higher office.

Sebastian Duterte filed his certificate of candidacy for reelection as vice mayor of the city. He also filed his older brother Paolo's COC as the latter is still in quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19.

The older Duterte is the representative of the 1st District of Davao City.

Sebastian said he decided to run for reelection because he would like to follow through with his work in the 19th city council.

"As far as my reelection is concerned, we passed many ordinances under the 19th city council of Davao. I would like to make a follow through on that. I would love to see our ordinances put into proper implementation," he said.

When asked about his sister Saras decision to seek reelection as mayor, the youngest among the three siblings said that he will continue supporting her.

"Just for the information of everybody, once my sister says something she doesn't go back from her words," the vice mayor said.

Mayor Duterte filed her COC on Oct. 2.

"Whatever her decision, I will understand and support it. If she's happy staying as mayor of Davao, then I will support it," he said.

Sebastian also told the supporters of the mayor, who are still pushing her to run for president: "If you want to continue what you are doing then it is up to you."

On Saturday, President Duterte was quoted as saying Sara would run for president alongside his long-time aide Senator Bong Go.
Everyone eligible should be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of long-distance travel or employment.

Vaccination should be voluntary but those who don't get vaccinated should be frequently tested for COVID-19 as a condition of long-distance travel and employment.

Both vaccination and testing should be voluntary and not required as a condition of long-distance travel or employment.

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Eurocham members said they are ensuring their workplaces are safe amid the continuing threat of Covid-19 and that they are optimistic about their future in Vietnam.

At the end of September, HCMC lifted social distancing requirements, enabling businesses to resume normal operations after more than four months of strict lockdowns to contain the pandemic.

European companies have focused on ensuring workplace safety and it continues to be their top priority. They regularly check employees temperature and test them and follow social distancing requirements.

Torben Minko, managing director of medical equipment manufacturer B. Braun Vietnam Co., Ltd, told VnExpress International that his company has been scrupulously complying with measures such as temperature checks, disinfection and social distancing.

Workers' well-being is a priority, he said.

As a result, they have felt safe about coming to work, he said.

Besides, office workers could choose to work from home since the company only needs 15-20 percent of them at the workplace, he said.

A risk committee supervises all operations based on the guidance from the government, and this has ensured the highest safety for employees and mitigated any risk of outbreaks, he said.

Containers seen at Cat Lai Port in Ho Chi Minh City in April 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran

Claudia Anselmi, CEO of Hung Yen Knitting and Dyeing Co,. Ltd, hoped all her 330 workers would be fully vaccinated by the end of this year. Some 80 percent have got their first shot.

Many European companies have been able to sustain their operations through the lockdowns.

Minko said his firm is running at around 95 percent of capacity in Vietnam.

Around 94 percent of its 1,500 workers have received the first vaccine shot, and 25 percent are fully immunized, and he hoped everyone would get two shots soon. B. Braun has donated to the government vaccination fund.

Gabor Fluit, CEO Asia of De Heus Animal Nutrition, a Dutch animal feed producer, said the vaccination rates among his 2,000 employees are higher than 80 percent, in which more than 60 percent (with one shot) and 20 percent (with two shots).

According to Eurocham Chairman Alain Cany, the organization is in almost constant contact with national and provincial authorities to help its members resolve difficulties they face and keep operating wherever it is safe to do so.

It has sought permission for its members to remain open even if some employees contract Covid, quarantining them, instead of shutting down, and urged the government to allow free movement of goods between provinces.

Eurocham remains in high-level dialogue with the government, proposing solutions to get businesses open again as safely and quickly as possible while countries learn to live with the virus.

Bright sides for future development

Fluit said there were some positive changes in Vietnams Covid policies.

Ho Chi Minh City has allowed most public and private production and service businesses to reopen on October 1, except some still considered high risk.

Authorities in some provinces like Long An and Dong Nai are allowing firms to quarantine employees who test positive and remain open.

Fluit saw this as "a big improvement", one that reduces the risk of business interruption.

The government also allows businesses to conduct Covid tests for their workers instead of by the authorities, which allows cost and time saving and enable better focus on business activities, he pointed out.

"We believe the Vietnamese economy will recover next year. Covid is a problem in the short term, however prospects are still very positive in the medium and long term."

Anselmi said: "Covid does not make us change our investment plans."

Some foreign firms also said Vietnam's eco-friendly growth policies and free trade agreements with the EU, South Korea, Japan, and Australia favor sustainable development.

Minko said his company is planning to double its $100 million investment in the country in the next couple of years.

Vietnam should simplify entry procedures for foreign experts so that they could come and help set up new plants, he said.

It now takes weeks for them to complete the processed for entry. He said his company needs on average 30 experts a year but they could not come this year.

Cany said with vaccination rates on the rise and provinces slowly reopening, things are moving in the right direction.

"We encourage the government to go further and faster so that both companies and communities can return to normal life as soon as possible."
Factories in Ho Chi Minh City are preparing plans to bring employees living in neighboring provinces back to work after prolonged disruptions and lockdowns.

Huynh Truc My Kha, 41, was very happy when Taiwanese-invested footwear maker Pouyuen Vietnam, based in HCMC's Binh Tan District, announced that fully vaccinated employees can resume working.

Kha lives in Tan Tru District in HCMC's neighboring province of Long An. She has been taking the company shuttle to commute 50 km to work for years.

After nearly three months of suspension, the factory where she has worked for 20 years is gradually restoring production. However, even when it halted production because of the latest Covid wave, it supported employees with a part of their salary to help them survive and stay afloat.

"I hope the shuttle bus service will resume so I can go back to work and be able to earn a full salary and take care of my two children," said the single mother.

She received her first dose of Covid-19 vaccine early September and will receive the second dose soon.

Kha is one of 16,000 employees of Pouyuen living in the provinces of Long An, Tien Giang, Ben Tre, Tay Ninh. Many have been absent from work for nearly three months since localities restricted travel to curb the Covid-19 spread.

Workers make footwear products in Pouyuen factory in Ho Chi Minh City in June 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Le Tuyet

Cu Phat Nghiep, chairman of the company's labor union, said that the factory has more than 56,000 employees, of which laborers living in neighboring provinces account for 30 percent.

Earlier, to meet pandemic safety requirements, the company had increased the number of vehicles to transport its employees, ensuring that each 45-seat bus carried no more than 20 people. The buses were also disinfected before and after workers get on and off the shuttle.

"We have also prepared a sufficient number of vehicles to bring workers back to the factory. We are just waiting for a unified decision from HCMC and the provinces' authorities," he said.

He added that when workers in the neighboring provinces return to work, the company will be able to meet order deadlines again after work has piled up over several months.

About 35 km from the Pouyuen Vietnam factory, automatic data capture and process automation service provider Datalogic based in Thu Duc City's Hi-Tech park is looking at ways to bring 80 workers living in Binh Duong, Dong Nai and Ba Ria - Vung Tau provinces back to work in the coming days.

The company cannot organize shuttle buses for them since the workers live in many provinces and far from each other. Before the outbreak, the workers mainly traveled to work on their personal vehicles.

While the company is finding ways to bring relocated workers back to the city, some employees have been unable to get back to their hometowns.

Tran Tien Phat, general director of the company, said that after more than 2.5 months of implementing the "stay-at-work" model, on the morning of Oct. 1, the factory inoculated more than 400 employees living in HCMC with the second dose so they could return to their hometowns.

More than 100 workers who have not meet the required conditions leaving the city have had to stay back. Most of them live in provinces bordering HCMC.

Some workers living in Binh Duong Province who decided to go back since they were too homesick could not pass the inter-provincial checkpoint despite having a negative Covid test certificate, travel declaration and a certificate of two doses of the vaccine.

"In such situations, we will let workers continue to live at the factory," Phat said.

A worker work under Covid-19 prevention measures at Datalogic, HCMC. Photo by VnExpress/An Phuong

Datalogic Vietnam's 80 employees are among more than 6,000 workers of the Thu Duc Hi-Tech Park living in neighboring provinces.

When the fourth Covid wave hit Vietnam in late April and localities tightened travel restrictions, most of these workers had to temporarily stop working.

Le Bich Loan, deputy manager of the hi-tech park, said that in addition to facing difficulties in traveling back to the city, about 3,000 people have only received the first vaccine dose. She said these people need to get fully vaccinated soon in order to travel back to the city and resume working.

Coordinated efforts

Pham Thanh Truc, deputy head of the management board of Ho Chi Minh City's export processing and industrial zone, Hepza, said there were about 31,000 employees working for factories in the city's industrial zones that live in four neighboring provinces.

Hepza was prioritizing coordination with the city and other provinces to welcome the employees back to work and trying to decide on the most convenient ways of transportation for workers, he said.

Vo Van Hoan, vice chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, said in addition to being shuttled by companies' vehicles, workers living in five neighboring provinces working in Ho Chi Minh City will be facilitated to travel by personal vehicles if they are fully vaccinated and has a QR code for travel.

"The city will work with the provinces to unify ways and create conditions for people living in these localities to come and work in the city and vice versa," Hoan said.

For workers who have not been vaccinated or have only had one jab, firms can make a list for the city to organize their next dose, he added.

On Saturday, the HCMC People's Committee sent a draft plan to the provinces of Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Long An and Tay Ninh on how to organize trips for workers between the five neighboring localities for consideration and agreement by next Monday.

Under the plan, people will be allowed to travel between Ho Chi Minh City and the four provinces when they have recovered from Covid-19 less than six months before date of entry or have received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine 14 days prior. They also need a valid negative test for Covid-19 within a week.
Flu season is approaching and despite a large drop in flu cases due to covid-19, people should still get their jabs to prevent another viral disease being in mass circulation. In an interview with CNNs The Situation Room, the White House chief medical advisor Dr Anthony Fauci recommended that people get the vital shots as soon as they can.

What you should do is get it as soon as you can and in the most expeditious manner, Fauci told host Wolf Blitzer. If that means going in and getting the flu shot in one arm the covid shot in the other, that's perfectly fine. There's nothing wrong with that at all."

He continued: In fact, that might make it more convenient and more likely that you would actually go get both of them if you can do it conveniently in one visit. So, whatever it takes to get both of them, go ahead and do it. If it's one visit, it's perfectly fine.

Why it is safe to have both jabs

A British study by the University of Bristol published on Thursday found that side effects were not serious in tests with three flu vaccines and either the Pfizer or AstraZeneca shot.

"This is a really positive step which could mean fewer appointments for those who require both vaccines," chief investigator Rajeka Lazarus said.

What is the latest covid-19 situation?

Data from John Hopkins University shows that deaths in the US from covid-19 have surpassed 700,000, the highest in the world. The world also passed the grim milestone of 5 million deaths from the virus.

Reaching 700,000 deaths is a tragic and completely avoidable milestone. We had the knowledge and the tools to prevent this from happening, and unfortunately politics, lack of urgency and mistrust in science got us here, John Brownstein, an epidemiologist at Boston childrens hospital, told ABC News.

At present, the US is on its way out of another peak in cases, with the highest day of cases for months being September 7. It saw more than 300,000 new cases in one day alone.

Despite the relative lull in cases at the start of October, seasonal cold weather in the winter will force people back indoors where the virus spreads easier. This is compounded by the overall vaccination rate in the country at just 56%. For comparison, Canada has more than 71% of people vaccinated, while the UK has more than 65%. There is every chance there will be another spike this Christmas.
Chinese embassies in various countries have held events to celebrate the 72nd anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC), during which Chinese ambassadors and foreign officials have eyed deeper cooperation.

Extending festive greetings to all Chinese compatriots in Vietnam, Chinese Ambassador to Vietnam Xiong Bo said in his speech during an online reception on Thursday that China will continue to fully support Vietnam's efforts in epidemic prevention and control as well as socio-economic development.

In his speech at the reception, member of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien said 2021 is a year with great significance for the PRC, and he congratulated the PRC on both its 72nd founding anniversary and the great achievements it had made this year.

Dien also expressed his wishes that the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership would keep going forward.

During an online event held on Tuesday, Chinese Ambassador to Ethiopia Zhao Zhiyuan said "China will work with Ethiopia and scale new heights in the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, bringing more tangible benefits to the two countries and peoples, and making more contributions to peace, stability and prosperity in the world."

Molalign Asfaw, director general of Asia Pacific affairs at the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at the event that the PRC's 72nd anniversary signifies the will and strong commitment of the Chinese people and government to determine their own future.

Commending China for its comprehensive support of Ethiopia's development aspirations, Asfaw said the East African country is willing to continue working with China in various areas of mutual interest.

Former Ethiopian President Mulatu Teshome said that "it is China that has always been standing with African countries in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic ... It is China that is always speaking for African countries at international forums with no conditions attached."

The past 72 years have seen a tremendous transformation in China, and the country keeps forging ahead with even more confidence, said Chinese Ambassador to Britain Zheng Zeguang during an online reception held Tuesday, which was also attended by Minister for Asia at Britain's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Amanda Milling as well as business leaders and scholars in Britain.

Zheng expressed his hope that China and Britain will make concerted efforts to reach a correct understanding of each other's development, respect each other, expand exchanges and cooperation, and display the courage to shoulder responsibilities as major countries.

Speaking at an online reception held Tuesday, Chinese Ambassador to the United States Qin Gang said that the consequential China-U.S. ties should be brought back to the right track of stable development as soon as possible.

On the occasion, Daniel Kritenbrink, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, on behalf of the United States, extended congratulations to the Chinese people and wished them peace, happiness and prosperity.

Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations and former U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew said China has achieved exceptional growth over decades, and that hundreds of millions of people had been lifted out of poverty and severe hardship.

President of the U.S.-China Business Council Craig Allen said the U.S. business community continues to attach great importance to China and looks forward to strengthening cooperation.

In a recent written message, Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades extended "warmest and heartfelt" congratulations on the PRC's 72nd founding anniversary, adding that Cyprus and China "have built mutual trust and a fruitful cooperation, characterized by enduring friendship and principled solidarity."

"I wish to reaffirm the strong will and determination of my government and me personally to expand our dialogue and widen the avenues of our cooperation with China, both at the bilateral and multilateral level," he said.

At an online reception held by the Chinese Embassy in Somalia, Somali officials expressed appreciation for the historic friendship between Somalia and China.

In his congratulatory message, Osman Abokor Dubbe, minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, said China has shown how hard work and integrity can create an economic giant, and spoke highly of the country's significant contributions in the fields of space, infrastructure and technology.

Fawziya Abikar Nur, minister of Health and Human Services, thanked the Chinese government for its consistent support of the the Horn of Africa country during the pandemic.

In a recorded message shown during a two-day virtual gala, Panama's Minister of Commerce and Industries Ramon Martinez congratulated the Chinese community in Panama on the PRC's 72nd founding anniversary, expressing the hope that the community can continue pushing Panama's economy forward, especially amid the pandemic.
Photo for illustration (Source: vov.vn)

The HCM City Department of Transport recently issued a document guiding the resumption of passenger transport services, reported Saigon Times.

Accordingly, the operation frequency and time of buses will depend on the pandemic situation and demand in each area.

Meanwhile, taxi firms will register the number of vehicles operating from October 5 but the number must not exceed 20% of their total fleet.

As for tech-based vehicles, the number of vehicles resuming their operations must not be higher than 10% of the total vehicles registered with such firms.

The city also allowed cars which do not use technology to connect with customers to serve the tourism programs of the HCMC Department of Tourism and the governments of Thu Duc City and districts and activities of the healthcare sector, as well as to transport workers and experts.

Moreover, tourism firms will resume no more than 30% of their passenger cars.

The municipal Department of Transport will grant these vehicles identification certificates with QR codes. The department will revise the number of vehicles allowed to operate based on the reality.

Traditional motorbike taxis and ride-hailing motorbikes will be still suspended.

The city government also allowed the Binh Khanh and Cat Lat ferries to resume their operations.

The city will create favorable conditions for residents from other localities to the city for medical checkup and treatment. Except for emergency cases, others must have negative COVID-19 test certificates conducted within 72 hours and be allowed to travel by their local authorities.

Besides these two documents, HCM City residents returning to the city from other localities must provide documents proving their residence in HCM City.

Meanwhile, only sick people, children and pregnant women in HCM City were allowed to travel to other localities. However, they must be vaccinated, recover from COVID-19 and test negative for COVID-19.

Those coming from other localities to HCM City must also be subject to these requirements and must be allowed by their localities.

HCM City has approved a plan to bring laborers from other localities back to the city to work. However, the transport of laborers by trains and air will be in line with the plans of the Ministry of Transport.

From October 1, HCM City has applied Directive 18 on adjusting COVID-19 infection prevention and control measures and gradually reopening the economy.



Vietnamese students win third prize at ASEAN youth journalism contest

Two Vietnamese student has secured the third prize at the 2nd ASEAN Youth Social Journalism Contest 2021 for their social media campaign to raise awareness about plastic consumption among young Vietnamese people amid the COVID-19 pandemic, reported VNA.

(Photo: Facebook Page of the Flatten the Plastic Curve project)

Hoang Nguyen Nhat Vi and Pham Quang Vinh, both from the RMIT University Vietnam, obtained the award with a project titled Flatten the Plastic Curve, which reached close to 200,000 young audiences in just a month.

Following the theme ASEAN Youth and COVID-19  Response, Recovery, and Resilience, the pair, via comic-like graphics and influencer marketing, worked to persuade young shoppers to take small but impactful actions while making their orders online.

The project encouraged young people to make changes, such as ordering from one shop to minimise the use of plastic packages, or directly sending plastic-reduction messages to shop owners or food shippers.

By the end of the campaign, Vi and Vinh reached over 40,000 young people with their print ads, received organic shares, and had their campaign mentioned in four Vietnamese macro influencers Facebook pages.

Vietnam, US reach agreement to end timber trade probe

Vietnam and the US have reached an agreement on illegal logging and timber trade that will avoid hefty tariffs on Vietnamese timber exports, according to the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

Currently, the US is the biggest market for Vietnamese wood products. (Photo: VNA)

The deal was inked by MARD Minister Le Minh Hoan and US Trade Representative Katherine Tai on October 1, reported VNA.

In October 2020, the US Trade Representative (USTR) launched an investigation into Vietnam's timber exports under Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act.

The agreement addresses US concerns in the Vietnam Timber Section 301 investigation.

Ambassador Tai determined that the Agreement provides a satisfactory resolution of the matter subject to investigation and that no trade action is warranted at this time, the USTR said.

The agreement will contribute to improving the prestige of Vietnams timber sector and creating a foundation for the countrys sustainable forestry development. It also demonstrates Vietnams responsibility in building, issuing and implementing legal regulations, ensuring the legal timber origin in line with relevant regulations of international treaties to which Vietnam is a member.

The US side spoke highly of the agreement, saying "Vietnam will provide a model  both for the Indo-Pacific region and globally  for comprehensive enforcement against illegal timber."

Currently, the US is the biggest market for Vietnamese wood products, representing an estimated 7.4 billion USD last year, about half of the countrys total. In the first eight months of this year the number stood at 6.4 billion USD, up 58.8 percent year-on-year./.
Iranian Quds Force Chief Commander Major General Qassem Soleimani has been on the receiving end of both comments by Israel and a critical letter by former Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad.

In a letter, Ahmadinejad accused Soleimani of acting as a go-between in favor of the brother of Iranian Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri, recommending that the authorities release him.

Ahmadinejad is referring to Mehdi Jahangiri, vice president of the Iranian Chamber of Commerce, chairman of the Tourism Finance Department, and one of the founders of Tourism Bank.

Mehdi Jahangiri was charged with financial corruption and arrested in October 2017 in the city of Kerman.

"The arrest was predictable," Eshaq Jahangiri wrote on Instagram. "I do not have precise information on the reason or manner of the arrest."

Eshaq Jahangiri maintained in his October 6, 2017, post, "I hope my brother's arrest is not political abuse and that justice, the fight against corruption, and the rule of law apply the same to everyone."

Mehdi Jahangiri defended his economic activity at the time as "clean" and "beneficial to the country," but the chief commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Sarallah forces, who was responsible for the arrest, called him a "source of corruption."

During the last presidential election, in May 2017, a number of ultraconservative heavyweights accused Mehdi Jahangiri of lobbying.

In his latest letter, Ahmadinejad revived the case, accusing Soleimani of interfering in the process of law in favor of the vice president's brother.

"It is said that you have interfered in the case of the vice president's brother, and, by recommendations to related authorities, paved the way for his release," Ahmadinejad wrote.

Without mentioning his sources, Ahmadinejad blamed Soleimani for applying favoritism in Jahangiri's case but setting the scene for the arrest of a former deputy president in executive matters, Hamid Baghaei.

"By wrongly accusing Baghaei (Ahmadinejad's deputy) of receiving some money from you, our faithful, revolutionary, and servant brother suffered a great injustice," Ahmadinejad wrote.

Time and again, he continued, we called you to step forward and testify about your allegations against Baghaei, but you never relented and left our numerous correspondence unanswered.

Soleimani had implicated Baghaei, who is currently behind bars, in a case which led to accusation of pocketing millions of dollars intended to be distributed among African leaders during the 16th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement countries in 2012 in Tehran.

Based on the Court of Appeals verdict published on March 17, 2018, Baghaei received 3,766,000 euros and $590,000 from the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) to be distributed among heads of African countries attending NAM summit.

IRGC commanders said the money was paid to Baghaei in cash, a day after President Hassan Rouhani's inauguration ceremony.

Ahmadinejad and former officials of his administration have repeatedly dismissed the claims as "imaginary" and "unfounded."

"Even if the accusation against Baghaei were true, one might ask, 'Am I responsible or is Soleimani (for the vanished millions of euros and dollars)?" Ahmadinejad asked.

In his latest letter, he said, "The media say that you have made sacrifices and are fighting against injustice in Syria and other places, yet one might ask why you have kept mum against such great injustice in your own country.

Baghaei is currently serving his 15-year sentence. He has also been ordered to return more than $1 million to the treasury.

Ahmadinejad's letter coincides with Israeli IDF Chief's comments about Suleimani, who heads the IRGCs extraterritorial operations.

In a recent interview with The New York Times ahead of his retirement, Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot said, Soleimani had mobilized 3,000 of his men in Syria, along with 8,000 Hezbollah fighters and another 11,000 foreign Shiite troops to fight n Syria.

By January 2017, Eizenkot said, he received unanimous permission from the security cabinet to step up strikes in Syria to near daily occurrences. In 2018 alone, he said, Israel dropped 2,000 bombs on Iranian targets.

Suleimani attempted to retaliate to the ramped-up Israeli campaign by launching 30 rockets at northern Israel last May, but Eizenkot said not a single one reached its target, the Times of Israel reported on January 13.

Meanwhile, prominent hardline commentator Mehdi Mohammadi charged in a post on his social media accounts, that "attacks and accusations against Soleimani are part of a project, which is in line with the IDF Chief's remarks against the Iranian commander".
Panamanians vote on Sunday in a presidential election following a campaign led by a former farm minister whose promises to fight corruption and inequality resonated in the wake of scandals about bribery and the canal nation's role in hiding the wealth of global elites.

The next president will inherit one of the world's fastest-growing economies, in which China has an increasing interest. But there is also mounting pressure to reduce the wealth gap and clean up politics in the wake of the corruption scandal involving Brazilian builder Odebrecht and the Panama Papers documents leak.

Laurentio "Nito" Cortizo, the 66-year-old former agricultural minister, has wooed the country's 2.8 million voters with promises to improve government services like water and healthcare by clamping down on alleged embezzlement of public funds in the Central American country, whose trans-oceanic canal handles some $270 billion of cargo each year.

"The corrupt and incompetent are stealing our money, threatening our future," Cortizo said during his final campaign rally in the capital on Wednesday, as thousands of supporters waved the red, white and blue flags of his moderate left Democratic Revolution Party (PRD).

On China, Cortizo has said he would continue to deepen ties, but has suggested he might move more slowly than President Juan Carlos Varela, who angered the United States by signing several major infrastructure projects with the Asian power. Cortizo has said he would examine the payment structure of one such deal to build a high speed train.

Varela is barred by law from seeking reelection.

Panama's image was tainted by a corruption scandal involving Brazilian builder Odebrecht and the Panama Papers leak of 11.5 million documents from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca that detailed how the world's rich evade tax through offshore centers.

Promises to curb white-collar crime have featured prominently in the race. The leading candidates presented proposals that would change the way public contracts are awarded.

Cortizo's main challenger, Romulo Roux of the center-right Democratic Change (DC) party, offered a constitutional reform to strengthen the independence of the judicial branch.

"There is a division between those who have a lot and those who have little," said Carmen Gomez, 68, as she cleaned the entrance of her apartment block in the capital's impoverished El Chorrillo neighborhood.

Gomez said she was planning to vote for Cortizo and hopes that his government would punish everyone for their crimes, including the rich.

Others expressed some caution.

"As Panamanians we have to see how far we want to go in terms of sanctions and punishments for people or companies when there is proof of corruption, to ensure punishment without losing competitiveness," said Severo Sousa, president of the National Council of Private Companies in Panama.

Still, many argue that not enough has been done to fight graft and impunity.

"The general sense in Panama is that the powerful and the mighty can get away with anything," said Olga de Obaldia of Transparency International in Panama.

Polls close at 4 p.m. on Sunday (2100 GMT), with preliminary results expected around 6 p.m. (2300 GMT).

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The Panama Canal has a new administrator amid an ongoing US-China trade war that could have a long-term impact on the critical passage's finances.

Ricaurte Vasquez assumed the post of running Panama's most important piece of infrastructure on Thursday. For a country that relies on international trade, growing global protectionism poses a threat.

Japan passed China this year as the canal's biggest user. Outgoing canal administrator Jorge Quijano says the US-China trade conflict has already cost the canal about $30 million this year. He says he hasn't seen signs of either side backing down.

His successor, a 66-year-old former economy minister, says the new global reality will require a redefinition of the canal's business.

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Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry affirmed Egypt s full readiness and flexibility to study the proposals introduced based on the Congolese plan and provide feedback to the DR Congo s presidency

Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said on Thursday that Egypt has received a vision and plan from the DR Congo, the current chair of the African Union (AU), on the resumption of the AU-sponsored talks regarding the GERD during the coming period.

Shoukrys remarks were made in a press conference held in Cairo with Christophe Lutundula, the DR Congos foreign minister and deputy prime minister.

The presser comes a day after the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) issued a presidential statement encouraging the three countries to continue the AU-sponsored negotiations regarding the mega-dam.

Lutundula embarked on an official visit to Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt this week to discuss arrangements regarding the resumption of the GERD talks.

Shoukry affirmed Egypts full readiness and flexibility to study the proposals introduced based on the Congolese plan and provide feedback to the DR Congos presidency about this document that will definitely contribute positively to launching the negotiations process again.

He noted that a timeframe for the negotiations should be determined after they are launched.

During the presser, Shoukry affirmed Egypts willingness to receive invitations to resume the AU-sponsored GERD talks with Sudan and Ethiopia at the earliest opportunity, as per the UNSCs statement.

The GERD talks should be supported by the active participation of the international community to back the chair of the African Union and to reach a legally binding solution on the filling and operation of the dam.

Shoukry hailed the UNSCs statement, saying that it has provided important and needed international support that enables the AUs chair to fulfill their duties as a mediator in the GERD negotiations.

The Egyptian FM said this support should also help apply the principle of African Solutions to African Problems and enhance the role of the AUs chair by giving them the chance to resort to international observers agreed upon by the three states.

Shoukry also said that he hopes the African chairmanship will make a suitable decision that meets the aspirations of not only the three countries, but also the international community, now represented in the security council.

The minister highlighted the importance of time in the GERD negotiations as indicated by the UNSCs statement, which called for resuming the talks and reaching a binding agreement within a reasonable time frame.

In the event the political will is present, we will reach an agreement, Shoukry added, affirming that all the technical issues of the GERD file have been discussed in previous sessions.

Lutundula said he and Shoukry held positive discussions, expressing hope that a solution will be reached to the decade long dispute.

The Congolese FM said the three countries are in agreement on the need to resolve African differences within an African framework through African solutions.

In a meeting on Wednesday, Lutundula also handed Sudanese Foreign Minister Mariam Al-Sadiq Al-Mahdi a similar document on the GERD prepared by a team of joint experts from the Congolese presidency and the AU Commission, Sudans news agency (SUNA) reported.

The document contains a brief of the points of agreement and disagreement among Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia regarding the dam in order for the experts to study them and work on bringing the three countries views closer in a bid to help them reach a satisfying deal.

Egypt and Sudan welcomed on Wednesday the UNSCs statement urging the three countries to continue the AU-sponsored talks on the GERD.

The statement came two months after the UNSC held a session on the GERD at the request of the two downstream countries.

Ethiopia, however, said it will not recognise any claim that may be raised on the basis of this statement, claiming that the GERD issue is outside of the councils mandate.

The three countries have shown willingness to continue the GERD negotiations that have been stalled since April.

Previous rounds of the AU-sponsored talks have collapsed before they could reach an agreement between Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia, with the two downstream countries blaming the talks failure on Ethiopias intransigence.

Given the failed round in April in the Congolese capital of Kinshasa, the two downstream countries proposed the formation of a quartet mediation committee led by the AU that includes the European Union, the United States, and the United Nations.

Ethiopia rejected the proposal, however, accusing both countries of obstructing the AU-sponsored talks.

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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's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi slammed on Tuesday Ethiopia's "intransigence", which has strained the decade-long negotiations between Egypt, Sudan, and Addis Ababa over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

The president said the River Nile has been Egypts only lifeline throughout history, affirming that this explains the overwhelming concern of Egyptian citizens over the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

El-Sisis remarks came in a recorded speech delivered to the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Tuesday.

Perhaps you all know the outcome of the ongoing decade long negotiations between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan as a result of Addis Ababas known intransigence and unjustified rejection to deal positively with the process in its consecutive stages, El-Sisi said.

Egypt and Sudan have been negotiating with Ethiopia for a decade now to reach a comprehensive and legally binding agreement over GERD to no avail.

Both Cairo and Khartoum do not oppose Addis Ababa's development goals, however, they are seeking a legally binding agreement that regulates the rules of filling and operating the dam, as Egypt fears the unilateral filling and operation of the dam would have an impact on its water supply and Sudan is concerned about regulating flows to its own dams and their safety.

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.

Some 85 percent of the river waters in Egypt flows from the Ethiopian highlands through the Blue Nile  one of the Niles two main tributaries along with the While Nile.

Egypt, which is considered one of the most water-scarce countries in the world, receives around 60 bcm annually, mainly from the Nile. However, its needs stand at around 114 bcm, placing the 102-million-plus country well below the international threshold for water scarcity at 560 cubic meters per person annually.

The large gap in water resources in Egypt is overcome by importing 54 percent of its consumption and reusing 42 percent of its renewable sources, according to Egyptian Ministry of Irrigation.

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.

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Haitians form a significant portion of the tens of thousands of migrants who have arrived at the border between Mexico and the United States in recent months, posing a headache for US President Joe Biden's administration

Some have been stranded for weeks in the coastal town of Necocli in the northwestern Antioquia department, waiting for seats on boats that cross the Gulf of Uraba by boat to Acandi, which borders Panama.

There are only 250 boat tickets available every day, said Colombia's human rights ombudsman Carlos Camargo.

He reported that a mission "evaluating the migrant crisis" at Necocli -- a village of 45,000 people -- counted some 19,000 undocumented migrants there.

Most were Haitians, Camargo said on Twitter.

Haitians form a significant portion of the tens of thousands of migrants who have arrived at the border between Mexico and the United States in recent months, posing a headache for US President Joe Biden's administration.

Waiting out the bottleneck in Colombia, migrants rent private rooms or homes or camp on the beach, depending on their means.

Some 11,500 people have bought tickets to make the boat trip by October 13, and a further unknown number of people unable to purchase tickets have resorted to other forms of "illegal" crossings," said Camargo.

Once across, the migrants start, on foot, the dangerous trek from Acandi through the Darien jungle, where they battle snakes, steep ravines, swollen rivers, tropical downpours and criminals often linked to drug trafficking.

In a recent report, Doctors Without Borders (known by its French acronym MSF) said criminal gangs in the jungle prey on migrants, and assaults and rapes are common.

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.

Once in Panama, MSF reported last month, migrants are held for processing and deportation.

Those with pending administrative or judicial processes -- refugee applications, for example, or giving testimony against human traffickers -- can be held at a migrant reception center for weeks or months.

"The centers are a source of complaints, as those who are held there face inadequate food and shelter, a lack of clean water and showers, and no means to communicate with their families," MSF said.

The Colombia-Panama border is a key crossing for migrants hoping to make a new life in the United States, often fleeing poverty and violence in their home countries.

Last year, a steady influx of migrants from Colombia northward dried up due to coronavirus travel restrictions and border closures.

But officials say there have been several thousand new arrivals at Necocli in recent weeks.

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House Speaker Hanafi Gibali chaired Saturdays procedural meeting. He first read out Decree 418, issued last week by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, which instructs MPs to begin their second legislative season on 2 October

Gibali delivered a speech outlining his expectations for the coming second legislative season, which will see MPs discussing a number of important legislations and policies that will become law.

"We should cooperate with the state's other constitutional institutions to draft national strategies that can win public satisfaction," said Gibali, adding that "we are building a new state and so we should do our best to meet the needs of the public and reflect the pulse of the masses and defend their interests."

Gibali said the House's first legislative season saw the passing of very important legislations, proving that MPs were up to their responsibilities. "MPs were also keen to exercise their supervisory powers in a very rational way and so there was a balance between the House's legislative and supervisory roles and MPs were keen to be the voice of the conscience of the people and their watchful eye on the government's performance," Gibali added.

Gibali said the House welcomes the passing of Egypt's new strategy on human rights, which aims to achieve a balance between freedoms and rights.

Gibali revealed that the government had referred a number of legislations to the House to be discussed in its upcoming session. The list includes legislative amendments to laws regulating criminal procedures, the levying of a financial resource development fee and the possession of weapons and ammunition.

Gibali said laws drafted by MPs Hala Abul Saad and Emad Saad Hammouda on tax evasion penalties and the organisation of the new housing communities were referred to concerned committees to be discussed.

He also indicated that the new general finance law which was discussed and approved by the Senate in its first legislative session was referred to the House to be discussed.

Gibali said another procedural session would be held on Sunday to allow MPs who wish to stand for positions on the House's 25 committees to declare themselves. The house is required to elect a chairman, two deputies and one secretary-general for each committee. "Following this procedure, a meeting will be held to declare the final lists of members of each committee and the results of the election of the leading posts of the 25 committees," said Gibali.

According to Article 40 of the House's internal bylaws, each MP should join two committees, and that the House's steering bureau will make sure that each committee includes a certain number of MPs. The members of each committee come from different governorates and political backgrounds.

Gibali said he rejected a request submitted to lift the parliamentary immunity of one MP because it was based on malicious reasons. "I, however, decided to refer another two requests to the legislative and constitutional affairs committee to discuss them," said Gibali

On Monday, the House will hold another meeting to discuss its schedule of debate and legislative agenda.

On 28 September, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly met with Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Alaa Fouad to review a preliminary list of draft laws which the government intends to refer to the House in its legislative season. "This preliminary list includes draft laws on criminal procedures, general finance, the participation of the private sector in infrastructure projects and public utilities and construction activities," said Fouad.

According to Egypt's 2014 constitution, the House's legislative season should be no less than nine months, starting on the first week of October and ending in July.

Ahmed Manaa, the House's secretary-general, indicated that the House today's meeting was held amid strict anti-coronavirus measures. "While all MPs have been vaccinated, the House made sure that MPs also wear face masks and observe social distancing," said Manaa.

On Tuesday, the Senate  Egypt's upper consultative house  will hold an opening session, marking the beginning of its second season. In a meeting with parliamentary correspondents on 29 September, the Senate's Secretary-General Mahmoud Othman said the opening session will be procedural, mainly aiming to form the Senate's 14 committees and discussing the senate's schedule of debate.

Othman said a second Senate meeting is expected to be held on Wednesday.

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Egypt reported 761new coronavirus cases on Saturday, bringing the total infection tally to 306,030 since the outbreak began in February 2020, said the health ministry in its daily coronavirus update statement.

The ministry also reported 32 deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the country's total death toll to 17,399.

The statement added that 544 patients have been discharged after recovering from the virus, bringing the total number of recoveries to 258,252.

Egypt has received 1.6 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine from the US and 100,800 doses of AstraZeneca donated by the Polish government last week, according to the health ministry.

The received Pfizer doses are the first of five shipments of the Pfizer vaccine totalling 5 million doses that Egypt is to receive from the US, the ministry said.

Prior to the Pfizer shipment, Egypt had already obtained more than 40 million vaccine doses.

Until 27 September, the country had administered a total of 16,223,309 vaccine doses nationwide, according to the WHO.

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Head of the National Center for Management of Emergencies Mohamed Al Hashami said the center issued a warning on evacuating some areas in the governorate as they are located under the sea level and might be flooded by heavy rains.



Omani authorities issued decisions to delay flights to and from the capital, Muscat, and to urge residents to evacuate coastal areas.



The Omani News Agency reported on Sunday that heavy rain fell in the Governorate of Muscat due to cyclone Shaheen, while the Omani Emergency Situations Management Center reported that the wind speed reached 135 km per hour, and that the wind speed associated with the cyclone is unprecedented

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Egypt has started digging three solar-powered water wells in South Sudan as part of the second phase of water cooperation projects between the two African countries.

The three wells are planned to provide water to the underground water plants at Kabu, Kabori and Rajaf villages in the west of the country, a statement released by Egypt's Ministry of Irrigation said.

Another seven underground drinking water stations will be constructed at seven Sudanese outlying rural areas, with each station having a 100-metres-deep well equipped with a solar-power pumping system and a water tank with a capacity of 36 cubic metres, the statement said.

Each of the seven stations will provide drinking water to up to 2,000 residents of Sudanese villages, the statement added.

The first stage of the cooperation project included the digging of six underground wells in Juba, in addition to constructing river sidewalks to facillitate travel between the main cities and villages in South Sudan.

The first stage also included installing a lifting unit to pump river waters to the population centres near the waterways in Wau city, in South Sudan, to provide clean drinking water for citizens, the statement noted.

Egypt's irrigation ministry has also contributed to preparing technical and economic feasibility studies of the multi-purpose Wau Dam project in South Sudan, added the statement.

In July, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi pledged during a meeting with South Sudanese Vice President for Economic Affairs James Wani Igga in Cairo that Egypt would continue to offer technical assistance to South Sudan in all fields.

Igga's visit to Egypt witnessed the signing of several agreements to boost cooperation between the two countries.

The agreements included a memo signed by Irrigation Minister Mohamed Abdel-Ati and his South Sudanese counterpart Manawa Peter on a study to reduce the risk of flooding in the Sudd swamp in South Sudan.

The Egyptian and South Sudanese trade ministers also signed a memorandum of understanding to promote trade and industry between the two countries.

Abdel-Ati said cooperation with the Nile Basin countries and African countries is one of the main axes in Egyptian foreign policy.

As Egypt possesses human capabilities and technical and institutional expertise in the field of water resources, Abdel-Ati said, Egypt contributes to several projects that directly benefit the African countries via either achieving sustainable development or helping raise the standard of living of the African citizens.

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All the statues and art pieces decorating the squares will be cleaned and maintained by removing distorted writings and suspended dust using dry mechanical or wet cleaning, in addition to protecting metal, maintaining stone and reviving and gilding the text at their base.

Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Mustafa Waziri explains that this campaign aims to showcase the statues that adorn public squares and parks all over Egypt, whether archaeological or not, in an appropriate manner and to give them a civilized and aesthetic appearance.

The work will last for about a month and will include about 80 squares in all the governorates all over Egypt.
Egypt's Armed Forces mourned on Sunday the death of an Egyptian peacekeeper who was killed in an explosive blast in Mali recently.

Egypt's Armed Forces Spokesman Colonel Gharib Abdel-Hafez said the explosion killed a non-commissioned officer and injured three others, offering condolences to the family of the martyr and wishing a speedy recovery to the wounded.

The Armed Forces affirmed that its role in peacekeeping emanates from its belief in the importance of peace, co-existence and elimination of terrorism under the umbrella of the United Nations (UN), said the spokesman.

Egypt is the seventh largest contributor of troops to UN peacekeeping operations at present, according to the UN.

Egypt first joined the ranks of UN peacekeeping back in 1960, as part of peace operations in the Republic of Congo. Since then, Egypt has contributed to 37 peacekeeping missions, with the participation of over 30,000 officers, who have been deployed to 24 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America, the UN quoted the Egyptian contingent commander Colonel Mazhar Abdel Fattah as saying in August.

Egypt, according to the UN, currently deploys nearly 3,200 military and police personnel to UN peace operations in several African countries.

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Jordan's king held a telephone call with Syria's president on Sunday, the palace said, in the first such conversation between the two leaders since Syria's war erupted a decade ago.

King Abdullah II and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad discussed "bilateral ties and means to bolster cooperation", a statement said.

During their call, Abdullah stressed Jordan's "support for efforts to safeguard Syria's sovereignty, stability and territorial unity", it added.

There were no further details but the Syrian presidency released a similar statement, which was carried by state media.

The call was the latest sign of warming of ties between Syria and Jordan.

It came days after Jordan on Wednesday reopened its main border crossing with its neighbour, two months after it was closed due to renewed fighting in southern Syria between rebels and government forces.

In September, energy ministers from Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon met in Amman and agreed a plan to bring Egyptian gas and electricity to crisis-hit Lebanon.

Syria was suspended from the 22-member Arab League bloc in November 2011, months after the conflict was sparked by the brutal repression of anti-government protests.

Several regional powers, betting on the demise of Assad's regime, suspended diplomatic ties with Damascus.

But Jordan maintained relations with Syria, albeit limited ones.

A political analyst in Damascus told AFP on condition of anonymity that Sunday's telephone call could be considered "a new chapter" in ties between the two countries.

"It seems that Jordan is at the forefront of countries seeking to resume (full) relations with Damascus," the analyst said.

In recent weeks, officials from both countries have meet for bilateral talks.

Syria's Defence Minister Ali Ayoub visited Amman in September -- the highest ranking official to travel to Jordan in years -- for talks on border security and combatting smuggling.

Also last month, the Syrian and Jordanian foreign ministers met in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

Syria's war has killed around a half a million people and displaced millions of others.

Jordan hosts some 650,000 Syrian refugees who are registered with the UN, but Amman estimates that more than a million Syrians live in the country.

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President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi affirmed on Sunday Egypts continuous support for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the current chair of the African Union (AU), and its efforts to fulfill its vital responsibilities in overseeing African issues.

El-Sisi made his remarks in a meeting with Jean Leon Ngandu, the special envoy of the Congolese president and the DRCs permanent representative to the AU, in Cairo, a statement by the Egyptian presidency read.

Ngandu handed El-Sisi a message from his Congolese counterpart, Felix Tshisekedi, expressing his deep appreciation of Egypts relentless support for the DRC within the framework of the Congolese presidency of the AU.

The Congolese envoy said that this support has stemmed from Egypts broad experience in multilateral work on the African level, the statement read.

Tshisekedis message hailed the friendly relations and brotherly ties connecting Egypt and the DRC and affirmed his keenness to support these ties on all levels.

On his part, El-Sisi asked the Congolese envoy to extend his greetings to Tshisekedi and hailed the DRCs efforts regarding its current presidency of the AU.

The Egyptian president also pledged his support to the bilateral relations between the two countries as an extension of their distinguished historic relations that represent a model of cooperation and joint coordination inside the continent.

The meeting also discussed developments regarding a number of issues of mutual concern in Africa which represent a priority to the AUs agenda currently, the statement said without further elaboration.

Egypts Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and Tshibasu Mfuad, the charge daffaires of the Congolese embassy in Egypt, attended the meeting as well.

In mid-September, El-Sisi and Tshisekedi discussed bilateral relations and issues of mutual concern in a phone call, hailing the developmental cooperation both countries enjoy in the fields of infrastructure, digital transformation, building and construction, energy, water, and others.

Also in September, the DRCs Foreign Minister Christophe Lutundula embarked on an official visit to Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt to discuss arrangements regarding the resumption of talks to resolve the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) dispute.

The three countries have conveyed their willingness to continue the AU-sponsored GERD talks that have ground to a halt since April after the UN Security Council issued a presidential statement earlier in September encouraging the three parties to return to the negotiation table to reach a deal.

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Egypts Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly announced that Thursday 7 October will be a paid day off for public sector employees to celebrate the anniversary of the 6 of October War victory in 1973 in a statement released on Sunday 3 October.

The decision applies to ministries, governmental bodies, public facilities, municipalities, public enterprises, and public business sector companies.

Minister of Manpower Mohamed Saafan is also expected to make the same announcement for private sector employees soon.

Additionally, students in universities and schools usually get a day off as well to celebrate the occasion.

Egypt will celebrate on 6 October the 48th anniversary of its victory against Israel under the leadership of late president Anwar El-Sadat.

Last year, the government decided to make Thursday a day off whenever a public holiday falls on a weekday to give citizens a chance to have a long weekend.

This applies to all national holidays except for Eid Al-Fitr, Eid Al-Adha, and Coptic Christmas.

Egyptians this month are also set to have a paid day off on Thursday 21 October, instead of 19 October, to celebrate the advent of Moulid Al-Nabi, or Prophet Muhammads birthday.

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Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has urged expediency in vaccinating university students and employees within the education sector at large against the coronavirus, a presidential statement said on Sunday.

El-Sisi made the directives during a meeting with Presidential Adviser for Health and Prevention Affairs Mohamed Awad Tag El-Din to follow up on the progress made in some of the president-backed healthcare initiatives.

The president emphasised the need to abide by all precautionary measures for the safety of staffers as well as students and their families, according to Egypts Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady.

Egypt is planning to vaccinate 1.6 million employees working in the field of pre-university education along with 4 million university students and around 290,000 university staffers before the start of the new school year on 9 October, according to officials.

The Egyptian Cabinet also announced in a presidential directive released in August that vaccination is mandatory for all who work in the education sector as well as students above 18 years of age.

Late in September, Egypts Health Ministry Spokesman Khaled Megahed said the ministry will receive university students at 270 vaccination centres specifically designated for students and at the 1,100 centres allocated for general vaccination.

University students can head to these 270 youth centres nationwide and receive a vaccine without registering on the vaccination website beforehand, according to the health ministry.

During Sundays meeting, El-Sisi was briefed on the governments efforts to procure state-of-the-art medical equipment and supplies from Germany to serve the needs of presidential healthcare initiatives, including the Decent Life Initiative, the medical convoys project, and the 100 Million Healthy Lives campaign.

The president also instructed that the health ministrys recently concluded agreement with Germany should include training for Egyptian medical cadres, nursing staff, and first-aiders.

Enhancing scientific research system

The president also held a separate meeting on Sunday with Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Petroleum Minister Tarek El-Molla, and Higher Education Minister Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar.

During the meeting, El-Sisi stressed the importance of scientific research to the comprehensive development process of the state and instructed that the field of academia should intensify its efforts in that regard.

He also ordered an increase to the allocations earmarked for the scientific research system, with the aim of developing the states sectors and outlining scientific solutions for various issues and challenges.

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South African government on Sunday said the sea pollution linked to a spill from a chemical plant attacked during riots in July had caused a serious environmental catastrophe.

Rioters ran amok looting and setting structures ablaze in July after former president Jacob Zuma was sentenced to 15 months in jail for snubbing a corruption inquiry.

An agrochemical warehouse near the eastern port city of Durban storing chemicals used for making herbicides, pesticides and fungicides was one of the buildings torched.

Environment Minister Barbara Creecy said Sunday the "environmental impact of the chemical spill and fire incident... has caused the most serious environmental catastrophe in recent times".

Presenting the results of an investigation into the incident she said it "may take several years to recover from this incident".

Following the incident the local municipality closed beaches as a precautionary measure, and warned the public to refrain from fishing, surfing or picking up dead sea life. The beaches remain shut.

A criminal case has been opened against the company, UPL, who had no environmental permits to run their operations in the area, said the minister.

President Cyril Ramaphosa described the violence -- which claimed 354 lives and was the worst seen since the end of apartheid -- as an attempted insurrection.

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An EgyptAir aircraft touched down at Israels Ben-Gurion Airport on Sunday for the first time in decades, Israeli media reported.

Related EgyptAir to operate 4 direct flights per week from Egypt to Tel Aviv for first time in decades

The flight was welcomed with a water cannon salute to mark the occasion, the Jerusalem Post said.

Since the 1980s, the only flights between Israel and Cairo had been operated by Air Sinai, a subsidiary of EgyptAir, which operated flights using flagless aircrafts.

According to the Egyptian flagship carriers flight schedule, EgyptAir will operate four weekly direct flights from Cairo to Tel Aviv as of October.

The ticket prices range from EGP 4,500 (around $285.7) to EGP 4,900 ($311) for one-way flights, which take around 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Sundays flight comes almost two weeks after the newly elected Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett made his first visit to Egypt, meeting Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisis in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh.

Bennetts visit was also the first visit by an Israeli prime minister in general to Egypt since 2011.

El-Sisi and Bennetts meeting tackled the latest developments concerning the peace process in the Middle East.

President El-Sisi asserted Egypts support for all efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East based on the two-state solution and international resolutions in a way that contributes to ensuring security and prosperity in the region.

According to the Israeli PMs offices statement on the meeting, Bennett stated that the Egyptian role is important in the region and that after four decades, the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty remains a cornerstone of security and stability in the region.

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Health Minister Hala Zayed signed agreements with Siemens Healthineers to supply Egypt with health appliances during her visit to Germany, according to an announcement made by the ministry on Sunday.

Zayed made the agreements during her visit to the main factory of Siemens Healthineers in Munich.

The deal stipulates that Siemens will supply Egypt with 162 advanced CT scan machines for use in examining coronavirus and other ICU patients.

A separate agreement provides for the supply of 80 mammogram devices to examine women using artificial intelligence technology as part of the presidential initiative to support womens health.

Siemens will also supply the health ministry with mobile X-ray cars to serve citizens in rural villages within the presidential Decent Life initiative in addition to 54 CT scan machines for hospitals of the National Comprehensive Health Insurance system.

Praising German Siemens as one of the strategic partners of Egypt in the health sector, Hala Zayed announced that there would be joint training programs for radiologists and the German side to exchange experiences of artificial intelligence.

The minister and Siemens officials also discussed ways to document patients diagnoses using the latest advanced technologies produced by Siemens.

Hala Zayed headed to Germany last Tuesday in a four-day visit where she headed a delegation from health officials in Egypt to discuss ways to boost cooperation between the two countries in the health sector.

On Thursday, the Health Ministry announced that during her visit the minister reached an agreement with Mercedes Benz whereby the German automotive giant will supply Egypt with 2,510 ambulances and mobile clinics for over EGP 3 billion ($190 million) as part of the Decent Life initiative.

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The dock for floating hotels in Luxor has received a facelift, featuring new amenities catering to tourists.

After almost two years of development, Luxor tourist dock for floating hotels has been handed over to the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities after being rehabilitated.

Samia Sami, the ministrys permanent undersecretary said that the development project began in November 2019 and was carried out by the Engineering Authority for Armed Forces.

The work included the installation of a new special drainage system for Nile boats and a fire extinguisher system.

The floor was paved with marble and granite while mural paintings were erected to decorate the walls of the dock.

These murals depict scenes from the ancient Egyptians' daily life, rural areas in upper Egypt and several sceneries from the surrounding environment such as the Nile, felluca and palm trees.

A collection of benches and sun shades were installed along with garbage bins, services kiosks and shops for tourists.













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This came in a statement released by US Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Jeffrey Feltman on Saturday after his visit to Sudan from September 28 till October 1.



He also underscored that such support depends on Sudans adherence to the agreed transitional order as established in the 2019 Constitutional Declaration and the 2020 Juba Peace Agreement.



"Deviation from this path and failure to meet key benchmarks will place at risk Sudans bilateral relationship with the United States, including significant U.S. assistance, as well as the prospect of security cooperation to modernize the Sudanese armed forces and U.S. support in the International Financial Institutions and for debt relief," the statement added.



Special Envoy Feltman encouraged the Cabinet, the Sovereign Council, the Forces of Freedom and Change, and other stakeholders to uphold their responsibilities at this historic moment and reassure the Sudanese people that the aspirations of the revolution will be achieved, to avoid brinkmanship and mutual recrimination, and to make swift progress on key benchmarks in the Constitutional Declaration that would stabilize the transition.



"These include reaching consensus on the date of the transfer of the chair of the Sovereign Council to a civilian; beginning an inclusive process to develop a new vision for Sudans national security to guide the security sector reform agenda under civilian authority while recognizing the integral role that the armed forces will have in a democratic Sudan; establishing the Transitional Legislative Council; creating the legal and institutional framework for free and fair elections; and reconstituting the Constitutional Court and establishing mechanisms for transitional justice. It will be critical in this regard for the Sovereign Council to function as a collective body in discharging the duties assigned to it in the Constitutional Declaration." the statement noted.



"The United States will continue to closely monitor developments, in coordination with the Troika and our other partners in Europe, the United Nations, and the African Union." the statement added.



Finally, Special Envoy Feltman thanked Prime Minister Hamdok, in his role as chairman of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), for his commitment to promoting a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Ethiopia, and they agreed on the urgency of a negotiated ceasefire and unhindered humanitarian access to all those who are suffering

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The United Nations on Sunday warned that the Tillaberi region of western Niger was facing a "major food crisis", with almost 600,000 people exposed to food insecurity.

The vast region of about the same size as South Korea or Hungary borders the so-called tri-border area, an unstable zone where Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali meet and which has been plagued by jihadist violence since 2017.

"Insecurity and recurrent attacks by suspected elements of non-state armed groups (NSAGs) targeting farmers and civilians will have serious repercussions this year on the already precarious food situation," the UN Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs office warned in a report sent to AFP.

Nearly 600,000 people "are at risk of food insecurity", the agency said.

The food crisis spectre has been summoned by "the abandonment of crop fields and difficulties in accessing markets", the agency said.

"Those who dared to go to the fields were killed, they (the assailants) track us down in our huts and even in the mosques," Hadjia Sibti, president of the Association of Women of Anzourou, a town often targeted by attacks, told AFP in September.

The UN also warned of the situation in the department of Banibangou to the northeast of Tillaberi, where more than 79,000 people are likely to run out of food.

Between June and August 2021, "several dozen farmers" in Banibangou "were coldly murdered in their fields" by non-state armed groups, forcing the population "to abandon their fields", noted Ocha.

As of 31 August, 765,348 people had received humanitarian assistance in the Tillaberi region, which is also home to 101,144 internally displaced persons, Ocha said.

However, the UN fears "a major food crisis" in this region and asked the government and its partners to take "strong measures commensurate with the scale of the situation"

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Algeria has accused its former colonial ruler France of ``genocide'' and announced the recall of its ambassador from Paris in anger over what it said were ``inadmissible'' comments attributed to French President Emmanuel Macron

Algeria has accused its former colonial ruler France of ``genocide'' and announced the recall of its ambassador from Paris in anger over what it said were ``inadmissible'' comments attributed to French President Emmanuel Macron.

The sharp escalation in tensions also follows a French decision to slash the number of visas issued to people in North Africa including Algeria because governments there are refusing to take back migrants expelled from France.

The immediate recall of Algeria's ambassador from France for ``consultations'' was announced Saturday evening in a statement from the Algerian presidency.

The statement said the recall was motivated by recent comments about Algeria that were attributed to Macron. The comments amounted to ``inadmissible interference'' in Algeria's affairs and were ``an intolerable affront'' to Algerians who died fighting French colonialism, the Algerian presidency said.

``The crimes of colonial France in Algeria are innumerable and fit the strictest definitions of genocide,'' its statement alleged.

French media reported that Macron made recent comments about Algeria's post-colonial system of government and its attitudes to France.

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Members of a paramilitary organisation integrated into Iraq's regular security forces deplored Sunday an official decision preventing them from voting in the same way as other security personnel

Security force personnel will vote in the country's parliamentary election on October 8 in locations where they are stationed, two days ahead of the main poll, in which citizens will vote in their home constituencies.

A statement Saturday by the electoral commission sought to explain why members of the Hashed al-Shaabi - a militarily and politically powerful network numbering 160,000 personnel will have to vote in the main ballot on October 10.

It said it had contacted Hashed officials repeatedly seeking lists of fighters so as to include them in the special vote.

"The Hashed's authority did not give us the enrolled names, so the commission has included them in the general vote," the commission said.

Voting in home regions could prove challenging for many personnel stationed in geographically distant locations.

A spokesman for one key Hashed group, the Kataeb Hezbollah, said late Saturday that the measure "deprived fighters of their right to choose who will represent them and protect them from those who seek to weaken them".

Ahmed Assadi, a Hashed lawmaker complained "our brothers in the Hashed-al-Shaabi have been deprived of their special vote (rights) -- they will only be able to vote if they leave their stations and return to their (home) regions," in a statement published on social media Sunday.

The lawmaker called on his supporters to turn out en-masse "to compensate for the (lost) votes of our heroes who defend their positions".

The Hashed, which includes dozens of mainly pro-Iran Shiite groups, was created in 2014 to fight the Islamic State group, as the regular military failed to stem a lightning advance that allowed the jihadists to seize a third of the country.

The main Hashed coalition counts for 48 lawmakers among the 329 parliamentary seats.

They entered the legislature for the first time in the 2018 vote, after contributing hugely to the defeat of IS.

Opposition activists accuse Hashed armed groups of being beholden to Iran and an instrument of oppression against critics.

Alongside security force personnel, prisoners and displaced people will also vote in the special October 8 exercise.

More than 25 million citizens are eligible to vote in total in this month's poll, brought forward by a year to appease a protest movement that started two years ago but subsequently dwindled.

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At least 11 Palestinians, including three brothers, were detained by the Israeli occupation forces last night during raids in the occupied West Bank provinces of Ramallah and Nablus, WAFA reported on Sunday, quoting Palestinian security source

In Nablus, an Israeli occupation army force stormed Al-Quds Street in the south of Nablus city, and detained three brothers, Ibrahim, Alaa and Khalil Abu Awad, after raiding and searching their familys home.



An undercover Israeli army force also sneaked into Balata refugee camp in the city and kidnapped a Palestinian citizen after raiding his home.

In Ramallah, the Israeli occupation army detained three Palestinians after raiding and searching their homes in the city of Al-Bireh.

The Army also raided the neighboring villages of Kobar, Kafr Ein and Nilin, where four Palestinians, in their 20s, were detained.

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Libya's coast guard Sunday intercepted a wooden boat carrying around 500 Europe-bound migrants off the country's shore, the UN refugee agency said.

It marked the latest sea interception amid a surge in crossings and attempted crossings from the North African nation to European shores in recent months. It took place two days after a massive crackdown on migrants in a western Libyan town that resulted in the roundup of at least 4,000 migrants.

Libya has emerged as the dominant transit point for migrants fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East, hoping for a better life in Europe. The trend developed after the country was plunged into chaos following the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that ousted and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gaddafi.

Human traffickers have benefited from the chaos in the oil-rich nation and smuggled migrants through the country's lengthy border with six nations. They then pack desperate migrants into ill-equipped rubber boats in risky voyages through the perilous Central Mediterranean Sea route.

The migrants from Sunday's interception were disembarked at an oil refinery point in the western town of Zawiya, a major launching point for migrants, according to the UN refugee agency UNHCR. They include Sudanese, Somalis, Bengalis and Syrians, it said.

The migrants were likely taken to a detention center as Libyan authorities typically do with intercepted migrants.

On Saturday, the Libyan coast guard intercepted around 90 migrants, including eight women and three children, and returned them to Tripoli, the UN agency said. The coast guard also retrieved the bodies of two migrants, while 40 others remained missing at sea, the agency said.

There has been a spike in crossings and attempted crossings of the Mediterranean Sea with the goal of reaching European soil. So far this year some 44,000 people have reached Europe's shores by crossing the Central Mediterranean from Tunisia and Libya.

As of Sept. 25, more than 25,000 people had been intercepted by the EU-trained and equipped Libyan coast guard this year and returned to the war-torn country, according to the UN migration agency.

Over 1,100 migrants were reported dead or presumed dead off Libya in the first nine months of 2021.

New Johnson & Johnson data shows second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19 - but one dose is still strong against delta variant

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Relations between Algeria and former colonial power France have hit a new low, with Algiers recalling its ambassador from Paris this week.

On Sunday, Algeria banned French military planes from its airspace, which they cross to fly to the Sahel region where troops are helping to battle jihadist insurgents, the French army said.

Here's an overview of what led to these tensions, just months ahead of the 60th anniversary of Algeria's independence from France.

What Triggered The Row?

Algeria recalled its ambassador Mohamed Antar-Daoud from Paris over what the presidency late Saturday said were "irresponsible" remarks and "inadmissible interference" by French President Emmanuel Macron.

The remarks to French daily Le Monde were widely picked up by Algerian media, and came during a meeting Thursday between Macron and descendents of figures from the 1954-1962 war of independence.

Macron said Algeria was ruled by a "political-military system", Le Monde said.

He also reportedly criticised what he called the "official history" which Algeria had written for itself, saying it was "not based on truths" but "on a discourse of hatred towards France".

Macron said a French decision announced days ago to drastically slash the number of visas it grants to citizens of Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia would have no impact on students or business figures.

The move -- denounced by Algeria -- was aimed at "annoying people in leadership", he said.

He also irked Algiers by describing President Abdelmedjid Tebboune as being "trapped in a system which is very tough".

And he mocked the way Algerians consider France as the only colonial power to have ruled them, while forgetting Ottoman domination over North Africa between the 16th and 17th centuries.

Were There Tensions Already?

A row erupted in February 2005 after the French parliament adopted a law recognising "the positive role of colonisation".

Although it was later abrogated, it led to the cancelation of a treaty of friendship between Algeria and France.

Tensions rose again in May 2020 after French public media broadcast a documentary about the Hirak pro-democracy protest movement which had forced Tebboune's veteran predecessor Abdelaziz Bouteflika from power the previous year.

At the time Algeria also recalled its ambassador for consultations.

And in April this year, French Prime Minister Jean Castex scrapped a visit to Algiers after it had criticised the "small" size of his delegation, informed sources told AFP.

Have Things Been Better?

Before Macron's latest comments -- which Algerian media slammed as "vitriolic" -- relations between France and its former colony were not so bad.

In November 2020, Macron had praised Tebboune's governance in an interview with the pan-African weekly news magazine Jeune Afrique.

But he sparked the fury of Algerian civil society and expatriates when he added that he would "do everything possible" to help Tebboune deal with the Hirak protest movement.

Earlier that year, however, France took two steps that were highly appreciated by Algeria.

In July 2020, Paris returned to Algeria the skulls of 24 resistance fighters who had been shot and decapitated in the early years of the French occupation.

Previously, in March, Macron had admitted that French soldiers had murdered top Algerian lawyer Ali Boumendjel in 1957 and then covered up his death.

Algeria media on Saturday also noted that Macron had declared Algeria's colonisation a "crime against humanity" during his election campaign while visiting Algiers.

In 2020, Algeria and France agreed to task experts to draft a report aimed at forging "reconciliation".

In January, French historian Benjamin Stora handed to Macron his report, which made a series of recommendations including "symbolic acts" or reconciliation and the creation a "memory and truth commission".

However, the French presidency said there was "no question of showing repentance" or of "presenting an apology" for France's colonial past.

Algiers rejected the Stora report saying it was "not objective" and failed to proved an "official recognition by France of war crimes and crimes against humanity, perpetrated during the 130 years of the occupation of Algeria".

In his report Stora said France and Algiers were locked in a "never-ending memory war" and competing claims of victimisation.

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Outgoing German chancellor Angela Merkel made an implicit call on politicians to overcome their differences on Sunday, as talks between parties to choose her successor got under way following last week's close election.

The centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) and their candidate Olaf Scholz narrowly won last Sunday's vote on 25.7 percent, with Merkel's conservative CDU-CSU alliance plunging to an all-time low of 24.1 percent as she prepares to leave the stage after 16 years in power.

The result leaves the SPD in pole position to form a government, but conservative leader Armin Laschet has also vowed to begin coalition talks in a last-ditch effort to keep the ailing CDU-CSU in power.

Speaking in front of party leaders at celebrations in Halle to mark German reunification in 1990, Merkel said the country once again had the opportunity to "shape" its next chapter.

"We can argue over exactly how in the future, but we know that the answer is in our hands, that we have to listen and speak with each other, that we have differences, but above all things in common," Merkel said, in clear reference to negotiations at hand.

In the complex calculations for a coalition, the makeup of the next German government essentially hinges on which of the two main parties can persuade the Greens and the liberal FDP to sign up for a partnership.

The SPD will first huddle with the FDP on Sunday afternoon to kick off their coalition discussions, before speaking with the Greens in the evening, in what weekly magazine Der Spiegel magazine has described as the "poker game for power".

Their rivals, the CDU-CSU, will meet with the FDP on Sunday evening and the Greens on Tuesday.

Historic defeat

The Social Democrats have discovered new momentum since snatching the close electon win.

A poll for the Bild am Sonntag newspaper on Sunday showed that 28 percent of the public would vote SPD if the election were rerun, up two percent from the election itself. The conservative bloc meanwhile lost three percent points.

Some 76 percent of respondents said they thought Scholz should be the next German chancellor, with just 13 percent backing Laschet.

In an interview with Der Spiegel Friday, Scholz said it was "clear from every poll that people don't want the (CDU-CSU) to be part of the next government".

"The election result is clear. The CDU and CSU have suffered a historic defeat and have been voted out," he said.

Ahead of the talks, FDP leader Cristian Lindner, whose party is closer politically to the CDU than the SPD, put pressure on the conservatives, calling on them to clarify whether they "really" wanted to govern in an interview with the Bild am Sonntag.

But the conservatives are not giving up, with Markus Blume, general secretary of the CSU, insisting on Friday that a conservative-led coalition "has a chance".

Democratic accomplishments

In what was billed as perhaps her last major speech as chancellor, Merkel on Sunday made an appeal for her successors to defend democracy amid the scramble to form a government.

"We sometimes take our democratic accomplishments too lightly," Germany's long-standing leader said in her speech, asking the public to "reject radicalisation", while referring to a neo-Nazi attack on a synagogue in the city where she was speaking two years previous.

"Diversity and difference" were not threats to society, Merkel added, as Germany had shown in the years since the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The veteran politician, who lived in the communist east before reunification, was visibly moved as she described her own struggles with prejudice and called for more "respect" for the personal histories of east Germans.

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One of the kings viewpoints is that no Arab vision can materialize without Egypt and that regional and international challenges cannot be overcome without the presence of Egypt assuming its natural role.

I met with King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, on several occasions; when he was the emir of Riyadh, the crown prince, and as king. In two of those meetings, I had the opportunity to sit down with him for a long time. These were chances to get to know more about what was going on in his mind.

The first was when I visited him with prominent scientist Dr. Ahmed Zewail in Riyadh city. Seated next to him was Prince Mohamed bin Salman. The second time, I was with former president Adli Mansour in Jeddah city.

King Salman bin Abdulaziz was born in 1935. In 1954, at the age of 19, he became acting prince of Riyadh, and a year later, when he was 20, he was declared the prince of Riyadh.

After spending more than half a century as the Riyadh prince, King Salman was appointed minister of defense, then he became crown prince while he maintained his position as defense minister. In 2015, he became king.

Egyptians remember that King Salman volunteered to serve in the Egyptian army in 1956, when he was prince of Riyadh, to take part in the battle against the tripartite aggression against Egypt by Britain, France, and Israel.

At that time, Egypt was still trying to find its way through the storm. The aggression was carried out faster than expected, putting Egypt in an early and dangerous face-off.

The war ended with the defeat of the three allies. The assistance provided by noble friends at this critical juncture is etched in the memory of Egyptians. At the forefront stands King Salman, who has been greatly appreciated by Egyptians ever since.

In 2016, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi hailed King Salmans role, saying, The Egyptian people have not forgotten your noble stances and your volunteering with your brothers in the Egyptian Armed Forces during the public mobilization against the Tripartite Aggression on Egypt in 1956, and your role in supporting the military efforts during the War of Attrition, which culminated in the October victory.

When Salman became king, Western intellectual circles expected him to be more conservative than his predecessor, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz. The US Washington Post newspaper said King Salman was conservative and would not support reform and change.

The king proved them wrong. Along with Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman, King Salman embarked on wide reform: the conservatives were weakened, extremist circles cornered, and religious institutions directed toward moderation. The kingdoms Vision 2030 was also launched, receiving a positive response. In May 2021, King Salman performed Eid Al-Fitr prayers in the city of Neom, which is regarded as a symbol of the new vision.

I was with Dr. Ahmed Zewail the first time I met with King Salman in the Riyadh Palace. On our way to the palace, Dr. Zewail told me, Saudi Arabia has more significance to me than it does to Arabs and Muslims. It is the foundation upon which my family, Dema, Nabil, and Hani, were brought up. You know the story, of course. We published it in the memoirs.

Dr. Zewail was referring to his book The Age of Science, which I had the honor of editing. The book included Dr. Zewails life story, and its honorary foreword was written by internationally acclaimed laureate Naguib Mahfouz.

In 1989, Dr. Ahmed Zewail won the international King Faisal Prize. At the award ceremony, he met Dr. Dema Faham, who became his wife. Dr. Zewail said in his book The Age of Science that I was the first Arab to receive this award in science or medicine. The Saudi hosts were proud of me, and they welcomed me with affection. I met in Riyadh a young lady named Dema Faham, who came with her father, Dr. Shakir Faham, who was awarded the King Faisal Prize in Literature. Dr. Faham was the Minister of Education in Syria. We spoke repeatedly on the phone upon my return to Pasadena, and when, in May 1989, we could no longer afford to pay the phone bills, I traveled to Syria.

Right before arriving at the palace, Dr. Zewail told me, Riyadh represents magnificent memories: the prize and the family.

Our meeting with King Salman took place in early 2008. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques was then the emir of Riyadh. The architectural style of the palace caught the attention of Dr. Zewail. He told me, This palace is exquisitely an amalgam of originality and modernity. We have to know more about its history.

King Salman governed the Riyadh emirate from his office in the palace for 50 years. The office is elegant, with the library taking center-stage opposite the main salon.

At the beginning of the meeting, King Salman told me, El-Moslemany is a big family in Hail Province, is it connected to Egypts El-Moslemany family?

The amicable question was, to me, an ice breaker in the meeting that lasted for 90 minutes.

King Salman at that time had already had a clear vision and sharp ideas. Following the meeting, Dr. Zewail told me, Prince Salman is a well-versed reader. It is rare to find an Arab official making references to books and citations. I was also surprised by his vision for reform. As a scientist, I found the meeting closer to my mind. His ideas are totally clear and his words are far from those of politicians who use general talk, vague vocabulary, and words that may have two opposite meanings.

Dr. Zewail added, Prince Mohamed bin Salman was nodding in agreement to the conversation. It seems they have talked about and agreed on the path the kingdom should adopt towards reform.

King Salman spoke with us about the theory of the state in the Saudi experience. He also discussed the history of Islam, the kingdoms geography, and the regional and international status quo.

The kings convictions became apparent to me in the following: The first standpoint concerned the threat posed by Iran, and the dangers of Shiite expansion in the region and the world. The king spoke for a long time about Tehrans insistence on exporting the revolution, which means exporting its doctrine, intellect, jurisprudence and politics, until it eventually spreads Khomeinis theory of the Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist in other regions of the Islamic world.

The king warned against the growth of a Shiite empire in the same form of the Fatimid state if the Islamic world does not stand against the Iranian project. He called on one of his assistants to bring from the library a book by historian Gamal Badawi about the Fatimid state.

The king knew where the book was placed in the library, saying he frequently referred back to it, especially to the parts on the Fatimid mechanisms of infiltrating Sunni communities.

The king believed a compromise with the Iranian project is very difficult, and that it is not easy to bridge the ideological gap between Iran and the Islamic world. The king stressed that the rivalry was with the project, not the state, and that the discord did not exist at the time of the Shah, when Sunni and Shia matters were not raised, until Khomeini rose to the helm and divisions appeared in the Islamic world.

The king opined that it is difficult to attain religious peace if the Iranian project remains in the same form, that the situation may later become an existential conflict, not a border conflict, and that the entire region may slide to the brink of war, which must be prevented by any means.

The second vantage point, according to the king, is the role of religion in protecting the kingdom. He said, Saudi Arabia is a vast land. It comprises many tribes. It is difficult for all these tribes to live in this spacious land without a real unification project. This project is Islam. Islam is the bond upon which the state was established; without this bond, there would have been no state. It will always be in the states interest to rely on religious legitimacy. This is what will preserve it.

Dr. Ahmed Zewail said, Some Western media outlets claim that Saudi Arabia is governed by Wahhabism and that Wahhabi Islam is the foundation of the states legitimacy.

The king replied that there is no such thing as Wahhabism. They attack us using this term. We are Sunni Muslims who respect the four schools of thought. We follow Islams Prophet (Muhammad, peace be upon him), and not anyone else.

Imam Muhammad bin Abdel-Wahab was a prominent jurist and a man of knowledge, but he did not introduce anything new. The first Saudi state did not establish a new school of thought. They make this claim to link us to extremism and terrorism. This is not true. The Islamic thought, which rules in Saudi Arabia, stands against extremism and fights terrorism. We have grown tired of being described as Wahhabis. This is incorrect and unacceptable.

Then the king spoke about the kingdoms need for modernization and opening up to the world. He said, Development is the norm in life. Some of our laws cannot persist, such as banning women to drive. Moreover, the performance of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice should be re-evaluated and reviewed. We have a large number of youths who are finely educated, and hundreds of thousands of young people were educated abroad. All of them want to see a new Saudi Arabia that is fit for their ambitions and aspirations. We are well aware of that, and this change is going to come.

One of the kings viewpoints is that no Arab vision can materialize without Egypt and that regional and international challenges cannot be overcome without the presence of Egypt assuming its natural role.

The king repeated these words during the meeting with former president Adli Mansour. The king spoke about his deep knowledge of Cairo that may exceed the Egyptians understanding of the capital. He spoke about the time he volunteered in the Egyptian army in the 1956 war and his great attachment to the Egyptian culture and lifestyle.

Today, Saudi Arabia, as the king stated years ago, is continuously trying to adjust the balance with Iran and weaken the theory of the Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist.

The kingdom is ushering in a bold era of modernization and openness. Some people may see these steps as taking place faster and on a wider scale than expected, and that a number of them were, until some time ago, impossible to materialize.

Despite the openness, the kingdom is still trying to strike a balance between religious rulings and the states needs, between values and the ages modernism, between the mosque and modernity.

Visitors to the kingdom say the atmosphere is getting better and that youth and women, in addition to many circles of intellectuals, are becoming more hopeful.

Many eyes are closely monitoring the kingdom. Neighboring countries are well aware that if Riyadh sneezes, the Gulf will catch a cold. The kingdom and the region are facing historical challenges. The better they overcome them the better the future will be.

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In the early hours of Sunday, the Israeli army killed five Palestinians in two simultaneous military operations in Occupied Jerusalem and Jenin in the West Bank. It claimed the assaults were intended to foil a major military operation being planned by Palestinian factions.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said three Palestinians were martyred when Israeli soldiers opened fire in Beit Anan, northwest of Jerusalem. Among those killed was Ahmed Zahran, a leading member of the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, who had been wanted by the occupation army. Two more were killed in Jenin, including released detainee Osama Sobh who died in a firefight in Barqeen, west of Jenin in the north of the West Bank. The Islamic Jihad claimed him as one of its own.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett claimed the Israeli army, which said two of its special forces troopers were injured during a firefight with two Palestinian groups, foiled an imminent attack being planned by Hamas in the West Bank. Israels Channel 20 quoted a source in the army as saying, Tonight, our forces prevented a major attack like none Israel has seen in a long time. Armed men were planning a major operation to kill Israelis. The assassinations and arrests of the Palestinian cell were based on intelligence that the cell is plotting an attack on Israelis in the near future.

The channel also reported statements by a spokesperson for the Israeli army to the effect that the military assault targeted a Hamas military cell in the West Bank in four different operations that killed four members of the group while four others were arrested.

Israel believes these operations will dismantle Hamas infrastructure in the West Bank. Israeli officials claim that the Palestinians opened fire first and were training to kill and kidnap Israelis. However, the Palestinians assert these claims are pretexts for a new incursion into Palestinian areas in Occupied Jerusalem and the West Bank, intended gradually to undermining the control of the Palestinian Authority (PA) there.

The PA and Palestinian factions believe Israels recent crimes are another indicator that the Israeli government is intent on igniting conditions on the ground, and that Israel repeatedly raids areas in the West Bank that are mostly under Palestinian control. The Palestinian presidency issued a statement describing these crimes as a continuation of abuses and summary executions of Palestinians, adding that this policy will lead to an explosive situation, more tensions and instability. It directly blamed the Israeli government for the escalation and its repercussions.

Hamas and the Islamic Jihad vowed to avenge the fallen martyrs, without indicating when or what this might look like. Israel raised its state of alert in anticipation of rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip in response to the slayings. The Palestinian government viewed the military assault as part of Israels systematic policy of usurping land and building settlements, and the gradual annexation of Palestinian areas by weakening the PA until it only has superficial presence there.

Despite Israeli claims that the killing of the five Palestinians was operationally motivated based on the information that they were plotting to carry out attacks in Israel, several Israeli circles believe the army was planning to carry out several assaults on various areas in the West Bank, especially Jenin, which Israel has viewed as a power keg and agitated against since Israeli units repeatedly came under fire on its periphery recently, and especially after two of the detainees who escaped from Gilboa high security prison sought refuge there for several days before they were recaptured.

This means Israel could have several scenarios for the West Bank to deal with an alleged threat coming from there, which is reminiscent of Operation Defencive Shield in 2002 when the Israeli army invaded West Bank cities on the pretext of dismantling the infrastructure of armed Palestinian factions there.

A report on Channel 12 said the Israeli army recently completed a military plan for concentrated operations in Jenin, since it is a stronghold of armed groups in the Palestinian territories. The report said PA control there is minimal and Palestinian security forces have no authority on large swathes of the city. The Israeli channel continued that Defence Minister Benny Gantz and Army Chief Aviv Kochavi have approved military plans to invade the city, even though Israel understands that such a broad operation would cause serious losses and can resonate in Gaza, which remains relatively calm for now. Hamas had previously warned that it would respond if Israel invaded the Jenin Refugee Camp.

The news channel quoted army officials as saying that the reality in Jenin is more explosive than at any other time, and this can impact the Palestinian street and conditions in Israel.

Ibrahim Al-Sawwaf, a political analyst, believes Israel is preparing for several possible scenarios to deal with the West Bank, including the collapse of the PA and Israel being forced to directly manage the security portfolio there. Al-Sawwaf warned that such a move would be very risky due to an uptick in Israeli crimes against Palestinians, which has triggered growing feelings of revenge against Israel.

He said Israels plot of meddling in the West Bank and escalation on the ground will not serve Israels security concerns, but instead will increase operations against Israel, whether attacks planned by Palestinian factions or individuals -- as seen in the past when individual Palestinians randomly stabbed or rammed Israelis without being affiliated to any Palestinian group.

Al-Sawwaf said escalation in the West Bank and repeated raids in Occupied Jerusalem could trigger a response by Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip, especially since the latter believe Israel is deflecting from honouring its commitments in the ceasefire deal, and is delaying steps to ease the siege on Gaza. He added that the repercussions of escalation in the West Bank will not remain within the West Bank which has started to move against Israel, albeit at a pace that Israel can control for now. Al-Sawwaf cautioned that increased restrictions and harassment at Israeli checkpoints in the West Bank since the Gilboa escape will intensify anger against Israel, which could lead Israel to invade Palestinian cities, especially Jenin, which it views as a serious threat.

Tensions on the ground are further aggravated by accelerated Israeli assaults on Occupied Jerusalem and West Bank cities. Meanwhile, Israel rejects Palestinian requests to return to negotiations based on international frameworks and resolutions. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas even threatened to rescind recognition of Israel if it does not withdraw to the June 1967 border within one year. But Israel brushed off the threat.

According to analysts, this embodies the difficulties facing progress in talks with the incumbent Israeli government and eliminates the possibility of a peaceful resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict -- even if the radical right government of Benjamin Netanyahu is no longer in power. This is yet another reason why escalation on the ground is a real possibility, and could cast a shadow on already complicated political relations between Palestinians and Israel.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 30 September, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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Authorities say they have found the body of a missing Florida college student who disappeared a week ago. A maintenance worker who entered her apartment unauthorized the day she disappeared and later killed himself is the prime suspect.

Miya Marcano's family, her father Marlon Marcano, center left, hosts a candlelight vigil at Arden Villas, Friday, Oct. 1, 2021, in Orlando, Florida. [Photo: AP]

Orange County Sheriff John Mina said Saturday that authorities found Miya Marcanos body in a wooded area near an apartment building. Authorities said the 19-year-old vanished on the same day a maintenance man improperly used a master key to enter her apartment. Her family reported her missing after she missed a flight home to South Florida on Sept. 24.

The sheriff previously said Armando Caballero, a maintenance worker at the apartment complex where Marcano lived and worked, is considered the "prime suspect." Caballero, 27, apparently killed himself; his body was found three days after Marcano was last seen.

Marcano had repeatedly "rebuffed" romantic advances by Caballero. Detectives spoke to Caballero after the Valencia College student was reported missing, but had no evidence to detain him at that time. They obtained a warrant for his arrest after learning he had entered her apartment before she disappeared. His body was then found inside a garage.

Cellphone records from Caballero led them to the apartment complex near where Marcano was found and showed he was there for about 20 minutes the night she was reported missing, Sheriff Mina said. At one point, Caballero also previously lived at that apartment complex.

"Nothing in the records indicate that he ever returned there before he killed himself," he said, adding deputies are not looking for any other suspects.

The FBI and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement were among the hundreds of authorities searching for Marcano. Meanwhile, friends and family held a prayer vigil and passed out flyers desperate to find the missing teen.

At this time, we cannot identify a cause of death, so I don't' want to speculate on that, Mina said of Marcano's death during a news conference Saturday.

Mina says they notified her parents just hours ago, adding our hearts are broken.

Everyone wanted this outcome to be different," he said. As a sheriff, as a father, obviously we are grieving at the loss of Miya.

Caballero's criminal history revealed one prior arrest in 2013 for using a destructive device resulting in property damage and discharging a weapon on school property, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

An arrest report said Polk County sheriff's deputies were called to the campus of Warner University after a report of a bomb going off inside a dorm. The explosive turned out to be a toilet bowl cleaner concoction inside a plastic drink bottle. The report said Caballero admitted to using the improvised explosive as a prank on other residents of the dorm. No one was injured.

The apartment complex where Marcano and Caballero worked, Arden Villa, released a statement saying all potential employees are vetted through a national background check services provider, and no records of burglary or sexual assault were found involving Caballero.
KYODO NEWS - Aug 3, 2021 - 23:52 | World, All

Ebrahim Raisi, former judiciary chief of Iran and a conservative hard-liner, was endorsed as the new president of the country by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday.

Following his landslide victory in the presidential election in June, Raisi was officially confirmed at a ceremony in Tehran as the new president of Iran, which has had tense relations with the international community including the United States over issues such as nuclear development.

In his speech at the ceremony, Raisi acknowledged the deterioration of the economy and said he has "major plans" to reform the country, a report by Iran's semi-official Fars news agency said.

"The new government seeks to remove the sanctions but will not let economic conditions rely on financial embargos," he said, referring to crippling sanctions imposed by the United States, according to the report.

The anti-U.S. Muslim cleric, the first conservative hard-liner coming into power in eight years, replaced relatively moderate President Hassan Rouhani who had advocated constructive cooperation with the international community.

The Rouhani administration struck a 2015 deal with six major powers -- Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States -- agreeing to limit Iran's nuclear activities in return for sanctions relief.

The deal initially had a positive impact on the economy. But in 2018, after then President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the agreement, subsequent U.S. sanctions caused rising prices, a plunging currency and high unemployment in Iran.

Raisi has promised to fight poverty and indicated that he would continue indirect talks with the United States on reviving the nuclear deal while calling for sanctions against Iran to be lifted.

But it is seen that Raisi will not make a major compromise in the indirect talks with the United States, which may intensify the confrontation between the two countries.

In addition to sanctions that have damaged Iran's economy, the country has been struggling with a surge in coronavirus infections and other problems such as water shortage amid drought, which have exacerbated public dissatisfaction.

Raisi will be sworn in as the president at parliament on Thursday and form his Cabinet in mid-August.

Current Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who led Iran's talks with the six major powers when they struck the 2015 deal, is likely to be replaced by a conservative hard-liner, according to sources close to the matter.

Related coverage:

Japan foreign minister eyes visit to Iran in Aug.: sources

Iran's president-elect Raisi demands U.S. lift all sanctions

Iran elects conservative hard-liner Raisi as new president
KYODO NEWS - Oct 3, 2021 - 22:19 | World, All

A major pro-democracy group, the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions, decided to disband on Sunday, the third one in less than two weeks as China continues eliminating dissent in the territory.

Representatives of the territory's biggest opposition trade union told a press conference that its members had voted in favor of dissolution, putting the decision down to political pressure, local broadcaster RTHK reported.

With the latest development, Hong Kong's major pro-democracy groups have been almost wiped out.

On Sept. 25, the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, known for its yearly vigil commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, voted to disband after its leaders were arrested under the national security law, which criminalizes acts of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces.

That came a day after another pro-democracy group, Student Politicism, announced its disbandment after four members were charged with conspiracy to incite subversion.

The Civil Human Rights Front and the Professional Teachers' Union have also disbanded.

The Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions, which was founded in 1990, said on its website that it had represented more than 93 affiliates and 145,000 members from a variety of sectors.

Its leaders' mobilization of members to participate in anti-government demonstrations in 2019 and advocacy of general strikes was regarded as problematic, with pro-Beijing media suggesting they may have violated the national security law by receiving funds, colluding with external forces and manipulating the trade union to carry out "anti-China activities" in Hong Kong.

According to RTHK, the confederation's leaders claimed to have been left "terrified" after receiving messages warning them their personal safety could be at risk if the group was not dissolved, while its chief executive Mung Siu Tat announced he had resigned and fled Hong Kong over such concerns.

In January, after the group's chairwoman Carol Ng was arrested for subversion under the national security law, the group had vowed in a statement to "never give up" in the face of political persecution and to "struggle till our last breath."

Related coverage:

Group behind Hong Kong's Tiananmen crackdown vigil votes to disband

Pro-Beijing members to fill Hong Kong's Election Committee

Hong Kong group forced to delete content about Tiananmen crackdown
KYODO NEWS - Oct 3, 2021 - 19:47 | World, All

Thirty-nine Chinese military planes entered Taiwan's air defense identification zone on Saturday, a one-day record since the self-governed island began disclosing such figures in September last year, according to the Ministry of National Defense.

It said 20 Chinese military aircraft entered into the southwestern part of the zone during the day and 19 at night. They included 26 Shenyang J-16 and 10 Sukhoi Su-30 fighters.

The previous record of 38 military planes was set on Friday.

On Saturday, Taiwan's Premier Su Tseng-chang criticized China for "damaging regional peace," while local media quoted U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks as saying the Pentagon is carefully watching the situation in the region "day to day."

Hicks reportedly told an online forum hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies on Friday that the United States is focused on helping Taiwan increase its capabilities to defend itself in the event of a Chinese invasion.

"We have a significant amount of capability forward in the region to tamp down any such potential," she was also quoted as saying by the Taipei Times.

China, which considers Taiwan a renegade province to be reunified with the mainland, has ramped up pressure on Taiwan following its recent application to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement.

The administration of President Tsai Ing-wen is stepping up its efforts to convince member countries, including Japan, to accept Taiwan as a TPP member.

The incursions appear to also be a warning to the United States and Japan against further strengthening relations with Taiwan.

China has expressed strong dissatisfaction with the Liberal Democratic Party's newly elected president Fumio Kishida's welcome to Taiwan's application for TPP membership. He will take office as prime minister on Monday.

According to the defense ministry, the Chinese air force has made more than 550 incursions so far this year. Taiwan's military planes have been scrambled to warn the Chinese aircraft away.

Related coverage:

Taiwan says nearly 60 China warplanes enter defense zone over 2 days

Taiwan detects 10 China warplanes within air defense zone

Taiwan detects China warplanes as vaccine arrives from Poland
By Supriya Singh, KYODO NEWS - Oct 3, 2021 - 11:01 | All, World, Japan, Coronavirus

While online classes have become the norm amid the COVID-19 pandemic, academics from Japan and Hong Kong believe that online classes cannot truly be a substitute for face-to-face learning despite the merits of technology in communicating with students.

"Learning does not take place in the classroom, it happens outside the classroom, on campus where students can interact," among themselves and with teachers, Oussouby Sacko, president of Kyoto Seika University, said in a recent webinar.

The webinar on the future of education was organized by the Awaji Youth Federation, an educational group in Japan, as the academic world faces the challenges posed by online learning.

Sacko said professors at his university in western Japan have struggled to teach, for example, art-related courses online, and students were also losing their interest in attending classes.

To motivate the students, Sacko, who hails from Mali, has introduced a hybrid system of direct interactive sessions between teachers and students once a week and online classes on other days.

Recognizing the challenges teachers face in holding virtual classes, he said there is a need to develop a program for the faculty to train them to become accustomed to the new teaching style.

An online survey by the National Federation of University Co-operative Associations in July has shown that 44.7 percent of students do not find their lives fulfilling amid the pandemic, citing the limitations of online classes as one of the factors.

Baniel Cheung, adjunct assistant professor at Hong Kong University's Faculty of Business and Economics, shared the sentiments of Sacko on the benefits of face-to-face learning, even as he recognized the benefits of speed of information and knowledge sharing via online classes.

"It is difficult to teach without seeing the students' faces and body language, to really know what the other person thinks," Cheung said, adding that while teaching could be "hybrid" in the post-COVID era, "digital cannot replace humans."

Representing the students' voice, Fuka Chida, a sophomore at Chiba University, said the pandemic has reinforced the importance of campus learning.

"University is not just about studies, but a place where I can learn about myself through interactions with others and grow," said Chida, Japan ambassador of the Youth and United Nations Global Alliance, a group created in partnership among U.N. agencies and civic groups dedicated to children and youth.

Sacko said the pandemic has made it easier for students to communicate through the social messaging app Line and noted how shy students are more actively participating in classes than before.

Cheung said he uses messaging platform WhatsApp to communicate with students, having created different groups for different purposes. The tool is used to narrow what he calls "the psychological distance."

Looking ahead, he underscored the vital role of technology for future inter-university collaboration.

Cheung said online collaborations among universities have become more prevalent during the pandemic and called for continuing such efforts, especially between universities in Asia.

"Students have become more competitive during the pandemic and want to learn more skills to survive in the companies, so inter-Asia exchanges should be held," he said at the webinar by the federation, founded by Japanese staffing firm Pasona Group Inc.

He added he hopes Japanese universities will offer more courses in English that are popular with students in Asia, such as manga and animation.
By Ryotaro Nakamaru, KYODO NEWS - Oct 5, 2021 - 00:42 | All, Japan

Fumio Kishida took office as Japan's prime minister Monday forming a Cabinet charged with keeping COVID-19 under control while reviving a battered economy, as he looks to appeal to voters heading into a general election in less than a month.

The election for the House of Representatives, the more powerful lower chamber of parliament, will be held Oct. 31, Kishida said, earlier than the first half of November as had been expected.

The 64-year-old former foreign minister replaced Yoshihide Suga, who resigned after just over a year in office amid criticism of his pandemic response.

<MORE ON THE ELECTION HERE>

"We need to fight the coronavirus to bring social and business activities back to normal and build a new economy, a new way of life, a new age. I want to work with the people toward that goal," Kishida told a press conference. "I will regain the trust of the people, which is the foundation of democracy."

The Cabinet includes a slew of fresh faces, with 13 of its 20 members taking on a ministerial post for the first time. But key posts were given to those with close ties to former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, suggesting there will not be a radical shift in policy from previous administrations.

Kishida retained Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi, Abe's younger brother, while Shunichi Suzuki was tapped to replace Taro Aso as finance minister, a job he held for nearly nine years. Hirokazu Matsuno, a former education minister, was named chief Cabinet secretary.

Kishida, who was chosen as leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party last week, was elected prime minister by a resounding majority in both chambers of the Diet. He was then formally invested with the title by Emperor Naruhito in a ceremony at the Imperial Palace.

Kishida said he will spend the next several days delivering his first policy speech in the Diet and taking questions from other party leaders, then dissolve the lower house on Oct. 14 and begin the campaigning period for the general election on Oct. 19.

"I want to realize bold COVID-19 measures and an economic package as soon as possible," he said. "In order to do that, first the people need to decide whether I'm up to the job."

The vote will be his first major test in office, and he will need to defy his image as a low-key consensus builder who struggles to excite voters.

Previously expected to be held either Nov. 7 or 14, Kishida brought the general election forward in an apparent bid to capitalize on good will toward his just-launched government and a decline in COVID-19 cases, which on Monday fell below 100 in Tokyo for the first time this year.

With around 60 percent of Japan's population fully vaccinated, Kishida's immediate task is preventing another surge in infections while gradually lifting restrictions on social and business activities, and reopening the world's third-largest economy to foreign travelers.

Touting a "new capitalism" that focuses on economic growth and redistributing the fruits of that success, he promised to boost middle-class incomes in a course correction from "Abenomics," which helped lift corporate earnings and stock prices but did little to spark wage growth.

Kishida has also vowed to draw up an economic package worth "tens of trillions of yen" within the year to deal with the pandemic, and said he is considering cash handouts to people hit particularly hard by COVID-19.

<CABINET LINEUP PROFILES HERE>

It is unclear how much social change there will be under Kishida, a moderate who has called for further debate on whether to allow married couples to retain separate surnames and who is "undecided" on whether same-sex marriage should be legally recognized.

Having ample international experience as foreign minister from 2012 to 2017, Kishida has his work cut out with a range of diplomatic and security challenges.

At the press conference, he promised to work with the United States to realize a "free and open Indo-Pacific" region and uphold fundamental values such as freedom, democracy and the rule of law.

Referring to China's assertiveness in the South and East China seas, Kishida said Japan will push back against "attempts to change the status quo through force." He also expressed doubt that China will be able to meet the standards to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade deal.

Kishida, who also briefly served as defense minister, vowed to shore up missile defenses following North Korea's recent resumption of ballistic missile tests, while saying he is willing to meet with leader Kim Jong Un "without preconditions" to resolve the issue of the country's past abductions of Japanese nationals.

Hailing from a political family in Hiroshima, Kishida has promised to push forward efforts to rid the world of nuclear weapons while arguing that Japan should consider giving the Self-Defense Forces the capability to conduct missile strikes on hostile enemy bases.

Many of the Cabinet members belong to one of the LDP factions that backed Kishida in the leadership race. Koichi Hagiuda, a close ally of the staunchly conservative Abe, was named trade and industry minister, while Daishiro Yamagiwa, a member of the Aso faction, was tapped for economic and fiscal policy minister.

The average age is relatively high at 61.8 and there are only three women -- vaccination minister Noriko Horiuchi, Seiko Noda, the minister in charge of gender equality and children's policies, and administrative reform minister Karen Makishima, the youngest pick at 44.

Takayuki Kobayashi takes a new post focusing on economic security, tasked with drawing up measures to prevent intellectual property theft from abroad.

Suga's Cabinet resigned en masse Monday morning, 384 days after its formation, giving him the 12th shortest tenure of the 34 prime ministers in the postwar era.

Repeated COVID-19 states of emergency and poor policy communication sent his Cabinet's approval ratings plummeting, with the Tokyo Olympics and the quickening pace of vaccinations doing little to buoy sentiment.

The Diet convened an extraordinary session in the afternoon to choose a successor. The vote was little more than a formality as the ruling coalition of the LDP and junior partner Komeito has a majority in both chambers.

Kishida received 311 of 458 votes in the House of Representatives and 141 of 241 votes in the House of Councillors.

The general election will be key to avoiding a fate similar to Suga, though its timing means Kishida will be unable to travel to Rome at the end of the month to take part in a Group of 20 summit.

Related coverage:

Japan's Kishida to attend G-20 summit in late Oct.: gov't source

Next Japan PM Kishida to create economic security minister to counter China

Next Japan PM Kishida likely to dissolve lower house Oct. 14
New Delhi:

The Indian Air Force (IAF), Army and Navy on Thursday held a joint press conference at Delhias South Block and said that they were on high alert and ready to deal with any misadventure of Pakistan amid rising tensions between the two nuclear-powered nations. Air Vice Marshal RGK Kapoor told the media at a tri-service press conference that the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) breached the Indian airspace west of Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday.

The Pakistani attempt was to target Indian military installations but the Pakistani jets were forced to retreat by Indian MiG, Sukhoi and Mirage aircraft.

Major General Surendra Singh Mahal said that PAF's targets on Wednesday included a Brigade Headquarters, a Battalion Headquarters and logistics installations in Jammu and Kashmir. He said Indian weapons systems had been put on high alert and mechanized forces had been placed on standby.

"As long as Pakistan continues to harbour terrorists, we will continue to target the terror camps," Major General SS Mahal added.

Rear Admiral DS Gujral said: "The Indian Navy is deployed in a high state of readiness and remains poised in three dimensions - surface, under the sea and in the air to deter, prevent and defeat any misadventure by Pakistan in the maritime domain.

"I can assure you of a resolute, swift and strong response by the Navy whenever needed," he said.

Tensions between the two countries escalated after Indian fighters bombed terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed's biggest training camp near Balakot deep inside Pakistan early on Tuesday. It came 12 days after the Jaish claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a CRPF convoy in Kashmir, killing 40 soldiers.

Here are all the updates here:

7: 26 pm:A We have evidence to show that whatever we wanted to do and targets we wanted to destroy, we have done that. The decision to show the evidence is on senior leadership: Air Vice Marshal RGK Kapoor

7: 25 pm:A Visuals of cover of AARAM missile fired from Pakistani F-16 aircraft found near the LoC in India

Visuals of cover of AARAM missile fired from Pakistani F-16 aircraft found near the LoC in India pic.twitter.com/qHdOm5cDqN a ANI (@ANI) February 28, 2019

7: 20 pm:A Premature to say number of casualties on the camp, whatever we intended to destroy we got that result: Air Vice Marshal RGK Kapoor

7: 18 pm:A As long as Pakistan continues to harbour terrorists, we will continue to target the terror camps: Major General Surendra Singh Mahal

7: 16 pm:A We are ready for any misadventure by Pakistan and we are ready for resolute action. We want to ensure safety and security of our citizens: Navy Rear Admiral DS Gujral

7:16 pm:A Indian Army remains poised in all three surfaces to deter and defeat any misadventure by Pakistan. We stand as one with the Army and Air Force: Rear Admiral Dalbir Singh Gujral

7: 15 pm:A The Indian Army is committed to maintain peace and stability in the region: Maj Gen Surender Singh

7: 15 pm:A IAF is happy that Wing Commander Abhinandan is returning tomorrow: Air Vice Marshall RGK Kapoor

7: 14 pm:A There is enough evidence to show that F-16s were used in this mission through their electronic signatures. Parts of AMRAAM, air to air missile which is carried only on the Pakistani F-16s was recovered east of Rajouri within the Indian territory.

7: 13 pm:A One Pakistani F-16 was shot down by an IAF MiG 21 Bison Aircraft. East of Rajouri, parts of F-16 have been recovered, inside Indian territory: Air Vice Marshall RGK Kapoor

7: 12 pm:A 2 PAF pilots were seen ejecting from the F-16 that was hit with a missile by our MiG-21 Bison. Pak says no F-16s used in the operation. We have evidence in the form of AMRAAM parts found east of Rajouri & electronic signatures captured.

7: 12 pm:A "IAF fighters were tasked to intercept the intruding Pakistani aircraft and managed to thwart them. Although PAF jets dropped bombs, they were not able to cause any damage": Air Vice Marshal RGK KapoorA

7: 11 pm:A The IAF aircraft foiled their attack. They were unable to cause any damage to our military installations: IAFA

7: 10 pm:A Pakistan aircraft were targeting military installations, like the Brigade HQ. But due to the alertness of IAF, their efforts were foiled

7: 10 pm:A On Feb 27, IAF radars detected a Pakistan aircraft heading towards Indian territory. IAF fighters were tasked to intercept Pakistan's aircraft: Air Vice Marshal RGK Kapoor

7:10 pm: IAF fighters were tasked to intercept the intruding Pakistani aircraft and managed to thwart them. Although PAF jets dropped bombs, they were not able to cause any damage:A Air Vice Marshall RGK Kapoor

7:10 pm:A Pakistan claimed that they intentionally dropped weapons on open areas, but the fact is Pakistan targeted military assets: Air Vice Marshall RGK Kapoor

7:08 pm: They were intercepted by IAF aircraft.A

7:05 pm: Pakistan air force breached the air territory.A

7:00 pm: Air Vice MarshalA RGKA KapoorA to be present at the conferenceA



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New Delhi:

More than two months after 15 people were trapped inside a 370-foot-deep rat-hole coal mine in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills district, the Indian Navy on Wednesday recovered one more highly decomposed body of a miner, according to reports. Earlier several other decomposed bodies were spotted inside the mine but could not be recovered due to unfavourable conditions. The water inside the mines has high Sulphur content because of which bodies are likely to be decomposed faster.

This time the Navy team used a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) to retrieve the body but was, however, disintegrated during the process. The rescue operation which started back in December 2018, has completed its 75th day on Wednesday and is the longest in the country so far.

On December 13, at least 15 miners were trapped deep inside the illegal coal pit, owned by a person identified by authorities as Krip Chulet, at Ksan near Lytein River in East Jainita Hills. The accident took place after water from the nearby Lytein River flooded the mine in Lumthari village.

The district official said Navy teams were trying their best to retrieve the body parts of miners detected by ROV about 170-200 feet from the bottom.

Read | Thailand Cave Rescue: How the 'unprecedented mission' to evacuate 13 footballers unfolded

Three companies - Coal India Ltd, Kirloskar Brothers Ltd and KSB - continued with de-watering the mines and their total water discharge to ease the process of search and rescue operation. Apart from the Indian Navy, the Army, the NDRF and the state's agencies are engaged in the operations that begun hours after the accident took place on December 13, 2018.

As far as the funds are concerned, the state Deputy Commissioner had granted more than Rs 30 lakh at the start of the rescue operation. On January 3, the Centre had taken a decision to place an additional Rs 20 lakh with the DC to meet the requirements. Besides, the state government has announced Rs 1 lakh interim relief for families of all the trapped miners.

Coal mine accidents have been rampant in the mountainous state due to unscientific "rat hole mining" even after a National Green Tribunal (NGT) imposed an interim ban in April 2014.

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New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that India has just completed a pilot project and the real one is yet to be done. Though PM Modi made this remark without making any reference to ongoing tension between India and Pakistan, it assumes significance as he said this in the backdrop of India targeting Jaish-e-Mohammed terror camp across Line of Control (LoC).



You are those people who spend their lives in laboratories. You follow a practice of first doing pilot projects. After the pilot project is completed, then the project is made scalable. We have just completed one pilot project. The real is yet to be done, only the practice has been done so far, PM Modi said while addressing a gathering at Vigyan Bhavan during the prestigious Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology for 2018.



The surprise announcement also came on the heels of India sending a strong message to Pakistan rejecting the possibility of any deal for securing the release of the pilot and demanding his unconditional and immediate repatriation. Indian government sources also emphatically said the pilot cannot be a bargaining chip.



"In our desire for peace, I announce that tomorrow (Friday), and as a first step to open negotiations, Pakistan will be releasing the Indian Air Force officer in our custody," Khan said. The announcement during a joint session of Parliament was greeted by thumping of desks by lawmakers. The pilot bailed out and landed in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) after his MiG 21 was brought down during a fierce aerial engagement on Wednesday with Pakistan Air Force(PAF) fighters on the Line of Control(LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir.



As international pressure mounted on India and Pakistan to show restraint and deescalate tensions, American President Donald Trump said the US has some "reasonably attractive news" from the two countries.



"We have been involved in trying to help them (India and Pakistan) stop and we have some reasonably decent news," he said in his opening statement at a press conference at the end of his second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Hanoi.

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New Delhi:

Picture of a portion of downed Pakistani Air Force jet F16 from yesterdayas failed PAF raid, the wreckage was in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. Also seen in pic, Commanding Officer of Pakistanas 7 Northern Light Infantry.

Sources: Picture of portion of downed Pakistani Air Force jet F16 from yesterdayas failed PAF raid, wreckage was in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. Also seen in pic, Commanding Officer of Pakistanas 7 Northern Light Infantry. pic.twitter.com/weYcB0G5eD a ANI (@ANI) February 28, 2019

The same picture circulating on social media claim this is an Indian MiG fighter, however, multiple IAF sources confirm this is the wreckage of Pakistani F16.A

#BREAKING | First pictures of Pakistan Air Force's F-16 that was downed by IAF Mig 21: Report#IndiaFirsthttps://t.co/gkeY5t7BY5 pic.twitter.com/WarB52hC1C a News Nation (@NewsNationTV) February 28, 2019

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New Delhi:

Pakistan forces once again violated ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmirs Nowshera sector in Rajouri district around 4.14 pm on Friday as Indian Air Force pilot Abhinandan Varthaman, who was captured by Pakistan on February 27, returned to India via Attari-Wagah border. The Indian Army is retaliating to the Pakistan firing. Earlier in the day, one civilian was injured in a ceasefire violation by Pakistani troops along the Line of Control in Uri sector of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.

They said the intermittent firing continued throughout Thursday night. One civilian has been injured in the firing. The Indian Army has responded to the Pakistani firing in adequate measure, the officials said. The ceasefire violation by the Pakistani troops comes as tensions between India and Pakistan rose following the February 14 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district in which 40 CRPF soldiers were killed. Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror group claimed responsibility for the attack. Meanwhile, in Kupwara, militants and security forces engaged in an encounter early on Friday. All India Radio reported two militants had been killed in the encounter.

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New Delhi:

US President Donald Trump on Thursday said he cut short his nuclear summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un because the two sides could not agree on sanctions. It wasnt a good thing to be signing anything, Trump said during a post-summit news conference. We had some options, and at this time we decided not to do any of the options. Basically, they wanted the sanctions lifted in their entirety and we couldnt do that, Trump said.

ALSO READ | US House passes first major gun safety bill in over 20 years

The two leaders discussed various ways to advance denuclearization and economic driven concepts, White House press secretary Sarah Sander said. No agreement was reached at this time, but their respective teams look forward to meeting in the future.



Sarah Sanders did not tell reporters why the schedule had changed and she declined to say whether there would be a signing ceremony.



As the two leaders sat down for Thursdays formal discussions in Hanoi, Trump said success would come over a longer period of time. Multiple sanctions have been imposed on the North because of its weapons programmes and tensions soared in 2017 before a wave of detente.



Earlier, US President Donald Trump said he was in no rush to secure a deal over Pyongyangs nuclear programme as he kicked off formal talks. The two men who once traded personal insults and threats of destruction are holding their second meeting in eight months, with analysts warning it needs to produce more concrete progress than their initial historic get-together in Singapore. The Singapore summit resulted in cozy images, but only a vague commitment from Kim to work toward complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula. Diplomacy has since stalled amid disagreements on what that actually means.



Earlier Kim said he would be willing to denuclearise, speaking on the second day of his summit with US President Donald Trump in Hanoi, Vietnam.

The two leaders held more one-on-one talks and roundtable discussions hoping to improve relations and reach a deal on denuclearisation.

If Im not willing to do that, I wont be here right now, Kim told reporters through an interpreter when asked if he was ready to give up his nuclear weapons.

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New Delhi:

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday demanded evidence of the pre-emptive strike on Jaish-e-Mohammed training camps by the Indian Air Force (IAF). She also said that the opposition parties want to know the details of the operation. We want to know details of the operation. Where the bomb was dropped, how many people died, she said.

I was reading foreign media and they said that none died and some media houses said one died. We want to know the details, Mamata added. In an interaction with the media persons, Mamata Banerjee asked why Prime Minister Narendra Modi didnt hold any all-party meet after the attack.

"Some media is reporting 300 people died, we want to know the actual truth. Where did they drop the bomb? Was it dropped at the right target? International media is reporting that no such thing happened, that the bomb missed its target and no one died! So what is the truth?" the Trinamool Congress chief asked.

Interestingly, a few days ago, Mamata Banerjee hailed the Indian Air Force (IAF) for carrying out air strikes in Pakistan. "IAF also means India's Amazing Fighters. Jai Hind," Banerjee tweeted.

India conducted a major preemptive strike on a Jaish-e-Mohammed training camp early Tuesday, killing a "very large number" of terrorists, trainers, and senior commanders, Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said.

He said the "intelligence-led operation" on the Pakistan-based terror group's biggest training camp in Balakot became "absolutely necessary" as it was planning more suicide attacks in India. JeM claimed responsibility for the February 14 Pulwama attack on a CRPF convoy in which 40 soldiers were killed.

Sources told PTI that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has briefed President Ram Nath Kovind and Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu about Tuesday's strike.

It was not clear if the strike was on Balakote in Pakistan occupied Kashmir or Balakot in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Gokhale also did not give details of how the attacks were carried out or confirm earlier reports by sources that Mirage aircraft were used to drop bombs in the operation.

"Credible intelligence was received that JeM was attempting another suicide terror attack in various parts of the country, and the fidayeen jihadis were being trained for this purpose," Gokhale told the media.

In the face of imminent danger, a preemptive strike became "absolutely necessary", the foreign secretary said.

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New Delhi:

It is necessary to ensure that nothing is done to dent the morale of the security forces, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday, asserting that India will live, work, grow, fight and win as one.

PM Modi's remarks came a day after the Opposition accused the BJP of politicising the sacrifices of the armed forces, prompting the ruling party to claim that Pakistan is using its statement to project that India's political leadership is not united in the fight against terror.

"We have trust in the capability of our armed forces. So, it is very necessary that anything that dents their morale or allows our enemy to point a finger at us is not done," the prime minister said during a video interaction with BJP workers from across the country.

One of the goals of the "enemy trying to destabilise us and carrying out terror strikes is to stall our growth", PM Modi said, asking people to do their work at a faster pace as India marches ahead on the path to progress.

"India will live as one. India will work as one. India will grow as one. India will fight as one. India will win as one," he said, adding that the country is brimming with self-confidence.

Amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan with the former launching air strikes on a terrorist camp in the neighbouring country, Modi said the nation's sentiments are at a different level.

An Indian Air Force pilot was captured by Pakistan after an air combat Wednesday. Both sides said they shot down each other's warplanes. "Our country's soldiers are displaying their bravery at the border and outside it as well. The country is standing with its soldiers," he said.

Here are the highlights:

12.45 pm: We have to be hardworking in all sectors. India is grateful to all those who are protecting the nation. It is because they are there, the nation can reach new levels of development, says PM Modi.

12.42 pm: It is necessary to ensure nothing is done to dent morale of security forces, says PM Modi.

12.40 pm: India is going to attain even more strength and development in the times to come, says PM Modi.

12.35 pm: We have to be hardworking in all spheres. India is grateful to all those who are protecting the nation. Because they are there, the nation can scale new heights of development, says PM Modi.

12.32 pm: India will live as one. India will work as one. India will grow as one. India will fight as one. India will win as one, says PM.

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New Delhi:

The United States, Britain and France on Wednesday proposed that the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) blacklist Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar. They have asked the 15-member Security Council sanctions committee to subject Azhar to an arms embargo, global travel ban and asset freeze.

The United States State Department also called on India and Pakistan to cease all cross-border military activity and return to stability. It has urged both sides to take immediate steps to de-escalate the situation, including direct communication. Further military activity will exacerbate situation, reports news agency ANI. Cross-border terrorism, such as recent attack on Indias CRPF, poses grave threat to security of the area. We reiterate our call for Pakistan to abide by its United Nations Security Council commitments to deny terrorists safe haven & block their access to funds, the US State Department said.

However, the move is likely to be opposed by China, which previously prevented the Security Councils Islamic State and al Qaeda sanctions committee from sanctioning JeM leader Masood Azhar in 2016 and 2017, as reported by Reuters. Chinas UN mission did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the new proposal.

The Security Council condemned the February 14 attack in a statement last week, which was agreed after several days of negotiation. Diplomats said China had been opposed to a reference of JeM, however, the agreed statement did eventually note that JeM has claimed responsibility for the attack.

On February 14, the Azhar Mehmood-led Jaish-e-Mohammed claimed responsibility for the attack on a CRPF convoy that killed 40 personnel at Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir. India launched a major diplomatic pressure on Pakistan. The government slammed Pakistan for using terrorism as an instrument of state policy. India has also asked Pakistan to take immediate and verifiable action against terrorists and terror groups operating from territories under its control.

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New Delhi:

Senior Congress leader Manish Tiwari on Thursday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for holding mega video conference with BJP workers. At this point in time when the nation is looking towards its leadership, when the nation wants its leadership to speak to it, the Prime Minister chose to address the booth workers of the BJP rather than address the nation, Tiwari said.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also took to Twitter and denounced PM Modi for holding the conference. Kejriwal said that when the whole nation is busy strengthening forces and country, our prime minister is making his booth strong. When the country will become strong the booth the booth will automatically become strong, he added.

Earlier, Senior Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh took a dig at the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his mega-video conference, amid heightened tensions with Pakistan.

"Entire Opposition is concerned over national security. (Chief Minister) Arvind Kejriwal postponed his hunger strike over full-statehood issue. Congress cancelled its CWC and the Opposition is worrying about the unity of the nation. Modi-ji is getting down to strengthen polling booths and the BJP is busy with election rallies," Singh tweeted.

BSP chief Mayawati also hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his proposed address to BJP workers through a mega video-conference, terming it "ridiculous and betrayal of national

"At a time when India is facing hostility of war and country needs firm leadership, PM Narendra Modi instead of concentrating on the matters of national security trying to serve political interest by addressing his BJP workers is ridiculous besides betrayal of national sentiments (sic), Mayawati wrote on Twitter.

"Indian forces foiled Pakistani attack yesterday it is a matter of big relief but an IAF pilot is under Pak custody is a matter of great concern. India should try to do its best at all levels to ensure safe return of the pilot only then the country will feel relief (sic)," she added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his mega video conferencing said that it is necessary to ensure that nothing is done to dent the morale of the security forces.

PM Modi's remarks came a day after the Opposition accused the BJP of politicising the sacrifices of the armed forces, prompting the ruling party to claim that Pakistan is using its statement to project that India's political leadership is not united in the fight against terror.

"We have trust in the capability of our armed forces. So, it is very necessary that anything that dents their morale or allows our enemy to point a finger at us is not done," the prime minister said during a video interaction with BJP workers from across the country.

One of the goals of the "enemy trying to destabilise us and carrying out terror strikes is to stall our growth", Modi said, asking people to do their work at a faster pace as India marches ahead on the path to progress.

"India will live as one. India will work as one. India will grow as one. India will fight as one. India will win as one," he said, adding that the country is brimming with self-confidence.

Amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan with the former launching air strikes on a terrorist camp in the neighbouring country, Modi said the nation's sentiments are at a different level.

An Indian Air Force pilot was captured by Pakistan after an air combat Wednesday. Both sides said they shot down each other's warplanes. "Our country's soldiers are displaying their bravery at border and outside it as well. The country is standing with its soldiers," he said.




New Delhi:

"Imran Khan is ready to hold a telephonic conversation with PM Modi," Pakistan media reported on Thursday. However, India said there is no question of any deal. "If Pakistan thinks they have a card to negotiate with then they are mistaken. India expects the airforce pilot to be treated in a humane manner," as per sources. The sources also said, "Pakistan is trying to create a Kandahar type pressure but India will not give in, there will be no deal or talks."

This is a breaking news story. More details will be added soon. Please refresh the page for the updated version.

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New Delhi:

Pakistan's former minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif justified the Pulwama attack in Pakistan Parliament on Friday and called it an 'act of revenge' and not that of terrorism. A minister in the former Nawaz Sharif Cabinet, Khawaja had on Thursday taken to social media to say,A "Kashmiri struggle is for Azadi, their right of self-determination endorsed by UN, denied by Indians for 70 years."

"Kashmiri struggle is for Azadi,their right of self determination endorsed by UN, denied by Indians for 70yrs.Branding Kashmiris terrorists is an outrage, freedom is their birthright. Pulwama is natural &rightful reaction to brutal indian occupation of Kashmir (sic)," tweeted Khawaja.A



Kashmiri struggle is for Azadi,their right of self determination endorsed by UN, denied by Indians for 70yrs.Branding Kashmiris terrorists is an outrage, freedom is their birthright. Pulwama is natural &rightful reaction to brutal indian occupation of Kashmir a Khawaja M. Asif (@KhawajaMAsif) February 28, 2019

Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed had claimed responsibility of the attack on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama on February 14 that had killed 40 personnel.

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Hanoi:

US President Donald Trump shook hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the start of their second summit on Wednesday and predicted successful talks with the totalitarian state over its nuclear weapons.

Trump foresaw a very successful summit as the pair greeted each other at the luxury Sofitel Legend Metropole hotel in Hanoi to follow up on their initial historic meeting in Singapore in June.

Shaking hands and smiling in front of a bank of a dozen alternating US and North Korean flags, they briefly took questions from reporters before starting one-on-one talks and a dinner. Critics said the Singapore summit was light on concrete results but Trump said the Hanoi talks would be equal or better than the first time. Kim said: I am certain that a great outcome will be achieved this time that will be welcomed by all people. Negotiations were scheduled to resume on Thursday.

Earlier, Trump sent a tweet touting North Koreas AWESOME potential if his friend Kim agrees to relinquish his weapons. But the president risks being distracted by scandal back in Washington, where his former lawyer Michael Cohen was set to describe him as a conman in bombshell testimony to Congress scheduled for shortly after the summit dinner ends on the other side of the world.

Asked at the start of the summit if he had any reaction to Cohens testimony, Trump simply shook his head. There was also tension over reporters access to the event, with White House staff taking the highly unusual step of barring correspondents from the usual pool that travels with the president.

Trump spokeswoman Sarah Sanders blamed the sensitive nature of the meetings for the limitations. Trump, seeking a big foreign policy win to push back against domestic troubles, believes he can make history with North Korea and claims Japans prime minister has already nominated him for a Nobel Peace Prize.

His goal is to persuade Kim to dismantle his nuclear weapons and resolve a stand-off with the deeply isolated state that has bedevilled US leaders since the end of the Korean war in 1953. To lure Kim into radical change, Trump is believed to be considering offering a formal peace declarationthough perhaps not a formal treatyto draw a line under the technically still unfinished war.

At the same time, Washington faces mounting pressure to extract significant concessions from Kim, who has so far shown little desire to ditch his nuclear capability.

Chinas Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Wednesday the Hanoi meeting could be an important step towards advancing the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula. However, Washington and Pyongyang disagree even on what denuclearisation means precisely. And while North Korea has now gone more than a year without conducting missile and nuclear tests, it has done nothing to roll back the weapons already built.

A former real estate tycoon who often boasts he is one of the worlds best negotiators, Trump is pitching a vision of North Korea as a new Asian economic tiger if it surrenders its nuclear status. He said the country could quickly emulate the summits host, Vietnama communist state once locked in devastating conflict with the United States, but now a thriving trade partner.

And he has invested himself personally in the relationship with Kim, creating the diplomatic equivalent of a Hollywood odd-couple bromance. Before Singapore, they were slinging bizarre insultsTrump calling Kim rocket man and Kim calling him a dotard. With North Korea then busily testing missiles and conducting underground nuclear tests, analysts feared the duo were egging each other on towards a catastrophic confrontation.

Now, Trump talks of love and claims that his ground-breaking policies defused the threat posed by Kim. Critics warn Trump is so keen to score a deal that he could give away too much, too quickly, endangering US allies South Korea and Japan.

In Singapore, Trump took his own generals by surprise when he announced a suspension of military exercises with the Southsomething the North badly wanted. Washington would ideally like Kim to dismantle a key nuclear facility at Yongbyon, allow in international inspectors, or even hand over a list of all his nuclear assetssomething the North Koreans have categorically refused to do.

In return, Trump is believed to be considering dangling relief from tough international sanctions. Opening diplomatic liaison offices is another possible US concession. Another possibility is a joint declaration to end the Korean War, which closed with a ceasefire but no peace treaty Some analysts fear this hugely symbolic gesture would upset the delicate power balance in a region where the US and China are already struggling for influence.

Those pushing for a scaled-back US foreign policy footprint around the world would welcome the gambit. If you get an end of war declaration, I think thats really important symbolically because it starts to change the mentality, Daniel Davis, at the conservative Washington-based Defense Priorities think tank, told AFP.

And Trump deserves credit, he said. You just cant ignore the fact that hes the only one of the last nine American presidents that has even gotten to this point. No one else has even had the conversations, no one else has had these summits.

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New Delhi:

Amid rising tension following the fierce engagement between India and Pakistan across LoC, the Border Security Force (BSF) in Ferozepur on Friday apprehended an Indian national with a Pakistani SIM card from the border areas of Punjab.

"Punjab: BSF in Ferozepur has arrested an Indian national near border out post, Maboke and seized a mobile phone with Pakistani SIM card, in use, from his possession," the news agency ANI reported.

Punjab: BSF in Ferozepur has arrested an Indian national near border out post, Maboke&seized a mobile phone with Pakistani SIM card, in use, from his possession. The number is added to 8 Pak groups. 6 other Pak phone numbers also retrieved from him. The man is from Moradabad (UP)  ANI (@ANI) March 1, 2019

The number, which was in use at the time of apprehension, is added to 8 Pakistani groups. However, the police has retireved the SIM along with a mobile phone and six other Pakistani numbers from his possession. The mystifying man, who hails from Muradabad, has been questioned and handed over to police for further investigation.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has put all air defence systems on alert to deal with the intruders along the international border and Line of Control (LoC). Security in several states sharing the border with Pakistan has also been beefed up. Police in Gujarat, Punjab, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Maharashtra issued a high alert following the air strikes.

Read | How Indian Air Force's ancient MiG-21 shot down Pakistan's technically superior F-16?

Border districts were put on high alert after the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Tuesday, in a pre-dawn airstrike, bombed terror camps at multiple locations across the Line of Control on the Pakistani side, 12 days after Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror group carried out the dastardly Pulwama attack in Kashmir.

Adding fuel to the already worse situation, Pakistan retaliated with sending its US-made F-16 across LOC, targeting India's military establishment. MiG-21 aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) were sent to engage with comparatively advanced F-16s. MiG-21 of the IAF even managed to bring down one F-16 of Pakistani Air Force, before being shot down.

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New Delhi:

BSP president Mayawati, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal are among the several leaders who have come out against the BJPs mega interaction programme scheduled for Thursday. Indian forces foiled Pakistani attack yesterday it is a matter of big relief but an IAF pilot is under Pak custody is a matter of great concern. India should try to do its best at all levels to ensure safe return of the pilot only then the country will feel relief, Mayawati said on Twitter. At a time when India is facing hostility of war and country needs firm leadership, PM Nrendra Modi instead of concentrating on the matters of national security trying to serve political interest by addressing his BJP workers is ridiculous besides betrayal of national sentiments, she added.

The Delhi Chief Minister also took to Twitter and said that, I would urge the PM to postpone this (Mahasamvad). At this moment, we as a nation, need to spend all our energies and time to get the IAF pilot back safely and to sternly deal with Pak.

Its been nearly 24 hrs since our pilot has gone missing. On the other hand 6 IAF braves lost their lives in a helicopter crash. The nation is praying. Were all waiting with baited breath but not a word from our leadership. The silence is deafening, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav also said. He also blasted the ruling BJP and said that no matter how bad the situation is BJP will continue  shoot-booth policy.

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New Delhi:

Amid tension between India and Pakistan, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday made an urgent late-night call to his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi and said that Beijing is ready to help in easing out the current border tension in Indian Subcontinent. Wang said that he hoped China could continue to play a constructive role in easing the current tensions." The Chinese Foreign Ministry in the statement added that China does not want to see the acts that violate the norms of international relations.

The statement comes after Chinas trilateral talks with India and Russia, which was attended by Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj in Wuzhen. In the meeting, Swaraj raised Pulwama terror attack issue. She had said that the Pulwama terror attack is a grim reminder that there should be zero tolerance against terrorism and decisive action is need of the hour. The meeting gained significance in the backdrop of the Indian Air Forces air strike in Pakistans Balakot, in which major terror camp run by the Jaish-e-Mohammed was completely destroyed.

Swaraj extensively spoke about the surprise mission and said that, It wasn't a military op, no military installation targeted. Objective was to act against terrorist infrastructure of JeM to pre-empt another terror attack in India. India doesn't wish to see further escalation of situation. It'll continue to act with responsibility and restraint.

In the light of continuing refusal of Pak to acknowledge and act against terror groups on its territory and based on credible info that JeM was planning other attacks in parts of India, Government of India decided to take pre-emptive action and target was selected in order to avoid civilian casualties, Swaraj added.

Hitting out at Islamabad over non-action against terror groups operating on its soil, Swaraj said that, Following the Pulwama terrorist attack instead of taking seriously the calls by international community to act against Jaish-e-Mohammed and other terror groups based in Pakistan, it denied any knowledge of the attack and outrightly dismissed claims by Jaish-e-Mohammed.

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New Delhi :

A non-resident Indian was arrested from the IGI airport here for allegedly raping a woman he had met on a matrimonial site in 2017, police said Friday.

The accused has been identified as Ravinder Singh, a native of Jalandhar district in Punjab, they said.

According to police, the woman filed a case on March 27, 2018 stating that she came in contact with Singh through the matrimonial website.

On December 12, 2017, Singh reportedly intoxicated the victim and raped her. He later convinced her that he would marry her soon, but instead left Delhi, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northwest) Vijayanta Arya said.

Thereafter, the victim got to know that Singh was already married and was living in the United Kingdom, where he used to work as a security guard, the DCP said.

As part of the investigation, raids were conducted in the accused's village in Punjab, but he did not join the probe, police said, adding a lookout circular was also issued against him.

On Thursday, Singh was apprehended from the Indira Gandhi International Airport here while he was returning from UK to visit his family in Jalandhar.

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New Delhi :

Loss-making carrier Jet Airways on Friday said two more aircraft have been grounded due to non-payment of lease rentals. With this, the total number of aircraft taken out of operations due to severe liquidity crunch in the airline and its subsequent failure to pay rentals to various lessors now stand at 21 so far this month, as per the airline.

Earlier on Thursday, Jet Airways had grounded six planes. In a filing to the stock exchanges, the full-service airline said, "An additional six aircraft have been grounded due to non-payment of amounts outstanding to lessors under their respective lease agreements."

The carrier also said it is making all efforts to minimise disruption to its network due to the grounding of these planes and is "proactively" informing and re-accommodating its affected guests, it said.

Jet Airways also continues to provide required and periodic updates to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation in this regard, the airline added.

Grappling with financial stress due to four consecutive quarterly losses, the airline is looking to restructure its debt as well as raise funds. Its board and shareholders have already approved a bailout plan by the lenders.

Meanwhile, Beleaguered Jet Airways' Chairman Naresh Goyal has stepped down as the lenders gear up to acquire majority stake in the airline under a bailout plan. The move comes a day after an urgent meeting of lenders with Goyal and Etihad Airways Chief Executive Officer Tony Douglas to resolve various issues between the two promoters as well as lenders and Etihad.

The Gulf-based carrier holds 24 per cent stake in the Mumbai-based full service airline, founded by Goyal 25 years ago.

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New Delhi :

Three members of a family were killed and two others injured as Pakistani forces heavily shelled areas along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district on Friday, officials said. Pakistani forces targeted civilian areas with mortar bombs and heavy guns, including Howitzer 105 mm, they said, adding that Indian forces retaliated effectively.

In the heavy shelling, three members of a family were killed and another was injured in Salotri in Poonch district, where shells hit several houses, they said. Twenty-four-year-old Rubana Kosar and her son Fazan (5) and nine-month-old daughter Shabnam were killed in the shelling. Rubana's husband Mohd Yunis was injured, they said.

Earlier in the day, a woman, identified as Naseem Akhtar, was injured in the firing by Pakistani forces in the Mankote area of Poonch, officials said. Besides Salotri and Mankote, shelling also took place in Krishnagati and Balakote areas in Poonch district.

Pakistan has heavily shelled areas along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri and Poonch districts. Officials said Pakistan troops used heavy guns including Howitzer 105 mm to target civilian areas in Poonch.

"Pakistani troops resorted to firing and mortar shelling along the LOC in Krishnagati sector and it ended around 0130 hour," an official said.

The firing and mortar shelling continued overnight in several sectors of Poonch and Rajouri districts, the official said adding the Indian Army retaliated strongly and effectively.

"About 1615 hours Friday, Pakistan initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation by shelling with mortars and firing of small arms along LoC in Nowshera sector," the defence public relations officer said.

The Pakistan Army has violated the ceasefire for over 60 times during the last one week by targeting over 70 civilian and forward areas along the LoC in Poonch, Rajouri, Jammu and Baramulla districts of Jammu and Kashmir, in which one woman was killed and 9 persons were injured.

In view of the prevailing situation, authorities have ordered temporary closure of educational institutions in a 5-km radius along the LoC in Rajouri and Poonch districts. They have asked all border dwellers to remain inside their homes.

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New Delhi:

Ahead of a crucial joint press briefing by Army and Air Force in New Delhi at 5 pm on Thursday, diplomats of 10 countries met Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale at South Block. Diplomats of Germany, Dominican Republic, Nigeria, South Africa are Belgium were present in the meeting. According to reports, the Foreign Secretary briefed them on developments related to the situation between Indian and Pakistan.

Delhi: Visuals from outside Ministry of External Affairs. Meeting of Foreign Secy with diplomats from 10 countries, including Germany, Dominican Republic, Nigeria, South Africa & Belgium, has concluded. The Foreign Secy briefed them on updates in situation b/w India & Pakistan. pic.twitter.com/vGD1Z7hVpY a ANI (@ANI) February 28, 2019

Meanwhile, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely on today evening to take stock of the situation as tension escalated between India and Pakistan.



A Union Cabinet meeting is also slated for 6.30 pm. Both meetings are scheduled to take place at the Prime Minister's residence.



Sources said that the CCS at the 7, Lok Kalyan Marg will discuss steps to bring back an Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot, who was captured by Pakistan on Wednesday.

India has not asked for consular access to the Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot captured by Pakistan, and is insisting on his unconditional and immediate return, government sources said on Thursday.

They asserted that there was no question of any deal on the return of the IAF pilot.

The sources said Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has to walk the talk on investigating the February 14 Pulwama attack and that India wants immediate, credible and verifiable action against terrorists and their proxies.

"India has not asked for any consular access to the IAF pilot. We want him back immediately," a source said.A

"The IAF pilot has to be repatriated unconditionally and immediately. There is no question of any deal," he said.

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New Delhi:

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Friday addressed Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Abu Dhabi even as Pakistan - one of the founding members of the group skipped the conclave over India's presence. During her historic address, Swaraj raised the issue of terrorism and radicalisation of Muslims. She said that the fight against terrorism is not a confrontation against any religion as every religion stands for peace. India's participation at the Islamic nations meet came amid tensions with Pakistan, which is a founding member of the OIC. Pakistan has even objected the invitation sent to India but the OIC members paid no heed to its protest following which it decided to skip the event.

Below are the top quotes of Sushma Swaraj's landmark OIC address

I carry the greetings of my PM Narendra Modi & 1.3 billion Indians, including more than 185 million Muslim brothers and sisters. Our Muslim brothers and sisters are the microcosm of the diversity of India. They practice their respective beliefs and live in harmony with each other and with their non-Muslim brothers. It's this appreciation of diversity and coexistence that has ensured that very few Muslims in India have fallen prey to poisonous propaganda of radicalistic and extremist ideologies. I'm honoured to join colleagues from nations that represent a great religion and ancient civilisations. I stand here as a representative of land that has been mountain of knowledge, beacon of peace, source of faith & traditions, home to many religions and one of the major economies. OIC members constitute 1/4th of the United Nations and almost a quarter of humanity. India shares much with you, many of us have shared dark days of colonialism. Terrorism in each case is driven by distortion of religion. Fight against terror is not a confrontation against any religion. Just as Islam means peace, none of the 99 names of Allah mean violence. Similarly, every religion stands for peace. Terrorism is destroying lives, destabilizing regions and putting the world at great peril. Terror reach is growing and the toll it is taking is increasing. India has always embraced and found it easy to embrace pluralism since it is embedded in the oldest Sanskrit religious text The Rig Veda and I quote "Ekam sat vipra bahudha vadhanti", which means God is One but learned men describe him in many ways". I come from land of Mahatma Gandhi where every prayer ends with call for 'shanti' that is peace for all. I convey our best wishes, support and solidarity in your quest for stability, peace, harmony, economic growth and prosperity for your people and world. If we want to save humanity, we must tell the states who provide shelter and funding to terrorists, to dismantle the infrastructure of the terrorist camps and stop providing shelter and funding to the terror organisations based in that country. The fight against terrorism is not a confrontation against any religion. It cannot be. Just as Islam literally means peace, none of the 99 names of Allah mean violence. Similarly, every religion in the world stands for peace, compassion & brotherhood.



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New Delhi:

Hours after Pakistan's airspace violation in Jammu and Kashmirs Nowshera sector, India on Wednesday confirmed that an Indian Air Force pilot is 'missing in action.' Indian Air Force pilot was captured by Pakistan after his Mi-21 fighter aircraft was shot down in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The government said that it expects the "immediate and safe return" of an Indian Air Force pilot. India said it "strongly objects to Pakistan's vulgar display of injured personnel of the Indian Air Force in violation of all norms of International Humanitarian Law and the Geneva Convention of 1929.



What are the Geneva Conventions?



The Geneva Conventions comprise four treaties with three protocols added on since 1949 based on international law for humanitarian treatment in war. There are 196 state parties to the Convention. Geneva Conventions are basically the rules protecting prisoners of war from either side. The treatment of prisoners of war is dealt with by the third Geneva convention. It defines humanitarian protections for prisoners of war. The status of prisoner of war only applies in international armed conflict. the International Committee of the Red Cross monitors whether Geneva Conventions are being followed.



Article 13 of the Convention: Any unlawful act or omission by the Detaining Power causing death or seriously endangering the health of a prisoner of war in its custody is prohibited and will be regarded as a serious breach of the present Convention. In particular, no prisoner of war may be subjected to physical mutilation or to medical or scientific experiments of any kind which are not justified by the medical, dental or hospital treatment of the prisoner concerned and carried out in his interest. Likewise, prisoners of war must at all times be protected, particularly against acts of violence or intimidation and against insults and public curiosity. Measures of reprisal against prisoners of war are prohibited.

"No physical or mental torture, nor any other form of coercion". It dictates what private property a prisoner of war may keep and that the prisoner of war must be evacuated from the combat zone as soon as possible," says Article 17  Article 20.



How can Geneva conventions be invoked to bring back the IAF pilot from Pakistan



Article 118 and 119 of the Geneva Convention states that prisoners of war shall be released and repatriated without delay after the cessation of active hostilities. Parties to the conflict shall communicate to each other the names of any prisoners of war who are detained until the end of the proceedings or until the punishment has been completed. By agreement between the Parties to the conflict, commissions shall be established for the purpose of searching for dispersed prisoners of war and of assuring their repatriation with the least possible delay.

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New Delhi:

In a major development, Central Government on Thursday declared the Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) in Jammu and Kashmir as an aunlawful associationa under Section 3 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 for alleged anti-national and subversive activities. A notification on the ban was issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) after a high-level meeting on security, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The development shows that the Centre is of the view that Jamaat-e-Islami was apparently in touch with terror outfits and was supporting extremism and terrorism in the state.A

Under section 3 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, Central Government declares the Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI), Jammu and Kashmir as an "unlawful association". pic.twitter.com/74hNtFwZFP a ANI (@ANI) February 28, 2019

Earlier on Monday, the Jammu and Kashmir Police had detained several leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami. The state police detained around two dozen of its cadres, including its chief Abdul Hamid Fayaz, officials said.A

Those detained include Advocate Zahid Ali (spokesperson), Ghulam Qadir Lone (former secretary general), Abdur Rouf (Ameer Zila Islamabad), Mudasir Ahmad (Ameer Tehsil Pahalgam), Abdul Salam (Dialgam), Bakhtawar Ahmad (Dialgam), Mohammad Hayat (Tral), Bilal Ahmad (Chadoora), Ghulam Mohammad Dar (Chak Sangran) and others.

The Jamaat had issued a statement condemning the detentions. "The move is a well designed conspiracy to pave way for further uncertainty in the region," it said in the statement.A

The Jamaat claimed that during the intervening night of February 22 and February 23, police and other agencies launched a mass arrest drive and raided many houses in the Valley, wherein dozens of its central and district level leaders were arrested, including its Ameer (chief) Jamaat Dr Abdul Hamid Fayaz and advocate Zahid Ali (spokesperson).

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Kathmandu, October 3

Minister of State for Health and Population Umesh Shrestha says the government will provide Covid-19 vaccines to children below the age of 18 immediately after Dashain.

Nepals biggest festival, Dashain, is being celebrated from October 7 to 20 across the country.

Speaking at a function in Kathmandu on Sunday, Minister Shrestha said the government already ensured the purchase of four million Moderna vaccines and six million Pfizer vaccines for children. Of them, one million doses of Pfizer vaccines will arrive, according to him.

The import of Covid-19 vaccines for children will continue until March and the kids will be gradually provided with the vaccines, according to him.
Before the second wave of Covid-19 started in Nepal, the Tikapur Hospital in Kailali procured seven ventilators. But, with a few health workers and doctors available to operate the ventilators and provide critical care, many of those infected who came to the hospital lost their lives. As of May 2021, 46 people died at the hospital due to the disease.

We had the equipment but couldnt find the doctors to operate them. Many couldnt be saved due to a lack of human resources to operate ventilators, says Deepak Rawal, the hospital chairman.

The hospital has provisions for eight specialist doctors, including anesthesiologists, and four medical officers (appointed by the government), but all the positions have remained vacant for years. Despite repeatedly issuing notices to appoint doctors on a contract basis, the hospital has not received any application. We appealed to the federal and the provincial governments, as we couldnt find a doctor. But, we got nothing but assurances, says Rawal.

The Tikapur Hospital is currently run by doctors hired on contracts with the help of donor organisations and those recruited under two-year scholarship programmes, various other schemes such as the safe motherhood programme, and campaigns run by the local government. Medical Superintendent Rem Kumar Rai says, Health care services cant be run in a sustainable and reliable manner if they are run by doctors working under scholarship programmes or those on contract.

The condition of Tikapur Hospital is a reality common to government and community hospitals across the country. The auditor generals annual reports point out that a significant number of positions to be filled by doctors have remained vacant in government hospitals across the country for years.

The vacancies, which are to be filled by the Public Service Commission, have not been filled for the last four years because the Ministry of Health, the body that appoints doctors at state-run hospitals, has been reluctant under the excuse that the adjustment of doctors at the federal and local levels after the country adopted federalism is yet to be completed.

Some hospitals have hired doctors at their own expense, but the burden of increased costs has been transferred to patients. A United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) and the European Union study on the cost of healthcare released in June states that the average Nepali family bears more than 50 per cent of the cost of treatment from their own pocket. Former director-general of the Department of Health Services, Sushil Nath Pyakurel, says, This means that the people are not being treated with the money paid by taxpayers.

Reaching the hospital on time doesnt save lives

As of September 30, 2021, 11,123 people have lost their lives due to Covid-19 across the country. A news report based on analysis of the Covid-19 death data till mid-June had found that 92 per cent died at hospitals. Only five per cent lost their lives at home, while less than one per cent lost their lives on the way to hospitals and at isolation centres, according to the report published on the online news portal, Nepal Live, in collaboration with the Centre for Data Journalism (CDJN).

Among the many reasons behind the death of the infected who reach the hospital on time is the lack of adequate infrastructure and equipment, such as intensive care units and ventilators. A lack of specialist doctors is another major problem faced by hospitals. Dr Subash Acharya, in charge of the intensive care unit at the TU Teaching Hospital, says, The number of ICUs and ventilators is negligible compared to the population we serve, and the human resources available is even less.

According to the Ministry of Health, 70 per cent of the 793 positions created for specialist doctors at government hospitals across the country are currently vacant. Although 890 posts have been allocated for doctors with a graduation degree in medical education (MBBS), 25 per cent of the posts are vacant. A total of 15 per cent of those MBBS doctors on the job are on study leave.

It is clear from the figures that at a time when the number of positions allocated is already low, only half of the doctors are providing services. The auditor generals annual report also mentions that patients admitted to government hospitals need to be referred elsewhere due to the non-filling of vacancies in approved posts, and this has affected the delivery of services.

A scene at the Covid-19 ward at the National Trauma Centre. Photo: Chandra Bahadur Ale

Mass exodus amid a shortage of doctors

Even during this shortage of doctors, it has been four years since the Public Service Commission issued vacancy calls to fill existing posts. Ever since a vacancy for 100 doctors was announced in 2017, not a single permanent doctor has been inducted into government service.

Even the doctors who have received scholarships to complete their medical education have gone abroad, as the hiring process of the health workers is halted. Doctors who enter government service receive the opportunity to complete their MD/MS degrees through government scholarships, and for this reason, many doctors aspire to work for government hospitals. But, with the Public Service Commission not conducting exams, they too have decided to go abroad.

Data source: Ministry of Health and Population

A report by the Centre for Investigative Journalism, Nepal, published in January 2020, revealed more than 50 per cent of doctors who studied on government scholarships have gone abroad. The number of doctors going abroad had been high following the Public Service Commissions reluctance to conduct exams; the trend has intensified further amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The number of specialist doctors going abroad has increased recently due to the lack of the option to join the public service, says Dr Kirtipal Subedi, the general secretary at the Government Doctors Association of Nepal (GODAN).

Countries including the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom offer attractive packages, including an opportunity to complete higher education, to doctors who have studied on government scholarships. It is estimated that in the last four years, about 400 doctors have gone to the United States alone to pursue their MD degrees. The number of doctors going to Canada and the United Kingdom is also significant.

Kedar Bhakta Mathema, the chairman of the High-Level Task Force on National Medical Education Policy 2015, says, if doctors who studied on scholarship continue to go abroad the way they are now, the governments investment in education is a waste of money. The reason the doctors get a scholarship is that they are to stay in the country to serve the people, he says.

Along with the delay in filling government posts, the low salary on offer is also another reason doctors are going abroad. The salary paid by a private hospital to a new doctor is usually Rs 30,000 to 40,000, which pales in comparison to what a doctor can make abroad.

The maze called adjustment

File: A health worker attends to a Covid-19 patient at Bheri Hospital, Nepalgunj. Photo: Chandra Bahadur Ale

Since the country adopted federalism, around 26,000 health workers, including 242 specialist doctors and 665 medical officers at the federal, provincial, and local levels have been adjusted. Among them, 82 per cent (22,103) health workers serve at the local level, 8.6 per cent (2,308 people) at the provincial level, and 8 per cent (2,151 people) at the federal level.

However, the Ministry of Health has remained silent on the recruitment of doctors, saying that it still needs to manage the grievances of serving doctors.

The ministry spokesperson Dr Krishna Prasad Poudel admits the recruitment of doctors has not resumed since the adjustment process began. Positions have remained vacant and this has affected health services, he says.

When asked about the reason for the suspension of recruitment, the then joint-secretary of the Administration Division, Damodar Regmi, says he had requested the Public Service Commission not to recruit new doctors as he had yet to address grievances presented by serving doctors about their adjustment. But, we will announce vacancies for around 150 doctors by mid-September after around 5 per cent of the doctors working at the federal level retire from service, he adds.

However, there are more health workers at the provincial and local levels compared to that at the federal level. And, not all the provincial public service commissions are ready to recruit doctors. Even during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, the federal government could not send doctors to the worst-hit areas as people died in remote parts of the country. And, the main reason this happened was that the recruitment of health workers remained halted.

Data source: Ministry of Health and Population

Some local and provincial governments that faced difficulties treating Covid-19 patients had also appealed to the provincial public service commissions to recruit doctors. The public service commission in Lumbini in September 2020 and the Bagmati province in November issued vacancies for various posts. However, the federal government, which has shown no interest in hiring health workers, wrote to the commissions not to go ahead with the recruitment, as the adjustment of staffers had not been completed. Health Secretary Laxman Aryal wrote to all the provincial public service commissions in November 2020 to halt the recruitment of doctors. Baburam Gautam, a member of the Lumbini Public Service Commission, says, During the Covid-19 pandemic, the health ministry neither sent doctors to the provinces nor allowed them to recruit doctors on their own.

However, the Lumbini and Bagmati commissions ignored the ministrys letter. The final results of exams conducted for nurses, health assistants, and lab technicians are yet to be published in Bagmati. The chairman of the commission in the province, Suresh Man Shrestha, says vacancies for 26 posts, including that for nine medical officers, will be issued with priority. Meanwhile, the vacancy call issued by the Lumbini Provincial Public Service Commission last September for 49 medical officers, seven nursing officers, five physiotherapists, and five medical lab officers has been on hold following a writ petition filed at the Supreme Court.

The Public Service Commission of Province 2 has issued a call in the last week of June, but it will still take months to appoint new doctors.

While no new doctors have been hired in the last four years, four secretaries have assumed office at the Ministry of Health: Dr Pushpa Chaudhary, Ram Prasad Thapaliya, Yadav Prasad Koirala, and Laxman Aryal. Dr Roshan Pokharel is currently the secretary.

Meanwhile, Bhanu Bhakta Dhakal, Hridayesh Tripathi, Sher Bahadur Tamang, and Krishna Gopal Shrestha have taken charge as the minister for health at different times during the course of the pandemic. Umesh Shrestha is now the minister of state for health. However, no one has tried to fill the vacant positions for doctors.

When inquired about why the recruitment of human resources had been stopped for four years, Dr Gunaraj Lohani, the chief of the Policy, Planning and Monitoring Division at the ministry, says, The exams for the appointment of health workers has been halted as there is a vacancy in the Public Service Commission itself.

Data source: Ministry of Health and Population

Despite Lohanis claim, the Ministry of Health has not sought the appointment of doctors. On top of that, positions at the commission became vacant only a short time ago. Devi Prasad Subedi, the information officer of the commission, says, The Ministry of Health hasnt asked us to recruit doctors in the last five years.

Gautam, a member of the Lumbini Provincial Public Service Commission, says, Many local and provincial hospitals tried to appoint doctors on contract during the pandemic, but no applications were received. If we had issued a call for permanent appointment, things would have been different, but the federal government hasnt done so.

General Secretary of Government Doctors Association of Nepal (GODAN) Dr Kirtipal Subedi said the problem surfaced after the management of the health workers were delegated to three levels of government.

The Health Service Act 1991 classified health services as technical services. Now, after the adjustment, the chain of command from the bottom to the top has been broken. That is why the federal government has been unable to send doctors to the area where the epidemic spread, says Dr Sushil Nath Pyakurel, former director-general at the Department of Health Services, adding that the governments decision to merge the health service with the general civil service reminds him of the Panchayat period.

The negative role played by the federal government in the recruitment and management of human resources in health services is not limited to this. The Federal Civil Service Bill, considered important for the professional development of all government employees, has been stuck in Parliament for two and a half years. Due to the stalemate, the provinces have been unable to enact laws related to the career development of health workers. In the absence of provincial laws, it is unclear how doctors appointed at the local level will fare in the future.

60 per cent posts vacant in Province 2

The worst is taking place in Province 2, which lags in all aspects of education and health in the Human Development Index. In every review meeting held at the office of the chief minister or the ministries, it is reported that about 60 per cent of health workers posts in the province are vacant.

An example of how poor the provinces healthcare is can be seen at the district hospital in Malangawa, Sarlahi. The hospital has a ventilator, but it does not have a specialist doctor to operate it. The contract to purchase equipment worth Rs 30 million to build infrastructure for the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is in the final stage, but no paediatrician is being sought.

The posts of all the eight specialist doctors and three of five medical officers at the hospital have been vacant for years. Five fresh MBBS doctors recruited under a provision of mandatory two-year services for scholarships are running the hospital.

Nawal Kishor Jha, who became the medical superintendent of the Malangwa Hospital in April after heading the health division at the Ministry of Social Development of Province 2, says, We have asked the Public Service Commission to recruit doctors, but it hasnt issued any vacancy announcements.

The story of Siraha, Gaur and Janakpur hospitals is no different than that of Sarlahi. Acting medical superintendent of the Siraha Hospital, Dr Nagendra Yadav, is the only specialist doctor of the hospital, which has provision for 10 specialist doctors. Admitting that, the hospital, which was upgraded from 15 to 50 beds five years ago, has not written to the Public Service Commission (the provincial commission after 2018). Dr Yadav says, The commission had verbally asked us about the doctors, but didnt seek anything in writing.

Province 2

Nineteen of the 25 specialist doctors positions at the Janakpur Hospital are vacant. The Province 2 Public Service Commission issued vacancy calls for seven specialist doctors in May. Then, in July, it issued calls for 17 specialist doctors and two medical officers. According to the commission spokesperson Gangesh Gunjan Jha, it is yet to announce vacancies for other health workers including nurses.

Hospitals should send their requirements for health workers to the Public Service Commission through the Ministry of Social Affairs, which forwards the request to the Chief Ministers Office. The CMs Office then communicates with the Public Service Commission. So the hospitals themselves do not seek to hire doctors or if they do, their requests get stuck at the Ministry of Social Development or the Chief Ministers Office. Efforts to know how many healthcare-related recruitment requests have been sent to the federal and provincial public service commissions in the last four years were in vain. Multiple efforts to get answers from Yam Prasad Bhusal, the spokesperson for the Chief Ministers Office; Bishnuraj Dhakal, Bhusals superior; and Chief Secretary Gokarna Mani Duwadi did not turn out to be fruitful.

Governments priority: Populist programmes and buildings

In the 15 months since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, health workers have found themselves in dire straits. Even in such a situation, the appointment of health workers has not been prioritised by the government. The federal budget for the previous fiscal year, which coincided with the pandemic, and this years budget for the second wave of the disease do not even mention the appointment of permanent doctors.

Similarly, no plan or package has been brought to send doctors living in urban areas to the remote ones. So much so that last year, doctors and health workers on the frontline were frustrated by the untimely payment of 100 per cent of their basic pay. Later, authorities said a risk allowance would be given only to those doctors working between April to July 2020. However, the allowance was not paid on time. Dr Ajit Mallik had to sit in for 28 days just to receive the incentive allowance for working for four months in the treatment of Covid-19 patients at the TU Teaching Hospital, Maharajgunj.

During the second wave of infections, the risk allowance for doctors and health workers involved in the treatment by taking more risks was slashed. In his address to the nation on May 3, four days after a lockdown was announced due to the second wave, the then Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli had reduced the 100 per cent incentive allowance to 50 per cent from the previous year.

The then Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Poudel increased the old age allowance by Rs 1,000. While most of the senior citizens were losing their lives due to Covid-19 and lack of treatment, the government has allocated Rs 16.90 billion on old-age allowances for the current fiscal year. However, just one-third of the expenditure (Rs 5.63 billion) could have been used to pay double the number of existing specialist doctors and physicians, but also an additional 10,000 nurses.

Economist Keshav Acharya says, The government could have created new postings for doctors instead of deciding to increase its recurring financial burden, but it got stuck with cheap popularity.

Four years ago, the Pushpa Kamal Dahal-led government launched the Health Infrastructure Standards and Integrated Health Infrastructure Development Project. Officials had spelt out the number of health institutions to be built under the three tiers of government by 2024 and the human resources needed to run the facilities.

The plan was to build 3,329 health posts, 733 primary hospitals, 15 second-tier hospitals, 15 tertiary hospitals, eight central speciality hospitals, and eight teaching hospitals during the period. Similarly, the number of medical officers would be increased from 1,367 to 6,300, the number of specialist doctors from 671 to 3,300, and the number of nurses to 30,000.

According to the same plan, then Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli laid the foundation stone of 396 hospitals (five to 15 beds) at each local unit on December 20, 2020. Prime Minister Oli, who was eager to spend nearly Rs 58 billion on the buildings, was not sensitive about recruiting the necessary health workers to run these facilities.

Gagan Thapa, the then health minister of the Dahal-led government who led the formulation of both the plans, says, The government cherry-picked the plan to build hospitals and procure equipment. But, for some unknown reason, it didnt launch any programme to recruit health workers who would attend to the sick.

Dr Pyakurel, the chief health specialist at the Ministry of Health, says, Two to three doctors are essential in all of the 753 local level hospitals. In that sense, at least 1,500 to 2,000 new doctors are needed. However, the government hasnt given the recruitment of health workers a thought.

The first and the second wave of Covid-19 serve a lesson that equipment, including ventilators, can be procured, but essential human resources cannot be mobilized on short notice. Former Health Minister Thapa says, We have repeatedly urged the leaders through Parliament to make plans and programmes for healthcare professionals, but no one understands or doesnt want to understand the situation.

According to economist Keshav Acharya, the collusion between the governments leadership, high-level administrators, and contractors and suppliers are the reason authorities focused on equipment and buildings rather than doctors and nurses. Former member of the Nepal Medical Council, Dr Sushil Koirala, on the other hand, alleges that the construction of the hospital building was prioritised as the appointment of doctors does not entail any additional benefits. He says, If we want to appoint as many doctors and nurses as we need right now, we have to manage the human resources efficiently and also provide the necessary equipment. Health officials are not aware of this.

This report was commissioned by the Centre for Investigative Journalism, Nepal, and was first published on Onlinekhabar Nepali.
The Canadian Cancer Society and CIBC are grateful to the more than 2.5 million Canadians who have fundraised more than $480 million for breast cancer research and support programs since 1992

TORONTO, Oct. 3, 2021 /CNW/ - As the Canadian Cancer Society CIBC Run for the Cure marked its 30th anniversary today, more than 20,000 participants in communities from coast to coast to coast united to raise more than $9 million for the breast cancer cause. Funds will help continue to support those facing breast cancer so they can live long, healthy lives.

The Canadian Cancer Society CIBC Run for the Cure has transformed the breast cancer landscape over the last 30 years. (CNW Group/Canadian Cancer Society (National Office))

To protect the health and safety of participants nationwide, the CIBC Run for the Cure was reimagined as a hybrid virtual/physical event for a second consecutive year to ensure the beloved elements of Run Day were accessible. Participants showed their support by tuning into live-streamed opening ceremonies, broadcast for the first time on YES TV, which featured performances from talented Canadian musicians, including Chantal Kreviazuk, Brett Kissel, and Tynomi Banks, as well as powerful conversations with people affected by breast cancer. Through a newly upgraded mobile app, participants built their virtual runners and tracked their distance as they walked or ran in their neighbourhoods.

"Over the last 30 years, the impact we've made together is undeniable. Since its peak in 1986, the breast cancer death rate in women has been nearly cut in half. This reduction reflects the impact of research that has led to improvements in early detection and treatment for breast cancer," says Andrea Seale, CEO, Canadian Cancer Society (CCS). "Along with CIBC, our dedicated partner of 25 years, and our supporters from across the country, we've shaped the breast cancer landscape in Canada and contributed to life-changing improvements in the way breast cancer is being prevented, diagnosed and treated. But there's so much more we can do."

Every day, more than 75 people are diagnosed with breast cancer in Canada  the most commonly diagnosed cancer among Canadian women. From the discovery of the BRCA 1 and 2 genetic mutations to tests that predict the risk of cancer recurrence, CCS has invested in research that has transformed understanding of breast cancer. CCS has also supported breakthroughs in less invasive surgeries; the delivery of more efficient treatments made possible by harnessing the power of technology; and the rise of personalized medicine, which has improved treatment options and enabled healthcare providers to deliver care that is targeted to individuals.

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"For the 25th consecutive year, Team CIBC proudly and passionately joined our partners at Canadian Cancer Society and thousands of Canadians in ensuring no one has to face breast cancer alone," says Laura Dottori-Attanasio, Group Head of Personal and Business Banking, CIBC. "We remain dedicated to changing the future of breast cancer and won't stop running until that ambition is realized."

Funds raised through the Run are saving and changing lives by being invested into world-class research, transformative advocacy, and compassionate support. Donations could help enable the next big discovery or ensure that someone facing a breast cancer diagnosis has the information and support they need to manage life with cancer more easily. It's not too late to donate. Visit cibcrunforthecure.com to learn more.

About the 30th annual Canadian Cancer Society CIBC Run for the Cure

The first Canadian Cancer Society CIBC Run for the Cure took place in 1992 with a small group of people in Toronto who were passionate about reducing the impact of breast cancer in Canada. Three decades later, the Run has evolved into the country's largest single day event in support of the breast cancer cause. Each year, thousands of Canadians come together in communities across the country to show their support for people affected by breast cancer and to help change the future of breast cancer.

Since 1997, CCS's unwavering partner CIBC has been championing the Run, rallying their employees, clients and communities to volunteer, fundraise, and run to support the breast cancer cause. In addition to supporting the Run, CIBC also generously funds CCS's online support community, CancerConnection.ca, helping people with cancer and their loved ones share their experiences and build supportive relationships.

The Run is the largest, single-day event dedicated to raising funds for the breast cancer cause. Last year, this national movement brought together over 25,000 participants and raised $9.5 million in communities across Canada. Since the event began in 1992, the Canadian Cancer Society CIBC Run for the Cure has raised more than $480 million for breast cancer research and support. The CIBC team has raised over $58 million throughout the 25-year partnership. Donate or learn more at cibcrunforthecure.com.

About the Canadian Cancer Society

The Canadian Cancer Society works tirelessly to save and improve lives. We fund the brightest minds in cancer research. We provide a compassionate support system for all those affected by cancer, from coast to coast and for all types of cancer. As the voice for Canadians who care about cancer, we work with governments to establish health policies to prevent cancer and better support those living with the disease. No other organization does all that we do to improve lives today and to change the future of cancer forever. Visit cancer.ca for more information.

About CIBC

CIBC is a leading North American financial institution with 10 million personal banking, business, public sector and institutional clients. CIBC and its team are committed to coming together to help people and communities realize their ambitions. In 2020, CIBC and its team invested $75 million in community organizations across Canada and the U.S. Ongoing news releases and more information about CIBC can be found at www.cibc.com/en/about-cibc/media-centre.html .

The Canadian Cancer Society CIBC Run for the Cure celebrates the 30th event in support of breast cancer cause. (CNW Group/Canadian Cancer Society (National Office))

The Canadian Cancer Society CIBC Run for the Cure celebrates the 30th event in support of breast cancer cause. (CNW Group/Canadian Cancer Society (National Office))

Canadian Cancer Society CIBC Run for the Cure (CNW Group/Canadian Cancer Society (National Office))

SOURCE Canadian Cancer Society (National Office)

Cision

View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/October2021/03/c8234.html
(Bloomberg) -- Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund ADQ will take a 50% stake in International Holding Co. unit Eltizam Asset Management.

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IHC issued shares worth 111.6 million dirhams ($30.4 million) in Eltizam to ADQ as part of the deal, according to a statement filed to the stock exchange on Sunday. Bloomberg reported details of the deal earlier.

United Arab Emirates national security adviser, Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, is chairman of both ADQ and IHC. IHC has been involved in numerous deals this year, with its assets ballooning to 58 billion dirhams in the second quarter, up 444% from the same period a year ago.

IHC shares have nearly quadrupled over the past year, making it the second-largest listed company in the UAE. Alpha Dhabi Holding PJSC, an IHC unit, is the biggest.

(Updates with exchange filing)

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2021 Bloomberg L.P.
(Bloomberg) -- California beaches in Northern Orange County were closed and wetlands contaminated by a huge oil spill caused by a broken pipeline off the coast.

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About 3,000 barrels of oil leaked from the pipeline and washed up on beaches and wetlands in Huntington Beach, a popular spot for Southern California surfers and beach goers. The beachs ocean and shoreline have been closed indefinitely, the city said in a statement Sunday.

Beta Offshore Co., which operates three offshore oil platforms in the area, is responsible for the spill and is working on repairs and cleanup. The oil slick plume stretched 5.8 nautical miles as of Saturday, from Huntington Beach Pier to Newport Beach, Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley said in a statement.

The ruptured pipeline connected to an offshore oil platform known as Elly, that is operated by Beta, Foley said on Twitter. Elly processes oil produced by two nearby platforms that are also operated by Beta and began production in the 1980s called Ellen and Eureka, according to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement.

An email to Amplify Energy Corp., the parent of Beta, wasnt returned. The company told the Associated Press Sunday that the pipeline had been shut off and crude oil was no longer leaking from it.

Oil production off the California Coast has dwindled in recent years following major spills that have drawn environmental opposition. A pipeline spill on a beach near Santa Barbara in 2015 prompted the shutdown of Exxon Mobil Corp.s last operating oil platforms off the California coast.

Ellen, Eureka and Elly are located in federal waters more than 8 miles from the shoreline. U.S. West Coast oil production in federal waters fell to 13,000 barrels a day in July from a peak of more than 200,000 barrels a day in the mid 1990s, Energy Department data show.

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(Adds details about California offshore oil platforms.)

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Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Schumer showed their support for abortion rights at the Rally for Abortion Justice in Washington, D.C., on Saturday.

The comedian, 40, shared a photo to Instagram of her and Lawrence, 31, participating in the Women's March protest at Freedom Plaza in the nation's capital.

"I don't have a uterus and she is pregnant but we out here @womensmarch @plannedparenthood #rallyforabortionjustice ," Schumer wrote in the caption.

Dressed in a jumpsuit and a blue cap, the I Feel Pretty actress and mom to son Gene, 2, held an "Abortion Is Essential" sign, while Lawrence  whose baby bump was on display in a checkered dress  held a sign that read, "Women can't be free if they don't control their bodies."

RELATED: Amy Schumer Learned She Had a Tumor in Her 'Endo Ravaged Appendix': 'My Lifelong Pain Explained'

Schumer had her uterus and appendix removed in September after dealing with years of pain from what her doctors determined was extensive endometriosis, a condition where the tissue that usually lines the uterus grows outside of it.

Amy Schumer and Jennifer Lawrence

Amy Schumer/Instagram

A week after her surgery, the Trainwreck star shared an update on her recovery after a tearful meeting with her surgeon, Dr. Tamer Seckin.

For more on the Women's March and other top stories, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.

"All my lifelong pain explained and lifted out of my body," she posted on Instagram. "I am already a changed person. I am busting with joy for the new energy I have to be with my son."

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free weekly newsletter to get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.

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That same month, PEOPLE exclusively confirmed Lawrence is expecting her first baby with husband Cooke Maroney.

"Jen wanted a family for a long time and found an ideal mate whom she loves, respects and enjoys being around," a source said of the Oscar winner. "She loves married life, and they have a solid foundation for a baby. She is very happy and looking forward to being a mom."

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"She loves her work and that will continue," the source added. "Like other actors, she will balance her career and her life as a wife and mom. She will do it well. Jen is grounded and ready to be a parent because she loves family life."

RELATED: Pregnant Jennifer Lawrence and Husband Cooke Maroney Step Out for Sunday Stroll in New York City

More than 650 marches took place across the country on Saturday as the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to consider another restrictive ban on abortion rights.

"Over 120,000 people are set to join us at over 650 rallies nationwide tomorrow, fighting for abortion justice," Women's March executive director Rachel O'Leary Carmona tweeted on Friday. "This is how we send a message. Lawmakers, don't you dare take away our reproductive freedom."

RELATED VIDEO: Jennifer Lawrence Is Pregnant, Expecting First Baby with Husband Cooke Maroney

The protests came as the Supreme Court prepares to reconvene on Monday to consider Mississippi lawmakers' plea to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case, according to Reuters.

Last month, Texas enacted Senate Bill 8, the most restrictive abortion law in the country. Essentially eliminating the rights of Roe v. Wade, the bill prohibits abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, which is before most people know they're pregnant. The bill does not allow exceptions for pregnancies that are the result of incest or rape.
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Nearly a year after the El Paso County jail became the site of a record coronavirus outbreak last fall, Sheriffs officials say they are doing all they can to mitigate the spread of the infection within the facilitys walls.

But one vocal former inmate says officials need to better protect people incarcerated there.

Since mid-July the jail has seen an uptick in COVID-19 cases among its staff and approximately 1,300 inmates, the first significant spike in cases reported at the jail since late January, according to data from the Sheriffs Offices website. The Sheriffs Office reports new case numbers weekly if there are more than five new cases in a week.

Last Monday, the most recent day data was available, El Paso County Sheriffs reported four cases among staff and nine among inmates, down from the summer peak on Sept. 6, when 60 inmates and six deputies tested positive.

The recent increase in cases at the jail mirrors heightened disease spread in the community, Sheriff Bill Elder said, driven by the highly transmissible delta variant. As new inmates enter the jail, and as deputies and other contractors move in and out, the chance of spreading the virus increases, officials said.

When we see a spike in the community that same spike translates directly to the jail  Theres no way to stop it because we have to keep bringing people into the facility, Elder said. As long as we do that, were going to have COVID patients in the facility.

New cases are being added to the tally of 1,456 total jail staff and inmates who have been sickened in the facilitys largest coronavirus outbreak since it erupted in late October 2020, which is still not considered resolved, outbreak data updated Wednesday by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment show.

The outbreak is the largest among jails and prisons in Colorado, according to state data, but Elder said safety protocols were keeping recent case numbers well below what they were last fall.

All of those processes we did are what are helping keep a major outbreak from occurring again, Elder said, adding there have been no inmate deaths and only a small number of hospitalizations caused by the virus.

State data show there have been no COVID-related deaths at the jail during the outbreak.

Three inmates died at the jail in September; the El Paso County Coroners Office will determine their cause of death, sheriffs officials said, though the department announced last week there was no indication one of the inmates  33-year-old Steven Thorne, who died Sept. 25  died of COVID-19.

Last December the ACLU filed a class-action lawsuit against Elder, the sole defendant, alleging his disordered, mismanaged policies led to the outbreak that at the time had sickened more than 1,000 people incarcerated there. The county settled the lawsuit in May, agreeing to pay $65,000 while the sheriffs for-profit jail medical care provider, WellPath of Nashville, Tenn., agreed to pay an additional $30,000 as part of the deal.

The settlement left in place a series of safety improvements at the facility, intended to keep inmates healthy while the pandemic continues, including a requirement that all inmates receive two free masks, and guards and staff members wear masks or face discipline.

Elder claimed the lawsuit alleged safety violations that didnt exist at the jail, saying the Sheriffs Office rolled out rapid response early in the pandemic, implementing an incident command center to lead that response with guidance from Public Health officials. Officials also spent $15.6 million in COVID-19 relief funds last year to make improvements to the jail, such as replacing faulty locks on cell doors to prevent inmates from leaving their cells and spreading the virus, and upgrading the jails ventilation system, officials said.

We were doing anything and everything we could to get on top of it and stay on top of it, Elder said.

But when a medical expert with the ACLU toured the jail in mid-December, they did not find that the jail was following the appropriate safety protocols but helped come up with policies that El Paso could put in place to make the jail safer and to stop the spread of COVID there, Arielle Herzberg, a staff attorney with the ACLU of Colorado, said. At the time we filed the lawsuit, over 1,000 people in the jail were infected with COVID. We brought the lawsuit so the jail would put protections in place.

Elder and his deputies maintain they implemented safety measures before the ACLU filed its lawsuit and those protocols will remain until there are no more positive cases in the jail, Elder said.

These inmates are your neighbors, family, friends, bosses, employees, Sheriff's Office Cmdr. Cy Gillespie said during a tour of the jail with media in July, The Gazettes first look inside the facility during the pandemic. Theyre your people. We want to take care of them because thats our job.

Derrick Bernard Jr., a local radio personality and community activist better known as Phoenixx Ugrilla, said safety protocols and medical care in the facility were horrible, alleging inmates are not wearing masks or being tested for COVID, and said there was little to no physical distancing in the facility, contributing to the spike in cases.

Ugrilla spent six and a half months at the jail, from mid-January to early September, when he was released.

Youre using the same phones. Youre using the same showers.  You really cant take care of yourself in that situation, he said. Theres no six-foot distance inside those cells, so it doesnt matter what you do.

Deputies acknowledged mask compliance among inmates at the jail was poor and said the jails layout complicated physical distancing efforts.

Cmdr. Lari Hanenberg estimated about 25% of inmates regularly wear their masks. A Gazette reporter in July observed inmates wearing masks when moving throughout the facility, while some did not wear them in other areas of the jail, like open recreation wards.

Deputies encourage inmates to wear masks by reminding them they can contract the virus from the deputies, Gillespie said. He also ordered deputies not to interact with inmates who arent wearing masks, he told reporters on the tour, motioning to an unmasked inmate speaking to a deputy in one of the wards.

You can only do so much. If inmates choose not to wear a mask, Im not going to wrestle them.  You can lead a horse to water, but you cant stick their head under it, Gillespie said.

Open wards in the jail can hold up to 72 inmates, while smaller locked jail cells include bunk beds, not conducive to six-foot social distancing recommendations, Hanenberg said.

Your six feet goes right out the window, she said. At one point we went so far as to tell the inmates one has to have his head at this end of the bed and the other is at this end of the bed.  Thats really the only way we could effectively try to keep them away from each other distance-wise.

Posters plastered across the jail summarize the basics of COVID-19 and its symptoms, and list preventative measures  part of efforts to educate inmates about the virus, deputies said.

Inmates who want a vaccine or test can get them, but most inmates dont request either service, deputies said. Inmates exhibiting COVID symptoms are also mandatorily tested, they said.

Last week, about one-third of inmates were tested, Sheriffs spokeswoman Lt. Deborah Mynatt said. From February through September, 602 inmates have been vaccinated, she said.

But Ugrilla argued testing wasnt being done, claiming at one point during his incarceration he was COVID symptomatic and for 23 consecutive days requested WellPath employees test him. He never received a COVID test, he said.

Judy Lilley, a WellPath spokesperson, did not address Ugrillas claim directly with The Gazette.

We care for large numbers of people in close quarters and do all that we can to keep our patients and employees safe and healthy, Lilley said. This includes taking aggressive actions to prevent the virus from entering in the first place, including frequent reminders to our staff and all personnel coming into our facilities to wear a mask at all times and to get vaccinated. As per the most up-to-date clinical information, the treatment for COVID-19 and the delta variant remain symptomatic.

Ugrilla also alleged outbreaks were coming from areas of the jail where large numbers of inmates work. In the kitchen, he claimed in July, employees with Trinity Services Group, the jails food contractor, were quitting or taking extended leave to escape the outbreaks.

Elder said it was possible Trinity employees may have contracted COVID or been exposed to someone who was COVID-positive and were sent home to isolate or quarantine. He also said jail staff resolved a recent outbreak among inmates working in the kitchen through isolation and quarantines.

Calls to Trinity Service Groups lawyer were left unreturned as of Friday.

Ugrilla said another outbreak in the laundry facility sickened inmates working there in July and left other inmates without clean clothes or bedding, sometimes for several weeks.

Elder dismissed the claim. Theres no way we could function that amount of time without working laundry equipment, he said. If you shut that facility down for weeks, the amount of laundry that would have to be done would be  I dont know that youd ever catch up, he said.

Ugrilla called on the Sheriffs Office to better address the virus in the jail.

The situation definitely needs to be mitigated a little bit better  This is going to be way worse because the variants stronger, he said.

Elder said he is committed to protecting inmates at the jail regardless of the ACLU lawsuit.

We will continue to (enact regulations) because thats the right way to deal with it. I dont want employees exposed, I want inmates treated if they need it, and I want them to understand how serious we take this.
A former mental health director at the El Paso County jail quit in late 2017 after the facility's for-profit health care provider demanded that she slash her already thin counseling staff, she told The Gazette.

Stephanie Gangemi said she feared that cutting her team of six full-time counselors would place the most critically mentally ill inmates at even further risk.

In ending her career with Armor Correctional Health Services and other correctional health care giants, she concluded the companies are part of a broken system in which patient care will always come second to profit.

Private, for-profit health care companies get away with so much because they gradually erode the quality of services provided for inmates in the name of cost-savings, while simultaneously decreasing support, supervision and leadership for line level staff, she said in an email to The Gazette.

The company responded with a statement of its own, saying Armor "disputes Ms. Gangemi's contentions" and "does not comment on employment disputes with past employees."

But Gangemi's charges shed new light on Armors turbulent first few months as the jails medical provider, and highlight already known questions about whether the facilitys mentally ill inmates are getting the care that they need.

The Sheriff's Office acknowledged that it's "concerned" with Armor's performance when asked about Gangemi's revelations.

The agency has notified Armor of its complaints and is working with a Michigan-based consulting firm, Health Management Associates, to explore "options with community partners to see how we can improve the overall medical and mental health care" for the jail's inmates, sheriff's spokeswoman Jacqueline Kirby said.

Gangemi previously worked for Correct Care Solutions, the jail's past health care provider, and was hired by Armor in mid-2017 when the company took over the facility's medical contract.

While employed by Correct Care Solutions, Gangemi said she was successful in convincing the company that she needed another counselor. Her team grew from five to six full-time staff, plus additional part-time employees, she said.

Their caseloads were already dangerously high, she said in an email.

But Armor pressured her to make cuts once its tenure began, she said.

I advocated, explained, showed statistical evidence and provided clinical explanations for why this would be unsafe for the inmates, the jail and the company, but Armor was adamant about their demands, she said.

The company "retained staff above the contracted level at the company's expense for more than a year" after it took over for Correct Care Solutions, spokeswoman Yeleny Brody said in a statement.

The jail is currently staffed by six full-time behavioral health professionals, according to another statement from the jails current mental health director, Tanya Belknap.

Armor also addressed a backlog of inmates in need of behavioral health services and made other improvements after taking over for the past contractor, Brody said.

"Under Armors supervision, the behavioral health team is providing more patient care and advocacy to the greatly underserved population," Brody said.

The switch in contractors increased the cost of inmate medical services by nearly 40 percent.

Last year, the county paid Armor about $7.5 million for inmate medical services. The county might still be billed for costs of pharmaceuticals and inmate hospital visits in 2018, county procurement specialist Ron Neely said in a recent interview.

Like many of its correctional health care counterparts, Armor has been scrutinized for claims of substandard care at correctional facilities across the country and faces dozens of lawsuits alleging its staff members neglected inmates' health care needs.

In Wisconsin, the company is facing criminal charges over accusations that it falsified inmate medical records, including those of a man who died of dehydration at the Milwaukee County Jail, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Armor is just one of a handful of companies that dominate the for-profit jail health care industry.

Gangemi worked for Correctional Healthcare Companies, which Correct Care Solutions acquired in 2014. Last fall, Correct Care Solutions merged with another company to form Wellpath.

She was also employed by Prison Health Services, now Corizon Health, when she was a social worker at Rikers Island jail in New York.

Clinicians working for these companies often have good intentions, she said.

But the daily trauma and hardships of working in a correctional setting are exhausting and employees are often put in a position where they must make compromises to adapt to the dysfunctions of the system to keep their jobs.

Every time there's a contract renewal, everybody has this fantasy that the new one's going to come in and cure everything, and I've been through enough of those changes to know that that's not it, she told The Gazette in an interview. If the goal is to make money and not to keep inmates healthy, then there's just going to be this constant battle about how money is getting spent."

There were other signs of dysfunction early in Armors tenure in the jail, after what Gangemi described as a "tumultuous" transition from one health care provider to another.

The county threatened Armor with a $100,000 fee for early stumbles on the job, which Armor attributed to lapses leftover from the past health care provider.

A national accrediting agency initially put the jail on probation after an audit discovered a backlog of requests that had left more than 300 inmates without access to prompt medical care and a laundry list of other issues.

But the National Commission on Correctional Health Care chose to renew the jails accreditation last spring, after medical staff reported they had fixed the problems.

After leaving Armor, Gangemi briefly served as the manager of the Sheriffs Office behavioral health programs.
Colorado is either really good or really bad when it comes to dealing with human sex trafficking cases, suggests a new analysis of federal data released Thursday morning.
The interpreter slogged through human sewage up to his knees, two trips back and forth through steaming sludge, each time carrying two of his 
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Simon Lomax is a researcher and adviser to free-enterprise groups and business coalitions in energy, health care, education, housing and other economic sectors. He is a former Bloomberg News reporter and a former congressional fellow with the American Political Science Association. The views expressed are his own. This commentary is reprinted courtesy of The Center Square.
More criminal defendants with untreated psychosis languishing in Colorado jails will maim and kill themselves if the state doesn't reduce a growing backlog of nearly 350 people waiting for treatment at the states primary mental hospital, court-ordered monitoring reports predict.

And court documents and budget requests show that problems at the Colorado Mental Health Institute in Pueblo are likely to get worse before they improve.

We see wait lists and wait times increasing exponentially throughout 2021, even if pandemic-related restrictions ended immediately, concluded a report issued on May 24 by two experts monitoring the states mental hospital system for U.S. District Court Judge Nina Wang.

Furthermore, without significant increases in admissions to the Colorado Mental Health Institute in Pueblo, we foresee serious injury and/or death occurring within this population of severely, acutely ill who have been court-ordered to treatment, the experts wrote.

As court orders for psychiatric treatment for defendants nearly tripled in four years, new infection-control protocols to protect from COVID-19 restricted the states ability to admit patients to the hospital for those services, according to documents.

A crippling workforce shortage, with more than 300 open positions, is a major contributing factor, forcing the Pueblo mental hospital to close three of 24 units in recent months, according to Robert Werthwein, director of the states Office of Behavioral Health, part of the Colorado Department of Human Services, which oversees the states two psychiatric hospitals.

At the same time, state and federal regulators are demanding new construction to mitigate suicide risks at the hospital. The improvements required to fix life-threatening problems identified by regulators at the facility will further delay admissions for treatment, court documents state.

As a result, more criminal defendants suffering acute psychosis are stacking up in jails, unable to proceed to trial until they receive court-ordered mental competency evaluations or return-to-competency services from the state hospital, according to a court filing last month by the expert monitors.

The Colorado Department of Human Services has allowed conditions to regress back to the era before it signed a consent decree in April 2019, to resolve a federal lawsuit accusing the department of violating the due process of inmates, the report from experts Neil Gowensmith and Daniel Murrie states.

One man  described as catatonic, psychotic, delusional and with bleeding genitals due to his bizarre behaviors  has been on the departments priority admission list for more than one month, and his total wait is now beyond six months, their report said. Another detainee has been on the same priority-admission list for weeks, even though he is described as high acuity  aggressive  disoriented and threatening to staff.

Between April and June, two inmates in county jails awaiting hospital admission killed themselves, the experts found.

One was 42-year-old Michael Pyle, who was arrested and incarcerated on Jan. 22 at the Adams County Jail after he rammed a Thornton Police Department car and threatened an officer with a gun. His actions prompted a high-speed chase through the Denver suburbs, court documents show.

Pyle had terrorized his family, telling his mother that he believed his uncle had the "devil's altar" in his basement, his uncle, David Knipstein, said in a restraining order he filed in court after the arrest. Knipstein described in the document his nephew displaying "violent, erratic behavior."

Anne Pyle believes her son would be alive if he had been transferred to an inpatient bed at Pueblo hospital sooner and treated for his mental illness. But he spent about five months in the Adams County Jail, waiting for a bed at the hospital to open, before hanging himself on May 27.

"If he had only been able to get treatment, everything could have turned out differently," she said. "He had so much to offer and was such an incredible person."

Michael Pyle had been in the Pueblo mental hospital before, his mother said. He was diagnosed with several disorders and placed on medication. He received counseling, was released, got a good job and "seemed to be functioning well," she said.

When street riots started last year during the pandemic near his downtown Denver apartment, he "started spiraling downhill," Anne Pyle said.

"He told me he thought he needed to be in a hospital again, and he started trying to check himself in somewhere," she said, crying.

It was near Christmas last December, and Michael couldn't find anywhere that would take his Medicaid insurance or doctors to give him a referral, Anne Pyle said.

"I think he gave up," she said. "His only option was to get in trouble with the police."

While Pyle was at the Adams County Jail, a judge ordered Pyle to undergo mental health treatment at the Pueblo facility, so he could be restored to competency to stand trial.

"He was told he would be transferred to the Pueblo hospital," his mother said, but the wait stretched on.

"It's appalling," Anne Pyle said. "We should be ashamed of ourselves for the lack of mental health treatment, the shortage of beds and cuts in funding. I'm angry with the system and the legislators."

'Public health crisis'

Suicides and self-harm are among several consequences of admittance delays, and more such incidents are likely to occur, given the current conditions, the experts said in their memo to state health officials.

Twice as many mentally ill inmates are waiting twice as long now than in the past, a circumstance that Gowensmith and Murrie labeled a public health crisis.

Some individuals have such severe psychiatric illness that they have covered themselves with urine and/or feces, eaten feces, cut or mutilated themselves, refused to shower for weeks, refused to eat for days, attempted suicide and at times been victimized or injured by staff or other inmates, their May report found. Some have also attacked staff or other inmates, when acting on paranoid delusions or hallucinations that are symptoms of their untreated psychotic illness.

Untreated psychosis is a life-threatening illness with mortality rates around 7%, they noted.

Patients are entering the hospital from jails in more pressing mental distress, said Sallette Thompson, a psychologist who has worked at the Colorado Mental Health Institute in Pueblo for two years.

I think the acuity has increased for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is COVID, which has increased stress on everyone, she said. Certainly, its going to hit more vulnerable populations in a larger way.

Exacerbating the problem are demands from federal and state regulators for new construction at the hospital to mitigate suicide risks, which the two experts predicted in their August court report will further slow admissions to the state hospital.

The Joint Budget Committee, the legislative body that crafts the state budget, agreed last week to allocate the Office of Behavioral Health emergency funding of $4.1 million for mandated suicide mitigation efforts at the Pueblo hospital.

The agency asked for the money after federal and state regulators warned that the states license needed to keep the Pueblo facility open was in jeopardy, following a July suicide attempt, as first reported in The Gazette.

The survey by state regulators after that suicide attempt  which left a 20-year-old criminal defendant from Kersey with loss of brain function from trying to hang himself from the door to his room  found pervasive, life-threatening conditions in seven buildings housing patients at the hospital. The regulators demanded a plan to correct issues severe enough to have caused, or are likely to cause, serious injury, harm, impairment, or death to a patient.

The directive hit as the number of people waiting in jails around the state for court-ordered mental competency evaluations or restoration services continued to mount.

The backlog has grown to nearly 350, Werthwein, of the Office of Behavioral Health, told the states Behavioral Health Transformational Task Force on Sept. 23. Thats up from what Werthwein said to The Gazette on Sept. 9 was a waiting list of around 300. Among those being delayed in a jail is an actively psychotic pregnant female, Werthwein said.

Behavioral health right now in this state is the worst Ive ever remembered, he said. Its bad, people are really struggling.

Staff shortages continue to be a stumbling block for resuming full operations at the Pueblo hospital, Werthwein said.

Pueblo hospital staff who have joined the labor union, Colorado Workers for Innovative and News Solutions, or WINS, which represents 31,000 state employees, participated in negotiations to raise the minimum wage to $15 for all state jobs and for an annual 3% cost of living raise for the next three years, said Thompson, the hospital psychologist and a union member.

State officials and the union reached the agreement last week.

Lower wages have caused an exodus of staff to leave the hospital, Thompson said. I hope if we can fill some of these positions, well be able to address the (jail) backlog better.

We do this work because we love our clients  theyre funny and interesting and they want all of the same things we do, she said. For a lot of us its a calling, not just a job.

Upgrades necessary to maintain federal funds

Details about the survey by state regulators that found life-threatening conditions at the hospital in Pueblo were referenced in the Office of Behavioral Healths emergency budget request. The Colorado Department of Human Services declined to make the results public, as did the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, which conducted the survey of the facility.

In rejecting The Gazettes request to release the findings, officials said the state health department was still investigating the July suicide attempt of Chase Falk. However, a provision in the states open-records laws allows the release of state agency investigative records if doing so is in the interest of public health, welfare or safety.

Some details of the survey could be gleaned from an analysis of the budget request submitted to the Joint Budget Committee. About $800,000 is needed to install new cameras, or the hospital will have to add 154 additional staff to keep patients safe, that analysis found. It further determined that more than $3 million is needed to address suicide hazards in patient rooms.

Several hospital employees told The Gazette that mitigation devices on doors to rooms were supposed to prevent patients from self-harm but apparently weren't functioning properly. Falk's was at least the third suicide attempt this year inside the hospital, an employee said. An adolescent girl used shards from a broken mirror and a man used a razor to harm themselves.

The Joint Budget Committee staff also said the survey found that the psychiatric hospitals current incident management systems are outdated and inadequate in regards to data collection and regulatory compliance.

The Joint Budget Committee expected a parallel request for more money for additional employees, said Colorado Sen. Bob Rankin, a Republican from Carbondale and member of the Joint Budget Committee, given that the mandatory improvements will change how the facility operates.

The hospital  which has seen state staffing plunge from 1,388 in 2020 to 1,158 as of Friday, with 304 positions vacant  should beef up hiring, even if the new cameras are installed, the survey determined. Since the hospital will no longer be allowed to lock patients in their room due to suicide risks, an additional 27 safety specialists need to be hired, even as records show the hospital struggles to keep past staffing adequate, according to the analysis by the Joint Budget Committee staff.

They were locking the doors of the patients for safety, but they have to have the doors unlocked, which means more cameras and surveillance by human beings, Rankin said. Im sure another request will be coming along later.

The upgrades are required for the hospital to continue to receive federal funding, Rankin said.

We did not have an option, but its the right thing to do, he said, noting that adding more mental health beds has been a longstanding need in Colorado.

Colorado Department of Human Services officials pointed out to the legislative budget-writing committee that past suicide mitigation requests for the hospital in Pueblo had been rejected in the past two previous fiscal years.

Greater health risk than COVID

The mandate to reduce suicide risk comes at a time when the states mental health system is already in distress.

Colorado remains under a two-year-old federal court consent decree that found the state violated due process by not providing mental health competency evaluations to criminal defendants on a timely basis. Not complying has cost the state $17 million in federal fines since March 2019, according to the Department of Human Services.

Gowensmith and Murrie, the two experts monitoring Colorados compliance with the consent decree for the federal judge, urged state health officials in their May memo to reconsider infection-control protocols at the state hospital, which they said had slowed admissions.

Months after that memo, in August, the experts reported to the federal judge in a court filing that despite their urging, state health department quarantine mandates that had left 90 beds at the state hospital empty, had not been relaxed. At that time, the waitlist for admission to the Pueblo hospital topped 300 criminal defendants.

In our view, the untreated, severe psychiatric illness harming certain detainees waiting in jails is now a greater public health risk than the risk of spreading COVID-19 to or from these same individuals, they stated in one court filing.

While judges order severely mentally ill inmates to be admitted to the psychiatric hospital within 35 days, some are now waiting more than six months for a psychiatric bed and not receiving treatment for their conditions in the meantime, the May report found.

Department leaders had made substantial progress until June 2020 in meeting the goals of reducing the number, length of wait and the suffering of the criminal defendants, the report stated.

However, the pandemic has twice halted admissions, from November to mid-December of 2020 and from early April into May, increasing the waiting list from 124 at the end of October 2020 to nearly 350 now.

Many of these individuals need urgent inpatient mental health care, the report said, yet safe and reasonable options are virtually non-existent.

Forced medications are not allowed in most county jails, private hospital beds contracted by the Department of Human Services at extra expense are full, and other private hospitals refuse to admit such patients, citing safety concerns, the report said.

The Department of Human Services may consider applying for emergency staffing assistance from a program that was reactivated last week, said agency spokeswoman Madlynn Ruble.

The Staffing Shortage Fusion Center, led by the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management through the Colorado Unified Coordination Center, again is making short-term workers available to long-term care centers, hospitals, correctional facilities, homeless shelters and other licensed care facilities where shortages due to COVID-19 are impacting patient care.

Healthcare contractors, National Guard members, volunteers from the Colorado Volunteer Mobilizer program, nonprofit organization representatives and a Colorado Hospital Association program fill the slots.

Colorado Mental Health Institute in Pueblo has not used Fusion in the past but will explore it as an option to address current staff shortages, Ruble said in an email.
" " Rapid antigen COVID-19 tests, designed for use at home, can show results in as fast as 15 minutes. Willie B. Thomas/Getty Images

The rise of the highly transmissible delta variant around the U.S. has increased demand for rapid antigen COVID-19 tests that can be purchased from a pharmacy without a prescription, used at home, school or work and that give results in 15 minutes.

On Sept. 9, 2021, the White House announced several initiatives to improve access to rapid antigen tests: It will use the Defense Production Act to boost the production of tests, require retailers to sell rapid tests at cost, distribute free rapid tests to community health centers and food banks, and expand free testing in pharmacies.

Rapid antigen testing makes it much easier to get tested for COVID-19, which helps detect infectious cases before they spread. But many people are still unsure of how best to use these tests and whether they are accurate enough to be useful.

There are several FDA-approved rapid tests on the market including Abbott BinaxNow, Ellume and Quidel QuickVue. These cost as little as $7 to $12 each and can be used to test adults and children ages 2 and up, regardless of whether they have symptoms.

Rapid antigen tests have a big advantage over lab-based PCR testing in terms of speed and convenience. Getting results in 15 minutes rather than waiting a day or more for PCR test results means it's possible to identify COVID-19 cases right away and take precautions to prevent transmission. Having rapid testing available over the counter means that a lot more people will get tested since the test is easy to perform and far more convenient than PCR testing. So rapid tests can catch a lot more COVID-19 cases overall than relying only on PCR testing.

As a health economist who studies public health policy to combat infectious disease epidemics, I know that making COVID-19 testing accessible, accurate and fast is critical to slowing transmission of the virus and helping everyone resume normal activities safely.

" " BinaxNOW Self Test is available nationwide at drugstores like CVS and Walgreens, and is identical to professional tests used since August 2020. Abbott

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How Accurate Are Rapid Antigen Tests?

Two types of rapid tests are used for detecting an active COVID-19 infection: rapid antigen tests that detect viral proteins using a paper strip and rapid molecular tests  including PCR  that detect viral genetic material using a medical device.

It's important to remember that rapid antigen tests serve a different purpose than PCR testing, which is considered the gold standard even though it isn't 100 percent accurate. Rapid tests are designed to identify cases with a high enough viral load in the nasal passage to be transmissible  not to diagnose all COVID-19 cases. The Abbott BinaxNOW rapid antigen test may only detect 85 percent of the positive cases detected by PCR tests.

But the key is that published studies found that they detect over 93 percent of cases that pose a transmission risk, which is what matters most for getting the pandemic under control. Ellume correctly identifies 95 percent of all positive cases, and Quidel QuickVue accurately identifies 85 percent. All three tests correctly identify upward of 97 percent of all negative cases, regardless of symptoms.

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How Should Rapid Tests Be Used?

Rapid antigen testing can be used in three ways to slow transmission. First, people can perform a rapid test when there is a suspected or known COVID-19 exposure. Second, rapid testing can provide an extra precaution before any activity with a higher risk of transmission, such as gatherings or travel. Third, it's also possible to test on a regular basis  weekly, for instance, if enough tests are available  to catch cases that otherwise might go undetected.

It's important to have a plan for what to do based on the test results. If you get a positive result, immediately take precautions to slow transmission such as self-isolating, letting close contacts know about the test result and reporting the case to health authorities. Less than 3 percent of negative cases receive false positives, but a second rapid test the following day or a PCR test can provide further confirmation if needed.

If you get a negative result from a rapid test, it means you are currently very unlikely to be infectious. A viral load that is too low to be detected by rapid antigen tests is almost surely too low to be transmissible. But it's important not to let your guard down completely. The tests don't detect 100 percent of infectious cases, so it's possible for a small number to evade detection or for some cases to become infectious within hours after the test. For this reason, it may be a good idea to maintain other precautions. And, if you have symptoms or a known exposure, it's a good idea to do a follow-up rapid antigen or PCR test just in case the first test was a false negative.

Think of the rapid antigen test as a snapshot in time: A negative test doesn't necessarily mean you don't have COVID-19. COVID-19 is most transmissible when the viral load peaks, which is estimated to be within a week after infection. Those who are infected but who take a rapid test before or after the viral load peak will get a negative rapid test result  meaning that even though they are infected, they are not currently infectious. One way to reduce the risk of false negatives is with "serial testing," where a second rapid test is performed 24 to 36 hours later to help catch any infectious cases that were missed with the first test.

" " The QuickVue At-Home OTC COVID-19 rapid antigen test kits can be used by adults and children ages 2 and up. Business Wire

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Will the New Initiatives Be Enough?

The White House initiatives to increase access to rapid testing are a critical step toward curbing case numbers. But one free test per person isn't sufficient to help people resume normal activities safely. Authorizing additional inexpensive rapid tests through the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would further expand supply and reduce prices.

Making the COVID-19 vaccine free and easily accessible brought cases down quickly in the spring of 2021. Putting frequent rapid testing within reach for all could do the same now.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. You can find the original article here.

Zoe McLaren is an associate professor of public policy at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, where she studies the impact of access to health resources on economic outcomes.
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Oct. 3, 2021





Media Contact:

Deidre McCabe, Director, Office of Communications, 410-767-3536

Andy Owen, Deputy Director, Media Relations 410-767-6491





PHOTO RELEASE: Maryland Department of Health, Baltimore City and Johns Hopkins Medicine partner to provide free COVID-19 vaccinations at Fiesta Baltimore





Baltimore, MDToday, the Maryland Department of Health (MDH), Baltimore City and Johns Hopkins Medicine partnered to provide free COVID-19 vaccinations and vaccine outreach during Fiesta Baltimore, a Latino cultural festival at Patterson Park.





Baltimore City hosted the vaccination event with clinical partner Johns Hopkins Medicine. Both organizations have partnered with the state in the fight against COVID-19.





The event is yet another statewide effort by MDH to support equitable and convenient access to COVID-19 vaccines for vulnerable and hard-to-reach communities.





Dr. Kathleen Page, Associate Professor of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and an official GoVAX Ambassador, was on hand to answer questions about the COVID-19 vaccines.





COVID-19 has had a profound impact on the Latino community, said Dr. Kathleen Page, Associate Professor of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and an official GoVAX Ambassador. I am encouraging the community to protect themselves, and the ones they love, by getting the life-saving vaccine.





Community promoters sharing information with festival participants to encourage vaccination.





At the event, Dr. Page joined bilingual community canvassers, who shared educational material in English and Spanish.





For more information on COVID-19 vaccines, visit covidLINK.maryland.gov.





To schedule a COVID -19 vaccination appointment, visit covidvax.maryland.gov.







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The Maryland Department of Health is dedicated to protecting and improving the health and safety of all Marylanders through disease prevention, access to care, quality management and community engagement.

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" " Wikimedia Commons A portrait of Catherine the Great by Fedor Rokotov , 1763. Born in 1729, and known as Catherine the Great because she served as Russia's longest-reigning female ruler, she was empress from 1762 until her death in 1796.

If persistent tabloid covers and made-for-television miniseries have taught us anything, it's that us commoners simply love a royal scandal. So it's no surprise then that a legendary monarch like Catherine the Great, the longest reigning female leader of Russia, has in many cases been reduced to tales of sordid affairs and unsavory sexual trysts. But those well versed in Russian history will tell you that Catherine, who ruled from 1762 to 1796, was so much more than the gossip and intrigue that surrounded her during her reign and has shrouded her since her death. Here are seven facts you need to know about the controversial, charismatic and game-changing Catherine the Great.

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1. She Wasn't Born as a Catherine or as a Russian

Born in 1729 in Prussia (modern day Poland) as Sophie von Anhalt-Zerbst, the woman who would later be known as Catherine the Great was the oldest daughter of a German prince named Christian August von Anhalt-Zerbst. Thanks to her mother's prestigious lineage (which was distantly connected to Empress Elizabeth of Russia), Sophie pretty much had her pick of the litter in terms of marital prospects. At the age of 14, she was paired up with her second cousin, Elizabeth's son, Peter III. The grandson of Peter the Great, Peter III was heir to the Russian throne. In 1744, Catherine relocated to Russia and took on the title Grand Duchess Ekaterina (Catherine) Alekseevna, and a year later, she and Peter were married. But the union wasn't quite a storybook romance. We'll get to that in a bit.

2. Her Progressive Legacy Gets Lost Among Lurid Tales

"More attention should be paid to Catherine II as legislatrix, someone with a very strong work ethic who issued numerous laws to restructure the state (to achieve administrative uniformity across a vast empire), society (by more clearly delineating different societal categories), and the very configuration of Russian towns (she had blueprints made for uniform buildings in town centers)," Victoria Frede, associate professor in the department of history at UC Berkeley, says via email. "It is well known that she aggressively expanded the size of the Russian empire (including Crimea), though few appreciate that she was more successful in increasing the empire's size than Peter the Great. We may disapprove, and her legacy was mixed, especially because of the deepening of social inequality (the oppression of serfs) in her reign. She was a hard-nosed ruler, but that is why she made such a big imprint on the country."

3. Her Reign Was the "Golden Age of the Russian Empire"

Catherine called herself a "glutton for art" and she was obsessed with European paintings and European-inspired architecture. In fact, St. Petersburg's State Hermitage Museum, which now occupies the whole Winter Palace, started out as Catherine's personal collection. She is considered the monarch responsible for changing the face of Russia through the construction of classical mansions, her endorsement of Enlightenment ideals, and the establishment of the Smolny Institute for Noble Maidens, the first state-financed higher education institution for women in Europe, among other achievements.

" " The State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great, has around 3 million objects in its collections, including an extensive collection of paintings. The collections occupy a large complex of six historic buildings along Palace Embankment, including the Winter Palace, shown here, a former residence of Russian emperors. Sean Gallup/Getty Images

"She was a true 'intellectual on the throne' who was very much involved in Russia's cultural life (and among other things, brought Russia much more into European consciousness)," Marcus C. Levitt, professor emeritus of Slavic Languages and Literatures at the University of Southern California, says via email. "Hers was a 'golden age' of Russian culture. She both laid the basis for a public sphere in Russia and in reacting against the French Revolution at the end of her reign, also laid the basis for later attempts to shut down the public sphere. Hers was arguably the longest and most successful reign in Russian history."

4. Her Love Life Was Complicated To Say the Least

It's no secret Catherine and Peter had a troubled marriage from the start. The fact that she didn't produce an heir after eight years of marriage led many to believe Peter either was unable to consummate the marriage or was infertile. Regardless of the reason, both Catherine and Peter engaged in extramarital affairs, and by 1752, she was regularly hooking up with Sergei Saltykov, a Russian military officer who many people believe is the actual father of Catherine's first child, Paul, who was born in 1754. Catherine didn't do much to deny these rumors  she even said Empress Elizabeth permitted the affair. Historians can't be sure who the baby daddy really was, but most agree that Peter didn't father a single one of Catherine's three additional children. She had a daughter with Stanislaus Poniatowski, who she later helped to become king of Poland, and in the ultimate crushing blow to their marriage, Catherine overthrew Peter in a coup d'etat in July 1762, garnering her the title of Empress of Russia. She never married again, but she did build a reputation for taking lovers and then promoting them to key government positions.

"She was a serial monogamist who constantly desired the physical and spiritual closeness of a lover; furthermore, she exploited her lovers' abilities for the good of the country," says Levitt. "There's a lot more I could say here; the later tradition often saw her as a consummate hypocrite, but this I think takes things out of historical context. I believe that her heart was in the right place, but that she understood the nature and limitations of political power in Russia."

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5. Politically and Socially, She Was Both Liberal and Conservative

While Catherine had a major hand in modernizing Russia in the image of Western Europe, she didn't do much to change the system of serfdom. In the 18th century, Russian serfs weren't bound to land, but to their owners, and while they weren't exactly slaves, the system of forced labor is, through a modern lens, a clearly problematic and punishing practice. Catherine made some moves to change this system, signing legislation to prohibit the practice, and even penning a 1775 manifesto that prohibited former serfs who had been freed from becoming serfs again. But on the other hand, Catherine also limited the freedoms of many peasants and gave away many state-owned peasants to become private serfs. Between 1773 and 1775, rebellion leader Yemelyan Pugachev rallied peasants and Cossacks and promised the serfs land of their own and freedom from their lords in what was known as Pugachev's Rebellion. By late 1774, somewhere between 9,000 to 10,000 rebels were dead, and by September of that year, the rebellion was finished.

6. That Story About Her Cause of Death? Totally False

Perhaps one of the most notorious rumors to follow Catherine have been the ones regarding her cause of death. Let's put this story to rest: Catherine did not die while having sex with a horse. And yes, that's an age-old theory that's an unflattering piece of gossip that's trailed her since her death on Nov. 17, 1796. Apparently, according to History.com, "the use of horse-riding as a sexual metaphor had a long history in libelous attacks on courtly women. Horse-riding was integrally linked with notions of nobility, and this story was also a perfect subversion of Catherine's noted equestrian skills." In reality, Catherine died of a stroke at the age of 67.

7. Her Reputation May Be On the Mend

"I think one could say as a general matter that Catherine's image has greatly improved over the past hundred years or so," Alexander M. Martin, professor of history at the University of Notre Dame, says via email. "In Russia before the 1917 revolution, she mostly had a dubious reputation: politically, as someone who talked a lot about 'enlightened' values but refused to free the serfs; and personally, as a woman who was immoral because of her succession of lovers. There has been a lot of scholarship about her since the mid-20th century, and mostly, it has tended to rehabilitate her. While clearly she did nothing to help the serfs, we have gained a greater appreciation of her efforts to modernize Russia in other ways; and our own changing attitudes about gender and sexuality have led us to stop seeing her private life as scandalous the way earlier generations did."

Now That's Interesting Vaccines may still be a touchy topic to some, but Catherine had no qualms endorsing the practice of inoculations. She chose to be inoculated against smallpox even though it was a controversial practice at the time. She said, "my objective was, through my example, to save from death the multitude of my subjects who, not knowing the value of this technique, and frightened of it, were left in danger.' By 1800, about 2 million vaccines were administered throughout the Russian Empire.
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.

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Many Asian countries that depend on exports are facing supply shortages, power cuts and other problems.

Information released Thursday showed that Japans factory production has slowed and expectations for Chinas manufacturing have weakened.

Japans Suzuki Motor Corporation became the latest automaker to freeze production lines for several days because of a lack of parts. Suzuki said it expected to suspend operations at a factory in central Japan. Another factory is also expected freeze production for two days.

Japans emergency coronavirus measures ended on September 30. But other countries have put restrictions back in place. This has made experts unsure about economic conditions.

Pandemic-related shutdowns have affected manufacturers across Asia. In Japan, factory production in August fell by 3.2 percent from the month before. Automakers and producers of information technology products and other electronic equipment were the hardest hit, the Japanese government reported.

Other automakers also have slowed operations. They say shortages of computer chips and other parts are interfering with normal production.



Shortages may last longer than expected

Retail sales in Japan fell 4.1 percent from a month earlier. That was more than expected. Weak demand for clothing and appliances were blamed for the decrease.

In a commentary, Harumi Taguchi of research company IHS Markit warned: Risks of semiconductor and other component shortages could persist for an extended period. Semiconductors are very important part for electronics. Taguchi blamed new coronavirus infections in some countries and slow vaccination campaigns in Southeast Asia.

In addition to Japan, an official study of factory managers showed that Chinese manufacturing also slowed in August.

The Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index is a widely-used measure of business activity. For China, the index number fell from 50.1 in August to 49.6 in September. An index value of less than 50 means that business activity is decreasing while a value over 50 means it is expanding.

The study was carried out before power shortages began causing factories in some parts of China to suspend operations.

Julian Evans-Pritchard of researcher Capital Economics said in a report that the chemical and metal industries, which are energy intensive, showed the most weakness. Pritchard said that business leaders noted that material shortages and transportation delays were still holding back output.

Increasing demand for computers for people working from home instead of the office has resulted in limited supplies of computer parts.

Shortages of shipping containers and temporary shutdowns of ports because of COVID-19 outbreaks also have led to slowdowns in bringing products to market.

The Dutch bank Rabobank said in a report on the shipping industry that closures of ports have had long-term effects.

Rabobank reported: Chinese and South-east Asian ports are still suffering the consequences of those earlier closures, with record queues of ships waiting to unload. Queue means a line of people or things in waiting.

It estimated that 10 percent of shipping containers around the world are on ships waiting to be unloaded at a port.

Im Mario Ritter, Jr.

Elaine Kurtenbach reported this story for the Associated Press. Mario Ritter Jr. adapted it for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor.

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Words in This Story

retail adj. sales of products to the people who use them and not to other businesses

component n. one of the parts of something (such as a system or mixture) : an important piece of something

persist v. to continue to occur or exist beyond the usual, expected, or normal time

manager n. someone who is in charge of a business, department or similar organization

consequences n. (pl.) something that happens as a result of a particular action or set of conditions

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The U.S. government has predicted that an important river in the American West will have a water shortage.

The Bureau of Reclamation recently declared the first shortage on the Colorado River. The announcement means Arizona, Nevada and also Mexico will get less water than normal next year.

The Colorado River supplies Lake Powell and Lake Mead which is the largest man-made lake in the U.S. The lakes have been hard hit by drought in the past 30 years. The Colorado River supplies 40 million people with water.

Both lakes have decreased to historic lows. The lakes currently have a combined capacity of 39 percent, down from 49 percent at this time last year, the Bureau of Reclamation said.

The seven U.S. states that depend on the Colorado River agreed to a drought plan in 2019 to help support the lakes by reducing water use. All agree more needs to be done and are discussing what will replace a set of guidelines for the river and the drought plan. Both the guidelines and the drought plan end in 2026.

The water level on Lake Mead serves as a measure for how much river water some Western U.S. states get, including Arizona, Nevada and California.

By 2025, there is a 66 percent chance Lake Mead will reach a level where California would face cuts in water for a second time.

Lake Powell, on the Arizona-Utah border, is the guide for Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming and Utah. Those states cover an area known as the upper basin.

Smaller lakes upstream of Lake Powell have been releasing water so Lake Powell can continue producing hydropower. But any increase from the releases is not included into the five-year estimates, the Bureau of Reclamation said.

Wayne Pullan is the bureaus director for the upper basin. In a statement, Pullan described the latest estimates for Lake Powell as troubling.

The U.S. federal government has also formed a working group to consider the issue.

The Bureau of Reclamations five-year estimates are meant to help water officials plan by using the best available information, said Jacklynn Gould.

Gould oversees the lower basin for the Bureau of Reclamation. Its August estimates are what decide how much water states can use.

The agency says there is a 22 percent chance that Lake Mead will drop to 304 meters above sea level in 2025. Federal officials have said water would become unavailable to states downstream at 272 meters above sea level.

Im John Russell.

John Russell adapted this story from an Associated Press report. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor.

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Words in This Story

drought  n. a long period of time during which there is very little or no rain

capacity  n. the ability to hold or contain people or things  usually singular

upstream  adv. in the direction opposite to the flow in a stream, river, etc. : toward the source of a stream, river, etc.

hydropower  n. electricity produced from machines that are run by moving water

unavailable  adj. not possible to get or use


A donation by a famous writer has helped start an effort, called the United States of Readers, to help poor children read more books.

The classroom program is being launched by Scholastic Book Clubs with a donation of $1.5 million from the writer James Patterson.

Scholastic announced the program recently. It aims to bring books to 32,000 poor children who are in kindergarten to eighth grade.

Judy Newman is president of Scholastic Book Clubs. She said in a statement that in many communities people do not have enough money to buy books. So she said her company needed to come up with an alternative to our tried and true model, because every child needs to be able to choose and own books, and see themselves as a reader!

Scholastic is a large publisher of books for children and educational materials. Its goal is to get books into schools to increase literacy. The company has publishing rights in the U.S. for books like the Harry Potter and Hunger Games series.

A gift by Patterson helped start the new program. He is credited with selling millions of books. He has already donated more than $10 million to teachers and students through Scholastic.

He said in a statement that he has supported literacy for many years. He believes reading skills are important for the country.

In many cases, kids simply need access to books  and especially books they want to read  to fall in love with reading, characters, and stories.

Patterson added that the program will bring books to those schools and communities that need them the most, and ones that we havent served before.

Scholastic describes the program on its website. It says the United States of Readers program targets children in schools serving poor communities that receive federal educational money. The company said it has chosen a limited number of schools to take part this year but hopes to expand the program in the coming years.

Im Mario Ritter Jr.

Hillel Italie reported this story for the Associated Press. Mario Ritter Jr. adapted it for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor.

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Words in This Story

alternative n. offering or expressing a choice; not usual or traditional

literacy n. the ability to read and write

character n. a person who appears in a story, book, play, movie or television show

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Researchers in Uganda have discovered evidence of a drug-resistant form of malaria.

Health officials fear the finding could make the top drug used against the disease useless if the resistant form keeps spreading.

Scientists in Uganda examined blood samples from patients treated with artemesinin, the main medicine used for malaria in Africa in combination with other drugs.

They found that by 2019, nearly 20 percent of the samples had genetic changes suggesting the treatment was ineffective. Lab tests showed it took much longer for those patients to get rid of the organisms that cause malaria.

Drug-resistant forms of malaria have previously been found in Asia. So, health officials were watching for signs in Africa, which makes up more than 90 percent of the worlds malaria cases. Some drug-resistant forms of malaria have also shown up in Rwanda.

"Our findings suggest a potential risk of cross-border spread across Africa, the researchers wrote in a study recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The scientists examined 240 blood samples over a three-year period. They found evidence that the drug-resistant forms first appeared in Uganda rather than being imported from elsewhere.

Malaria is spread by mosquito bites and kills more than 400,000 people every year. Most of the victims are children under age 5 and pregnant women.

Dr. Philip Rosenthal is a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. He told The Associated Press that the new findings in Uganda -- following the past results in Rwanda -- prove that resistance really now has a foothold in Africa.

Rosenthal, who was not involved in the new study, said there is likely undiscovered drug resistance elsewhere on the continent. He said drug-resistant versions of malaria appeared in Cambodia years ago and have now spread across Asia. He predicted a similar path for the disease in Africa, with possibly deadlier results because of the heavy presence of malaria in Africa.

Dr. Nicholas White is a professor of medicine at Mahidol University in Bangkok, Thailand. He wrote a commentary on the results that appeared with the study. He described the findings about a drug resistant malaria as unequivocal.

Based on the results, White suggested a change in the treatment method for malaria. He said that instead of combining artemisinin with one or two other drugs, doctors should now use three. This same method is often used to treat tuberculosis and HIV.

White urged public health officials to take steps now to reduce the spread of drug-resistant malaria. Among other measures, he suggested increased monitoring and support for research into new drugs.

We shouldnt wait until the fire is burning to do something, he said. But, he added: That is not what generally happens in global health. As an example, he pointed to recent failures to stop the worldwide spread of COVID-19.

Im Bryan Lynn.

The Associated Press reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English. Susan Shand was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

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Words in This Story

sample  n. a small amount of something that gives you information about the thing it was taken from

potential  adj. having or showing the capacity to become or develop into something in the future

mosquito  n. a small flying insect that feeds of the blood of people and animals

foothold  n. a safe position from which you can make more progress

unequivocal  n. clear and certain

monitor  v. to watch something carefully and record the results
The U.S. government may have rejected visas for about 500 Chinese students this school year because of a policy from the administration of President Donald Trump.

The policy is supposed to prevent Chinese students from stealing American technology and giving it to the Chinese military.

Wang Ziwei is a 23-year-old finance student at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Wang was hoping to come back to school in America after attending video classes at home in China. However, he said the U.S. Embassy took away his student visa this year.

The whole thing is nonsense, Wang said. What do we finance students have to do with the military? he asked.

The students are not the only ones who say they are affected. Businesses and other individuals say the policy affects their plans.

The policy is supposed to keep people who are connected to the Chinese Communist Party, the Peoples Liberation Army or universities that work on military projects from coming to the United States.

U.S. officials say thousands of students and researchers are connected with Chinese government programs. These programs ask students to take medical, computer and other technical information to China.

Concerns over Chinese military ties

A 2020 report from the U.S. State Department said the Chinese government exploits private businesses, researchers and students so it can build its military.

The State Department said the Chinese government has a plan for civil-military fusion. That means it treats private businesses and universities as partners that will help China develop new technologies.

Chinese officials asked Wendy Sherman, the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, to drop the visa restrictions when she visited in July. President Joe Biden has not talked about the problem.

The U.S. Embassy in Beijing told the Associated Press that the policy is necessary to protect U.S. national security interests.

It also noted, that although there are 500 students who are upset, the U.S. did approve 85,000 others. The Embassy added the United States stands ready to issue visas to all those who are qualified.

Huang, who would only give his family name, said he was denied a visa when he wanted to go with his wife to California, where she is studying childhood cancer. He is an engineer with a company that makes aircraft in China.

Chinese news reports said people like Huang are denied because they went to Chinese schools connected with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

I was insulted, Huang said.

Huang said his wife was supposed to study in California for three years, but she will reduce her trip to one year because she cannot be away from her family for so long.

The U.S. also sent three students home to China in August after they arrived at the Houston airport. Agents found military training photos on their phones.

A foreign ministry spokesperson said the Chinese government deplores and rejects the U.S. policy. Lawyers who say they are working with a group of 2,000 students said they plan to ask the U.S. to remove the restrictions or change them so more students can come.

Before studying in St. Louis, Wang Ziwei graduated from the Beijing Institute of Technology, another university whose students are being rejected.

There are a number of other Chinese universities whose graduates said the U.S. is blocking them. Many said they cannot continue their studies without coming to the U.S. this year because their classes are no longer available online.

Policy affects few students

Kurt Dirks is an administrator at Washington University. He said the policy affected only a few students. He said they can start school using their computer or wait to come to school next year. He said the university will help them keep up with their studies.

Monica Ma is a 23-year-old information management student from China. She spent a year studying in Australia after completing her studies at the Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications. She is supposed to attend Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania right now. But the U.S. rejected her visa request.

She has a job offer but cannot accept until she completes her degree. She said she will wait until next year. Maybe, she said, she will get a visa then.

Another student, Li Quanyi, is supposed to be in New York City at Columbia University. Li is now in Hong Kong.

He said he will not come to the U.S., even if the rule changes.

The United States rejected me, and I am not going.

Im Dan Friedell.

Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on a report from the Associated Press. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor.

What would you say to the students who are upset? Tell us in the Comments Section and visit our Facebook page. Quiz - US Denies Visas to Some Chinese Students Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz __________________________________________________

Words in This Story

nonsense adj. words or ideas that are foolish or untrue

exploit v. to use something or someone in a way that unfairly helps you

deplore n. to hate or dislike very much; strongly disapprove of

graduate n. a person who has completed a plan of college study and has received their document showing what they have done

degree n. an official document given to someone who has successfully completed a series of classes at a college or university
Angelique Ramirez, chief medical officer at Foundation Health Partners in Fairbanks, poses for a photograph in front of the emergency entrance at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital on Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021, in Fairbanks, Alaska. Fairbanks Memorial Hospital on Friday, Oct. 1, said it activated the Crisis Standards of Care policy because of a critical shortage of bed capacity, staffing and monoclonal antibody treatments, along with the inability to transfer patients to other facilities. Credit: AP Photo/Rick Bowmer

Alaska on Saturday activated emergency crisis protocols that allow 20 medical facilities to ration care if needed as the state recorded the nation's worst COVID-19 diagnosis rates in recent days, straining the state's limited health care system.

The declaration covers three facilities that had already announced emergency protocols, including the state's largest hospital, Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage. The state's declaration also includes the other two hospitals in Anchorage and facilities across the nation's largest but sparsely populated state.

"Today's action recognizes that Alaska has an interconnected and interdependent health care system, requiring the need for activation of the state's decision-making framework. That framework includes a progression of conventional, contingency and crisis standards," the state health department said in a statement announcing the activation.

"I want to stress that our health care facilities in Alaska remain open and able to care for patients. Alaskans who need medical care should not delay seeking it, even during these difficult times," said Adam Crum, the state's health commissioner.

Factors that led the state to activate the crisis of care standards include scarce medical resources at some facilities, limited staff and difficulty transferring patients because of limited bed availability. Other factors include limited renal replacement therapy and oxygen supplies.

According to data collected by Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, one in every 84 people in Alaska was diagnosed with COVID-19 from Sept. 22 to Sept. 29. The next highest rate was one in every 164 people in West Virginia.

Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, which was covered by the state's announcement, on Friday activated its own policy because of a shortage of beds, staff and monoclonal antibody treatments, along with the inability to transfer patients.

"The move to Crisis Standards of Care is not something we take lightly," Fairbanks Chief Medical Officer Dr. Angelique Ramirez said in a statement. "This is in response to a very serious surge of COVID in our community."

The move came the same day the state reported 1,044 new cases, 108 of them in the Fairbanks area. The hospital says 35% of its patients on Saturday were being treated for COVID-19.

Since March 2020, there have been 110,850 total COVID-19 cases in Alaska, which has a population of about 731,000. More than 24,000 new cases were reported in September as the delta variant drove a spike in cases in Alaska, which has never had a statewide mask mandate.

The state health department said in all, 2,432 people have been hospitalized, and 557 Alaska residents have died.

Statewide, 60% of eligible residents are fully vaccinated. The Fairbanks North Star Borough is the third worst region for vaccination rates in Alaska, with just under 52% of eligible residents vaccinated.

Ramirez said the decision to move to crisis standards was because of many factors, including community spread caused by the low vaccination rates and a high number of patients waiting to be admitted.

"This impacts all patient care, those with broken bones, traumas, heart attacks, strokes, COVID, anyone needing medical care," Ramirez said. "The care we are able to provide is highly fluid and can change day by day and even hour by hour depending on the availability of resources within our system and stateside."

Heidi Hedberg, director of the state Division of Public Health, encouraged all residents to wear masks and get vaccinated.

"Every action you take helps prevent COVID-19 from spreading and protects you, your family, other Alaskans and our health care system. No one wants to use crisis standards of care guidelines," she said.

Explore further Alaska records most daily COVID cases amid healthcare strain

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
In this Monday, July 12, 2021 filer, a medical worker wearing protective gear escorts a man, suspected of having coronavirus, at a hospital in Kommunarka, outside Moscow, Russia. Russia has reported a record daily death toll from COVID-19. It's the fifth time in a week that deaths have hit a new high in the country. The national coronavirus task force said Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021 that 890 deaths were recorded over the past day. That exceeds the 887 reported on Friday. Credit: AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, File

Russia on Sunday reported a record daily death toll from COVID-19, the fifth time in a week that deaths have hit a new high.

The national coronavirus task force said 890 deaths were recorded over the past day, exceeding the 887 reported on Friday. The task force also said the number of new infections in the past day was the second-highest of the year at 25,769.

Overall, Russia, a nation of 146 million people, has Europe's highest death toll from the pandemic, nearly 210,000 people.

Yet despite the country's persistent rise in daily deaths and new cases, Russian officials say there are no plans to impose a lockdown. Mask-wearing regulations are in place but are loosely enforced.

Moscow briefly tried during the summer to require proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test for indoor customers at restaurants and bars, but abandoned the program after business owners complained of reduced revenues.

Even though Russia boasted of creating the world's first coronavirus vaccine, Sputnik V, only 32.5% of its people have gotten at least one vaccine shot and only 28% are fully vaccinated. Critics have principally blamed a botched vaccine rollout and mixed messages the authorities have been sending about the outbreak.

in this Tuesday, July 13, 2021 file photo, a medical staffer wearing a special suit to protect against coronavirus prepares to treat a patient with COVID-19 at the City hospital No. 52 for coronavirus patients in Moscow, Russia. Russia has reported a record daily death toll from COVID-19. It's the fifth time in a week that deaths have hit a new high in the country. The national coronavirus task force said Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021 that 890 deaths were recorded over the past day. That exceeds the 887 reported on Friday. Credit: AP Photo/Denis Kaminev, File

In this Sept. 29, 2021, file photo, Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan talk to each other during their meeting in the Bocharov Ruchei residence in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia. In Russia, it's common to get an antibody test for the coronavirus and share the results. Putin referred to his own test results while talking to Erdogan, bragging about how he avoided infection even though dozens of people around him caught the virus, including someone who spent a whole day with him. Credit: Vladimir Smirnov/Sputnik, Kremlin/Pool Photo via AP

In this July 12, 2021, file photo, a medical worker administers a shot of Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine at a vaccination center in Gostinny Dvor, a huge exhibition place in Moscow, Russia. In Russia, it's common to get an antibody test and share the results. The tests are cheap, widely available and actively marketed by private clinics nationwide, and their use appears to be a factor in the country's low vaccination rate even as daily deaths and infections are rising again. Credit: AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin, File

In this Sept. 12, 2021, an elderly man wearing a face mask and gloves to protect against the coronavirus rides a subway car in Moscow, Russia. When Russians discuss the coronavirusfrom ordinary conversations to remarks even by President Vladimir Putinthe talk often turns to "antitela." That's the Russian word for antibodiesthe proteins produced by the body to fight infection. Credit: AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File

In addition, coronavirus antibody tests are popular in Russia and some observers suggest this contributes to the low vaccination numbers.

Western health experts say the antibody tests are unreliable either for diagnosing COVID-19 or assessing immunity to it. The antibodies that these tests look for can only serve as evidence of a past infection. Scientists say it's still unclear what level of antibodies indicates that a person has protection from the virus and for how long.

President Vladimir Putin has observed periods of self-isolation since mid-September after dozens of people in the Kremlin were found to be infected. Putin met with Turkey's leader last week after coming out of his latest isolation period.

Explore further Russia reports record daily coronavirus deaths

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Alanna Gomes exits out the back of Bethel AME Church after receiving her COVID-19 vaccine at a clinic set up in the sanctuary Friday, Sept. 24, 2021, in Providence, R.I. Despite having some of the highest vaccination rates in the country, the New England states are still grappling with rapidly increasing COVID-19 case counts, hospitalizations and deaths. Credit: AP Photo/David Goldman

Despite having the highest vaccination rates in the country, there are constant reminders for most New England states of just how vicious the delta variant of COVID-19 is.

Hospitals across the region are seeing full intensive care units and staff shortages are starting to affect care. Public officials are pleading with the unvaccinated to get the shots. Health care workers are coping with pent-up demand for other kinds of care that had been delayed by the pandemic.

"I think it's clearly frustrating for all of us," said Michael Pieciak, the commissioner of the Vermont Department of Financial Regulation who monitors COVID-19 statistics for the state. "We want kids to be safe in school, we want parents not to have to worry about their child's education and health."

Even though parts of New England are seeing record case counts, hospitalizations and deaths that rival pre-vaccine peaks, largely among the unvaccinated, the region hasn't seen the impact the delta variant wave has wrought on other parts of the country.

According to statistics from The Associated Press, the five states with the highest percentage of a fully vaccinated population are all in New England, with Vermont leading, followed by Connecticut, Maine, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. New Hampshire is 10th.

Volunteer Danny McCall Sr., wipes down a pew during a COVID-19 vaccination clinic at Bethel AME Church Friday, Sept. 24, 2021, in Providence, R.I. Despite having some of the highest vaccination rates in the country, the New England states are still grappling with rapidly increasing COVID-19 case counts, hospitalizations and deaths. Credit: AP Photo/David Goldman

According to the AP data, full vaccination rates across the six New England states range from a high of 69.4% in Vermont to 61.5% in New Hampshire.

Despite the relatively high vaccination ratesthe U.S. as a whole is averaging 55.5%there are still hundreds of thousands of people across the region who, for one reason or another, remain unvaccinated and vulnerable to infection.

Now, a Rhode Island official said he didn't think the 70% vaccination goal, once touted as the level that would help end the pandemic in the state, is enough.

"What we've learned with delta and looking beyond delta, is because that's where our focus is as well, to really reach those levels of vaccination, to give you that true population level protection, you need to be in excess of 90%," said Tom McCarthy, the executive director of the Rhode Island Department of Health COVID Response Unit.

Amanda Gomes, left, receives her COVID-19 vaccine from family nurse practitioner Temperance Taylor during a clinic set up in Bethel AME Church Friday, Sept. 24, 2021, in Providence, R.I. Despite having some of the highest vaccination rates in the country, the New England states are still grappling with rapidly increasing COVID-19 case counts, hospitalizations and deaths. Credit: AP Photo/David Goldman

Officials throughout New England continue to push the unvaccinated to get the shots as well as bolster vaccine mandates.

"We have it in our power to end this needless suffering and heartbreak; a way to protect our health and that of the people we love; a way to give our heroic doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals a much-needed break; a way to protect our children  please get vaccinated today," Maine's Democratic Gov. Janet Mills said recently.

Yet the head of UMass Memorial Health, the largest health system in central Massachusetts, said recently that regional hospitals were seeing nearly 20 times more COVID-19 patients than in June and there isn't an ICU bed to spare.

In Connecticut, the Legislature just extended the governor's emergency powers to make it easier to cope with the latest wave of the pandemic.

Volunteer Danny McCall Sr., works inside a COVID-19 vaccination clinic set up at Bethel AME Church as part of an effort to make testing and vaccines more available to an underserved community Friday, Sept. 24, 2021, in Providence, R.I. Credit: AP Photo/David Goldman

Case counts in Vermont, which has continually boasted about high vaccination and low hospitalization and death rates, are the highest during the pandemic. Hospitalizations are approaching the pandemic peak from last winter and September was Vermont's second-deadliest month during the pandemic.

On Sept. 22, Maine had nearly 90 people in intensive care units, a pandemic peak for the state. Maine also recently passed 1,000 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

Dr. Gretchen Volpe, an infectious disease specialist at the 48-bed York Hospital in Maine, said the delta surge has made it harder to find care for patients who need more assistance.

"The physicians who are transferring people have commented to me that they keep having to go farther and call more places to achieve that goal, Volpe said.

On Friday, the United States crossed the threshold of 700,000 deaths from COVID-19. The deaths during the delta surge have been unrelenting in hotspots in the South. New England has been at the other end of the spectrum, but the region is still coping with the same surge that has ravaged other parts of the country.

Kar Wilson, rear, and Michael Brown, right, with the Rhode Island Department of Health, knock on doors along with Lauren Nance, left, with the Faith and Science Coalition, as part of an outreach effort to provide information on COVID-19 vaccine availabilities Friday, Sept. 24, 2021, in Providence, R.I. Credit: AP Photo/David Goldman

Vermont's Republican governor, Phil Scott drew near-universal praise for his early handling of the pandemic, when his calm demeanor and reliance on the science kept his state among the safest.

But recently, he's faced criticism by some, including Democratic leaders of the state Legislature and more than 90 employees of the Vermont Health Department who in August signed a letter urging him to do more to combat the delta wave.

Scott lifted Vermont's state of emergency in June, when the state became the first to see 80% of its eligible population get at least the first shot.

He is now recommending that schools require masks and he's urging people to wear masks in crowded indoor locations. But he won't reinstitute required mitigation measures that were in place during the state of emergency.

"We can't be in a perpetual state of emergency," Scott said this week.

Volunteer Danny McCall Sr., waits for patients at the door of a COVID-19 vaccination clinic set up at Bethel AME Church as part of an effort to make testing and vaccines more available to an underserved community Friday, Sept. 24, 2021, in Providence, R.I. Credit: AP Photo/David Goldman

Volunteer Danny McCall Sr., greets people arriving at a COVID-19 vaccination clinic set up at Bethel AME Church as part of an effort to make testing and vaccines more available to an underserved community Friday, Sept. 24, 2021, in Providence, R.I. Credit: AP Photo/David Goldman

A mural and a cross decorate the wall of Bethel AME Church as a testing assistant conducts a COVID-19 test at a clinic set up in the sanctuary as part of an effort to make testing and vaccines more available to an underserved community, Friday, Sept. 24, 2021, in Providence, R.I. Credit: AP Photo/David Goldman

Volunteer Danny McCall Sr., left, sanitizes the hands of Jessica Leo as she arrives for a COVID-19 test at a clinic set up at Bethel AME Church, Friday, Sept. 24, 2021, in Providence, R.I. Despite having some of the highest vaccination rates in the country, the New England states are still grappling with rapidly increasing COVID-19 case counts, hospitalizations and deaths. Credit: AP Photo/David Goldman

Mariana Jacome, 13, receives a COVID-19 vaccine from family nurse practitioner Temperance Taylor at a COVID-19 vaccination clinic set up at Bethel AME Church as part of an effort to make testing and vaccines more available to an underserved community Friday, Sept. 24, 2021, in Providence, R.I. Credit: AP Photo/David Goldman

Volunteer Danny McCall Sr., waits for patients at the door of a COVID-19 vaccination clinic set up at Bethel AME Church as part of an effort to make testing and vaccines more available to an underserved community Friday, Sept. 24, 2021, in Providence, R.I. Despite having some of the highest vaccination rates in the country, the New England states are still grappling with rapidly increasing COVID-19 case counts, hospitalizations and deaths. Credit: AP Photo/David Goldman

Jessica Leo, left, is tested for COVID-19 at a clinic set up at Bethel AME Church, Friday, Sept. 24, 2021, in Providence, R.I. Despite having some of the highest vaccination rates in the country, the New England states are still grappling with rapidly increasing COVID-19 case counts, hospitalizations and deaths. Credit: AP Photo/David Goldman

A clinic conducts COVID-19 tests and administers vaccinations at Bethel AME Church, Friday, Sept. 24, 2021, in Providence, R.I. Despite having some of the highest vaccination rates in the country, the New England states are still grappling with rapidly increasing COVID-19 case counts, hospitalizations and deaths. Credit: AP Photo/David Goldman

A volunteer gives a thumbs-up to co-workers running a COVID-19 clinic set up inside Bethel AME Church, part of an effort to make testing and vaccines more available to an underserved community, Friday, Sept. 24, 2021, in Providence, R.I. Credit: AP Photo/David Goldman

Dr. Tim Lahey, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington, said he felt it was important to look at the situation more optimistically.

Unlike some others in the region his Vermont hospital is busy, not overwhelmed. People still need to be cautious, but they are not locked down and outside life has a semblance of normality.

"We all hate the word 'delta' now, but has vaccination made it so we can withstand the brunt of delta with losing fewer of our neighbors while still having the quality of life that we enjoy in Vermont?" he said. "Yeah."

Explore further Pockets of unvaccinated older people leave northern states in the US vulnerable to COVID surge

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
BCs Tales of the Pacific | What Saipan has going for it
The South African government is mulling a plan to temporarily issue sought-after radiofrequency spectrum to cellular network operators while a new spectrum auction process runs its course.

South Africas recently-minted communications minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said that many legal complexities need to be navigated for such a proposal.

Should there be enough traction regarding Icasas updated timeline to license this precious spectrum permanently, the government could consider interim assignments.

In other words, the interim spectrum assignments must be strictly temporary  likely running from 1 December 2021 until the auction finishes in March 2022.

Radiofrequency spectrum is the raw capacity network operators such as MTN, Vodacom, Telkom, Rain, and Cell C use to offer services.

South Africas mobile operator clamoured for years that additional frequencies must be released for 4G and 5G, promising better speeds and cheaper prices.

The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) announced its new timeline for the spectrum auction today.

Icasas plan is for the auction process to start on 1 March 2022.

This follows Icasas decision to consent to a court order setting aside its earlier Invitations To Apply (ITAs) for the sought-after radio frequency spectrum.

Telkom, E-tv, and MTN challenged Icasas ITAs, arguing that they were flawed for various reasons.

Icasa said that it chose to consent to the court order to avoid protracted litigation.

At the same time, Icasa plans to take back the spectrum it issued as an emergency measure at the start of South Africas national state of disaster due to Covid19.

The regulator has given operators until 30 November 2021 to stop using the spectrum and give it back.

This leaves a window of at least four months  November to March  where South Africas mobile operators will be forced to operate on substantially less spectrum than they have been during the pandemic.

Vodacom, MTN, and Telkom have warned that this would cause network congestion and could even result in data price increases.

MyBroadbands quarterly Mobile Network Quality reports showed that since Icasa released the temporary spectrum, the average download speeds on South Africas mobile networks increased substantially.

Our results revealed that at the end of June, the average download speed in South Africa was 10Mbps faster than a year ago.

If Icasa agreed with a proposal to issue interim spectrum while it concludes the spectrum auction, it could stop this gap.

South Africas spectrum licensing issue is also a component of finance minister Enoch Godongwanas plan for the countrys economic recovery.

It is a matter which has been a problem because, for more than 12 years, we have had 11 ministers, each with their policy and undermining the need for auctioning spectrum and making cheap data available to the economy, he said

A major stumbling block of South Africas spectrum fight is the migration from analogue to digital TV.

Government could free up frequencies currently used by the SABC and E-tv if it finalised South Africas migration to a new digital broadcasting standard.

This week Cabinet approved the revised integrated analogue switch-off implementation plan. It has scheduled to switch off the remaining analogue TV signal transmitters in South Africa by March 2022.

Considering that the outstanding digital migration was a major sticking point for Telkom, the fact that the migration schedule aligns with Icasas auction spectrum may not be a coincidence.

Ntshavheni said she doesnt regard this as a new switch-off date for South Africas analogue TV signals. The country is already behind schedule on its international commitment to switching off by 17 June 2015, and she is simply catching up.

I dont have a new date for [analogue] switch-off; I have a catch-up date, she said.

Now read: New deadlines for 4G and 5G spectrum auction
Eskom has warned it will need a R300 billion bailout and municipalities will require a once-off R100 billion injection because of energy regulator Nersas decision to reject the utilitys latest tariff application.

This was revealed in a letter sent to Nersa by Eskom board chair Malegapuru Makgoba, which was seen by Sunday newspaper Rapport.

The impact on the countrys economy, specifically on National Treasury, will be catastrophic, Makgoba warned.

It is inconceivable that the national energy regulator recommends that the only legally correct and viable option for the continued operation of Eskom from 1 April 2022 be rejected.

The letter was delivered to Nersa on Wednesday, a day before the regulator announced it would review the current pricing methodology and had therefore rejected Eskoms fifth Multi-Year Price Determination (MYPD5) revenue application.

The MYPD was first implemented in 2006 and is used to determine Eskoms allowable revenue based on the costs it incurs in generating and supplying electricity.

Eskoms latest application was submitted to Nersa and sought approval for electricity price increases over the next three financial years.

However, Nersa said the application was based on the MYPD4 methodology, whose applicable control period was ending on 31 March 2022.

After due consideration of the rationality and legality of applying an expired MYPD4 methodology and whether this was in the public interest, the Energy Regulator rejected Eskoms MYPD5 application, Nersa.

Nersa plans to base its future price determinations on a new methodology that will take the rapid transformation of the electricity sector into consideration.

That includes energy security concerns, rising electricity prices, and increased self and private electricity generation.

But Eskom has warned there was not enough time to implement a new methodology.

Even if the new methodology is developed in time, Eskom will not be able to make a new price application for implementation by 1 April 2022 until full statutory compliance, due process, and legislative consultation have been complied with, Eskom said.

By law, the current tariffs will expire on 31 March 2022, and if no new tariff determination is made, Eskom will not have legal grounds to charge electricity users from 1 April 2022.

Consequently, municipalities would also be unable to charge power tariffs when their new prices are supposed to come into effect on 1 July 2022.

Presumably, to prevent this, Nersa said it would request Eskom submit a one-year interim application for the 2022/2023 financial year that is preferably based on the principles of the new approach that is under consideration.

But the utility explained this would be a dangerous move until the exact pricing methodology was developed.

A non-compliant application and subsequent determination will leave the resulting tariff decision open to legal challenge, thereby creating substantial risk not only for Eskom but also for municipalities and other buyers of electricity, the utility cautioned.

Nersas rejection of Eskoms MYPD5 application has created a regulatory vacuum for the electricity supply industry in South Africa, Eskom said.

Rapport has learnt that Eskom has already started discussions with Treasury and prepared an urgent application to have the court set aside Nersas decision.

Nersa has previously squandered multiple decisions on Eskoms tariff applications that the courts overturned. In those instances, it failed to apply the current pricing methodology for the MYPD correctly.

Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter previously stated Eskom could not continue relying on bailouts, and it was not entitled to a single cent of taxpayers money.

However, De Ruyter said this would require Nersa to allow the power utility to increase prices to match the cost of producing power.

Now read: What South Africa needs to move to cleaner energy
Permitting large gatherings under the adjusted level 1 lockdown could result in the fourth wave of Covid-19 cases hitting South Africa earlier than anticipated, and the country being placed under hard lockdown during the December holidays.

This dire warning comes from several health and governance experts who recently spoke to The Sunday Times regarding the governments decision to allow for significantly larger gatherings than previously permitted under lockdown regulations.

When lockdown level 1 was last implemented between February and May 2021, it only allowed for a maximum of 100 people indoors and 250 outdoors.

The latest adjusted level 1 lockdown regulations permit 750 people indoors and 2,000 outdoors.

While President Rampahosa claimed the decision was guided by science, critics have slammed it as a political move for greater mobilisation at campaign rallies before 1 Novembers local elections.

The experts agreed that moving to lockdown level 1 was the right call given the decline in daily cases, but the relaxation on gatherings, in particular, was egregious.

Events with large congregations of people have been labelled as super-spreaders for their ability to expose numerous people to the virus during a short period and create a surge in cases as they dispersed to different locations.

Among the sceptical experts was South African Medical Association (Sama) chair Angelique Coetzee, who said she wanted to see the science that said 2,000 people in a rally would be safe.

It doesnt make scientific sense; it makes political sense. I think we are about to see in four weeks after elections what was the impact of this, Coetzee said.

The move to level 1 lockdown comes despite vaccination rates in the country not reaching the required level to hit the governments targets to bring the spread of the virus under control.

The health department aims to have 28 million people, 0r about 70%, of South Africas adult population vaccinated by the end of the year. Experts estimate this could save 20,000 lives.

As of Saturday, 2 October, just over 12.79 million people had received at least one dose of a vaccine, which means another 15.21 million new people have to get a jab to reach that target.

With 90 days remaining up to and including 31 December, that means at least 169,000 new people have to be vaccinated each day, including over weekends.

Currently, daily vaccinations are hovering between 150,000 and 200,000 on weekdays, but this includes second doses.

Jabs on Saturdays and Sundays have recently started to climb to just over 50,000, but this is still too low.

To address this, the president has announced a Vooma Vaccination Weekends campaign to drive improved rollout over weekends.

The first Vooma Vaccination Weekend started on Friday, 1 October, and will run until Sunday, 3 October 2021. The government aims to vaccinate half a million people over these three days.

Yesterday, the number of vaccines administered was 106,722, an impressive number for a Saturday.

Combined with Fridays 198,246 vaccinations, the total for the weekend stood at 304,968.

That means just over 195,000 more vaccines would have to be administered on Sunday to hit the target of half a million, a feat which would be incredible given that most weekdays in recent times have seen fewer vaccinations.
According to the AP data, full vaccination rates across the six New England states range from a high of 69.4% in Vermont to 61.5% in New Hampshire.

Despite the relatively high vaccination rates  the U.S. as a whole is averaging 55.5%  there are still hundreds of thousands of people across the region who, for one reason or another, remain unvaccinated and vulnerable to infection.

Now, a Rhode Island official said he didn't think the 70% vaccination goal, once touted as the level that would help end the pandemic in the state, is enough.

What we've learned with delta and looking beyond delta, is because that's where our focus is as well, to really reach those levels of vaccination, to give you that true population level protection, you need to be in excess of 90%, said Tom McCarthy, the executive director of the Rhode Island Department of Health COVID Response Unit.

Officials throughout New England continue to push the unvaccinated to get the shots as well as bolster vaccine mandates.
California kids made the mistake of not giving millions to his campaigns, Republican Assemblyman Kevin Kiley tweeted Friday. Kiley was among 46 candidates who ran to replace the governor during the recall election.

Newsom's announcement comes as COVID-19 infections in most of California have dropped markedly. The statewide positivity rate for the last week was 2.8%, and the average number of daily cases was about 6,355, roughly half what it was when the latest surge peaked in mid-August. Hospitalizations have fallen by 40%.

In Los Angeles County  the nations largest, with more than 10 million residents  just 1.7% of people tested for the virus have it, and daily infections are down by half in the last month, when most kids went back to school.

These numbers are amazingly low given that 3,000-plus schools are now open countywide, county Health Director Barbara Ferrer said Thursday. She noted that although the number of outbreaks in schools has increased slightly in recent weeks, the overall number is small and largely related to youth sports.

California's largest teachers unions back the vaccination mandate, as does the California Association of School Boards.
"The leadership of the Republican Party," wrote Boston College historian Heather Cox Richardson this week, "composed now as it is of Trump loyalists, is undermining our democracy. It has fallen in line behind Trump's Big Lie that he and not Biden won the 2020 election, and that the Democratic Party engaged in voter fraud to install their candidate. This is a lie, but Republicans at the state level are using that lie to justify new election laws that suppress Democratic votes and put control of state elections into their own hands. If those laws are allowed to stand, we will be a democracy in name only. We will likely still have elections, but, just as in Russia or Hungary now, the mechanics of the system will mean that only the president's party can win."
Oct. 1 was the fourth anniversary of the worst mass shooting in American history. For those who have forgotten, it was in Las Vegas and cost the lives of 60 people. On top of that, hundreds were seriously physically and/or mentally injured in the monstrous tragedy. Yet, the killing goes on in America.

Not only has it been unabated, NPR recently reported that, The number of murders in the United States jumped by nearly 30% in 2020 compared with the previous year in the largest single-year increase ever recorded in the country, according to official FBI statistics released Monday. The data shows 21,570 homicides in the U.S. in 2020, which is a staggering 4,901 more than in 2019. The tally makes clear  in concrete terms  just how violent last year was.

Progress on new gun safety laws is still stalled in Washington, D.C. Yet, there are still things we can do in the meantime at the state and local level.

For instance, in Fairfax, Virginia, Safer Country, the gun violence prevention nonprofit which I founded and run, recommended to Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Lee District Supervisor and Public Safety Committee Chair, Rodney Lusk, that he persuade the board to create and launch a red flag/extreme risk law public awareness campaign.
In July, a successful cruise seemed reasonable, given the high vaccination rate in Iceland and preparations that Viking Ocean Cruises had taken, including building a full-scale laboratory on each of its cruise ships to test daily for COVID among the fully vaccinated and previously tested crew and passengers. Onboard, 760 passengers (with extra space on a 930-passenger ship) were fully connected with the ships medical crew. We filled out daily health questionnaires; had our temperatures checked at the entrance to breakfast and carried a contact tracing medallion while on ship and ashore.

Unique to the cruising industry, we began each day with a substantial spit  2 milliliters aimed directly into a test tube marked with name and barcode. A knock would come to our cabin door at 8:30 a.m.  no sleeping late during summer in the far north  to collect our oral specimens. I heard few passengers complain about producing this juicy spit, which was required to be collected before brushing teeth or drinking coffee, not that any of the passengers said they awoke salivating over the prospect.

Most of this summers restart cruises on Viking vessels went well. Ours? Outstanding ship and great seafood, as expected, but we missed about half the port stops, which were canceled because of ship protocols concerning the virus and concerned local officials.
OSCE Minsk Group: Co-Chairs discussed possible de-escalatory and humanitarian measures

Sergey Markedonov: What axis between Yerevan and Tehran?

Armenia Parliament Speaker: It's very important to be able to turn the page over and establish peace in the region

Legendary Armenian gymnast Albert Azaryan's daughter, teacher Zhanna Azaryan dies from COVID-19

Georgia citizens to hold rally in support of Saakashvili in central Tbilisi on Sunday

Armenia sets up governmental commission for funeral of Ambassador Vigen Chitechyan

Armenia opposition MP: Yerevan, Baku are synchronously working to destroy Armenian statehood

Slovenia Ambassador to Armenia: Armenian-Slovenian economic relations not adequate to existing potential

Cavusoglu: Ukraine has applied to obtain observer status in Turkic Council

Turkey building a wall on border with Iran

Basque Country Parliament, affirming European Parliament's stance, adopts resolution on Armenian POWs

Turkish FM touches upon Armenia-Azerbaijan relations

Armenia FM receives Apostolic Nuncio of Holy See Jose Avelino Bettencourt

Saakashvili's father calls on son to stop hunger strike

Armenian and Belarusian MFAs hold political consultations

Digest: Russia offers 3+3 Caucasus regional platform, more on COVID-19 vaccination in Armenia

Armenia MOD receives Diaspora Armenian benefactors

Armenia Ambassador presents credentials to Turkmenistan President

Armenia Parliament Deputy Speaker and Russia Ambassador: We are interested in expansion of cooperation

Armenia finance ministry-European Investment Bank cooperation development directions discussed

One dollar drops below AMD 480 in Armenia

Hague court announces dates for considering petition for Armenian captives return, urgent measures against Azerbaijan

Armenia minister, Rosatom representative discuss cooperation in new sectors for infrastructure development

Armenia PM underscores need for effective investigation of criminal cases on 44-day war circumstances

Armenia MFA: Servants, followers of Armenian Church should have unimpeded access to cathedral in Artsakhs Shushi

Armenia opposition With Honor Faction lawmaker: MPs can be part of any parliamentary delegation

Turkish Armed Forces' 3rd army corps commander visits Nakhchivan

Sergey Markedonov: Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is not over

Opposition 'Armenia' faction: There is always a threat of war, but it is less likely in the near future

Armenian and Greek competition protection authorities sign Memorandum of Cooperation

Georgia FM comments on possibility of his country joining 3 + 3 format proposal including Armenia

Ruling power MP: Armenia needs to consider, grasp opportunities of 3 + 3 negotiation format

12 new cases of coronavirus reported in Karabakh

FM meets with Sweden ambassador, stresses need for return of all Armenian POWs in Azerbaijan

Ukraine MP who penned Armenian Genocide recognition draft decision dies

Azerbaijan organizes another visit to occupied Shushi of Artsakh

Ombudsman in Rome, presents Armenian captives issue to international media

ANCA calls on US Congress to investigate State Department failures related to Armenia, Artsakh

Armenia opposition MP: Tatev bypass road will not resolve all our problems in current situation (PHOTOS)

1,202 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Opposition Armenia bloc challenges, at Constitutional Court, community enlargement law package

Armenia Central Bank chief in Rome, meets with Italy PM

Russia peacekeepers, philanthropists hand warm clothes to Artsakh families

State Department: US, Russia do not want to allow Iran to have nuclear weapons

Newspaper: Armenia state to no longer cover treatment expenses of patients not vaccinated against coronavirus?

Newspaper: Armenia judicial system to be in volatile situation in short time

UN Human Rights Council agrees to appoint special rapporteur on Afghanistan

Russia citizen driver, 52, dies on the spot after his car crashes into truck in Armenia

Launch of Armenian Studies Program announced during Armenia President's visit to Sapienza University

Will Turks be able to enter 26 countries of Schengen Area without visas?

Dinner served in honor of Armenia President and his wife in Italy

Armenian parliamentary standing committee chairman meets with Russia Ambassador

Armenia Ombudsman submits to Pope Francis reports on tortures of Armenian POWs in Azerbaijan

Customs Attache: There hasn't been and there is no bias against Armenian drivers at Upper Lars checkpoint

Greece-France defense agreement will allow them to help each other in case of third country's attack

Treatment of coronavirus-infected but unvaccinated people to become paid service in Armenia as of December?

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
Taliban hold victory rally outside Kabul

The rally was the first of its kind in Kabul since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan. Photo: AFP

More than 1,500 Taliban supporters attended a rally on Sunday in a vast field to the north of Kabul, in a show of strength as they consolidate their rule of Afghanistan.



The crowd, exclusively men and boys, heard speeches by leading Taliban officials and commanders at Kohdaman township in the hilly outskirts of the capital.



The rally was the first of its kind in the capital since the Islamist group seized control of the country seven weeks ago following a lightning offensive.



Flanked by white and black Taliban standards and fighters in combat gear carrying assault rifles, the speakers addressed an audience sat in rows of chairs under awnings.



Mawlawi Muslim Haqqani, the deputy minister of Hajj and Religious Affairs, hailed the Islamist hardliners' takeover, saying Christians and Westerners had been defeated.



A speaker introduced as Rahmatullah, from nearby Mir Bacha Kot, said the Taliban's victory was "the result of those youths who stood in queues to register for suicide attacks".



To kick off proceedings, a procession of fighters carrying flags and weapons  including rocket launchers  paraded around the crowd.



Some of the mainly unarmed supporters waved homemade posters, while others sported red or white Taliban headbands.



As people arrived, music honouring the Taliban's victories echoed around the site as dozens of heavily armed fighters in military combat fatigues stood guard.



"America is defeated, impossible, impossible  but possible!" one song said. (AFP)
By Ben Blanchard

TAIPEI (Reuters) -The United States urged China on Sunday to stop its "provocative" military activities near Taiwan, after the island scrambled jets to warn away close to 100 Chinese military aircraft entering its air defence zone over a three-day period.

Taiwan, a democratically governed island that is claimed by China, has complained for more than a year of repeated missions near it by China's air force, often in the southwestern part of its air defence zone close to the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands.

On Friday, Saturday and again on Sunday, Taiwan's defence ministry reported that China's air force had sent aircraft into the zone, with 39 on Saturday alone, the highest reported number to date.

"The United States is very concerned by the People's Republic of China's provocative military activity near Taiwan, which is destabilising, risks miscalculations, and undermines regional peace and stability," State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement.

"We urge Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic, and economic pressure and coercion against Taiwan."

The United States has an abiding interest in peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and will continue to assist Taiwan in maintaining a "sufficient self-defence capability," Price added.

"The U.S. commitment to Taiwan is rock solid and contributes to the maintenance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and within the region."

Taiwan's Foreign Ministry thanked the United States for its concern, and said China was increasing tension in the Indo-Pacific region.

"In the face of China's challenges, our country's government has always committed itself to improving our self-defence capabilities and resolutely safeguarding Taiwan's democracy, freedom, peace and prosperity," it said.

China has yet to comment on its activities, and it is not clear what may have caused Beijing to decide to mount the missions, though Friday was the country's National Day, a patriotic holiday that marks the founding of the People's Republic.

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It has previously said such flights were to protect the country's sovereignty and aimed against "collusion" between Taiwan and the United States, the island's most important international backer.

Taiwan's defence ministry said it sent combat aircraft to warn away the Chinese aircraft, while missile systems were deployed to monitor them.

It said the aircraft were a mixture of J-16 and Su-30 fighters as well as anti-submarine and early warning aircraft. Friday's flights included nuclear-capable H-6 bombers.

Taiwan Premier Su Tseng-chang condemned China for its actions on Saturday, saying the country was engaging in military aggression and damaging regional peace.

Taiwan marks its national day next Sunday, with a major speech by President Tsai Ing-wen and military parade in central Taipei, which will include a fly-by of fighter jets.

China has stepped up military and political pressure to try to force Taiwan to accept Chinese sovereignty.

Taiwan says it is an independent country and will defend its freedom and democracy.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Daniel Wallis)
Afghanistan's ambassador to the United States, Adela Raz, has lost her country and her faith in the U.S. government  and her life's work of liberating women and girls is in shambles. She shared her despair with "Axios on HBO" in her first television interview since the fall of Kabul.

The big picture: Raz said, bluntly, she doesn't think President Biden cares about the fate of Afghan women and girls. She also revealed new details to Axios indicating former President Ashraf Ghani's secret escape was more premeditated than publicly known.

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In a devastating moment, she suggested she feels guilty for encouraging Afghan women to believe in a new future and serve with her in government, and for those she encouraged to stay in Afghanistan.

"One of them was a young woman that was assassinated. She was a human rights advocate," Raz said, tearing up.

Driving the news: The interview was taped last Monday in Raz's office on the top floor of Afghanistan's embassy in Washington.

She works there  effectively a refugee representing a leaderless government-in-exile.

She refuses to recognize the Taliban or leave her post  and said she still considers herself her country's ambassador  but the Biden administration has declined to meet with her.

The intrigue: She's kept the embassy open with a skeleton staff and flies her country's tricolor flag in the courtyard instead of the Taliban's white one.

Raz choked up as she looked out her office window at the tricolor flag. "That's how I know I'm Afghan," she said.

Why it matters: Raz said she no longer trusts the U.S. government and doubts any Afghan will trust U.S. policies for a long time.

"If you talk about democracy  I probably will question it and laugh at it," she said, when asked if she sees America as the leader of the free world. "You were engaged in building one in Afghanistan, and the people believed in it."

She criticized Biden's refusal to renegotiate former President Donald Trump's deal with the Taliban  a deal that had no protections for Afghan women after the U.S. withdrew.

But she also told Axios in a separate phone interview she fully trusts the American people and is profoundly grateful for the sacrifices that U.S. military and civilians made over the past 20 years in her country. She said she's devastated those gains were not protected.

Raz said her own government failed on many levels, including Ghani's leadership.

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She said Afghan security forces relied too heavily on U.S. technical expertise and air support, and crumbled when the U.S. withdrew after 20 years of funding and training.

She said Ghani  her former boss  owes Afghans an explanation for his "betrayal" by secretly fleeing the country and effectively ceding Kabul to the Taliban without a fight.

Flashback: Raz was 16 in 2002, when the Americans invaded Afghanistan and swept the Taliban from power. She said she remembers thinking, "This is the end of miseries of Afghanistan because U.S. is the superpower. When it arrives, that's it. It's the end of it."

She went back to school, got scholarships to attend American universities and, in 2013, returned to Afghanistan to serve in senior government roles.

She became Afghanistan's first female ambassador to the United Nations. Then, in July, Ghani appointed her as Afghanistan's ambassador to the United States. She moved with her two kids to Washington.

Her husband, Abdul Matin Bek, served as a top aide to Ghani back in Kabul.

Raz spent her first month in Washington pleading with the Biden administration  publicly and privately  to give stronger military support to the Afghan security services.

Then, in a head-spinning few weeks in early August, just a month after arriving in Washington, she lost her country and everything she'd worked for.

Raz told Axios that in the days before Aug. 15, her husband told her he'd noticed Ghani having meetings with just two of his top aides. He found the meetings unusually secretive.

"I was very sarcastic," Raz said. "I said, 'Oh, probably they're working on the evacuation plan.'" She was almost certainly right.

What's next: Raz, 35, now finds herself in an extraordinary situation.

The State Department and Pentagon canceled scheduled meetings with her in early September, she said, detailing the rebuffed requests. "By meeting me formally, probably they will legitimize the position, and that probably will upset the Taliban," she said.

Raz told Axios she had reached out to the Biden administration for guidance on the U.S. position regarding the Afghan embassy in D.C.

A State Department spokesperson responded: "Ambassador Adela Raz is the accredited representative of Afghanistan to the United States. A number of considerations factor into requests for meetings by any foreign ambassador. We are not in the position to comment on the particulars of U.S. diplomatic engagement."

"Given the change of leadership in Kabul, our focus in Afghanistan is on whether any future government is one we and the international community can work with."

One group that has reached out to Raz is the Taliban. She said they tried to get her and other ambassadors to join a Zoom call. She ignored the invitation.

Raz told Axios that under no circumstances would she serve a Taliban government. She knows what it's like to live under Taliban rules, and she feels "terrible" to think there may never be another woman to represent her country abroad.

"I didn't want to be the last one," she said. "I had agreed to be the first one, but not the last one."

 Watch: Ambassador Raz speaks about President Biden's decision to withdraw from Afghanistan.

Watch: Ambassador Raz speaks about Afghan trust toward the United States.

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Algeria has accused its former colonial ruler France of "genocide" and recalled its ambassador to Paris over comments by French President Emmanuel Macron it described as "inadmissible," AP reports.

Why it matters: The move, announced in a statement Saturday, comes after the newspaper Le Monde reported that Macron accused Algerian authorities of stoking hatred for France. Tensions had been growing over France's decision to reduce the number of visas issued to people in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia.

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The comments were "an intolerable affront" to Algerians who died fighting French colonialism, the Algerian presidency said, per AP.

This is the second time Algeria has recalled an ambassador from France, per Al Jazeera.

What they're saying: "Following remarks that have not been denied, which several French sources have attributed by name to [Macron], Algeria expresses its categorical rejection of the inadmissible interference in its internal affairs," a statement from the presidency read, per AP.

The statement also highlighted France's colonial rule, saying "the crimes of colonial France in Algeria are innumerable and fit the strictest definitions of genocide."

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A multi-agency operation has led to the arrest of 231 people with connections to gangs in Nebraska, the US Marshals Service has said.

Operation KO aimed to pick apart gangs in the area around Omaha, according to a press release.

The operation lasted four months between May and August and was led by the US Marshals Service Metro Fugitive Task Force, the Omaha Police Department, and Lincoln Police Department. It resulted in 144 gang members being arrested and seizures of firearms and narcotics.

The Marshals Service said that 36 people were arrested for assault, 68 on weapon charges, two for sexual assault, five for failure to register, six for burglary, 53 for drug charges, 15 for robbery, three for vehicle theft, and 32 for other charges.

Law enforcement said that 86 firearms, $821,774 in illegal drugs, and $48,902 in cash were seized.

Three missing children were found as well as two stolen vehicles.

Maurice Coleman was one of those arrested. The US Marshals described him as a documented Flat Land Blood gang member with a violent criminal history involving assault, robbery, resisting arrest, and multiple weapon violations.

They added that air assets were used during the pursuit of Coleman which ended with a safe and successful apprehension.

During the arrest, a missing child was recovered and a firearm was seized, the service said.

The operation was dubbed KO in remembrance of fallen officers, Deputy US Marshal Paul Keyes and Omaha Detective Kerrie Orozco.

Deputy Keyes, 41, died in February 2018 after a 15-month battle with cancer.

Ms Orozco, 29, was shot and killed as she and other members of the task force attempted to serve a warrant on a shooting suspect in September 2014.

This operation was dedicated to Deputy US Marshal Paul Keyes and Officer Kerrie Orozco for their tireless efforts on apprehending violent fugitives and serving their community, US Marshal for the District of Nebraska, Scott Kracl, said in a statement.

The United States Marshals Service is fortunate to have partners from OPD, LPD, Douglas and Sarpy county to achieve results that exceeded expectations. Im confident their efforts will reduce violent crime and have rightfully lived up to the memory of Kerrie and Paul.

The Douglas County Sheriffs Department also took part in the operation alongside the Sarpy County Sheriffs Department, and the Lancaster Sheriffs Department.
MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Australia reported more than 1,900 new infections of the Delta coronavirus on Sunday, health data showed, with authorities struggling to quell the outbreak in the two most populous states and cases spreading to new states.

Victoria and New South Wales, which have been under lockdown for weeks, reported 1,887 cases and 13 deaths.

The island state of Tasmania, which has not had a case for 58 days, reported a new local infection late on Saturday, and there were new cases in South Australia state over the weekend.

Queensland state has been largely COVID-19-free and reported no new infections, allowing the National Rugby League grand final to kick off in Brisbane on Sunday night, albeit with crowd numbers cut to 75% of capacity to 39,000 people.

Victoria and New South Wales are expected to open up once 80% vaccination is reached, but authorities have warned case numbers are expected to soar and hospitals will come under strain as Australia learns to live with COVID-19.

New South Wales expects to reach that target by the end of October or early November, with Victoria a few weeks later.

"It will be hardest and most challenging time for our nurses, and ambulance workers and doctors," Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews warned on Sunday.

Australia is also set to gradually lift its 18-month ban on international travel from next month for some states when 80% of people aged 16 and over are fully vaccinated. As of Saturday, 56% of Australians nationally were fully inoculated and 80% have received at least one shot.

Australia closed its international borders in March 2020, allowing only a limited number of people to leave or citizens and permanent residents abroad to return nations. All arriving passengers have been subject to a mandatory 14-day quarantine period in a hotel at their expense.

Despite the new cases reaching record daily levels in recent months, Australia has avoided the high caseloads of other developed countries, with just over 110,000 infections total since the start of the pandemic and 1,334 deaths.

(Reporting by Lidia Kelly; Editing by Michael Perry)
By Sonali Paul

MELBOURNE (Reuters) -Australia's Delta outbreak appears to have levelled off, with more than half the country in extended lockdowns and vaccination rates starting to approach national targets, Health Minister Greg Hunt said on Monday.

Hunt said 80% of Australians will have had their first COVID-19 jabs this week, while the overall battle against the virus has been boosted by the arrival in recent days of 15,000 additional doses of treatment drug sotrovimab.

The Australian government wants all COVID-19 restrictions, including travel bans, to be lifted when 80% of the population above 16 is fully vaccinated. It expects that target will be reached in mid-November.

"There are important reasons for hope," Hunt told reporters in a televised press conference, pointing to a steep fall in new cases in New South Wales state, home to Australia's biggest city Sydney.

"Victoria, yes, it is a big challenge ... But we are beginning to see the flattening of the curve in Victoria," he said.

New South Wales on Monday reported 623 new cases and six deaths, down from more than 900 cases a day a week ago.

Victoria state reported 1,377 new COVID-19 infections, up from 1,220 on Sunday, but off a record high of 1,488 on Saturday. There were four new deaths.

Officials have blamed a recent spike in Victoria's cases on Australian Rules football final parties, in breach of strict lockdown rules the previous weekend. Nearly half of the new cases on Monday were people between the ages of 10 and 29.

The state's capital Melbourne, in the midst of its sixth lockdown, on Sunday reached a cumulative total of 245 days of restrictions since March last year, overtaking Buenos Aires as the city under the longest lockdown, according to local media.

Despite the current downtrend, experts have warned that cases are likely to rise again once the country emerges from lockdown, replicating the experience in other countries that vaccinated earlier.

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New South Wales is due to start easing curbs from Oct. 11, the first Monday after it expects 70% of its population over 16 to be fully vaccinated, up from 67% now.

Victoria hopes to reach the 70% target, up from about 52% now, by Oct. 26.

GlaxoSmithKline and Vir Biotechnology's sotrovimab has been shown to be effective in reducing hospitalization and death among high-risk COVID-19 patients when given early in the disease.

Hunt said he hoped another COVID-19 drug, a pill being tested by Merck & Co Inc, would be available in Australia in the first quarter of 2022.

(Reporting by Sonali Paul; Editing by Himani Sarkar and Richard Pullin)
Happy anniversary, Baracklove you!  Michelle wrote on Twitter

The former First Couple is still going strong!

Former President Barack Obama, 60, and former First Lady Michelle Obama, 57, celebrated their 29th wedding anniversary on Sunday, Oct. 3.

Michelle commemorated the occasion on Twitter with a tribute to how far the couple has come in the 29 years since they read each other their vows and said I do at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago in 1992.

How it started vs. how its going



Happy anniversary, Baracklove you!  pic.twitter.com/fHL8MX2MIm  Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) October 3, 2021

How it started vs. how its going, Michelle wrote, juxtaposing a photo of the couple posed together on a couch in their younger years with a current photo, posed similarly on a couch.

Happy anniversary, Baracklove you!  Michelle continued.

In 2020, with their 28th anniversary landing less than one month away from Election Day, Barack and Michelle asked the public for a gift: to vote in the 2020 presidential election between Democratic candidate and current President Joe Biden and Republican candidate and former President Donald Trump.

In this handout provide by the White House, U.S. President Barack Obama (R) hugs First Lady Michelle Obama in the Red Room while Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett (L) smiles prior to the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) at the White House on March 20, 2009 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Pete Souza/White House via Getty Images)

This year, while we appreciate all your well-wishes, what wed really love is for each of you to reach out to one person in your life who might not vote, Barack wrote on Instagram. Help them get registered. Help them make a plan to cast their ballot. Send them to iwillvote.com to get started. Happy anniversary, Miche. Love you.

Michelle wrote on Instagram: This year, we have a request for you  pick one person in your life who might not vote and make sure they do. Tell us about it in the comments! Thats an anniversary message of the best kind. Love you, Barack.

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Benedict Cumberbatch is reflecting on playing a closeted cattle rancher who falls in love with a young man in 1920s Montana in his new movie The Power of the Dog.

The Oscar-nominated actor plays Phil Burbank, a hypermasculine rancher who inspires fear in awe in those around him  a reign of terror that comes from a deeply closeted sexuality.

His made-up persona runs into some trouble after his brother (Jesse Plemons) brings home a new wife (Kirsten Dunst) and her queer son (Kodi Smit-McPhee). Phil torments them until he finds himself exposed to the possibility of love.

On Friday, Cumberbatch was joined by the films director and writer Jane Campion, co-stars Dunst and Smit-McPhee, and Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos for the films New York premiere, at the New York Film Festival.

Based on the 1967 novel of the same name by Thomas Savage, the film is clearly a complex way of approaching masculinity, Campion told reporters.

I think its a solid container for thinking and rethinking the men in this world, she added.

Cumberbatch, 45, added his own take understanding of the character.

Hes a tough guy, he told Variety at the premiere. Hes an alpha male who had this burning love affair in his youth, which could never be spoken of. The tragedy is what twists him into toxic masculinity, born out as angst and punishment and hate on the world, he said.

Yet its so hard to view the film through todays lens, the London-born actor added. We look at this now as a queer text, but the story is tied to its time and place.

I think it speaks to a time of intolerance and a lack of acceptance where people couldnt live any kind of their authentic self, Cumberbatch said.

[Queer men] had to bury that and cloak it in masculinity, which while not necessarily inherent on the face of it, became so, he continued.

Cumberbatch  whos straight and previously played gay mathematician Alan Turing in 2014s The Imitation Game  faced some scrutiny for playing this role.

Last month he defended playing a gay character in The Power of the Dog.

I feel very sensitive about representation, diversity, and inclusion, he said at the Telluride Film Festival, according to IndieWire.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP)  Brad Roberts ran for 142 yards and scored twice as Air Force scored on its first four drives to build a big early lead then coasted to a 38-10 win over New Mexico on Saturday.

The Falcons' defense contributed four takeaways and four sacks  3 1/2 by Vince Sanford.

Air Force (4-1, 1-1 Mountain West) limited the Lobos (2-3, 0-1) to 189 total yards, 143 in the second half after the Falcons had already pushed its lead to 31-0 early in the third quarter.

DeAndre Hughes ran for 89 and a touchdown for Air Force.

New Mexico quarterback Terry Wilson Jr. was 13-21 for 142 yards and a touchdown pass.

LIKES THE LOBOS: In two games against New Mexico, Roberts has 319 yards on 57 carries and five touchdowns.

I dont know if its anything in particular, he said. The offensive line just does its job and opens up a crease for me and I just try and run as fast as I can. You can see the defense and you can see them huffing and puffing and you know you kind of got em where you want em. Its my favorite thing to look at them and to know theyre tired and that we can keep pounding the rock.

GOOD D: Air Force displayed a dominating defense in the first half, consistently meeting the Lobos at the point of attack with two or more defenders. The Falcons forced two fumbles and recovered both. They added two interception in the second half.

Sanfords sack total was the most by a Falcon since 2008.

Hes a very instinctive football player, Air Force coach Troy Calhoun said. Hes played three different positions for us and he handled every one of them. He just has an innate understanding for the game and how to play the game.

OR BAD O: New Mexico ran 18 plays in the first half, three of them punts. The Lobos had one first down and possessed the ball for just under seven minutes. Their longest drive was five plays and covered five yards, but was flagged three times for 20.

Obviously, were not very good, said Lobos coach Danny Gonzales. Air Force out-physicalled us, which is really disappointing. And were not good enough on defense yet to be so bad on offense and not get first downs.

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BLANK THIS: When the Lobos scored at the 7:24 mark of the third quarter on a Wilsons 21-yard pass to Trae Hall, it ended a 99-minute, 33-second scoreless stretch against the Falcons dating back to the 2019 season. It also marked New Mexicos second TD in its last 36 drives this season.

THE TAKEAWAY: Air Force showed its ground-and-pound offense can control the ball against lesser opponents, but it put the ball on the ground twice and were fortunate to recover both. Bigger and tougher tests await the Falcons

We just have to keep getting better, Calhoun said. We have some really great challenges up in front of us.

UP NEXT: Air Force will be at home Saturday against Wyoming. The Cowboys (4-0) will be coming off a bye week and playing their conference opener. Although undefeated, Wyoming has played a slate that is a combined 7-11.

New Mexico will be at San Diego State (4-0) on Saturday. The Aztecs, who have beaten PAC-12 Conference members Arizona and Utah, also will be coming off a bye. It will mark the return to San Diego of former head coach Rocky Long, now the Lobos defensive coordinator, and former Aztecs defensive coordinator Gonzales.
Covid-19 vaccine cards help you remember when to get your second shot. Matt Stone/ MediaNews Group/Boston Herald

Sue McIntosh, a former Connecticut physician, has surrendered her medical license after an investigation found she gave blank exemption waivers to patients.

Patients who wanted a waiver had to mail her a self-addressed and stamped envelope to receive one.

These waivers gave people a reason to avoid wearing masks or getting vaccinated.

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A Connecticut doctor voluntarily surrendered her medical license on Friday, after officials learned she was giving patients blank, signed COVID-19 exemption waivers.

An anonymous tip to the Connecticut Medical Examining Board prompted an investigation into retired physician Sue McIntosh.

She had been "providing fraudulent vaccine exemption forms through the mail related to COVID-19 vaccines, general vaccines, COVID testing, and medical opposition to wearing facial masks," the investigation said. Patients, when they received these forms, only had to fill out their name and date and then select a reason for a mask exemption, records show.

She sent out these forms without ever having physically examined the patients, the board said. Patients who wanted an exemption waiver had to mail her a self-addressed and stamped envelope to receive one.

Supplemental documents provided by the state's health department said McIntosh also instructed patients to "copy and distribute as many forms as they wish."

Her license was suspended on September 24. About a week later, McIntosh surrendered her license, according to a release from the state's health department.

"Let freedom ring!" McIntosh wrote on an instruction form accompanying the waiver.

Each waiver was signed by McIntosh. The mask exemption form said that the patient knows "to practice hygiene, including sneezing or coughing into an elbow, handkerchief or clothing."

And the vaccine exemption form says that McIntosh certified that the patient has anaphylaxis to polyethylene glycol and "cannot be vaccinated."

"These actions by Dr. McIntosh are irresponsible and unacceptable," Connecticut Department of Public Health Commissioner Manisha Juthani, said in a statement. "Her practice of medicine represents a clear and immediate danger to the public health and safety of our communities. The suspension of her license should serve as a warning to other practitioners that this conduct deviates from the standard of care and is subject to serious discipline."

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"I can only cry. I'm devastated -- my family too," said 25-year-old Syrian Kawthar Raslan, cradling her newborn child in a migrant camp on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus.

She was dumped at the camp by authorities after being separated at sea from her husband and other children, aged just one and three.

The family left Lebanon's capital Beirut on August 22 on board a boat carrying dozens of other Syrian migrants, destined for Cyprus, a European Union member state 160 kilometres (100 miles) away.

Around 10 kilometres from the Cypriot coast, the boat was intercepted by coastguards seeking to send the vessel back to Lebanon.

A video filmed on board, seen by AFP, shows migrants crying out "Help us!" to the coastguards.

Seeing the pregnant Kawthar was close to giving birth, the coastguards took her to Cyprus.

But they left most of the other passengers -- including the rest of her family -- in the boat, which returned to Lebanon.

Lebanon is home to more than a million Syrian refugees who have fled their country's decade-old civil war.

And Lebanon has been beset by a devastating economic crisis, which has propelled hundreds of Syrians towards Cyprus.

But Cyprus, with the EU's highest proportion of asylum seekers per capita, last year signed an agreement with Lebanon to send back all illegal migrants who attempt to reach the island by boat.

- 'Mummy'-

"I almost died when I heard about my family being sent back to Lebanon," Kawthar told AFP, sitting on a mattress on the floor of a prefabricated cabin in Kofinou camp in the south of the island.

"They knew that my husband and my children were with me and they prevented them from following me," she said of the Cypriot coastguards.

"I will never forget that moment."

Kawthar gave birth to a son, Yazan, on August 23, a day after being picked up by the coastguard.

Originally from Idlib in northwestern Syria, she urged Cypriot authorities to "show compassion" and allow her to be reunited with her family.

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"I can live neither in Lebanon nor in Syria," she said.

Cypriot authorities say only migrants with refugee status have the right to be reunited with their families.

But among the 7,700 Syrian asylum seekers who have arrived here since 2018, less than two percent have achieved this status, the UN refugee agency UNHCR says.

Back in Lebanon, Kawthar's husband is struggling to care for the family.

"The children are traumatised, only one word comes out of their mouths -- 'Mummy'", Hassan al-Ali told AFP in the village of Ain El-Tefaha, where he rents a room, around 30 kilometres (20 miles) from Beirut.

"We were on board the boat under a scorching sun and the children were very thirsty," he remembered.

"My daughter wasn't moving -- I thought that she was going to die," he added, his voice breaking with emotion.

Like Kawthar, Issa Chamma, another Syrian on board that day, found himself in Kofinou camp.

Originally from Aleppo, the 37-year-old migrant suffers from lung problems, and he was also separated from his family after losing consciousness onboard.

His wife and three children, aged from two to 11, even "spent two days in prison on their return to Beirut," Issa said.

- 'Lives in danger' -

According to the UNHCR, returning asylum seekers to places where they risk persecution and torture contravenes international and European law.

"This practice must end because it puts lives in danger," said UNHCR Cyprus spokesperson Emilia Strovolidou, calling on the island's authorities to reunite both Kawthar's and Issa's families.

EuroMed Rights, a network of 65 organisations that defend human rights across the Mediterranean, will launch an awareness raising campaign on Monday, urging the EU to "investigate violations" committed by the Cypriot border forces.

On September 21, several lawmakers criticised the government's migration policy during a parliamentary hearing.

"We are asking the government to implement international and European laws," Alexandra Attalides, a lawmaker for Cyprus's Green Party, told AFP.

"In the case of this lady from Syria, I am asking that all humanitarian measures are taken to reunite her with her family," she added.

Cypriot Interior Minister Nicos Nouris did not respond to AFP requests for comment.

But he recently argued Cyprus had "the right to refuse the illegal arrival of migrants", contending asylum seekers are not entitled to family reunification.

On an August visit to Nicosia, the EU's home affairs commissioner, Ylva Johansson, said there were questions about the operation that separated the two families.

Kawthar says she has been "well treated" in the camp, but she "thinks constantly" of her two other children.

"Nothing can compensate for their absence," she said.

rm/vl/dwo/kir/reb
The First State is looking to become the first state to reach every home and business with high-speed broadband service, the governor announced Thursday.

Gov. John Carney, along with Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long, U.S. Sen. Tom Carper, U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, and members of the General Assembly and Department of Technology and Information, said the state will invest $110 million in the wireline internet service.

Delawareans rely on stable internet connections to apply for jobs, help their children do homework, work from home, or continue their education online, Carney said in a news release. This significant investment will recognize that reality, and make sure all Delaware families have access to high-speed broadband service. We know thats more important than ever after the lessons weve learned during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Funding, according to the governors office, comes from the American Rescue Plan Act.

Nearly 11,600 Delaware homes and businesses dont have access to high-speed, wireline broadband service, the governors office said, and the broadband infrastructure project will target investments to areas currently unserved or underserved."

Of those unserved by broadband service, 7,350 are located in Sussex County, 3,800 are in Kent County, and 450 are located in New Castle County.

Access to broadband is infrastructure. Just like when our roads, bridges, and railways are broken we fix them and we need to do the same for our access to broadband and close these gaps, Hall-Long said in the release. This critical investment from our federal government is a once in a generation opportunity for us to make a real difference and deliver meaningful investments. Im excited about the opportunity to really put our state in a position of strength to meet the challenges of tomorrow.

Carper pointed to the pandemic, showing how much broadband internet is relied upon.

The coronavirus pandemic has shown just how much Americans rely on the Internet for school, running a business, or simply getting health care. Unfortunately, too many people across the First State do not have access to a reliable Internet connection, Carper said.

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Tags: States, News, Delaware

Original Author: Brent Addleman, The Center Square

Original Location: Delaware announces state-wide broadband project
Warring factions of the Democratic party are bracing themselves for a potentially bruising month of negotiations over the two massive economic and social packages that have reached an impasse in Congress threatening to derail Joe Bidens first term in office.

Related: Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema: the centrists blocking Bidens agenda

With Democratic leaders racing against a new 31 October deadline to pass the legislation, and with pressure building on the White House from both centrist and progressive wings of the party, the centerpiece of Bidens agenda now hangs in the balance. Democratic prospects in next years midterm elections are also at stake.

The outcome of the current party wrangling will determine the fate of both the $1tn public works measure which has garnered bipartisan support and the larger $3.5tn social and environmental package which Democratic leaders are hoping to drive through Congress unilaterally.

Pramila Jayapal, the head of the progressive caucus which is demanding that both bills are linked in order to protect the larger social policy overhaul, indicated on CNNs State of the Union on Sunday that her side of the negotiations is prepared for compromise. Though she declined to give a figure for the size of the package that progressives would accept, she suggested that $1.5tn would be unacceptable.

She said of a reduced $1.5tn deal, thats not going to happen. Thats too small to get our priorities in. Its going to be somewhere between $1.5tn and $3.5tn, and the White House is working on that.

Jayapal, who represents the Seattle area of Washington state in the House, said that progressives were looking at options for whittling down the scale of the social policy measure, including reducing the timescale of the provisions from their current 10 years and ditching some lesser items. She said she was not in favor of means testing any new benefits, as suggested by some centrist Democrats, but added: Lets see, the negotiations are just starting.

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Related: Progressive Pramila Jayapal flexes muscles in cat-and-mouse negotiations

Jayapals indication that the progressive wing is now ready to talk numbers will hearten White House negotiators as they begin the epic task of trying to reach a compromise that works for both rival factions of the party. On Friday Biden made a rare visit to Capitol Hill to calm nerves and try and find a way forward.

He effectively sided with progressives, telling House Democrats that the two bills had to be considered together and not apart as centrists prefer. But he also gave the progressive caucus a clear message that the $3.5tn package would have to be diminished, signaling a range between $1.9tn and $2.3tn.

At the end of the visit Biden put a brave face on the standoff which is holding his presidency hostage. He said: It doesnt matter whether its in six minutes, six days, or six weeks  were going to get it done.

Several of the most critical pledges that Biden made to the American people in the course of the 2020 presidential election are contained in the $3.5tn overhaul. They include measures to tackle the climate crisis, universal pre-kindergarten education, childcare support, paid medical and family leave, and an extension of federal payments to families with children.

By Sunday it had become clear that the desire of the centrist wing of the Democratic party to pass the $1tn infrastructure bill by decoupling it from the larger social and environmental package had come unstuck due to progressive opposition.

Equally, the hope of progressives to pass the full $3.5tn plan, which some have likened to the 1930s New Deal, has also ground to a halt given the resistance of centrist Democrats including senators Joe Manchin from West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema from Arizona.

Over the weekend Sinema issued a scathing response to last weeks decision by the House speaker Nancy Pelosi to delay a vote on the infrastructure bill until 31 October to buy time for a compromise to be reached.

In a statement she called the decision inexcusable. Calling the move by progressives an ineffective stunt, she said: I do not trade my vote for political favors  I vote based only on what is best for my state and the country.

Some of the most sensitive negotiations over the coming days are likely to take place in the Senate. With the chamber deadlocked 50:50, Democratic leaders cannot afford to lose even one vote which is why Sinema and Manchin are in such a powerful position.

Dick Durbin, the Senate majority whip, told CNNs State of the Union on Sunday that he and other Democratic leaders were looking at the priorities. We listen very carefully to every single member  every vote counts in getting to this majority  and concessions will be made, were certain of that.

Durbin said the overriding dilemma was whether to shave down every component of the massive $3.5tn package, or to focus on just the most important elements and let the rest fall by the wayside. The senator from Illinois indicated that support for child care was one item he would not be prepared to jeopardize, though he said other aspects of the measure could be scaled in a different way.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)  Daryl Dike headed home a corner kick in the seventh minute of stoppage time to help Olando City beat D.C. United 2-1 on Saturday night.

A shot by Antonio Carlos was blocked out of bounds by Steven Birnbaum resulting in a corner kick Chris Mueller that Dike flicked off the crossbar and into the net on the final play of the game to make it 2-1. The 21-year-old Dike has scored a goal in each of the last three games.

Orlando City (11-8-9) snapped a five-game winless streak that started with four consecutive losses.

Julian Gressel ran onto a ball played by Russell Canouse, took a dribble and then blasted a right footer inside the near post from outside the area to give Orlando City a 1-0 lead in the sixth minute.

Robin Jansson scored from point-blank range to make it 1-1 in the 17th minute. Mauricio Pereyra played a corner kick to the center of the area and Junior Urso's header was parried by goalkeeper Bill Hamid but Jansson put away the rebound.

D.C. United (12-12-4) had won back-to-back games for the first time this season.

___

More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  Dubai's Expo 2020 acknowledged for the first time on Sunday that three workers had died from the coronavirus over the course of building the world's fair during the pandemic, as the prestigious event draws scrutiny of labor conditions in the United Arab Emirates.

When asked at a press conference about deaths among Expo's vast foreign workforce, spokesperson Sconaid McGeachin said three workers had died from the virus in addition to three from construction incidents, without specifying when. She declined to describe the extent of the coronavirus outbreak among workers on site.

McGeachin again claimed the information about worker casualties was previously available, without elaborating. However, authorities in the run-up to the $7 billion fair did not provide any overall statistics for worker fatalities, injuries or coronavirus infections despite repeated requests from The Associated Press and other journalists.

The statement comes a day after Expo offered conflicting reports about how many workers had died in industrial incidents on site, before settling on three.

The UAE long has faced criticism from human rights activists over its poor treatment of the legions of low-paid migrant laborers from Africa, Asia and the Middle East who power the country's economy. Dubai has gambled billions on its elaborate World Expo, hoping to make it a huge tourist attraction and symbol of the countrys allure.

But problems have emerged. The European Parliament last month urged nations not to take part in Expo, citing the UAEs inhumane practices against foreign workers that it said worsened during the pandemic.

To pay tribute to the thousands of workers who toiled to build the fairgrounds from scratch, Expo features a worker's monument, nestled between a performance stage and a popular Dubai bar chain.

Scores of somber stone columns jut up from the ground, wrapped with an incised roll call listing names of Expo laborers. The installation remains largely unmarked, save for a small plaque that reads: Expo 2020 Dubai dedicates this monument to all our brothers and sisters who built the site.

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On Sunday, maintenance workers in bright orange vests knelt beside the stones, squinting and searching for names. When asked what they thought about the monument, the workers said they'd been repeatedly instructed by Expo authorities to direct all reporters who asked them questions to the event's official media center.

The global extravaganza also has renewed criticism from human rights groups of the UAE's restrictions on free expression.

At a press conference Saturday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian answered a question about the European Parliament's concerns over labor abuses in the UAE, saying that France would not join the Parliament's call for an Expo boycott and instead raise any potential issues with Emirati authorities behind closed doors. However, the sensitive exchange was inexplicably missing from Expo's official transcript of the news conference, raising concerns about transparency at the site.

I will look into that, said McGeachin when asked about the omission. I would like to say that this is an oversight.

Meanwhile, Ugandas long-serving President Yoweri Museveni flew in to tour his nations pavilion at Expo. He called the Emirati effort to build the Expo village a challenge to the Africans as the UAE had turned a desert into a center of affluence.

Yesterday when I arrived, they took me for COVID test, he said. In Africa, sometimes we say, Big people should not be checked.

___

Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell contributed to this report.
A still from Europa' (Themerson Estate)

Polish artists Stefan and Franciszka Themerson went to their graves believing that the most important film of their career was lost forever. They had made the short film Europa at their home in 1931, with barely any budget, using a borrowed camera and a cast of family and friends  nevertheless, it was acclaimed as the finest work of the Polish avant-garde. But when the Themersons deposited it for safekeeping in 1938, they never saw it again. The film, along with so many other precious works of art, was seized by the Nazis and 50 years later the Themersons died believing it had been destroyed.

Miraculously, Europa has now been found, retrieved and restored, to be preserved in the BFI National Archive and finally shown on the big screen next week. Two years ago, the film was located in storage at the Bundesfilmarchiv in Germany; now the Commission for Looted Art in Europe (CLAE) has recovered it on behalf of the artists estate. The restored print will have its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival, where it will be introduced by the Themersonss niece, the critic and curator Jasia Reichardt, who has been taking care of the artists archive since their deaths in 1988. The silent film will screen with a newly commissioned soundtrack by Dutch composer Lodewijk Muns.

Its a major and very exciting acquisition, says Will Fowler, the archives curator of artists moving image, not least because of its politically radical nature. Europa is an electric shock of a short film, with an explicitly anti-fascist theme, inspired by history unfolding around the Themersons in Warsaw at the turn of the Thirties, and adapted from Anatol Sterns 1925 futurist poem of the same name. The film uses graphic imagery to convey the horror of creeping fascism across the continent: a suited man gorging on rare meat, another swallowing newsprint. There are extreme, polarised closeups, screams of terror, photographic collages, a beating heart shown in X-ray, a crucifixion and a First World War trench, punches and gunshots. Film threads through a camera, while fast edits evoke the tension of living in a climate of fear and hatred.

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It is about the tragedy of Europe. Europe eats itself to death, says Reichardt. And I think 2019 was the right moment to find it because Europe was in trouble. Of course, it still is.

The sting in this tale is that Europa fell victim to the fascist ideologies that it warned about, and became one of countless cultural objects to be stolen by the Nazis. In the course of the 22 years that weve been doing this work, weve recovered over 3,500 items of cultural property for individuals, families and institutions, says Anne Webber, founder and co-chair of the CLAE. This was the first film that ever came our way.

Id always been passionate about avant-garde films so the idea of recovering a film of this importance was close to my heart, she continues. The meaning of what we recover obviously goes far beyond the object itself. Whether its a painting or a book or a film, its the meaning of it to the people from whom it was taken. To the Themersons, as the creators of such an original and important work, the loss of this film had a special significance.

The Themersons were a married couple: Stefan wrote before he began experimenting with photography while Franciszka was a painter, designer and illustrator. They began to collaborate on filmmaking in the early Thirties  but with few means. They had no camera. They had to borrow a box camera. There was no film school, and there was no money. Europa was made in the room which they shared, after they got married, says Reichardt. This stunning film was a homespun, DIY creation.

A scene from the silent film (Themerson Estate)

Stefan called the technique that he used for making images for his films photograms in motion, says Reichardt. One of Stefans colleagues at the university told me that he visited them in that room and he could see paving stones on the table and between them there was soil and there was a bit of grass. Youll see those very slabs in the film, in a stop-motion sequence that illustrates Sterns words: This green blade of grass/squeezed up between two paving stones/this wreck tearing itself loose/on the chequered/stony/Atlantic/is the messenger of death.

Stern himself endorsed Europa: he was very happy with how the Themersons had translated his words into such indelible images. The reviewers were also impressed. One of the critics writing about the film in 1933 said about it, This is a film poem. It was a revelation, says Reichardt. One of the best-known critics said, At last, I can say, Its a good film.

Had it been available to view during these intervening years, Europas influence on film history would have been incalculable. The film itself is stunning, a highly worked and brilliantly constructed piece of avant-garde cinema, the anti-fascist message of which and the potency of it as art still punches through the decades, says Fowler.

For more than 80 years, though, the short has been only a memory. The Themersons were very concerned about Europa when it disappeared, says Reichardt. Because Stefan thought it was important for him to recover something of that film, he made a reconstruction of it from the bits of film and the stills which he had. First he re-issued the book [of the poem], and then he made the reconstruction at the London Film-Makers Co-op [in 1983-4]. Then in 1988, another artist, Piotr ZarAbski, made his own reconstruction, Europa II, in tribute. The remakes will be shown alongside the restored original film at the LFF screening on 6 October.

Not only does the legend of Europa precede it, but its story as an object passing through different hands and labs, including those of the Nazis, is quite extraordinary, says Fowler. The tale begins when the Themersons left Poland for Paris in 1938, and deposited their films in the Vitfer Laboratory before volunteering for the Polish Army. For decades that is also where the story ended: the Nazis seized their films from the lab and the couple moved to England during the war, where they continued to make films, but without hope of screening Europa again.

In France, they banned films very early in the war, says Webber. Avant-garde films would be absolutely banned because they fell in the category of modern art, which was thought to be degenerate and dangerous by Hitler. Degenerate art was seized from museums and private individuals. It was the same with this kind of film. They were seized and would never have been shown.

Franciszka Themerson (Themerson Estate)

There was an order from Hitler to secure works of art in June 1940, after the armistice was signed, says Webber. The Nazis went on to seize everything they could. They seized paintings, books and manuscripts. They seized films, pianos, violins. They also seized furniture, plates, knives and forks and glasses and everything that people had in their homes. But they certainly seized films.

Naturally, given the films subject matter, the Themersons feared the film would become a casualty of war. People thought that after the Nazis seized degenerate art, a lot of it was destroyed, but very few works of art were ever destroyed by the Nazis. While disliking it and disliking the values and ideas that it represented, they understood its cultural and especially its financial value, says Webber. They didnt destroy what they seized, even if it ran counter to the ideological message they wanted to convey.

The film was instead kept in the Reichsfilmarchiv, the Nazi regimes state film archive. Much of the stock in this archive was taken by the Soviet Army in June 1945, and transported to Russia. After the formation of East Germany, some of those films were returned to the DDRs new state archive, which following the fall of the Berlin Wall, a year after the Themersonss death, became the Bundesarchiv. Simply by remaining in one collection, the film crossed geopolitical borders.

Reclaiming a work of looted art is far from straightforward. We always do our own research to establish the history of an object and the circumstances of its loss before we make a claim. I entered into correspondence with the Bundesarchiv to clarify exactly what they had, says Webber. Once youre sure that it is the looted object in question, then you start the process of negotiating and making a claim for it.

The recovery of a Thirties 35mm film print posed its own challenges. Nitrate is flammable so you have to be very careful transporting it, says Webber. The Germans told us it was subject to restrictions under their explosives law. But in fact, Europas return journey was safe, and swift. Im just so delighted that we were able to achieve the restitution of it, says Webber, and delighted we were able to achieve it in record time as well, because it can often take several years.

Now the film is safe, but also ready to embark on new journeys, as cinephiles across the world will be keen to see this much-talked about, mysterious film. Europa remains a stark warning about the rise of the far right, and in its own terrible history, a cautionary tale about protecting art from ideological suppression and theft.

Europa screens at the BFI London Film Festival on 6 October at BFI Southbank

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Most people believe that if someone violates their constitutional rights, they have a right to sue.

But that's often not true. If the person they're looking to sue is a public official, particularly a public safety official, it could be nearly impossible to get a day in court. That's because qualified immunity, a doctrine created by the U.S. Supreme Court in the 1960s and emboldened in the 1980s, makes most government workers largely immune to civil lawsuits.

USA TODAY Opinion is exploring the issue of qualified immunity and the need for reform on a national scale. The ongoing series will include personal stories from victims and their families, views from police departments and officers accused of abuse, and perspectives from criminal justice experts to explain the issues around qualified immunity.

The project was made possible in part by a grant from Stand Together, which does not provide editorial input.

The voices of people affected

A bad cop sexually assaulted me. Qualified immunity protected him and his boss.

By Lynette Christmas

Valentines Day 2016 wasnt spent celebrating love and romance. Instead, it was the day deputy Thomas Carl Pierson, of Georgia's Harris County Sheriffs Office, grossly violated my constitutional rights.

Feb. 14, 2016, was the day Pierson sexually assaulted me.

More from those denied a day in court

Columns that examine the issue

University of Iowa in Iowa City in 2015.

Qualified immunity won't protect colleges that discriminate against religion

By Daniel Blomberg

College officials have been put on notice: targeting religious student groups isnt just unconstitutional, its costly. A federal court of appeals agreed with my firm, the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, that University of Iowa officials turned a blind eye to decades of First Amendment jurisprudence by punishing Christian, Muslim, and Sikh groups for the crime of asking their leaders to agree with their faith.

Story continues

More from experts

Qualified immunity : 8 myths about why police need it to protect the public

Administrators who violate the 1st Amendment rights do not deserve protection of qualified immunity

When police are out of line, they should face remedial action. But don't end qualified immunity

Editorials that push for change

Supreme Court must strip federal agents of absolute immunity

Editorial Board

Police reforms in Congress are at an impasse, and even if they are revived, none addresses this important issue. Its now up to the Supreme Court to protect Americans from police who violate their rights.

The justices need to send a clear message: There's no place in the United States for a Constitution-free zone.

More from USA TODAY's Editorial Board

Engage with the project

Reform of qualified immunity is key to holding police officers responsible for misdeeds on the job.https://t.co/pLCpbbnCgA pic.twitter.com/ZxpS7uQeI7  USA TODAY Opinion (@usatodayopinion) October 1, 2021

More about the project

This series is meant to educate the public about the issue of qualified immunity. It is supported in part by a grant from Stand Together, a nonprofit organization that supports projects that address major civic and social issues including criminal justice, education, poverty, and immigration.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Everything you need to know about how qualified immunity affects you
It was hard to adjust to living in a house after being in the RV. Matthew Wilson

My family of 7 moved into an RV during the pandemic, but we've transitioned to living in a house.

Cooking, dating, and raising a pet are much easier in the house than they were in the RV.

Despite the perks of living in the house, I miss the sense of family and community from the RV.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Last year, I self-isolated with my family of seven - including my parents, grandma, and siblings - in an RV.

Coming from a New York City apartment, the adjustment was difficult. But I didn't know that the same would be true when we moved out of the RV into a two-story house in South Carolina.

Read on for some of the things I found most surprising about the move.

I could focus on having a healthier lifestyle after moving into the house

I know you can be healthy and live in an RV - the lifestyle is famously intertwined with outdoor activities like hiking and biking. But the camper life isn't great for those who like the indoors.

Living in an RV at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, I fell into a bit of a depression. I averaged less than 500 steps some days because there wasn't a lot of space indoors to maneuver with so many people, and I ended up gaining 20 pounds.

Living in a house, I feel like I have more space to move around and breathe. Having my own room and being able to more easily stretch my legs has done wonders for refocusing on my physical well-being.

Cooking is much easier at the house, and I don't need to make as many trips to the store

Our fridge was very small in the RV. Matthew Wilson

Our RV only had a small fridge and very limited cabinet space, which meant we had to make more frequent trips to the store because we couldn't fit much. The stove was also tiny, and there wasn't any counter space to prep meals.

Because of all this, we ended up eating out a lot.

But with two fridges and a deep freezer in the house, we have more than enough food at any given time. Being able to cook when I want has greatly helped me get my health back on track.

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I actually saw my neighbors more at the RV park

When you spend a lot of time in an RV park, you have ample opportunity to get to know the people around you because you're all within a yard's distance of one another. You're part of a community, and you meet a bunch of people from various walks of life.

But living in a house, everything feels so quiet. I have no clue who my neighbors are and what they're doing at all hours of the day.

The introvert in me loves the seclusion, but things felt a little lonely at first.

But I enjoy putting down roots in my local community

Going from my apartment in NYC to a camper with my parents, I felt a bit like I lost everything I was building.

Given the nature of nomadic living in an ongoing pandemic, I felt no ties to where we ended up in Florida, and I didn't try to make friends.

When we first moved to South Carolina, I didn't expect to be there for long, but now I could see myself sticking around. Having a more permanent base helps me plan for the future.

I miss how close I felt to my family in the RV

We all have our own space now, which is nice, but it's not the same. Matthew Wilson

I never thought I would miss being cramped together with my family. Don't get me wrong, they were annoying at times, and I probably was, too, but I'd also never felt closer with them.

Living in a house, we're all a bit more scattered. We have rooms that we can go and hide away in.

We all gather in the living room and wind up at the kitchen table in the evenings, but those close moments feel fewer and farther between.

Living in a house is more expensive than the camper

There's an upside to downsizing, which is why so many people do it. So when you're transitioning back, some of the financial changes can be brutal.

For one, utilities and power are higher living in a house than a camper. Air conditioning also requires more watts to properly cool down a house in the middle of a South Carolina summer.

I found new joys in owning a pet - which would've been hard in the RV

It would've been hard to take care of a puppy in the RV. Matthew Wilson

I'm not saying you can't own a pet in a camper - our neighbor and her chihuahuas from hell are testaments to that - but it's difficult owning a dog when you're living the nomad lifestyle, especially when you already feel like a couple of cramped sardines.

I couldn't imagine trying to raise my new pup Judy in an RV, but I also couldn't imagine life without her now. She's become the official eighth member of the family.

Dating is much easier now that I have more of my own space

Living with your parents is already a hard enough sell in the dating world, so living in a camper with your whole family was nearly impossible.

I tried online dating, mostly out of boredom, but didn't have much luck.

It's just easier for me to date living in the house because I have my own space and privacy. Plus I don't have to worry about the awkward conversation of telling my potential soulmate I sleep on a kitchen table that converts into a bed.

My bed at the house was too soft at first

I was used to sleeping on a converted kitchen table in the RV. Matthew Wilson

When I was in the RV, I used to dream about sleeping on a proper bed again. I imagined how soft it would feel as I drifted off.

But now I wondered how I spent so many years sleeping on a marshmallow. My new bed at the house felt too soft, like I was sinking into a foam pit.

All those months of sleeping on what was practically a board conditioned my back, so transitioning to a proper bed took some getting used to.

Moving meant I finally had access to high-speed internet again

In the RV, we were mostly in a part of Florida that didn't have fiber optics, so the campsite's internet barely functioned during much of my stay.

As a remote writer, I needed the internet to do my job, so I often depended on my mobile hotspot until I hit the data cap for the month. Then I would sit outside of a closed library in the car, working until my battery died.

Finally getting high-speed internet again at the house was a godsend.

I have a greater sense of wanderlust

It was cool knowing we could hit the road at any time. Matthew Wilson

Growing up, I always dreamed of owning an RV and striking out across the country, and for a little while, I got to accomplish that.

As much as I enjoy all the extra space in the house, there's something special about being free to just hit the road.

Read the original article on Insider
STATESBORO, Ga. (AP)  Logan Wright and Jalen White each had two of Georgia Southern's seven rushing TDs and the Eagles beat Arkansas State 59-33 on Saturday, giving interim head coach Kevin Whitley his first win.

Whitley, who starred as player at Georgia Southern from 1988-91, joined the staff in 2019 and was a cornerbacks coach until this week when he replaced Chad Lunsford, who was fired last Sunday. Whitley was a high school head coach for 18 years, going 49-5 (.907) with three regional titles and 18 all-state players over his final four seasons at Stockbridge, in the Atlanta area.

Wright finished with 10 carries for 208 yards and White added 157 yards on 15 carries. J.D. King, Justin Tomlin and Gerald Green each added rushing touchdowns for Georgia Southern (2-3, 1-1 Sun Belt).

James Blackman threw a 19-yard TD pass to Corey Rucker to give Arkansas State (1-4, 0-1) its first lead at 19-17 with 4:38 left in the first half but Wright answered about a minute later with a 41-yard scoring run and King added a 5-yard touchdown with 2 minutes remaining in the second quarter.

The Eagles took the opening kickoff of the second half and ripped off a nine-play, 65-yard drive the culminated when Tomlin scored on a 6-yard run with 10:54 to go in the third and Georgia State led the rest of the way.

Blackman  who transferred from Florida State, where he ranks No. 10 in program history with 43 career TD passes  was 28-of-43 passing for 292 yards and two touchdowns. The redshirt junior threw three interceptions, including a 22-yard pick-6 by Georgia Southern's Quin Williams, before he was replaced in the third quarter by sophomore Layne Hatcher, who completed 8 of 18 passes for 151 yards and two TDs with one interception.

Georgia State, which scored 66 combined points in its first four games, snapped a three-game losing streak.

___

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Fox News personality Geraldo Rivera took to Twitter to call out vaccinated people who encourage anti-vaxxers to "fight for their freedom." (Photo: Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)

Geraldo Rivera wants everyone to get vaccinated against COVID-19. However, the Fox News personality is also coming out against those who get vaccinated yet encourage others to resist getting the shot in the name of "freedom."

Rivera, 78, took to Twitter on Saturday to share a passionate message about how important it is to get vaccinated.

"Open-minded & inclusive, Im friends with all kinds of people. But as we pass 700,000 #Covid dead, I have zero tolerance for anti-vaxers [sic]," Rivera tweeted. "Most of all, I detest vaccinated d*** heads who urge the unvaccinated to 'fight for their freedom,' the mob urging the man on ledge to jump."

Open-minded & inclusive, Im friends with all kinds of people. But as we pass 700,000 #Covid dead, I have zero tolerance for anti-Vaxers.

Most of all, I detest vaccinated dick heads who urge the unvaccinated to fight for their freedom, the mob urging the man on ledge to jump  Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) October 2, 2021

Rivera's tweet drew strong responses from critics and allies alike.

While Rivera didn't specifically name anyone specifically, it has been noted that several of his vaccinated colleagues at Fox News, such as Tucker Carlson, frequently share views that criticize vaccination mandates.

Shortly after Rivera spoke out, former MSNBC host Keith Olbermann applauded his take, declaring that "Once again, on this topic, @GeraldoRivera is right."

In the video, Olbermann can be seen receiving his booster shot while declaring that it's "time to stop coddling the people who won't get the shot."

Olbermann followed up by holding his vaccination card for the camera and stating, "Booster shot: mission accomplished. And it is time to stop coddling them. The ones who won't get the damn shot already. We call these people 'vaccine hesitant.' 'Vaccine skeptics.' 'Anti-vax.' We say they're protesting mandates and passports. 'They're making a personal choice.' 'They're waiting for more information.' 'They're making a medical decision.' Bulls***. They're afraid."

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Olbermann continued, yelling into the camera, "Theyre afraid! Theyre afraid to get vaccinated! Stop trying to feed their egos! Stop legitimizing it!

Last week, Rivera signed a new multiyear deal with Fox News to serve as a correspondent-at-large. He will also host a new show for the Fox Nation streaming service, Cops: All Access, a recap and retrospective program for Cops, the Hollywood Reporter wrote.

Video courtesy of NBCUniversal/MSNBC
Even when a business is losing money, it's possible for shareholders to make money if they buy a good business at the right price. For example, although Amazon.com made losses for many years after listing, if you had bought and held the shares since 1999, you would have made a fortune. But the harsh reality is that very many loss making companies burn through all their cash and go bankrupt.

So, the natural question for Emmerson (LON:EML) shareholders is whether they should be concerned by its rate of cash burn. In this article, we define cash burn as its annual (negative) free cash flow, which is the amount of money a company spends each year to fund its growth. First, we'll determine its cash runway by comparing its cash burn with its cash reserves.

Check out our latest analysis for Emmerson

How Long Is Emmerson's Cash Runway?

A company's cash runway is calculated by dividing its cash hoard by its cash burn. As at June 2021, Emmerson had cash of UK4.6m and no debt. In the last year, its cash burn was UK2.9m. So it had a cash runway of approximately 19 months from June 2021. While that cash runway isn't too concerning, sensible holders would be peering into the distance, and considering what happens if the company runs out of cash. However, if we extrapolate the company's recent cash burn trend, then it would have a longer cash run way. Depicted below, you can see how its cash holdings have changed over time.

How Is Emmerson's Cash Burn Changing Over Time?

Because Emmerson isn't currently generating revenue, we consider it an early-stage business. Nonetheless, we can still examine its cash burn trajectory as part of our assessment of its cash burn situation. As it happens, the company's cash burn reduced by 7.9% over the last year, which suggests that management are maintaining a fairly steady rate of business development, albeit with a slight decrease in spending. Emmerson makes us a little nervous due to its lack of substantial operating revenue. We prefer most of the stocks on this list of stocks that analysts expect to grow.

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How Hard Would It Be For Emmerson To Raise More Cash For Growth?

Even though it has reduced its cash burn recently, shareholders should still consider how easy it would be for Emmerson to raise more cash in the future. Generally speaking, a listed business can raise new cash through issuing shares or taking on debt. One of the main advantages held by publicly listed companies is that they can sell shares to investors to raise cash and fund growth. By comparing a company's annual cash burn to its total market capitalisation, we can estimate roughly how many shares it would have to issue in order to run the company for another year (at the same burn rate).

Emmerson has a market capitalisation of UK42m and burnt through UK2.9m last year, which is 6.8% of the company's market value. That's a low proportion, so we figure the company would be able to raise more cash to fund growth, with a little dilution, or even to simply borrow some money.

Is Emmerson's Cash Burn A Worry?

The good news is that in our view Emmerson's cash burn situation gives shareholders real reason for optimism. One the one hand we have its solid cash runway, while on the other it can also boast very strong cash burn relative to its market cap. Cash burning companies are always on the riskier side of things, but after considering all of the factors discussed in this short piece, we're not too worried about its rate of cash burn. On another note, Emmerson has 5 warning signs (and 2 which are significant) we think you should know about.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of companies insiders are buying, and this list of stocks growth stocks (according to analyst forecasts)

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.



Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong's largest independent trade union disbanded on Sunday, further stoking concerns over the space for civil society groups as a national security law and the sweeping powers it gives the police stifle dissent in the global financial centre.

Founded in 1990, the 145,000 member Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU) voted to disband, bringing an end to the organisation as authorities exert greater control on groups and unions in the business hub.

While anti-government protests in 2019 generated a new wave of labour activism in Hong Kong and triggered a 35% jump in registered trade unions, groups have been scrambling to disband since Beijing imposed the security law last year.

Fears of falling foul of the law and facing terms of up to life in jail have seen at least 29 trade unions disband since the start of this year, according to a tally by Reuters.

HKCTU vice-president Leo Tang said members of the group had received threats to their personal safety, without elaborating.

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has denied that the government is carrying out a crackdown on civil society, and authorities say all law enforcement actions have been based on evidence and have nothing to do with the political beliefs of those arrested.

(Reporting By Pak Yiu and Jessie Pang; Editing by Anne Marie Roantree and Hugh Lawson)
Joan Collins isn't holding back.

The Dynasty legend, 88, has no problem with sharing her opinions on Hollywood's plentiful amount of plastic surgery. In a new interview ahead of her new memoir, My Unapologetic Diaries, Collins discusses everyone from the Kardashian family to former co-star Linda Evans.

Collins admitted she frequently gossips about the extensive plastic surgery in Hollywood.

"We all talk about it. Have you ever been in a hairdressers? The Kardashians, for instance," Collins told the Daily Mail. "Kris Jenner, their mother, is a good friend of mine and I don't want to be rude about her children, but there's an awful lot of surgery there and I've talked to my friends about it, as I'm sure you have, the bottoms, the tiny waists."

Collins also spoke about her former Dynasty co-star Evans, with whom she's had a tempestuous relationship over the years.

"Are you supposed to ignore somebody when they come in with tape on their eyelid?" she responded when asked about her book's references to Evans's appearance. "Every one of the other actors was saying, 'What do you think she had done?'"

Collins doesn't hold back when it comes to looks.

"Am I the only one who thinks there's an obesity crisis? Those lips people have done, I think they look ludicrous. I'm sorry," she continued. "And if people want to go round looking like that I'm going to laugh at it."

Collins also had plenty to say about Sophia Loren's teeth, which she said "look like they have been carved out of ivory."

"She's still alive. But it's not as if we're bosom buddies and she's never going to speak to me again," said Collins. "And it's true!"

Still, the British star isn't that concerned with falling subject to "cancel culture."

"The thing is, you can't say anything these days without being canceled," she said. "What am I allowed to say?"

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Collins is no stranger to sharing her opinion. Back in 2019, she said that people who wear jeans and T-shirts are "tragic."

"I really hope that people will spend more money on clothes, because nobody dresses up anymore," Collins told Vogue, Yahoo Life previously reported. "If you do, then people stare at you, or make cutting remarks Well, maybe not cutting, but theyll say something like, Oh, look at you! You're all dressed up. I find that very sad, because it will be the end of women buying elegant clothes in stores. Everybodys going to end up in jeans and T-shirts, which I think is tragic.

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By Suleiman Al-Khalidi

AMMAN (Reuters) -Jordan's King Abdullah received a phone call from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the royal palace said on Sunday in what officials said was the first such communication since the start of the conflict in Syria a decade ago.

The conversation was the latest step in thawing relations between leaders who had long been on opposing sides in Syria's civil war, with Jordan supporting Syrian Western-backed mainstream rebels seeking to drive Assad from power.

"They discussed relations between the two brotherly countries and ways of enhancing cooperation," the Jordanian palace statement said.

King Abdullah told Assad his country supported the territorial integrity of its northern neighbour and efforts to preserve its "stability and sovereignty", the palace statement said.

The king had called for Assad to step down after the Syrian leader's bloody crackdown on peaceful pro-democracy protests against his authoritarian rule at the start of the conflict in 2011 and Jordan became a conduit for Western and Arab weapon supplies to forces trying to oust Assad.

The staunch U.S. ally has, however, in the last few months accelerated steps to normalise ties with Syria and nearly two weeks ago received the Syrian defence minister in a rare visit to coordinate cross-border security.

King Abdullah said in an interview with CNN in July that Assad was there to stay and that the status quo that kept Damascus ostracised by the international community was untenable.

Abdullah has been pressing Washington for months to engage Syria and back Russia's intervention in the war-torn country, saying this is needed to wean the country away from Iran's growing foothold, officials say.

Abdullah, who met Russian President Vladimir Putin in August and has backed Moscow's role Syria, supported efforts to rehabilitate Damascus into the Arab fold and regain its seat in the Arab League, officials said.

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The U.S. State Department said on Wednesday that Washington has no plans to "normalise or upgrade" diplomatic relations with Assad's government and also does not encourage others to do so.

Amman has sought Russia's support to rein in the growing foothold of pro-Iranian militias who hold sway in southern Syria along the Syrian border with Jordan which has also alarmed Israel and Washington, officials add.

Jordan is prodding Washington to lift parts of the 2019 Caesar Act - the toughest U.S. sanctions yet that prohibited foreign companies trading with Damascus that has hampered wider dealings with Syria, a senior official said.

Amman was waiting for a U.S. waiver that will allow its state airliner Royal Jordanian (RJ) to resume direct flights to Damascus for the first time since the outset of the conflict, the official who requested anonymity said.

Jordan last week fully reopened a border crossing with Syria to boost investment and trade that had suffered during the decade-old conflict.

(Reporting by Suleiman Al-KhalidiEditing by Philippa Fletcher, Frances Kerry and Lisa Shumaker)
A bomb exploded in the entrance of a mosque in Kabul on Sunday, killing at least five civilians, a Taliban Interior Ministry spokesman told the Associated Press.

The blast ripped through a crowd outside the entrance of the Eidgah Mosque, where a memorial service was being held for the mother of Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. Mujahid said in a tweet that the attack had killed a number of civilians.

Taliban Interior Ministry spokesman Qari Saeed Khosti confirmed the deaths. Bilal Karimi, Taliban official spokesman, said three suspects had been arrested.

The explosion was reportedly caused by a roadside bomb. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

Taliban fighters were not harmed in the attack, according to the Associated Press.

An Italian-funded hospital in Kabul announced on Twitter it had received four people wounded in the blast.

The blast follows a several attacks against the Taliban by the ISIS affiliate ISIS-K last month in the Afghan city of Jalalabad.

Attacks by ISIS-K have been on the rise since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August.

Taliban fighters raided an Islamic State hideout on Friday in Parwan province after roadside bomb planted by the group wounded four Taliban fighters north of Kabul.

More from National Review
The Talibans claims of a new and improved ruling class is just a myth as terrorized residents find themselves living out scenes akin to Nazi Germany.

Afghans have resorted to selling household items for survival, begging for food, and watching roving bands of Taliban members mete out any justice they see fit without a court of law. The residents now suspiciously eye neighbors and even close friends as possible spies who could instantly spell death at the hands of Taliban guards, the Washington Examiner has learned.

TALIBAN CELEBRATE BEHEADING OF SOLDIER IN GRISLY VIDEO

I pray at all times that this current state is a nightmare and that it will be over as soon as possible, said the sister of a former Afghan military officer who worked with U.S. Special Operations forces. The desperate pleas of his family to escape were reported by the Washington Examiner on Aug. 28.

The implosion of the Afghan government and its subsequent takeover by the Taliban left a stunned population unsure of how to go about everyday life. The officer is now on the run, and even in the large city where his family lives, there is hunger and desperation as money runs out and decent-paying jobs are scarce. People who do have jobs tied to the government are told the lie: "You have been paid."

One family member is in the healthcare industry, and his paycheck must cover the entire extended family as jobs for women are almost nonexistent. The women in his family previously held high-profile jobs requiring college degrees.

Taliban fighters stand guard in front of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 16. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

The Taliban have meted out their draconian stance by seizing cellphones of pedestrians and looking at the content. One man was beaten several times for talking to a woman over the phone, and a video of this was shared on social media. A woman was arrested on suspicion of having the number of a man on her phone, the sister said.

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Each of the Taliban, in turn, sets the rules, they do not act as a unit and in unison, and their words are different, the sister said. The Taliban never take responsibility for their mistakes, they always lie openly and openly, and their words are never the same. They do the opposite of what they say to the media.

Gunfire is heard most nights, and frightened residents have little information to go on because the television stations have turned into propaganda arms of the Taliban. Several kidnappers who were killed and hung in public places by the Taliban never went to court, so suspicious residents dont entirely believe what the media tell them.

The security of the people has been taken away. The Taliban are seeking revenge and increasing their house-to-house searches every day to find those who worked for the U.S. military, the sister said. They are looking for them every day under various pretexts.

In some cases, they take over entire homes and force families out onto the street, keeping the houses for themselves, the sister said.

This scenario, combined with an economy in free fall, has forced people to beg for food on the streets, often knocking on doors of neighbors who have been hungry themselves, the sister said.

In this May 2, 2020 file photo, a woman waits to receive alms with her daughter during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan in Kabul, Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul, File)

Some of them survive by selling cheap home appliances. We had a few gold earrings that we sold, she said. The concern of most people is to find a piece of bread. Banks have almost closed, price of food and fuel has doubled, and most of the businesses have been shut down.

In the midst of all this, families with young daughters have been trying to marry them off because the Taliban announced that girls over the age of 15 would be married to Taliban soldiers, she said.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Our city is no longer beautiful, the sister said. Its in a state of suffocation, and no one can breathe easily  as if someone were squeezing our throats.

She said she can sympathize with the terror that residents lived with as Nazis seized control in Europe.

"I am very sorry for the people who experienced such bad conditions," the sister said. "I now understand."

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: News, Afghanistan, Taliban, National Security, Foreign Policy, Gender Issues

Original Author: Tori Richards

Original Location: Life under the Taliban mirrors Nazi occupation, Afghan residents lament
The intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue in Hollywood. A man with a knife was shot and wounded by Los Angeles police Saturday after a 19-year-old woman was stabbed, authorities said. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

A man armed with a knife was shot and wounded by Los Angeles police Saturday after allegedly stabbing a 19-year-old woman in her abdomen, authorities said.

The shooting took place around 11 a.m. in the area of Highland Avenue and Hollywood Boulevard, said Mike Lopez of the Los Angeles Police Department's Media Relations Division. Officers were approached by the stabbing victim, who directed officers to the suspect, a man in his 30s, according to the LAPD.

The suspect was later taken to a hospital with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. A knife was recovered at the scene, police said. The woman who was stabbed was also taken to a hospital for treatment and was last reported in stable condition, the LAPD said.

The department also tweeted that the intersection of Highland and Hollywood would be closed temporarily for the investigation and traffic was being diverted to Sunset Boulevard to the south and Franklin Avenue to the north.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Lt. Col Stuart Scheller, shown here in an official Marine Corps photo. Marine Corp

Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller is in a military jail for denouncing the US over its Afghanistan pullout.

Pro-Trump entities have shared their support for Scheller, including by raising over $2 million.

Scheller, however, has said he'd rather "sit in jail" than accept support from Donald Trump.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

The MAGA community has raised more than $2 million for a Marine officer who went viral for criticizing the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and saying he wanted to "bring the whole fucking system down." The officer in question, however, has spoken out against former President Donald Trump.

Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller, a decorated battalion commander, is in military jail on suspicion of violating military laws.

After the news, the Pipe Hitter Foundation set up a fundraising platform for Scheller.

The foundation is run by the former Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher, who was convicted in 2019 after posing for a photo with the body of an Islamic State captive. Trump granted him clemency in November 2020.

The appeal had raised more than $2,262,000 as of Sunday.

Scheller has been celebrated as a hero across right-wing politics, according to David Gilbert, writing in Vice. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, and Madison Cawthorn have backed him, and dozens of Republicans, led by Rep. Louie Gohmert, signed a letter calling for Scheller's release.

Scheller, however, has publically renounced any help from Trump or his followers, saying he would "rather sit in jail."

He also said that Trump was responsible for "dividing our country."

Writing on his Facebook page on September 25, he said: "President Trump. I was told by everyone to kiss the ring because of your following and power. I refuse. While I respect your foreign policy positions, I hate how you divided the country.

"I don't need or want your help. You do not have the ability to pull US together. You may even win the next election. But your generation's time is running out. Tell your son to stop tweeting about me. Your whole family knows nothing about US or our sacrifices. I could never work with you."

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Scheller's comments also criticized the Biden administration and its military choices in Afghanistan. "Follow me, and we will bring the whole fucking system down in a constitutional manner with one loud voice," he said on Facebook and LinkedIn at the beginning of September.

Scheller was thrown in a military jail without charge after defying orders to stop posting on social media, on Monday, according to the Military Times.

Whilst the pro-Trump faction appears to be largely ignoring Scheller's politics, some can't ignore his challenging comments. Vice cited one Telegram user as saying: "Scheller is anti-Flynn and anti-Trump. think he's a Judas goat."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Crews were working into the night to contain a major oil spill that reached Southern California beaches and spread into wetlands Sunday, killing fish and birds.

The latest: Huntington Beach Mayor Kim Carr told reporters the result of thousands of gallons of oil leaking from an offshore oil rig was an "environmental catastrophe."

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As of Sunday night, 3,150 gallons of "oily water mixture" was recovered from the spill area, according to according to a statement from Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley.

Fisheries in the impacted area were closed to allow investigators to examine the impact on fish, Foley said just before midnight local time. Several beaches along the California coast were closed earlier, per a U.S. Coast Guard statement.

Of note: The pipeline from which the crude oil leaked was shut off Sunday, Martyn Willsher, CEO of Amplify Energy, which owns the facility, confirmed late Sunday to AP. All remaining oil in the pipeline was suctioned out, he added.

The big picture: The oil slick is estimated to be about 13 square miles in size, the Coast Guard. The spill is believed to have resulted from a pipeline leak that dumped 126,000 gallons, or 3,000 barrels, into the waters, per the Los Angeles Times.

Lifeguards have reported smelling oil odors throughout the affected beaches, according to Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley.

Foley noted the ecological effects of the spill were already evident, saying "we've started to find dead birds and fish washing up on the shore."

Threat level: Foley warned in a statement: "The ramifications will extend further than the visible oil and odor that our residents are dealing with ... the impact to the environment is irreversible."

"All agencies, including environmental and wildlife, are working together to mitigate the damage," she added.

Jennifer Carey, a Huntington Beach spokesperson, told the Los Angeles Times: "We classify this as a major spill, and it is a high priority to us to mitigate any environmental concerns."

Editor's note: This article has been updated with more details on the spill and recovery efforts.

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The doctors told me that I was VERY lucky not to have died, Marc Lamont Hill says in Instagram post

Black intellectual Marc Lamont Hill revealed on social media that he suffered a mild heart attack in late September one day after undergoing surgery to fix a damaged Achilles tendon.

The 42-year-old took to Instagram on Thursday to update his followers on his condition, saying that hes home and on the full path to recovery after being rushed to a Philadelphia emergency room on Sept. 25 under critical condition. He also took the moment to encourage people to put their health first.

I am home and recovering after a rough week  Turns out that I had DVT (deep vein thrombosis), which caused a pulmonary embolism, Lamont wrote in the caption of a post that included a photo of him in a hospital bed. Blood clots nearly completely blocked my lungs, preventing blood flow to my heart. The doctors told me that I was VERY lucky not to have died.

Marc Lamont Hill (Photo: Getty Images)

Lamont, who hosts Black News Channels Black News Tonight, said he received care at the Temple University Hospital. He is a graduate of and professor at the university in his hometown of Philadelphia.

The doctors accurately assessed my condition and removed the clots. My body is worn out and sore but I couldnt feel more grateful to be alive and on the path to full recovery, he said. Please listen to your bodies. If something feels off, GO TO THE DOCTOR.

Hill said that he is home recovering and also thanked his family and friends for standing by and supporting him through the scary situation.

On Sept. 24, Hill shared with his Instagram followers that he was finally getting surgery for a ruptured Achilles, stating that it should be light work.

But things seemed to have taken a scary turn when Hill updated followers just seven days later.

Despite Hills own account of the circumstances that led to his heart attack, anti-vaxxers began speculating about the role COVID-19 vaccination played in the blood clots he developed.

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Hill, who is fully vaccinated, shot down the commentators on Twitter, stating that the speculations are ridiculous and completely baseless.

For some, it is a cynical and dishonest claim. For others, its a lack of understanding of how medicine and science work, Hill said.

Im seeing videos and tweets from anti-vaxers saying that I developed blood clots from the vaccine. This is ridiculous and completely baseless. For some, it is a cynical and dishonest claim. For others, its a lack of understanding of how medicine and science work.  Marc Lamont Hill (@marclamonthill) September 30, 2021

Earlier this year, the CDC and FDA issued a temporary emergency pause in the administration of Johnson & Johnsons COVID-19 vaccine after a small number of recipients developed a rare type of blood clot. The vaccine was later determined to be safe and recommended for use by the public.

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The post Marc Lamont Hill speaks out after suffering mild heart attack: Please listen to your bodies appeared first on TheGrio.
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP)  RJ Martinez threw three touchdown passes and ran for another score to lead Northern Arizona to a 48-17 victory over Idaho State on Saturday.

Martinez completed 26 of 45 passes for 369 yards. Martinezs 41-yard touchdown run stretched the Lumberjacks lead to 30-7 early in the third quarter. Coleman Owen caught two touchdown passes that included an 80-yarder. Owen had four catches for 137 yards.

Jamal Glaspie caught a pair of touchdown passes, one each from Martinez and Jeff Widener, and finished with 11 receptions for 167 yards. Kevin Daniels added 118 yards rushing for Northern Arizona (2-3, 1-1 Big Sky Conference), which piled up 649 yards.

Hunter Hayes was 19-of-39 passing for 218 yards with a touchdown pass and three interceptions for Idaho State (0-4, 0-2).

___

More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25.

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North Korea said on Sunday (October 3) the UN Security Council applied double standards over military activities among U.N. member states, state media KCNA said.

It comes amid international criticism over its recent missile tests.

The Council met behind closed doors on Friday upon requests from the United States and other countries over the North's missile launches.

The meeting came a day after Pyongyang fired a newly developed anti-aircraft missile, the latest in a recent series of weapons tests.

They include the launches of a previously unseen hypersonic missile, ballistic missiles and a cruise missile with potential nuclear capabilities.

The North Korean foreign ministry's Department of International Organisations said the Security Council meeting means an encroachment on its sovereignty.

It accused the Council of double standards as it remains silent about U.S. joint military exercises and weapons tests with allies.

North Korea warned the council could face consequences if it continues to breach the North's sovereignty quote "with the double-dealing stick"

Pyongyang said in recent weeks that its weapons tests are aimed at boosting its defense capabilities.
North Korea on Sunday accused the United Nations Security Council of applying a double standard over the country's missile program and warned of "consequences it will bring in the future in case it tries to encroach upon the sovereignty, AP reports.

Driving the news: The statement followed an emergency closed-door meeting of the top UN body Friday, during which France expressed concern over North Korea's missile launches and proposed a ban on its ballistic missile firings.

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Jo accused the Security Council of a double-dealing standard because it doesn't take issue with weapons tests by the U.S. and its allies.

The backdrop: The isolated country resumed missile tests in September, after a six-month hiatus, per AP.

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Newport beach. Allen J. Schaben/Getty Images

A pipeline leak is believed to be the cause of an oil spill, The Los Angeles Times reported.

The 13-mile spill is off the coast of Newport Beach and Huntington Beach in Southern California.

The spill is expected to come ashore sometime Saturday night and officials warned against swimming.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

City officials in the city of Newport Beach, California, are warning residents not to swim at beaches after a large oil spill reported off the coast is expected to come ashore sometime Saturday night.

The Los Angeles Times reported that the 13-mile slick is believed to have originated from a pipeline leak. The spill stretches between Newport Beach and Huntington Beach.

Huntington Beach city officials also closed their beaches starting at around 7 p.m. local time.

-City of Huntington Beach (@CityofHBPIO) October 3, 2021

In a tweet, officials said they are closely monitoring the situation.

Kate Conrad of Beta Offshore, a Southern California oil producer, told the Times that the incident was reported around noon on Saturday and workers shut down the pipeline soon after. Crews also used pressurized equipment to retrieve oil, KABC reported.

The Coast Guard also said it was responding to the spill, as did California's Department of Fish and Wildlife in a tweet on Saturday afternoon.

CDFW did not respond to Insider's request for comment but spokesman Eric Laughlin told the Times that people shouldn't approach affected wildlife as it could cause more harm than good.

"Members of the public should avoid the oiled shoreline, as the area is unsafe and should only be cleaned by trained contractors," Laughlin told the Times.

Read the original article on Insider
Michael Gurven , CC BY-ND

Feeling under the weather? Chances are you or your doctor will grab a thermometer, take your temperature and hope for the familiar 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius) everyone recognizes as normal.

But what is normal and why does it matter? Despite the fixation on 98.6 F, clinicians recognize that there is no single universal normal body temperature for everyone at all times. Throughout the day, your body temperature can vary by as much as 1 F, at its lowest in the early morning and highest in the late afternoon. It changes when you are sick, goes up during and after exercise, varies across the menstrual cycle and varies between individuals. It also tends to decline with age.

In other words, body temperature is an indicator of whats going on within your body, like a metabolic thermostat.

An intriguing study from 2020 found that normal body temperature is about 97.5 F in Americans  at least those in Palo Alto, California, where the researchers took hundreds of thousands of temperature readings. That meant that in the U.S., normal body temperature has been dropping over the past 150 years. People run cooler today than they did two centuries ago.

The 98.6 F standard for normal body temperature was first established by the German physician Carl Wunderlich in 1867 after studying 25,000 people in Leipzig. But anecdotally, lower body temperatures in healthy adults have been widely reported. And a study in 2017 among 35,000 adults in the U.K. observed a lower average body temperature of 97.9 F.

What might cause these subtle but important changes? And are these provocative hints of changes in human physiology occurring only in urban, industrialized settings like the U.S. and U.K.?

One leading hypothesis is that thanks to improved hygiene, sanitation and medical treatment, people today experience fewer of the infections that would trigger higher body temperatures. In our study, we were able to test that idea directly in a unique setting: among Tsimane horticulturalist-foragers of the Bolivian Amazon.

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Tracking temperature in the Tsimane

The Tsimane live in a remote area with little access to modern amenities, and we know from firsthand experience that infections are common  from the common cold to intestinal worms to tuberculosis. Having worked with the Tsimane studying a variety of topics related to health and aging for two decades, our team had a rich opportunity to observe whether body temperatures were similarly declining in this tropical environment where infections are common.

medical workers interview a Tsimane woman

As part of our ongoing Tsimane Health and Life History Project, a mobile team of Bolivian physicians and researchers has been traveling from village to village monitoring health while treating patients. They record clinical diagnoses and lab measures of infection at each patient visit.

When we first started working in Bolivia back in 2002, Tsimane body temperatures were similar to what was found in Germany and the U.S. two centuries ago: averaging at 98.6 F. But over a relatively short period of 16 years, we observed a rapid decline in average body temperature in this population. The decline is steep: 0.09 F per year. Today Tsimane body temperatures are roughly 97.7 F.

In other words, in less than two decades were seeing about the same level of decline as that observed in the U.S. over approximately two centuries. We can say this with confidence, as our analysis is based on a large sample (about 18,000 observations of almost 5,500 adults), and we statistically control for multiple other factors that might affect body temperature, like ambient temperature and body mass.

More importantly, while having certain ailments, like respiratory or skin infections, was associated with higher body temperature during a medical visit, adjusting for these infections did not account for the steep decline in body temperature over time.

A clear drop, unclear why

So why have body temperatures decreased over time, both for Americans and Tsimane? Fortunately, we had data available from our long-term research in Bolivia to address some possibilities.

For example, declines might be due to the rise of modern health care and lower rates of lingering mild infections now compared to in the past. But while it may be the case that health has generally improved in Bolivia over the past two decades, infections are still widespread among the Tsimane. Our results suggest that reduced incidence of infection alone cant explain the observed body temperature declines.

It could be that people are in better condition, and so their bodies dont need to work as hard to fight infection. Or more access to antibiotics and other treatments means that duration of infection is lower now than in the past. Its also possible that greater use of certain medications like ibuprofen or aspirin may reduce inflammation and be reflected in the lower temperatures. However, while lab measures of system-wide inflammation were associated with higher body temperature during patient visits, accounting for this in our analyses did not affect our estimate of the amount that body temperature declined per year.

Tsimane man and boys after fishing.

Another possible explanation for the historical declines in body temperature is that bodies now dont need to work as much to regulate internal body temperature because of air conditioners in the summer and heaters in the winter. While Tsimane body temperatures do change with the time of year and weather patterns, the Tsimane dont use any advanced technology to regulate their body temperature. They do, however, have more access to clothes and blankets than they previously did.

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Understanding why body temperatures are declining remains an open question for scientists to explore. Whatever the reason, though, we can confirm that body temperatures are below 98.6 F outside of places like the U.S. and U.K.  even in rural and tropical areas with minimal public health infrastructure, where infections are still the major killers.

We hope that our findings inspire more studies about how improved conditions might lower body temperature. As its fast and easy to measure, body temperature might one day prove to be a simple but useful indicator, like life expectancy, that provides new insight into population health.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. It was written by: Michael Gurven, University of California Santa Barbara and Thomas Kraft, University of California Santa Barbara.

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Michael Gurven receives funding from National Institutes of Health / National Institute on Aging.

Thomas Kraft does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
The Daily Beast

La Plata County Sheriff/HandoutA Colorado dad convicted of murdering his son after the 13-year-old discovered photos of him in womens underwear eating feces from a diaper has been sentenced to 48 years in prison.Mark Redwine, 59, was found guilty of second-degree murder and child abuse in July after he killed his son, Dylan, inside his Durango, Colorado, home on Nov. 18, 2012. The teen was on a court-ordered visit for Thanksgiving when Redwine snapped after him and his older brotherafter the p
Major power outages across Puerto Rico have surged in recent weeks, fueling anger and fear among residents affected by a situation that the government has called a "crass failure," AP reports.

The big picture: The energy company Luma took over the U.S. territory's power transmission and distribution system on June 1. Since then, customers have complained of an increase in outages.

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The electric company has a 15-year contract with Puerto Rico's government and serves nearly 1.5 million customers.

Puerto Ricans have protested the privatization of the island's electrical grid since the move was announced in 2018, writes Miami Herald.

Driving the news: Hundreds of Puerto Ricans gathered outside of the governor's mansion in San Juan on Friday, angered by the now-daily outages that residents have likened to the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, per the Miami Herald.

What they're saying: "Every time the power goes out here it pushes your post-traumatic stress button," Manuel Casellas, an attorney who recently served as president of an 84-unit condominium complex, told AP. "You can't live without electricity."

"This has turned into abuse," said Carmen Cabrer, a 53-year-old Puerto Rico resident, about the outages, per AP. "I'm constantly tense."

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A pregnant 15-year-old girl underwent an ultrasound on stage during an anti-abortion rights protest in Mexico City Sunday, where some 10,000 demonstrators prayed and shouted slogans amid the spectacle.

The March for Women and Life, which wound from the Paseo de la Reforma to a rally in front of the city's iconic Angel of Independence monument, was made up mainly of Catholic groups pushing back after last month's Supreme Court ruling that would decriminalize abortion in Mexico.

"The government ... is elevating the right to abortion as a right to kill," 56-year-old protester Alma Bello told AFP. "It worries us a lot, because it is not the feeling of a majority of Mexicans."

A stretcher was rolled out onto the rally stage for gynecologist Fernando Urquiza to perform an ultrasound on 15-year-old Ana, who is 38 weeks pregnant.

Images of the inside of the teenager's uterus were broadcast on huge screens on either side of the stage, accompanied by cheers and applause from the crowd.

"All good to go, ready to be born," pronounced the doctor, who said he was "very excited" to be part of the display.

When asked how she was feeling during the exam, Ana replied only that she was "fine."

Meanwhile, a rally announcer told Ana the event was "the biggest baby shower I have ever seen."

Alison Gonzalez, a Catholic activist and head of Steps for Life, the group that organized the march, said the gathering was not meant as a response to any particular event -- such as the Supreme Court ruling -- but rather as a show of "national support for women."

"We need policies that reconcile the professional with the maternal, that make sure we can return home safely, that help us move forward in the face of an unwanted pregnancy," 26-year-old Gonzalez told AFP.

"Legal or illegal, abortion must be out of the question, because women deserve so much more," she said.

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In a highly orchestrated move, groups arrived in buses from far-flung cities such as Morelos in central Mexico and Jalisco in the west -- attendees all carrying hundreds of banners, scarves and signs in the signature light blue color of the international "pro-life" movement.

Some factions prayed Hail Marys together, while others shouted chants such as "Legal or illegal, abortion still kills!"

jla/dga/caw/st
Progressives have shown they won't budge on what they want. But how they get there is now up for negotiation, the head of the Congressional Progressive Caucus said Sunday.

Why it matters: Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) said her group may not get the $3.5 trillion in social spending it held out for last week, but it's also not settling for the $1.5 trillion pushed by Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.). Adjusting the durations of some new programs  rather than cutting them altogether  may bridge the gap.

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"What we have said from the beginning is, it's never been about the price tag; it's about what we want to deliver. The price tag comes out of that," Jayapal said on CNN's "State of the Union."

"Our idea now is to look at how you make [programs] funded for a little bit of a shorter time."

Clean-energy standards may have to be financed for a 10-year period to encourage business investment, she said. Other programs like free child care and community college may be funded for shorter terms that future presidents and Congress' can extend.

There's a broader debate inside the Democratic Party about whether to trim the scope of individual programs, cut some altogether or, as Jayapal suggested, dial back their duration. That's a way of establishing services that can then be continued down the road.

Critics argue it's better to fund a few programs for longer periods than dilute the government's ability to deliver too many services.

"We will consult with Congress," Cedric Richmond, a senior adviser to President Biden and a former lawmaker, said when asked about the intra-party debate on NBC's "Meet the Press."

The $3.5 trillion bill that fell apart in the House is aimed at "soft" infrastructure, including a massive expansion of the federal safety net. It would be a companion to a $1.2 trillion "hard" infrastructure bill  already passed by the Senate  that's primarily focused on improving roads and bridges.

Jayapal hasn't gotten the ink of Manchin and other lawmakers but she's been equally setting the terms of the infrastructure debate. She refused Sunday to get drawn into giving a top-line price tag for the progressives' priorities.

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"I don't feel the need to give a number, because I gave my number. It was $3.5 [trillion].

As for the $1.5 trillion favored by Manchin: "Well, that's not going to happen," she said.

"It's going to be somewhere between $1.5 [trillion] and $3.5 [trillion]. And I think the White House is working on that right now, because, remember, what we want to deliver is child care, paid leave, climate change, housing."

The congresswoman was clear on two other points.

She won't support means-testing for expanded benefits, arguing it creates unnecessary bureaucracy.

She also won't submit to Manchin's demand that any final bill prohibits federal funding for abortion.

"That is nobody's business. It is our business, as people that carry the babies," she said.

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Revocat Karemangingo was the treasurer of the refugee association in Mozambique

A prominent member of the Rwandan refugee community in Mozambique, who had told police there was a plot to kill him, has been shot dead.

Revocat Karemangingo had been a lieutenant in the Rwandan army that was overthrown in 1994 by forces led by President Paul Kagame.

In Mozambique he became a businessman and was not involved in politics, the leader of the refugee community said.

The Rwandan government has been accused of targeting opponents living abroad.

It has consistently denied the allegation.

Mr Karemangingo, who was the treasurer of the Rwandan refugee association, was driving to his home near the Mozambican capital, Maputo, when his car was ambushed on Monday.

He was shot nine times, police said.

No-one has been arrested so far and the police do not yet have a motive for the killing.

'Targeted in 2016'

Mr Karemangingo had warned the authorities that there were people with links to Rwanda who were plotting to kill him, refugee association chairman Cleophas Habiyaremye told the BBC.

The Rwandan high commissioner in Mozambique was not immediately available for comment.

A previous plan to kill him in 2016 was foiled as he had unexpectedly changed the vehicle he was travelling in, Mr Habiyaremye added.

Mr Karemangingo was among the suspects in the 2019 killing of another Rwandan refugee, Louis Baziga, who was at the time the leader of the Rwandan community in Mozambique.

But he was cleared of involvement in that killing and played no role in Rwandan politics, Mr Habiyaremye said.

The death of Mr Karemangingo comes three months after the arrest by Mozambican police of Cassien Ntamuhanga, a former journalist turned opposition activist who had escaped from prison in Rwanda. He has since been held incommunicado.

Three weeks ago there was an attempt on the life of the secretary of the refugee association, the chairman said.

Human rights organisations have consistently accused Rwanda of targeting or killing opposition members abroad who are involved in - or perceived to be involved in - activities against the government.

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The Rwandan government has also accused some Rwandan refugees of carrying out or financing activities aimed at destabilising the country.

In neighbouring South Africa, a leading Rwandan opposition politician Seif Bamporiki was shot dead in February.

Rwanda's former intelligence chief Patrick Karegeya was murdered in a hotel room in Johannesburg in 2014.

Former army chief Gen Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa was shot and wounded in the same city in 2010.

Rwanda's government has always dismissed suggestions that it was involved in any of these killings or attempted killings.
Associated Press

Thirteen years after Vermont lost the ignominious distinction of being the only state in the continental United States without any breeding pairs of bald eagles, the state is moving to remove the iconic national symbol from its list of threatened and endangered species. Since 2008 the number of breeding eagles have grown to where, last year, biologists discovered 64 young eagles in the state and more than 75 were found in a recovery region, which includes portions of New Hampshire and New York. Removing the eagles from the state list was the culmination of decades of work at the state, regional and national level that benefitted a number of other species of birds and other animals, said Mark Scott, the director of wildlife for the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah Everard by a London police officer bring to the fore a "culture of misogyny" in British police forces, activists and policing experts say, per CNN.

Context: A police watchdog is investigating five serving officers and one former officer from London's Metropolitan Police for their alleged involvement in "misogynistic, racist and homophobic" WhatsApp group messages with Everard's killer, the Independent notes.

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A woman is arrested at a vigil for Sarah Everard in March in London. Male officers were accused of"grabbing and manhandling" women during the arrests, which they said were to enforce pandemic laws. Photo: Kristian Buus/In Pictures via Getty Images

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is also investigating allegations that the Metropolitan Police failed to properly examine reports of Wayne Couzens allegedly exposing himself to other women days before he killed Everard, London's Evening Standard reports.

It's also investigating Kent Police for another indecent exposure event that Couzens, who was sentenced Thursday to life in prison, was accused of in 2015, according to the Standard.

And it's investigating reports that Couzens was referred to by colleagues as "the rapist" for the way he made women feel uncomfortable, iNews notes.

Meanwhile, North Yorkshire Police Commissioner Philip Allott sparked calls to resign after he told the BBC on Friday that women "need to be streetwise about when they can be arrested and when they can't be arrested, adding that Everard "should never have been arrested and submitted to that."

He later apologized for being "insensitive" and said he wished to retract his statement.

The big picture: "At least 16 serving or former police officers have killed women" in the past 13 years, notes the Femicide Census, an organization that collects data on women killed by men.

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"Police officers and staff across the U.K. were reported for alleged domestic abuse almost 700 times in the three years up to April 2018," per the Bureau of Investigative Journalism investigation.

Russell Findlay, a member of Scottish Parliament, alleges in the Sunday Times that "misogynistic bullying, sex discrimination and sexual predators are as much a problem in Police Scotlands ranks as the Met's, with the important caveat of the majority of officers being diligent and decent."

What they're saying: Brian Paddick, who served as deputy assistant commissioner in London's police, told the BBC "a series" of recent allegations "about inappropriate behavior by Metropolitan Police officers" points to "a sign of a wider cultural problem" and "widespread sexism within the force."

Zoe Billingham, who formerly served with an agency responsible for the inspection of police forces in the U.K., told Sky News: 'We need to stamp out in policing these misogynistic attitudes."

For the record: Metropolitan Police chief Cressida Dick, who's faced calls to resign over the fallout from the Everard case, apologized following Couzens' sentencing and acknowledged that trust in police "has been damaged."

She said after Everard's killer pleaded guilty last month: "I have 44,000 people working in the Met. Sadly, some of them are abused at home, for example, and sadly, on occasion, I have a bad 'un."

Police Scotland Deputy Chief Constable Fiona Taylor said discrimination "of any kind is deplorable and unacceptable" and that progress had been made, but there's "work to do," according to the Courier.

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RIYHADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia confirmed on Sunday it had held its first round of direct talks with Iran's new government last month, part of a process begun earlier this year to reduce tension between the Gulf's rival Sunni and Shi'ite Muslim powers.

The longtime foes who severed ties in 2016 began talks in April, at a time when Washington and Tehran were discussing reviving a nuclear pact that Riyadh and its allies had opposed.

Three rounds of Saudi-Iranian talks were held in Iraq in the months before Iran's new hardline president, Ebrahim Raisi, took office in August.

Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud said the latest round had taken place on Sept. 21. He did not give the location of the meeting. The date coincides with a speech by Raisi at the U.N. General Assembly in New York.

"These discussions are still in the exploratory phase. We hope they will provide a basis to address unresolved issues between the two sides and we will strive and work to realise that," he told a joint news conference.

Saudi Arabia and Iran have backed opposing sides in regional conflicts and political disputes in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq for years, and Saudi Arabia has led an Arab coalition waging war against the Iran-aligned Houthi movement in Yemen since 2015.

Riyadh and Tehran have both said they hope the talks can ease tensions, while playing down expectations of a major diplomatic breakthrough. Iran did not immediately comment on the Sept. 21 round of talks. Riyadh has said it would judge the government of Raisi by the reality on the ground.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump abandoned the agreement under which Iran had accepted curbs to its nuclear programme in return for the lifting of sanctions. Tehran responded by violating some of its terms.

Indirect talks involving the United States and Iran on reviving that pact were put on hold in June and have yet to resume under Raisi. Western powers have urged Iran to return to the negotiations.

Prince Faisal was speaking during a visit to Riyadh by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who said he had briefed his partners on the prospects for restarting the nuclear talks.

(Reporting by Raya Jalabi in Riyadh and Aziz El Yaakoubi in Dubai; Writing by Ghaida Ghantous)
By Saurabh Sharma

LUCKNOW (Reuters) - Six people were killed when violence broke out in India's Uttar Pradesh state on Sunday after a car linked to a federal minister ran over two farmers taking part in a protest against controversial farm laws.

Farmers alleged the car was owned by the son of Ajay Mishra, who serves as India's junior home minister. The two farmers who were hit were killed, they said.

Mishra said his son was not present at the incident, but that a car driven by "our driver" had lost control and hit the farmers after "miscreants" pelted stones at the car and attacked it with sticks and sword.

"If my son would've been there, he wouldn't have come out alive," told Reuters TV partner ANI.

In subsequent clashes, three members of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, a driver and two other farmers were killed, according to party and police officials. The violence broke out in the Lakhimpur Kheri district, about 130 km (81 miles) north of the state's capital Lucknow.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's office said an investigating was under way.

The incident sparked further protests and road blockades in some parts of the state and prompted an outcry on social media from opposition leaders.

A number of national and regional opposition leaders were set to visit the families of the victims on Monday.

In India's longest-running agricultural protest, tens of thousands of farmers have camped for months on major highways to New Delhi to oppose the three laws. They say the legislation will erode a longstanding mechanism that gives farmers a minimum guaranteed price for their rice and wheat.

The government says the laws will help growers get better prices.

The protests have gained momentum in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the state assembly election next year, with a group of influential farmer leaders ratchet up pressure on Prime Minister Narendra Mode's government to roll back the laws.

(Reporting by Saurabh Sharma in Lucknow; writing by Abhirup Roy; editing by Philippa Fletcher)
MILAN (Reuters) - A small private plane crashed into an empty building on the outskirts of Milan, northern Italy, on Sunday, killing all eight people onboard, police said.

The plane, which took off from Milan's Linate city airport, was headed for the island of Sardinia, officials said.

The crash occurred just outside a suburban metro station.

People in the area could hear a blast when the plane collided with the two-story building, which was empty at the time as it was being renovated.

Flames and smoke shot in the air and several vehicles parked along the street caught fire, witnesses said, but no other casualties were reported.

(Reporting by Agnieszka Flak; Editing by Peter Graff)
Remote work. Illustrated | iStock

COVID-19 has changed how and where people work. What is the future of employment? Here's everything you need to know:

How did COVID affect jobs?

The pandemic enormously accelerated existing trends such as remote work, automation-based job displacement, and the widening opportunity gap between highly educated employees and those without a college degree. The decline in workforce participation from February 2020 to February 2021 exceeded that of the Great Recession, and people who kept their jobs often had to do them differently. At the height of the COVID pandemic, more than half of North America's labor force did their jobs remotely, double the number from a year earlier. People working at home saw their workday grow an average of 48 minutes longer, a Harvard Business School study found, and data from Microsoft Teams detected a 148 percent surge in the amount of time employees spent in video meetings. In recent months, the Delta variant's spread has quashed many companies' plans for a fall return to the office: Facebook, Apple, and Google are among the companies that have pushed back reopening their headquarters until at least January 2022.

How is the job market now?

It's in the midst of a major transition. Employers are dealing with the "Great Resignation": In the second quarter of 2021, Labor Department data show, 11.5 million Americans quit their jobs, and by July, 8.4 million potential workers were jobless even as a record 10.9 million positions remained open. Recent surveys conducted by Gallup, Microsoft, and Adobe have found that between a third and a half of workers are looking to quit or change jobs. For many, this appears to be connected to burnout and dissatisfaction: 37 percent of global respondents to a survey released by Microsoft's Work Trend Index said their bosses expected too much of them during the pandemic. There's also what management consultant Tim Brackney calls the "Great Mismatch" between job seekers' preferences and skill sets and what employers want. One McKinsey study estimates that major changes in the economy during the pandemic will force 17 million American workers to find new occupations.

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How will workplaces operate now?

It will vary widely from company to company. A few tech companies, including Slack and Dropbox, have adopted "virtual-first" policies and will expect most of their employees to work remotely. A LinkedIn poll found that 87 percent of workers would prefer to stay remote for at least part of the week even after the pandemic ends. Remote work has saved former commuters an average of $248 a month, and more than 14 million Americans surveyed by freelancing platform Upwork said they were considering moving to a cheaper or less crowded place. Still, a "hybrid" model is likely to dominate most of corporate America: In one PricewaterhouseCoopers survey, a plurality of employers said a typical employee should be in the office at least three days a week. More than two-thirds of workers polled by insurance and financial company Prudential in March agreed that a hybrid model would be ideal.

Is hybrid better than remote?

Many employers and management experts say there are big downsides to having a fully remote workforce. Having virtually no in-person contact with co-workers limits spontaneous conversation, makes collaboration more difficult, and weakens the bond workers feel with one another and the company. Research indicates that remote workers are less likely to get in touch with new employees or those outside of their teams. One study by productivity consulting firm Time Is Ltd. found that those hired during the pandemic made 17 percent fewer connections with co-workers than previous new hires. A 2014 Stanford study conducted at a large, multinational Chinese company found that remote employees had a 50 percent lower promotion rate after 21 months than their in-office colleagues. Prudential executive Rob Falzon attributes the spike in job hunting to a "disassociation" from company culture. "Business in any form is a social phenomenon," said Oxford University psychologist Robin Dunbar. "Without face-to-face engagement, the 'flow' that makes things work, and work fast, will be missing." Some types of jobs, however, required in-person work during most or all of the pandemic.

Which jobs were these?

Health-care and service workers such as restaurant workers, retail staff, mass transit operators, and cops and firefighters. The pandemic has produced what Stanford economist Nicholas Bloom calls a "two-tier economy" of remote workers and those whose jobs require in-person interaction, often in COVID-unsafe conditions. A report from the American Psychological Association revealed that nearly one-third of essential workers reported declines in their mental health, and one-quarter were diagnosed with mental disorders since the beginning of the pandemic. These workers were among the first participants in the Great Resignation, citing low pay, heavy workloads, hazardous conditions, and stressful, sometimes hostile interactions with the public. "We didn't sign up to be sacrificial lambs," one anonymous Albuquerque, New Mexico, nurse who quit her job in April told NBC News. "You don't send soldiers to war without a gun and expect them to do their job, but you are doing that to us."

The ongoing 'she-cession'

About 4.2 million women left the labor force during the first wave of the pandemic in 2020, and for many, their careers haven't recovered. Those with young children found themselves in a no-win situation: Even if they avoided layoffs, the demands of child care combined with the closure of schools and day-care centers made sustained work difficult or impossible. Women have primarily borne most of the burden of caring for preschool-aged children, and once the pandemic closed schools and day-care centers, mothers of children between ages 2 and 6 became more than four times as likely to leave the workforce as fathers. Multiple surveys indicate that men are more likely to return to office work than women, and for more days. That may deal a further blow to women's careers, with a survey showing that 64 percent of managers believe that office workers outperform remote workers. "It's not a question of whether women are set back in the workplace," said Elizabeth Gedmark of the workplace-justice advocacy group A Better Balance. "It's a question of how far back will we go: 10 years, 15 years, 20 years?"

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As the world nears two years after the first reported cases of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, there's still a lot more we don't know about SARS-CoV-2's origins than we do know.

Why it matters: Accurately determining the causes of COVID-19 will go a long way toward informing what can and should be done to prevent the next pandemic.

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Driving the news: Earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal reported the WHO is reviving its stalled investigation into the origins of COVID-19, while a separate academic task force looking into the same question was disbanded over concerns about bias.

At this point, there is no smoking gun in favor of either of the two main theories  that SARS-CoV-2 emerged in animals before spreading to people, or that it originated in lab work done at the Wuhan Institute of Virology  but plenty of circumstantial evidence for both.

What they're saying: On Thursday morning, Science magazine convened a rare roundtable featuring scientists from both sides of the debate.

A major problem is "we can't really say how the virus got to Wuhan," said Jesse Bloom, an evolutionary biologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, adding there is "not a high, or any natural prevalence of viruses closely related to SARS-CoV-2 in Wuhan."

That fact  and that the Wuhan Institute of Virology was working with samples taken from bats that have a high risk of harboring COVID-like coronaviruses  "is why I continue to think a lab leak is highly probable," Bloom said.

The other side: Michael Worobey, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Arizona, argued there were "so many more opportunities for non-research-connected activity to bring these viruses" to Wuhan, such as via China's robust wildlife trade.

The political disputes between the U.S. and China have also made it hard to fairly judge the origins, argued Linfa Wang, a professor at Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore.

"You're guilty because you're in Wuhan," he said. "That's it."

The bottom line: With time running out to gather more evidence  and the Chinese government stonewalling further efforts  the chance of finding a definitive answer is dwindling.

But one lesson for the future is clear, as Bloom put it: "We need more transparency."

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I learned a lesson when conducting research for my book, Family Papers: a Sephardic Journey Through the Twentieth Century. I had discovered the story of a young Jewish man forgotten to history until now, a story that taught me that neither cultural affiliation nor family history is a reliable predictor of future behavior. In short, identity is not destiny, and all of us can fall prey to the tides of history.

Vital Hasson was a native of Thessaloniki, Greece, a cultural capital of the Sephardic Jewish world and a city that once boasted a majority Jewish population, who knew their home as Salonica. He came from an educated, middle-class family of journalists, writers, educators and political leaders.

But Hasson diverged, fatally, from his familys enlightened values.

Hasson became intoxicated by a populist regime and chose to be swept up by its violence, its false promises, its hatred. He used a position of power to degrade the vulnerable. He was publicly denounced by family for his excesses. After the Second World War, Hasson was the only Jew in all of Europe to be tried and executed by a state, Greece, for collaborating with the Nazi occupiers.

Less than nothing

Hassons family, like most of the Sephardic Jews of Salonica, were descended from Jews expelled from Iberia in the 15th century who spoke and wrote in a Judeo-Spanish language known as Ladino. For five centuries, they called the Ottoman Empire, southeastern Europe and Salonica home.

But before the war he was not important, less than nothing, according to one of the dozens of Jewish survivors who would subsequently testify against him.

When his city was still Ottoman, in the 1870s and 1890s, his great-grandfather introduced the first French- and Ladino-language newspapers to Salonica, chronicling and shaping modernity as it was experienced by southeastern European Jews.

In time, war redrew borders around the family, transforming them from Ottomans to Greeks. Emigration pulled them in many directions, with cousins relocating to England, France, Spain, Portugal, India and Brazil. Hasson himself moved to Palestine for a time, returning to his native town in 1933.

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Then, war came, transforming Hasson from a nonentity to an important person.

Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Family Papers: A Sephardic Journey Through the Twentieth Century , Author provided

Hassons depravity

Four generations of Hassons family were living in Salonica when German forces occupied the city in April 1941. Two years later, Hasson assumed the position of head of the Jewish police of Salonica under ambiguous circumstances.

The position gave him authority over about 200 unarmed men, all local Jews. Among Hassons first acts was to volunteer himself as a human bounty hunter, exceeding his charge.

In May 1943, he crossed from German-occupied Greece into Italian-occupied Greece in pursuit of Salonican Jews fleeing the Nazis, whom he was uniquely qualified to identify. His efforts were thwarted, but it hinted at the lengths he was willing to go to satisfy those in power.

When a ghetto was created within Salonica by the Nazis, the depth of Hassons depravity made itself known. The Baron Hirsch ghetto, one of two areas in which all Jews were concentrated, existed from March to August 1943, by which time Nazi officials completed the deportation of Greek Jewry.

Lion let out of a cage

Within the ghettos wooden walls, which were surrounded by barbed wire and control towers, more than 2,000 Jewish women, men, and children were crammed into 593 rooms. Disease and crime were rampant.

A 23-year-old German SS officer was technically in charge of the Baron Hirsch ghetto. But Hasson appears to have been granted great latitude to execute Nazi orders on the ground. Recollections of Hassons actions, which swirl through Greek-, Hebrew-, Ladino- and English-language survivor testimony, are nightmarish.

Hasson, it was said, raced through the ghetto in a horse-drawn carriage, and made his fellow Jews sweep the streets. He strutted about, using the glistening boots of the occupiers to knock down both doors and people. He stole from the imprisoned, carrying around the ghetto an open bag into which women and men were expected to place what jewels or money they had managed to hang on to. And he identified young men to be inducted into forced labor.

In the words of one survivor, a woman by the name of Bouena Sarfatty, He was like a lion let out of a cage.

Hasson reserved particular cruelty for girls and women. He forced them to strip naked, searched their genitals for hidden money, sheared their hair, raped them and pimped them to others.

To protest her forced marriage to Hassons brother Dino, who long harbored an obsession with the young woman, Sarika Gategno wore the same dress for three months and consumed nothing but alcohol and cigarettes.

Salonica emptied of Jews

From March to August 1943, Nazi overseers directed 19 transports of Salonicas Jews, totaling 48,533 souls, to depart from the train station adjacent to the Baron Hirsch ghetto. One of these trains would head for the concentration camp of Bergen-Belsen; 18 for Auschwitz.

The journey to Auschwitz took between five and eight grueling days. Nearly all the Salonican Jews brought there were gassed upon arrival.

On Aug. 2, a special deportation carried away the families of Salonicas wartime Jewish community leadership (including the Jewish police) to the concentration camp at Bergen-Belsen. Before his own deportation, on this very train to Bergen-Belsen, Hassons father publicly disowned his son, who yet remained in Salonica.

By August 1943, Salonica, like Greece as a whole, had been virtually emptied of Jews by the Nazis.

On trial

Hasson himself arranged to flee eastward with his wife, daughter and pregnant lover in August 1943.

Several times in the dramatic, confused weeks and months that followed, he was recognized by Jewish refugees from Salonica (in Albania, Italy and Egypt) and arrested by Allied representatives, but amidst the chaos of war Hasson repeatedly escaped or was released.

Finally, upon the liberation of Greece in October 1944, the British captured him and returned Hasson to Greece for trial. In the summer of 1946 that trial, a sensational event that gripped the city of Thessaloniki and the Salonican Jewish diaspora, resulted in a guilty verdict. Hasson was sentenced to death and executed.

Jews across the political spectrum, from Bernie Sanders to Benjamin Netanyahu, claim to seek inspiration in Jewish tradition to explain and propel their political values.

But cultural inheritance does not necessarily determine a persons behavior or destiny. And Jewish history ought not be sanitized. What Hassons story teaches is that under the right circumstances, the politics of hate are seductive, even to those who might otherwise be a target.

[ Youre smart and curious about the world. So are The Conversations authors and editors. You can get our highlights each weekend. ]

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. It was written by: Sarah Abrevaya Stein, University of California, Los Angeles.

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Sarah Abrevaya Stein does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
The situation in Western Sahara has "significantly deteriorated" over the past year, the UN Secretary-General has said, citing the resumption of hostilities between Morocco and the Polisario independence movement in the disputed territory.

Morocco views Western Sahara as an integral part of its territory, but the Polisario -- recognized internationally as the representative of the Sahrawi people -- has long sought independence.

The "resumption of hostilities between Morocco and Frente POLISARIO is a major setback toward the achievement of a political solution," Antonio Guterres said in a report submitted to the Security Council.

"There remains a clear risk of escalation while hostilities persist," he added in the report, not yet published and obtained by AFP on Saturday.

"I therefore call on the parties to de-escalate the situation and immediately cease hostilities."

Guterres said the two sides must agree on the appointment of a UN envoy to restart political dialogue on Western Sahara.

The Polisario fought a war of independence with Morocco from 1975 until a UN-brokered ceasefire in 1991.

The conflict has continued to simmer, and has been without an emissary since May 2019, with all candidates proposed by Guterres rejected by one side or the other.

In his report, Guterres noted that in November 2020, the Polisario had announced -- after incidents with Morocco -- that it no longer felt committed to the ceasefire.

In December 2020, then-president Donald Trump broke with previous US positions and recognized Morocco's sovereignty over the whole of Western Sahara.

President Joe Biden has yet to comment on that move.

At the end of August, Algeria -- Morocco's neighbor and rival, and a key backer of the Polisario -- broke off diplomatic relations with Rabat, particularly over Western Sahara.

Polisario wants a UN referendum on self-determination, while Morocco -- which controls more than two-thirds of the former Spanish colony -- has proposed a plan for Polisario autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty.

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Time to celebrate! (Maybe not at the French Laundry.) Photo: Bing Guan/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The California recall is over, and it did not provide much suspense. But while voters verdict was clear, the significance of Gavin Newsoms win for the national landscape is less obvious. I spoke with national political correspondent Gabriel Debenedetti about how to interpret what went down in the Golden State.

Ben: In the end, it wasnt close: Governor Gavin Newsom romped to victory in Tuesdays California recall over his closest rival, Larry Elder, and a motley assortment of other Republicans. Hes up by 28 points as of this writing, so its very far from the close call Democrats were worried about a few weeks ago. Do you think this was ever actually a contest, or more a case of one poll leading people astray? (Or was that one scary poll the central reason this turned into such a landslide, since Democrats started paying attention?)

Gabriel: There were several distinct stages to this race. When I first wrote about it a few months ago, the prevailing feeling  even among Republicans  was, more or less, This is ridiculous; Newsom will win easily. All polling suggested that was the case, and there was no single dynamic on the ground hinting otherwise, even if people werent happy that COVID was stilllll around. No one actually thought that was Newsoms fault!

But this summer, there was a definite concern in Dem circles, even in the White House. Theres been a bit of revisionist history already that one single poll showing the recall succeeding caused this epochal freakout that led to a surge in Dem votes. Thats not totally true; it is true that warning signs started flashing for Newsom a few months ago. That SurveyUSA poll was one thing. But there were plenty of other surveys, public and private, showing Republicans faaaar more engaged and showing Newsom failing to fully connect with Latino voters, for example, or with many base liberals in the LA area. All the coverage of those polls absolutely helped get people engaged  no one in Newsom World denies that.

But they also usually hasten to say that this is an oversimplification, and I suspect theyre right: In some ways, this pattern is only natural for a weirdly timed special election driven by right-wing partisans in a blue state. Newsoms team started putting out organizers and ads, and things turned around. Duh.

Ben: Sorry to contribute to the revisionist history. I am not a revisionist by nature.

Gabriel: If on-the-ground reporting is the first draft of history, Slack chats for publication are the first-and-a-half draft.

Ben: Naturally, political observers are trying to figure out whether and how this result will have national implications, particularly for next years midterms. Some people seem to be shoehorning in a previously baked take that the recall itself is a bad sign for Democrats; others view the landslide as a warning sign for a Republican Party that has gotten used to rallying around, for lack of a better word, kooks. But is there really much to extrapolate here, or is this a local story that only seems like a national one?

Gabriel: All of the above, of course! Its not, though, a local story. I think Newsoms ex-campaign manager Addisu Demissie was right when he said on Twitter last night, Before anyone starts with the California isnt America but tonight let me preempt with the fact that 1 in 8 Americans lives here. Which, yeah, good point, Addisu.

Im not sure what this portends for the midterms, except that Newsom executed a pretty obvious playbook pretty effectively: If youre in a fairly Democratic-leaning area and your opponent is willing to paint him/herself as Trump 2.0, you lean into that. Seems obvious, and Newsom did it to great effect.

Im really struggling with all the takes that this is a warning sign for Democrats. Sorry, but the Democratic governor of California steamrolls a right-wing provocateur and we read it as Dems in disarray? Come on. Thats national media at its eye-rolliest.

That said, there are probably a decent number of lessons to be learned from how Californians think about COVID and Newsoms masking and vaccination policies. This was the first real supposedly competitive state-level race where someone who was in charge of a COVID response faced an up-or-down vote since the pandemic started. And it turns out this mass backlash just  isnt happening. That doesnt mean there isnt a lot of discontent in California  over lockdowns but also over the housing crisis, homelessness, wildfires, and on and on. Just that when it comes to the undisputed most important issue of the day, Newsom won largely by saying, again and again, Im taking this seriously.

Ben: Right. We should say that this whole recall was really made possible by Newsoms big unforced error on COVID  dining at the French Laundry in contravention of his pandemic safety measures. But it seems a bit of personal hypocrisy wasnt the silver bullet Republicans were hoping for. I also think this points to the difficulty in forecasting what this means for next year. Beyond the long time lag, who knows whether the pandemic will finally have receded, or whether it will still be issue No. 1?

Gabriel: Right, yes, absolutely. Im old enough to remember when the midterms were going to be all about Dr. Seuss, or something. That said, COVID completely changed the way we live and think and consume around the world, so even if the midterm question isnt Did Politician X handle lockdown and mask policy the right way?, its hard to conceive of a world where the experience of the past two years isnt fairly central to voters decision-making.

Then again, how many voters in 2014 made their decision based on the Ebola scare? In 2018, how many were terrified by the migrant caravan? Which is all a way of saying: Were still building the fundamental landscape of the midterms, not the final marginal issues.

It can be frustrating, though, to look at this purely through that lens. We can also take more direct lessons from this for governances sake. Turns out voters like it when you address the pandemic head-on and dont when you pretend its over. Newsoms personal hypocrisy hurt him, obviously, but he got past it by making the race about policy and warning that if Elder were to win, Californias COVID policy would start to look like Texass or Floridas, which are hands-off and scary.

Ben: What does it say about the current state of the Republican party that there were all these qualified-on-paper candidates, like former San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer (as well as an international celebrity in Caitlyn Jenner), and voters rallied around a conservative talk-radio host?

Gabriel: Elders rise isnt that shocking to me, after spending some time on the ground in California. He was decently well known in the southern part of the state, got a lot of play on Fox News, and enjoyed throwing Trump fans the kind of red meat they wanted. Thats enough to get ahead of the other Republicans, but clearly not enough to win over any moderates.

The Jenner story, I suspect, will be told soon. It has to be: What happened? She may not have ever been an acceptable candidate to Californias modern GOP, but there was money and buzz behind her Brad Parscalefueled campaign and then it fizzled so quickly and embarrassingly that, clearly, theres a bigger behind-the-scenes tale to be told.

Faulconers fall, though, is clearly the one that says the most. Here was a guy who was semi-openly preparing for a statewide run as a sensible, moderate Republican for years. He had run a huge city, and was decently well known. And then  he decided he had to go Trumpy and promptly lost all credibility. He was probably right that to win over Republicans in California, he had to take that turn, but it completely ended his chances with the moderates among whom hed built his reputation in the first place. His attempt to turn back to some form of I have something for everyone! in the final weeks just came across as limp. Lots of people think hell now challenge Newsom in 2022. But why? And which version of Faulconer are we gonna get?

Ben: Could this cause other moderate Republicans around the country to reevaluate whether they need to go full Trump? For many, as it was for Faulconer, its sort of a damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-dont situation, electorally speaking.

Gabriel: Can I answer this after J.D. Vance loses his primary by 30?
Now is the time for Americans to get their flu shot  thats according to health officials who are reminding people to add one more inoculation to their list, next to the COVID-19 vaccine if eligible. Its part of an effort to help prevent hospitals from being even more overwhelmed by the hypercontagious Delta variant of the coronavirus.

This also comes as a new British study found that its safe to administer the flu shot and the COVID-19 vaccine at the same time. U.S. guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also advises that its safe for other vaccines to be administered at the same time as the COVID-19 vaccine.

Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and public health professor at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, says its definitely possible that we may see a double whammy of the flu season in addition to COVID-19. Here are some things to know about the flu shot and the COVID-19 vaccine, according to Wen.

(Some responses have been edited for clarity.)

Yahoo News: Why is it important to get the flu shot this year?

Wen: We know that in general, there is a spike in influenza cases every year. We missed that last year, and thats because people were practicing fairly strict physical distancing and masking. Now, a lot of people have let down their guard. A lot more kids are back in class. People are back at work. Also because we didnt have much of a flu season last year, there are a lot of people who may not have much immunity to influenza. And so this is why its so important for everyone to get the flu vaccine, and also to get the COVID vaccine. They are two different viruses. But thankfully, there are vaccines developed for both of these. Its really important to protect against both influenza as well as COVID-19.

Who should get the flu shot  and when?

Everyone who is eligible to get the flu shot should do so. And thats all children over the age of 6 months. Everybody should be getting the flu shot. Now is the best time to get the flu shot, in September/October. And thats because ideally, you want to get the flu shot prior to the onset of flu season.

Story continues

Can you get a flu shot and a COVID vaccine or booster at the same time?

Yes, you can get the flu vaccine at the same time that youre getting the COVID vaccine or a COVID booster. Some people may be confused about this because of the guidance last year. When the COVID vaccines were first developed or they first came out, we didnt know whether they could be given at the same time as other vaccines. And so the guidance then was to space out the COVID vaccine and all the other vaccines by about two weeks. Well, thats no longer the guidance that is required. Now, you can go for one appointment. If its convenient for you, you could get the COVID booster in one arm and the flu vaccine in the other arm. Theres no reason to space it out.

Will the side effects be twice as bad if you get the flu shot at the same time as a COVID vaccine dose?

The side effects really depend on the individual. There are a lot of people who get the flu vaccine every year who have no side effects whatsoever. There are a lot of people who get the COVID vaccine and really dont have any side effects, versus there are some people who may have more severe side effects. Maybe they get fevers, and aches, and chills to both the flu vaccine and the COVID vaccine. If you are such an individual and are very stressed about the possibility of having a potentially even worse side effect than usual, you could still choose yourself to space out the vaccines. But theres no reason why that should be a recommendation for everyone.

How effective is the flu vaccine?

The effectiveness of the flu vaccine depends every year. And thats because there are many strains of influenza, and the developers of the vaccines every year try to predict what are these strains that are going to be there? And they try to match the vaccines to what could be the circulating strains of the flu. They may not always get it right. But heres the other way to think about it: Even if the flu vaccine is only 50 percent or 60 percent effective, it still prevents you 50 or 60 percent from getting the flu. And it also prevents you from getting severe consequences. You could have gotten very ill, but now if you get the vaccine, it could keep you out of the hospital. Those are all very compelling reasons to get the flu vaccine.

Remember, one of the most common misconceptions is people think that the vaccine will somehow give them the virus. Thats not true. The flu vaccine, just like the COVID vaccine, does not contain live virus. So, youre not going to get the flu or COVID from getting the vaccine. In fact, its the opposite; it prevents you from getting ill.

Read more from Yahoo News:
why hulu?

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Bc it's on hulu

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all the movies? fml

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No - some are on Netflix and some are on Hulu. Teleparty works with both and not everyone has Netflix so this makes it more accessible for some people

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No a lot of them are on Netflix



Yesterday's and the one before were on Netflix

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It's free on YouTube





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I need to get my laptop working again. Id love to join a watch party :(

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Man, I found this movie sooo boring

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Just dropping by to say I adore Linda Hamilton

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I shockingly haven't seen this movie and have always wanted to but I don't have Hulu or Teleparty :(

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This is also free on YouTube for anyone who doesn't have hulu

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HE WANTS YOU TOO MALACHI 

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is it too late to join?



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join us!

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i did! so much fun!

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not joining since, as y'all know, I don't do horror shit BUT hope everyone is having/had a nice time!

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T

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before 1970

Night of the Living Dead (1968) Directed by George A. Romero 





 Kuroneko (1968) Directed by Kaneto Shindo





[ TW ] [ Spoiler ] who also happen to be our main characters out for revenge. the rape and murder of two women

The War of the Worlds  (1938)  Presented by Orson Welles and The Mercury Theatre

The Cat and the Canary (1927) Directed by Paul Leni  

The City of the Dead (1960) Directed by John Llewellyn Moxey





The White Reindeer (1952) Directed by Erik Blomberg







The 7th Victim (1943) Directed by Mark Robson





[ TW ] There are multiple references to suicide in this film.

Happy October, It's officially the start of the best holiday season of the year!I thought I would help kick off celebrations by compiling a short list of remarkable horror classics to enjoy throughout the month of October. By "classic" I mean influential, interesting, and incredible, but I also mean old. And by "old," I really mean that I wanted this list to be compiled of horror content fromto highlight some of the earlier works that you may have only heard about but never got around to enjoying. Browse the list and contribute your favourites in the comments so we can all enjoy the frights!One of the most influential zombie horror thrillers of all time (although in this film theyre referred to as ghouls), this classic made its mark on cinematic history in a number of impressive ways. Its an indie. Its Romeros first ever feature film. It had a budget of only a little more than $100,000.00 but grossed millions, making it one of the most profitable productions of the time. The protagonist is played by Duane Jones, one of the first black actors to star in an American horror movie (and it was his first film, too).If youre a fan of zombie films, youll see just how much this movie influenced the genre. Jordan Peele has even credited the film as being an inspiration in some aspects for specifically how it was a horror movie about race that didnt explicitly talk about race.Criterion, YouTube (albeit a poor quality version), and for rent on various sites like Amazon Prime and iTunes.It's pretty scary! Jump scares, blood and gore, and ghouls that are a little too human for comfort. And it wastes no time  youll be freaked out within the first 10 minutes.Where would the horror genre as we know it today be without the contributions of Japanese cinema? This adaptation of a Japanese folktale takes place in war-torn feudal Japan. The film moves and flows in such a beautiful and lyrical way, but the story embedded beneath the images is an eerie tale of anger and revenge. With an incredibly unnerving score, this film will help get you into the spooky mood without making it too difficult for you to sleep at night. This isnt the kind of movie that will leave you on edge - but the slowly building tension and supernatural elements make it a classic horror tale. It also features a modern day Halloween staple  the black cat!This film opens withCriterion streaming. But as is the case with a lot of older movies, theres a good chance you can find this elsewhere online if you dont have a Criterion subscription amongst your ever-growing pile of subscriptions.Ultimately, not that scary. This movie is more unnerving and atmospheric. But the classic horror elements and vengeful spirits make for a very cinematic horror film well worth watching.Maybe you've watched enough horror for your liking and are looking for something different. Maybe you're too busy to sit down and devote your time to a film. Maybe you have a long commute or a ton of boring chores to do and instead of watching scary things, you want to listen to them. Well...you're in luck.Before Orson Welles was making movies, he was making a name for himself in theatre. And the theatre company he founded - The Mercury Theatre - was invited to do a radio series calledwhich presented a number of wonderfully adapted stories broadcast to people all across America. I'm almost positive you've heard of this adaptation of the H.G. Wells novel - the radio broadcast that purportedly worked listeners up into mass panic because it was so realistically done that people thought an actual alien invasion was taking place (although this is somewhat disputed now and is thought to be a case of media exaggeration and sensationalism). But have you ever listened to it? It. is. brilliant. I promise you that it contains some of the finest acting you'll ever experience. It's even more impressive when you realize it was all done live (yes, including the cuts to the music at the beginning of the story - there was a 27 piece orchestra in the studio - legally, absolutely nothing could be pre-recorded)! And if you enjoy it then you'll be happy to know that there are a bunch of these available - including a critically acclaimed version of Dracula as well! There are moments where it's downright terrifying! If you put yourself into the shoes of someone tuning in late to the broadcast, not knowing that this was a radio play, it's not difficult to imagine how a show like this could cause genuine panic. The adaptation kicks off like a regular radio show - with some news about weather and some beautiful music - only to be interrupted periodically by "breaking news" alerts that gradually grow more horrifying as the show continues.Part horror, part comedic thriller - this silent film takes place in the spooky mansion of the deceased eccentric millionaire Cyrus West. His family members have gathered, 20 years since his passing, to attend the reading of his Will. Things get complicated when a strange condition of West's last wishes throw a wrench into everyone's plans. And things get even MORE complicated when word arrives that there's a madman on the loose! It's a little bit, a little bit, and a whole lotta spooky creepy fun! And if Haunted Houses are your vibe, then you're in luck because this was a pretty common horror theme in pre-1970s films. You can check outand(1932) just to name a couple.There are definitely some evil, conniving, creepy people in this one. It shouldn't scare you too much, but it does make for an entertaining October movie night.Christopher Lee plays a professor who helps guide Nan Barlow, one of his students, to Whitewood, Massachusetts so that she can write her senior paper on the burning of accused witch Elizabeth Selwyn in 1692. When Nan arrives, she slowly realizes that all is not quite right in Whitewood.Not too bad, but definitely creepy! The acting here is top-notch and Patricia Jessel makes for an excellent villain!Vampires, like Haunted Houses, were absolutely everywhere in early horror tales. Maybe you're a film buff and you've seen all the commonly known ones - Nosferatu, Dracula, Vampyr, etc. But have you ever seen the Finnish one about the witch who marries a reindeer herder but becomes lonely when he's away for work so she goes to a shaman who makes her a love potion which turns her into a vampiric reindeer that feasts on the blood of men?Unfortunately this one doesn't seem to be on any of the regular streaming sites. But, the internet being what it is, you can find it around. You can watch the trailer here. Not at all scary, but the film is well worth watching nonetheless. Actress Mirjami Kuosmanen is absolutely captivating and she also co-wrote the film with her director husband. It's a truly unique horror-drama.Hail Satan for giving us centuries of horror content! In this film, a young woman named Mary is attending an expensive boarding school when she gets word that her sister, Jacqueline, is missing. Mary leaves school to try and track her sister down but runs into a series of strange characters with something to hide. A chance encounter with a Private Investigator kicks things into overdrive as he helps Mary uncover pieces of the mystery of her sister's disappearance, which appears to involve a satanic cult. The plot is a little all over the place, but the movie is an enjoyable women-driven horror that passes the Bechdel test (the men are truly worthless, secondary characters). We even see Mary put a man in his place for being a condescending dick. There's also some incredible fashion in this one too.This one is tough to find but it's on "the internet" if you catch my drift.Not too scary. The plot is also a little meandering, which is apparently the result of several major scenes being cut from the film, but it's still a decent film and it can definitely deliver on some spooky vibes.Sources: 1
Venezuelas near-collapse and strict U.S. sanctions are creating an opportunity for Russia, Iran and China to strengthen their presence in Latin America, a region that for decades has been under U.S. hegemony. While Russia and Iran have, to an extent, gained a foothold in Venezuela by providing crucial support to the embattled Maduro regime, it is China that stands to benefit the most if it can secure a close relationship with the socialist authoritarian regime.

Venezuela is endowed with tremendous oil wealth with the pariah South American country possessing the worlds largest petroleum reserves of 304 billion barrels. The growing desperation within Caracas, caused by the petrostates near-collapse, has created an opportunity for China to exploit Venezuelas vast hydrocarbon resources. This could not occur at a more crucial juncture for China with the country overtaking the U.S. to become the worlds largest refiner and the largest importer of crude oil. Chinas endless thirst for petroleum, which is a crucial source of energy for its growing economy, is forcing Beijing to look at obtaining greater access to oil supplies around the globe. Chinas state enterprises have shown a willingness to circumvent U.S. sanctions to receive crude oil imports from Venezuela and Iran.

Growing pressure to obtain additional crude oil supplies saw Chinese logistics firm China Concord Petroleum Co, known as CCPC, emerge as a leading player in circumventing U.S. sanctions to supply Venezuelan crude oil to East Asian refiners. The firms importance is highlighted by data sourced by news agency Reuters which shows that during April and May 2021 vessels charted by CCPC carried more than a fifth of Venezuelas oil exports during those months. According to a Reuters investigation, CCPC has acquired at least 14 petroleum tankers to transport Venezuelan and Iranian crude despite Washingtons sanctions against both pariah states. By July 2021, Venezuelas oil exports grew for a second straight month reaching 713,097 barrels per day with most of that crude oil destined for China.

Related: The Major Problem With EVs No One Is Talking About



After abandoning directly extracting Venezuelan crude oil in August 2019 as a response to the stricter sanctions applied by the Trump administration, Beijing is focusing on expanding its presence in the OPEC member. Reportedly, state-controlled China National Petroleum Corp, or CNPC, is sending staff to Venezuela in preparation for investing in operations as President Maduro finalizes legislation aimed at facilitating greater private control of energy projects. That legislation the authoritarian leader hopes will attract the foreign investment urgently required to rebuild Venezuelas shattered petroleum industry thereby allowing Caracas to reconstruct Venezuelas failing economy. CNPC is also in negotiations with PDVSA regarding ramping up production at five joint ventures it has with Venezuelas national oil company.

The importance of attracting foreign investment is emphasized by the parlous state of Venezuelas once-mighty oil industry with production continuing to decline. By August 2021 oil output for PDVSA and its foreign partner was reported to be an average of 520,000 barrels per day, or slightly less than the 524,000 barrels pumped a month earlier and significantly less than the 713,097 barrels exported by Caracas for that month. Unsurprisingly, Julys oil output is well below the target set by petroleum minister Tareck El Aissami, who in a June 2021 Bloomberg interview stated production will rise to 1.5 million barrels by the end of this year. To meet that ambitious target Venezuela would need to almost triple average daily oil production from July 2021 levels.

The only means of reaching such an ambitious target and eventually returning Venezuelas oil production to over 2 million barrels daily is by attracting significant foreign capital. PDVSA believes it will take $58 billion to restore production to pre-Chavez 1998 levels of around 3 million barrels per day. Whereas, Maduro has indicated that investing as little as $30 billion will boost production potentially to as much as 5 million barrels daily. Those numbers based on the analysis conducted by other industry experts appear implausible with a far larger investment needed. Leading industry-academic Francisco Monaldi director of the Latin America Energy Program at the Houston-based Center for Energy Studies at Rice Universitys Baker believes Maduros and PDVSAs estimates are overly optimistic. In a February 2021 policy brief, Monaldi explained it would take an investment of $10 to $12 billion annually for a decade, over $110 billion in total for Venezuela to lift crude oil output to 1 million barrels per day within two years and then reach 2.5 to 3 million barrels daily by the end of 10 years.

Other sources including the economic advisers to the U.S. recognized interim President Juan Guaidos estimate it will require an even greater investment, potentially up to $250 billion to reach pre-Chavez production of over 3 million barrels per day.

Even Maduros moves to create a more investor-friendly environment for international oil companies have not attracted the significant capital required to resurrect Venezuelas rapidly corroding petroleum industry. This is because Washingtons strict sanctions, notably those imposed by the Trump administration during 2019 which cut Caracas off from global energy and capital markets, are deterring investment from foreign energy companies. It is Western energy majors which are crucial to rebuilding Venezuelas shattered petroleum industry because much of the countrys oil infrastructure was designed and built by US and European companies during the 1970s oil boom.

While U.S. sanctions are preventing investment by Western energy supermajors, Beijing certainly possesses the capital and technology required to resurrect Venezuelas crumbling energy sector. Chinas $1 trillion Belt and Road Initiative highlights the considerable resources, labor, and technology at Beijings disposal. The worlds second-largest economy has shown a willingness to circumvent and even defy U.S. sanctions when doing so provides China with a tangible benefit.

Any push by CNPC to boost investment through its partnership with PDVSA will give Beijing greater control over the worlds largest petroleum endowment. That would not only ensure greater energy security for an oil-hungry economy that is set to overtake the U.S. and become the worlds largest by the end of this decade but substantially bolster Chinas geopolitical power. Beijings desire to expand its influence in Latin America is in direct response to Washingtons ongoing presence in Asia and support for Taiwan. It will also strengthen Chinas influence in Latin America, a region traditionally under U.S. hegemony, giving Beijing greater access to South Americas abundant natural resources including oil, gold, silver, copper and rare earth metals. Beijing believes this will enhance its standing vis a vis Washington and give it the upper hand in the ongoing rivalry between the two giant economic and military powers.

Any investment by Beijing in Venezuela will provide the socialist Maduro regime with a financial lifeline that will allow PDVSA to expand petroleum production thereby bolstering the Venezuelan governments ability to resist U.S. sanctions. That will prolong the existence of an autocratic regime that has proven nearly impervious, despite cracks appearing in recent months, to U.S. sanctions for over a decade. It is worth considering that Beijing, by ramping up Venezuelan oil operations, is improving its prospects of recovering an estimated outstanding $19 billion in oil backed loans. By August 2020, Maduros regime had secured a grace period for repayments until the end of that year with the COVID-19 pandemic weighing heavily on production. OPEC data shows that by June 2020 Venezuelas oil production had fallen to an average of 336,000 barrels per day, although it has been steadily climbing since then.

Source: OPEC Monthly Oil Market Report.

If Beijing returns to being a lender of last resort and provides the capital as well as other resources needed to rebuild Venezuelas crumbling petroleum industry, then Maduros power will strengthen while the value of Washingtons sanctions will decline. It is Maduros growing weakness and fears the Venezuelan state will collapse which are the driving force behind recent unilateral actions aimed at building a rapport with Washington and seeking an easing of sanctions. That has created an opportunity for the Biden administration to seek an alternative path when dealing with Venezuela, the autocratic Maduro regime and the countys massive humanitarian crisis that will cease to exist if Beijing steps in to fill the void.

By Matthew Smith for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
The remarkable recovery of oil prices and the broader energy sector has transformed the economic situation of these countries, with GCC stock markets on a tear

According to an S&P Global Ratings estimate, the Gulf Cooperation Councils central government deficit hit $100 billion in 2020

Last year, with oil prices floundering near the $40 mark for much of the year, most of the Gulf economies were in dire straits due to their heavily oil-reliant economies

Last year, deep in the throes of the energy crisis, Gulf nations led by Saudi Arabia constantly touted the strength of their economies, claiming they could withstand any scale of shocks. But the truth of the matter is that most Gulf economies were in dire straits thanks to their overreliance on oil. With oil prices stuck around $40/barrel, only Qatar managed to balance its books, while Saudi Arabia's fiscal breakeven price of $76.10 meant that it faced a glaring deficit. Indeed, S&P Global Ratings estimated that GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) central government deficits would hit $100 billion in 2020 and nearly half a trillion dollars cumulatively between 2020 and 2023.

But as fate would have it, the remarkable recovery by the global energy sector means that GCC nations are in a much better place now than earlier predicted.

Indeed, GCC stock markets have been on a tear this year thanks to the oil price recovery. From energy and petrochemicals to chemical and banking stocks, Middle East stock markets are thriving even as some of the region's central banks begin to withdraw stimulus - a signal of their belief in the strength of the recovery.

Here's a peek into notable movers in the GCC zone.

Budget deficit



Source: Reuters

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia's stock market benchmark index, the Tadawul All Share Index (TASI), has been a standout performer this year, climbing 32.3% YTD and 42.2% over the past 12 months.

Related: U.S. Shale Is Finally Ready To Drill Leading the charge is market heavyweight Al Rajhi Bank (1120.SE), up 67.0% YTD; Saudi Telecom Company (7010.SE) has gained 19.3% while chemical makers Sahara International Petrochemical (2310.SE) and Saudi Basic Industries (2010.SE) have advanced 152.6% and 26.1%, respectively.

Surprisingly, oil giant Saudi Aramco (TADAWUL:2222) has been a laggard, managing a mere 3.3% YTD gain.

Bloomberg has reported that Saudi Aramco is in advanced talks to buy a ~20% stake in Reliance Industries' oil refining and chemicals business for $20B-$25B in shares, with an agreement anticipated in the coming weeks. Based on Aramco's market valuation of $1.9T, a deal would give the Indian company a ~1% stake in the world's biggest energy company.

UAE

The Dubai Financial Market General Index (.DFMGI) is up 14.2% YTD, with financial stocks giving the most support. Amanat Holdings (AMANT.DU), an integrated healthcare and education investment company, is up 35.0%, while Dubai Islamic Bank (DISB.DU) has gained 8.7% YTD.

Abu Dhabi's stock market index, ADSM All Shares Index (.ADI), has been UAE's top performer after climbing 51.6% YTD. First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB.AD) has gained 35.9% YTD; Emirates Telecommunications Group (ETISALAT.AD) is up 41.0%, while Dana Gas (DANA.AD) has climbed 49.2% over the timeframe.

Related: Is Chinas Digital Yuan The Death Knell For Crypto?

Last month, the United Arab Emirates central bank (CBUAE) announced it would start to gradually withdraw stimulus measures introduced last year to mitigate the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the bank said lowered reserve requirements for banks would remain unchanged, meaning the UAE economy is not totally out of the woods yet.

Qatar

The Qatari index (.QSI) has rallied 10.0% year-to-date, with industrial and financial shares supporting the index the most.

Industries Qatar (IQCD.QA), a Qatar-based company that acts as a holding company with operations in petrochemicals, fertilizer, and steel, has climbed 41.2%, while Commercial Bank (COMB.QA) has gained 40.4%.

Here's how other GCC stock markets have performed this year:

Bahrain All Share Index (.BAX)-- +15.1% YTD

Omans Index (.MSI)--+7.0% YTD

Kuwait's benchmark premier index (.BKP)--+6.9%

CAIRO SE EGX30 INDEX (.EGX30)--minus 0.29% YTD

By Alex Kimani for Oilprice.com

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As Equinors oil and gas business goes from strength to strength, it has not stopped the company from investing heavily in its renewables sector.

This week, Equinor announced it would be boosting its gas exports, as much of Europe continues to contend with severe gas shortages.

Equinor has its hand in all the pies as it boosts gas exports ahead of the European gas crisis, while its investments in oil and oil product exports are stronger than ever, not forgetting the companys ever-expanding renewables portfolio. Equinor is the example of an oil major thats doing it right.

This week, Equinor announced it would be boosting its gas exports, as much of Europe continues to contend with severe gas shortages. The decision was made after the company was given permission by the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy to increase production from its Oseberg and Troll fields on the Norwegian continental shelf. Production in both fields will increase by one billion cubic metres for the gas year starting 1 October.

The increase is aimed at providing European states facing shortages with greater gas imports during the high-demand winter months. This comes after wholesale gas prices in the U.K. increased by 70 percent in August and are expected to continue to increase so long as there are shortages in supply. This month, gas prices across Europe reached levels not seen since 2014, highlighting the severity of the situation.

The need to boost gas production was music to Equinors ears as, after 25 years of production in its Troll field, around 50 percent of the gas still remains in the ground, with around 715 billion standard cubic metres of recoverable gas remaining. Equinors recent completion of its Troll Phase 3 project has prepared the company for this increase in production. It also ensures that its gas production is more carbon-friendly, with reduced carbon emissions.

But gas is not the only fuel Equinor is supplying to meet increased demand. As the Asian market for oil and gas continues to increase, Equinor has been there to meet demand, having more than doubled its crude exports to the region since 2017.

Equinor was able to increase its exports to Asia by 30 percent last year, delivering 210 million barrels of crude oil from its fields in the U.S., U.K., Brazil, West Africa, and Russia, despite oil demand around the globe plummeting due to Covid-19 restrictions and uncertainty.

Asia is expected to contribute around 90 percent of the worlds growing oil demand over the next five years, meaning that oil producers from around the world are fighting for the giant oil guzzling regions business. India and China in particular, with their ever-growing populations and huge industry, are two of the biggest drivers for oil demand in the region.

With crude from its Johan Sverdrup oilfield, Equinor offers the region the perfect solution to its demand criteria. Equinor plans to continue its upstream production of one of the worlds lowest-carbon crudes, supporting Asian states in their need to meet demand while also responding to international pressure to decarbonize.

At present, private sector refiners in China are the biggest Asian consumer of Johan Sverdrup crude, with 14 million MT received in the Shandong province since the first delivery in January 2020, but Equinors popularity across the whole region is steadily growing. Equinor estimates that world oil demand will reach 20 times the companys current output, making the low-carbon crude an essential commodity for those trying to meet net-zero carbon goals over the coming decades.

As Equinors oil and gas business goes from strength to strength, despite pressure to move away from fossil fuels and a dip in demand across some areas of the world, it has not stopped the company from investing heavily in its renewables sector.

This month, the Norwegian government injected $10 million through its Green Platform scheme into the Equinor-led Ocean Grid offshore wind program. The aim is to work with Norwegian energy institutions and private firms to develop and run a wind-powered offshore grid over a period of three years.

Florian Schuchert, vice president of offshore wind solutions at Equinor, explains, Our objective is to realize offshore wind on a large scale [off Norway]. We have to build wind farms in a cost-effective way, and we of course need to get the power all the way to the customers. It's crucial to our success that the energy companies, research institutions, and suppliers collaborate towards this goal, he stated.

Equinor has already begun to develop its Hywind Tampen 11-turbine floating offshore wind farm in the North Sea, which will commence operations in late 2022. It is expected to be the worlds first floating wind farm to power offshore oil and gas assets, thereby decarbonizing operations. Equinor will, at that point, manage a third of the worlds floating offshore wind capacity, building upon its existing Hywind Scotland field.

Much of the companys success comes from its willingness to work closely with other companies and experts in the development of a diverse portfolio of energy projects. For example, most recently Equinor announced it had signed an agreement to collaborate with Russian company Rosneft to develop low carbon solutions in their joint projects. This has helped Equinor ensure its longevity in a world that is increasingly pushing for a move away from fossil fuels or at the very least the production of much less carbon-intensive oil and gas.

As other companies, such as Total  now TotalEnergies, and Royal Dutch Shell, have been forced to change their approach to energy projects due to international pressure to meet green policies, Equinor has accelerated low-carbon oil and gas production internationally and is quickly becoming a world leader in wind energy production, demonstrating that it is indispensable in the future of international energy.

By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.com

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bank digital currency, even if Chinas plans are far ahead of others.

China is not the only major economy eyeing a central

The crypto ban comes at the same time as the Chinese governments roll-out of the Digital Yuan, its sovereign digital currency.

China has just imposed another wave of regulation on cryptocurrency usage within the country.

The Peoples Bank of China, the country's central bank, has announced that all transactions of crypto-currencies are illegal, effectively banning digital coins.

"Virtual currency-related business activities are illegal financial activities," the bank said. It added that cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin and Tether, are not fiat currencies and cannot be circulated.

Just a few months back, China imposed rules barring banks from offering crypto-related services, pushing traders to over-the-counter platforms and offshore exchanges. However, the new ban goes much further, targeting services provided by offshore exchanges.

In May, the Peoples Bank of China announced that financial services companies and payment services would be banned from pricing or conducting business in virtual currencies.

In order to curb money laundering, cryptocurrency trading has been illegal in China since 2019 with similar bans issued in 2013 and 2017.

This doesnt mean that China is completely giving up on crypto, though. Its just a question of control.

The crypto ban comes at the same time as the Chinese governments roll-out of the Digital Yuan, its sovereign digital currency now either years in development. In the last few months, the Peoples Bank of China has been launching trial projects in large cities to develop a digital yuan payments system.

The digital yuan was envisioned back in 2014 and already has distributed some $30 million in digital currency.

Its a clear rival to unregulated cryptocurrencies. It also is the governments way of challenging WeChat and Alipay, the two private giants dominating the mobile payments market.

China is not the only major economy eyeing a central bank digital currency, even if Chinas plans are far ahead of others.

Some 80 countries are exploring the idea and five nations have so far implemented a digital currency--all of them in the Caribbean.

A dozen European countries are currently participating in developing a central bank digital currency (CBDC), D-Euro. European Central Bank aims of D-Euro to complement the existing monetary system rather than replacing physical cash.

In the US, the digital dollar is still under research. In June, the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services held a hearing on the benefits and drawbacks of digital currencies.

The opponents of the digital dollar point out a few disadvantages, including lack of privacy and access. On the other side of the digital divide, proponents claim that the US has to implement it and take a leadership role in this or get left behind.

Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren has spoken in favor of the digital dollar when comparing a central bank-issued digital currency with cryptocurrencies.

Legitimate digital public money could help drive out bogus digital private money. It could help improve financial inclusion, efficiency, and the safety of our financial system, Senator Warren said.

Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve is still skeptical about the efficacy of central bank digital currencies.

Chris Waller, a member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, recently wrote that the U.S. government should only intervene with a potential digital solution in the event of significant market failures.

I am not convinced as of yet that a CBDC would solve any existing problem that is not being addressed more promptly and efficiently by other initiatives, said Waller.

However, President of the Dallas Federal Reserve Robert Kaplan said a few months back that it is critical that the Fed focuses on developing a digital currency.

According to the Bank for International Settlements, 80% of central banks are engaging with CBDC work in some way, with 50 percent already in the experimental or pilot phase.

Consulting group Accenture estimates that a quarter of G-20 countries will have some sort of digital currency in circulation by 2024.

By Michael Kern for Safehaven.com

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Murphy Windmill

Location: Southwest corner of Golden Gate Park (near 48th Avenue and Lincoln Way)



Erected: 1907-08

A gift to the city from banker Samuel G. Murphy, the now-restored Murphy Windmill was the largest in the world when it was built. Able to pump 40,000 gallons of well water a day for park irrigation, its purpose was to save the city from the exorbitant costs that the private Spring Valley Water Company charged.

The Murphy Windmill, sometimes called the South Windmill, had a moment of fame when it appeared in a 1915 Charlie Chaplin movie, The Jitney Elopement.

Electric pumps replaced the windmill's reason for existence fairly quickly. The structure fell into great disrepair in the decades after World War II, and may have spent more decades without its massive spars and sails than with them. A long campaign to restore the Murphy Windmill ended in 2012, and today the blades can often been seen turning in the face of breezes from the Pacific.

From The Making of Golden Gate Park, The Growing Years: 1906-1950, Raymond H. Clary, 1987:



The Dutch windmill that had been built near Ocean Beach in 1902 was so popular with the Park Commission that they decided to build another one at the southwest corner of the park. Samuel G. Murphy, a local banker, came forward with $20,000 for the new mill. At a meeting of the Park Commission on June 7, 1907, the members voted to name the new windmill the 'Samuel G. Murphy Windmill,' and a local engineer by the name of Stutt was employed to prepare plans for the new mill at a fee of $300. On August 4, 1907, the plans were approved, and Superintendent McLaren was ordered to begin the construction at once. He was also instructed to estimate the cost of creating a lake that would serve as an irrigation reservoir when the new windmill was built. When McLaren reported that the lake could be built for $9,513, the commissioners ordered that the work be done as soon as the weather permitted. Not until April 11, 1908, were the windmill and reservoir completed. On that day Mayor Taylor and his wife, John McLaren and the park commissioners gathered to see the new windmill turn its sails for the first time. The structure pumped from the wells beneath it to the new lake a mile away on Middle Drive. In keeping with ongoing political practice, the lake was named after the president of the commission and became Metson Lake.



According to the [San Francisco] Examiner, the windmill had cost $22,000. The Pacific Lumber Company donated the two spars for the windmill. These spars were 2 feet square at the hub and 8 inches square at the tip. They were 114 feet long, and each was cut from a single log.



W.J. Dingee, the former commissioner, donated 1,500 tons of concrete for the mill and Louis Sloss donated the copper dome.



The Dutch Windmill, built in 1902, had been covered with cedar shingles, but the Murphy Mill was covered with slate shingles. It is interesting to note that former Commissioner W.J. Dingee owned or controlled most of the slate mines in California.

And more on the windmill from Mr. Clary's excellent book:



Superintendent (Julius) Girod reported in October [1944] that one of the spars of the Murphy Windmill was in such a state of dry rot it was in danger of falling. If it fell, it would probably destroy the entire structure. He estimated that the removal would cost $800, and the board decided to petition the mayor for monies from the emergency fund to remove the spar.



The following month, the mayor approved the request. A contract was awarded to J. Philip Murphy Company to do the work on the Murphy Windmill for $750.

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Joe Politz

The "Joe" of Joe's Ice Cream owned the Richmond district creamery less than five of its 57 years of business, but had perhaps the biggest influence.

Joe Politz put in the black vinyl stools and the formica counters; he expanded the business by selling sandwiches, and turned a business that was barely getting by into a highly successful institution. We chatted with Joe on the phone and found it was no problem to get him started on his tenure at Joe's Ice Cream.

"It was called Jay's when I bought it around 1960. I was just 23 years old at the time. The place only had an order of like two cans of cream---big milk jugs---a week. By the time I sold the place in 1964 we were getting over 20."

Joe used the milk cans to create an air of prosperity with the business before it actually got in the black. "I save up 40 or 50 of these jugs and put them out in front of the store in the morning. People would come by and say, "Hey, you must really be doing well to need such a large order!"

He modified a black Volkswagen Bug to promote the business, attaching a huge ice cream cone to the roof and taking out the front seat to deliver orders to restaurants. "We did really well selling spumoni to Italian restaurants."

Other promotions included a new ice cream flavor every day. "I think I was the first to invent bubble gum ice cream. Some guy wasn't selling these big gumballs for use in gumball machines and I ended up buying like 100 pounds of them. And I said, 'What the heck am I going to do with these?'" His inventiveness also created a true watermelon sherbet---complete with black seeds! "It took off," he laughed.

Joe prided himself on hiring neighborhood kids from broken homes, making sure they opened bank accounts that he'd deposit part of their pay into for their families. He recalled taking the staff out to Sunday meals at the "Flying Saucer" restaurant a few blocks down Geary. He remembered Herman's Delicatessen, and when the donut shop across the street was "Stanley's Stationary".

Joe sold the store to Mike and Ida Baum and ran D&M Liquors on Fillmore Street for 35 years before retiring in September 2001. He's happy the current owners, Aki and Mutsuhiko Murashige, have a new five-year lease and that the tradition continues. "I just had a lot of fun there."

Image credits: 1) Joe's Ice Cream, 18th Avenue and Geary Boulevard, October 2001, (WNP photo).

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Streetwise: Remembering Business In The Neighborhoods

by Frank Dunnigan

May 2021

Since San Francisco is in the middle of Small Business Week (May 1, 2021 through May 7, 2021), it seemed like a good time to remember some still with us, some long gone, and other types of work that could once be found in the Outside Lands.

Across the Western Neighborhoods, many local commercial enterprises have been run by individuals, often alongside family members. In an era when smaller operations sometimes seem to face persistent challenges from big-box stores, national chains and online retailers, it's good to take a look back at the important part that these independent places - some of which are still out there and thriving - still play in our lives.

BAKERIES - Most households used to have a favorite neighborhood bakery. Adeline, Baronial, Golden Brown, and Robert's were once popular in the Sunset, while Cinderella, Fantasia, Schubert's, Sugar Bowl, and Wirth Brothers were busy places in the Richmond District. By 1971 or so, commercial bakeries began to be included in many large supermarket chains, and the independents started closing as their owners retired. Today we have seen a resurgence of popular small shops in the Western Neighborhoods (both family-owned and worker-owned cooperatives), including the decades-old Cinderella Bakery and also Schubert's, along with newer establishments: Arizmendi, Arsicault, Jane the Bakery, Sheng Kee, Noe Valley Bakery-West Portal and many others.

BOOKSTORES - Small neighborhood bookstores continue to face serious challenges from large corporations and online retailers. Some of the splendid survivors in this category include Green Apple Books (one location in the Richmond District and another in the Inner Sunset), along with Bookshop West Portal. One unique local spot for decades was San Francisciana, owned and operated by the late Marilyn Blaisdell on the ground floor of the Cliff House. Opened in the early 1960s, the shop sold numerous collectibles after George Whitney turned over his Cliff House gift shop inventory to Ms. Blaisdell, and in later years, she sold copyrighted photos, posters, and copies of her own books prior to her retirement. Read more: https://opensfhistory.org/pages/blaisdell.php

CLOTHING STORES - In pre-Stonestown days, many residents in the Western Neighborhoods could find stores specializing in clothing and accessories right in their own neighborhood shopping districts. These stores were able to readily identify items that were popular with locals, and owners sometimes lived above the shop in the middle of a neighborhood retail corridor.

CORNER GROCERY STORES - Popular in the era when many residents did not drive or own refrigerator-freezers, corner stores enjoyed heavy daily patronage. By the turn of the millennium, though, the grocery landscape had begun to change - with groceries added to the list of items available at warehouse clubs. Many smaller grocery stores closed and the buildings were converted into or combined with chain drug store locations - thereby putting increased pressure on smaller neighborhood pharmacies and variety stores. Read more: https://outsidelands.org/streetwise_groceries.php

DANCE SCHOOLS - Once a neighborhood staple with steady enrollments, such businesses have faced challenges for many years, partly in response to fewer families with children living in San Francisco. The Shan-yee Poon School of Ballet in the Richmond District had been in operation for nearly 25 years when the owner decided to close in 2016. The Ann Healy School of Irish Dance, founded in San Francisco by Ann's grandfather in 1870 and operating on Taraval Street near 30th Avenue for many years, is still open, thanks to Ann's daughter and granddaughter, but has now been relocated to Marin County.

DELICATESSENS - Among hundreds of small shops, two local delicatessens - sadly, both long-closed - still pique the interest of local residents. Herb's on Taraval near 32 nd Avenue is well-remembered for its hot meatball sandwiches on Thursdays, while Herman's on Geary near 7th Avenue was popular for its in-store and commercially distributed potato salad.

Read more on a 2012 message board post about Herman's:

https://www.outsidelands.org/cgi-bin/mboard/stories2/thread.cgi?2210,0

A 2002 message board post about Herb's was still drawing new comments as late as 2019:

https://www.outsidelands.org/cgi-bin/mboard/stories2/thread.cgi?107

FUNERAL DIRECTORS - Until recent times, residents of the Richmond and the Sunset Districts had a variety of local funeral directors to assist them in times of need. North of Golden Gate Park, one might patronize Ashley-McMullen/Wing Sun at 6th & Geary, Carew & English on Masonic Avenue near USF, McAvoy-O'Hara at 10th & Geary, or the Neptune Society Columbarium on Lorraine Court near Arguello. South of the Park, there was Currivan's on Irving Street and Hogan-Sullivan-Bianco on 9th Avenue. Due to closures and mergers, only McAvoy-O'Hara and the Columbarium are still active, though the former Arthur J. Sullivan & Company from Market Street (now merged with Duggan's-Serra in Daly City) is still represented by an office-only location at 26th Avenue & Geary Boulevard.

FUR SALONS - In another era, every neighborhood retail corridor had a small business operating as a fur salon, including: Bernard's in Stonestown, Coliseum Furs on Clement, Elkins on West Portal Avenue, Kane's on Ocean Avenue in Lakeside Village, H. Sommer on Irving Street and Taraval, and Sunset Furrier on Judah. Times and tastes all change, and these businesses have virtually disappeared from the local landscape.

GAS STATIONS - Neighborhood gas stations, whether independently owned or operating as a franchise of a major oil company, once dotted every part of San Francisco. Changing land uses, an emphasis on using public transportation or biking in the City, and the move to hybrid engines have combined to reduce the need for and presence of such local businesses.

ICE CREAM SHOPS - San Francisco's perpetually cool climate in the Western Neighborhoods does not lend itself to a heavy presence of ice cream parlors, though this type of business tends to be more prevalent in sunnier neighborhoods. While chain operators like Baskin-Robbins closed long-time locations on Irving Street and on West Portal Avenue, two small shops remain thriving. Joe's Ice Cream on Geary in the Richmond District and Polly Ann Ice Cream on Noriega in the Sunset were both opened in the 1950s by local neighborhood residents. More than 60 years later, both are still thriving with new owners at their helms.

Read more about Joe's: https://www.outsidelands.org/politz.php

Read more about Polly Ann: https://www.outsidelands.org/polly_ann_ice_cream.php

MOTELS - Small family-operated motels once dotted many parts of the Western Neighborhoods. Sadly, many have disappeared over the years, often demolished for permanent housing such as the old Roberts-at-the-Beach on Sloat Boulevard and the Sunset Motel at 18th Avenue & Taraval. Fortunately, San Francisco's historic first motel, the Ocean Park (opened in 1937 to coincide with the dedication of the Golden Gate Bridge) is still in operation at 46th Avenue and Wawona. Owners Marc and Vicki Duffett who have been running things nicely since 1977 are shown here with their children in 1995.

NEWSPAPER CARRIERS - Prior to 1959, San Francisco boasted 4 major daily newspapers, each with a significant daily readership. The Chronicle and the The Examiner vied for morning circulation, while the News and the Call-Bulletin were published as afternoon papers. In addition, there were others, such as the Shopping News and the Progress, that were heavily laden with advertisements. Many young people from the post-World War II era often remember this as their first real employment experience. The young man shown here is standing in the Inner Sunset near 9th Avenue and Judah in the late 1940s.

RESTAURANTS - Small neighborhood places in the Sunset and Richmond Districts that are no longer in operation are still fondly remembered, and some of them have been covered in WNP articles/podcasts:

Kieser's Colonial Creamery - Third-generation San Franciscan and Balboa High grad Ellen Kieser found herself in the restaurant business upon her father's untimely passing while she was in college. She took over operation of Kieser's on Irving Street and remained involved in the business until her passing at age 86 early in this millennium. Read more:

https://www.outsidelands.org/kiesers.php

Leon's Barbecue - In 1963, Sunset District residents Leon and Vernetta McHenry ran the restaurant at Seal Rock Inn. Thirteen years later, they made the move and opened Leon's Barbecue on Sloat Boulevard opposite the San Francisco Zoo, expanding the following year to a second popular location on Fillmore Street. Sadly, upon Leon's passing in 1999, the restaurants were both closed.

- In 1963, Sunset District residents Leon and Vernetta McHenry ran the restaurant at Seal Rock Inn. Thirteen years later, they made the move and opened Leon's Barbecue on Sloat Boulevard opposite the San Francisco Zoo, expanding the following year to a second popular location on Fillmore Street. Sadly, upon Leon's passing in 1999, the restaurants were both closed. Louis' Restaurant - Much has been written about Louis', which was opened by the Hontalas family adjacent to the old Sutro Baths in 1937 (while the nearby Cliff House was managed by their Hountalas cousins from 1972-2020). Louis' remained a family operation until its final closure in early 2020. Listen to Outsidelands Podcast #389 for more:

https://www.outsidelands.org/podcast/WNP389_Louis_Restaurant

Hot Dog Rancho - This popular family-owned dining spot along Geary Boulevard was operated by two different sets of owners from the 1940s to the 1990s. Read more:

https://www.outsidelands.org/mr_hot_dog.php

The Hot House - Operating on the Great Highway since the 1930s, The Hot House still evokes fond memories from its many loyal customers. Owner Juan Faranda took over several years before Playland's 1972 closure, and moved the operation to a new spot at 4052 Balboa Street where he continued to do business until his 1996 retirement. Today, his son Eric still has access to the vintage recipes and runs a pop-up location, dispensing to-go food several times per year. Read more: https://www.outsidelands.org/streetwise_hot_house.php

SCHOOL CROSSING GUARDS - For decades, pedestrian safety near schools was monitored by dedicated groups of crossing guards - mostly 6th, 7th, and 8th grade girls and boys - who had an opportunity to display their leadership skills by providing an essential service in a sheltered, para-military environment as part of Traffic Squads. Although unpaid, the volunteers received regular recognition in the form of weekend movie passes at local theaters. The program was disbanded for many years, but there has been a recent resurgence, this time with paid adults. Read more:

https://www.outsidelands.org/streetwise_stop_look_listen.php

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Sutro Baths Segregation

by Woody LaBounty

(Originally appeared on the Ocean Beach Bulletin, February 22, 2011.)

In February, Black History Month, the television is full of footage of the Freedom Riders, Martin Luther King, Jr. at the Lincoln Monument, and sepia-tinted interviews with heroes from the Civil Rights Movement. It's important to remember, however, that the struggle for civil rights didn't begin in the 1950s. John Martini, historian and retired National Park Service ranger, recently discovered more evidence of the long national struggle in 1890s San Francisco.

While leading guided walks or giving presentations about Sutro Baths, John was often asked if the baths were segregated. "My response has always been that they might have been, especially given the racist culture of San Francisco a century ago, but I had no solid proof."

Recently though, John found documentation in old newspaper articles that "Adolph Sutro definitely had a policy of restricting admission to the baths based on race. More specifically, there was an unwritten but unbendable policy about access to the pools when Sutros first opened in the 1890s."

Newspaper articles from the 1890s describe how Mr. John Harris, a colored man, attempted to buy a ticket to go swimming and was rebuffed, and subsequently filed suit against Adolph Sutro and his Baths.

"Mr. Harris lawsuit became an early test case for a then-new California civil rights law called the Dibble Bill," John emailed. "The new law, which had gone into effect on April 29, 1897, declared that 'no railways, hotels, restaurants, barber-shops, bathhouses and other like institutions licensed to serve the public shall discriminate against any well behaved citizen, no matter what his color.'

"The [articles] also reveal with stark clarity the blatant racism of the 1890s that directly and unabashedly opposed the rule of law, along with the twisted logic that supported the Jim Crow policies."

It started on the Fourth of July in 1897. John Harris came to Sutro Baths with a few white friends and bought a 25-cent ticket, which purported to entitle him to general admission, a bathing suit, and admission to the changing rooms. The San Francisco Call of August 1, 1897 reported what followed:

On receiving the ticket Mr. Harris presented the same at the proper place, and as he says, in a sober, orderly, polite and well-behaved manner demanded the use of a bathing suit and a dressing-room, intending to avail himself of the opportunities of the bathing pools generally offered to patrons of the place, 'but the defendant seeing and knowing that the plaintiff was a man of African descent, known as a negro and colored man,' refused him the privileges for which he had paid. This refusal he avers was on account of his race and color, and for no other reason whatever, and plaintiff was then and there for said reason denied full and equal accommodations, advantages, facilities and privileges of said bathing-house and said place of amusement.



When the refusal stated above took place, Mr. Harris says, he was in company with several white, or Caucasian friends, and his sensibilities and feelings were injured by the acts of the defendant in holding him up in the presence of his friends as of an inferior and degraded race.



On the 11th of July Mr. Harris made another effort to enjoy the bathing facilities offered by Mr. Sutro, but he was again similarly rebuffed. He assesses his damages at $5000 for each refusal, and consequently demands that Mr. Sutro pay him $10,000. 1

In response to the Call story and the suit, the superintendent of Sutro Baths attempted to clarify the company policy:

"Negroes," he said, "so long as they are sober and well behaved are allowed to enter the baths as spectators, but are not permitted to go in the water. It is not a matter of personal feeling with us but of business necessity. It would ruin our baths here because the white people would refuse to use them if the negroes were allowed equal privileges in that way. No one could in equity expect us to make such a sacrifice. I do not think such a case could ever be won against us. Public sentiment would be too strongly in opposition for any law to force such a commingling of the white and colored races. I do not believe the case will ever come to trial." 2

The superintendent further speculated the suit could have been intended as a test case or "prompted in spite by some enemy of Mr. Sutro," since in the fifteen months the Baths had been opened no other "colored person attempted to mingle with the whites in the water." 3

Mr. Harris did have allies in the fight. The Assembly Club, a social organization comprising of (in the Call's description) "the better class of colored people in this City," declared itself interested in supporting financially "this case or any other brought by a negro to test the rights of their race in this matter." 4

The Blade newspaper in Santa Rosa weighed in on the matter, claiming that "it will be a hard task to secure a jury that will allow damages even though the law allows the black brethren equal rights with other folk. A negro is a negro and his color is his misfortune, not his fault. He only makes the difference more apparent by rushing into the courts with a handicap laid on him by the hand of the almighty, who knew His business as well in the days of Ham as He does now." 5

On February 17, 1898, the San Francisco Chronicle announced the suit's conclusion. With Sutro's only defense being the objections of white patrons causing business loss, the judge in the case instructed the jury it must rule in favor of Mr. Harris by law. The jury awarded the minimum penalty of $50 for each of the two violations set forth in the complaint. It was a small victory, since any verdict under $300 required the plaintiff to pay the costs of the trial. The Chronicle concluded that "after paying his attorneys [Harris] will be little or nothing ahead by the suit." 6

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The reappointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ghana's Buffer Stock Company, Alhaji Hanan Abdul-Wahab has been honored by the leadership of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Savannah Region.



This was at the region's maiden annual delegates conference organized in the North Gonja district capital, Daboya.



The prestigious award was in appreciation of Alhaji Hanan

Abdul-Wahab's huge contribution to the NPP's victory there at the 2020 polls.



The NPP Regional Chairman, Alhaji Iddrisu Sulemana alias Professor Kalamonia described the Buffer Stock Company CEO as a generous brother from another region who is worthy of praise.



He recounted that Alhaji Hanan donated motorcycles and other logistics to the regional campaign team whose hard work won three out of the seven Parliamentary seats in the area and also increased the Presidential votes.



Alhaji Iddrisu Sulemana further commended the Chief of Staff, Madam Akosua Frema Osei-Opare and others who helped the regional campaign team to succeed.



NPP unity critical to break the '8' in 2024



In his welcome address, Alhaji Iddrisu Sulemana called for the NPP's unity at all levels saying, "Our partys determination to break the 8 year governance cycle is doable if all our members remain united."



"Our great party deserves to stay in power beyond 2024 to consolidate the gains of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addos administration."



Let us leave here as a more formidable and united party poised to break the 8 year cycle record, " he emphasized.



He insisted that the NPPs 2024 victory will depend on the actions of constituency and regional executives, hence the need for the leadership to strive for unity.



He said the party leaderships at all levels stellar performance positioned the Savannah Region as the pivot of the NPPs 2020 elections victory.



Representatives of Flagbearer hopefuls, NPP Members of Parliament from the region, government appointees and some national executives among others were there.







Source: King Saha Abdullah, Contributor









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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Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng says plans are far advanced on the restructuring of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).



The Special Prosecutor few weeks after he took over office, moved his staff into the new building provided by the government.



In what seems to be a new phase of the OSP, Kissi Agyebeng told Kwami Sefa Kayi in a one-on-one interview that the OSP intends to conduct its own forensics by constructing a forensic laboratory within its building.



He also plans to include a "cyber security laboratory, call centre, holding cell which is civilised and will look like a guest house".



" . . . but that doesn't mean I will lock people up anyhow. I won't abuse my powers," he added.



Listen to him in the video below





Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Mr Joseph Nii Laryea Afotey-Agbo, former Member of Parliament (MP) for Kpone-Katamanso Constituency, has advised Assembly Members of the Municipality not to allow politics to create enmity among them.



"Politics should never divide us; it is everyone's constitutional right to choose which political party to belong to and that should not make us enemies," Mr Afotey-Agbo stated during the confirmation of Mr Samuel Okoe Amanquah as the Kpone-Katamanso Municipal Chief Executive (MCE).



The former Regional Minister said no political party would be in power forever as such, building good relationships was important in the political fraternity.



"Relating well is a strategy I used when I was in position, the relationship you build with others would enable you to get the support of them when contesting for a position, he stated.



Mr Afotey-Agbo urged the Assembly Members to be tolerant and embrace all unpleasant expressions from the public as that was part of politics.



He pleaded with the Assembly Members to adequately play their roles in achieving greater results for the Kpone-Katamanso Municipality.



The Assembly Members overwhelmingly voted for Mr Samuel Okoe Amanquah, the Presidents nominee for the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) position, a 100 per cent endorsement.



All the 27 members, including government appointees, voted Yes to confirm the nominee in an election supervised by the Electoral Commission (EC).



The Local Government law mandate that a Nominee gets two-thirds majority votes of the Assembly Members to stand elected.



Mr Amanquah will take over the realms of power in the area from the outgoing MCE, Mr Solomon Tettey Appiah.



Mr Henry Quartey, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, congratulated Mr Amanquah on his appointment and commended the Assembly members for the unity they demonstrated by endorsing the nominee.



He charged the MCE not to play politics when sharing developmental projects for the Assembly members in the Municipality and called Assembly Members to bury their differences and unite for the development of Kpone.



Mr Joseph Akuerteh, Member of Parliament for the Kpone-Katamanso Constituency, pledged to support the MCE for development in the Municipality.



It is said that after politics development should be the results, I, therefore, congratulate Mr Amanquah and I have no other option to support him, he added.



Mr Amanquah, in his acceptance speech, expressed appreciation to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for his nomination and thanked the Assembly Members also for his confirmation.



He said the development of the Municipality would be a priority and pleaded with the Assembly Members to join forces to help build the image of Kpone Katamanso Municipality.

Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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" " The @ sign originally was a unit of weight. atakan/Getty Images

In Germany, the @ symbol is called a Klammeraffe ("spider monkey"). In Israel, it's called a strudel after the roll-shaped pastry. In Hungary, Norway and Turkey, it's called the kukac ("worm"), grisehale ("pig's tail") and gul ("rose"), respectively.

In English, we've ignored the fun, curlicue shape of @ and gone with the decidedly less colorful "at sign." But if you're really interested in the long and fascinating history of the now-ubiquitous @, it's better to call it by its Spanish name, arroba.

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A Weighty Symbol

If you travel to a Spanish-speaking country today and visit the local food market, you might come across a different meaning of arroba that predates email addresses and Twitter handles by half a millennium.

In Ecuador or Bolivia, for example, a large quantity of potatoes is often sold by the arroba with one arrobaequaling a little less than a bushel (60 pounds or 27.2 kilograms). An arroba of oil, meanwhile, measures more than 3 gallons (11.3 liters), while an arroba of wine is over 4 gallons (15.1 liters).

But what's the connection between arroba the weight/measure and arroba the @ on your keyboard?

For the answer, we turned to Keith Houston, author of "Shady Characters: The Secret Life of Punctuation, Symbols and Other Typographical Marks" and his exhaustive, two-part history of the @ symbol.

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Greeks, Romans and Moors  Oh My!

As Houston explains, the Greeks and Romans used to trade commodities like wine, oil and olives stored in long-necked ceramic jars called amphorae. For these ancient Mediterranean merchants, an amphora was not only a convenient storage vessel, but a standard measurement  one amphora equaled a volume of one cubic foot or roughly 7 gallons (26.5 liters).

Meanwhile, Spanish and Portuguese traders used a similar method to set a standard weight and volume for casks of different commodities. They didn't use the word amphora, but rather arroba, which they borrowed from the Arabic-speaking Moors who ruled the Iberian peninsula from 711 to 1492 C.E. The Arabic al rub means "one-fourth," and an arroba in ancient Spain and Portugal was a "quarter of a quintal," writes Houston, which was around 4 gallons (15.1 liters) or 25 pounds (11.3 kilograms).

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The World's First @ Sign?

There's a reason Houston spends so much time talking about ancient pottery and Medieval weights and measures. That's how an Italian historian discovered what may be the first identifiable use of the @ symbol in recorded history.

In the year 2000, Giorgio Stabile, a professor of the history of science at La Sapienza University in Rome, stumbled on a letter dating from 1536 that appears to use the @ sign as shorthand for amphorae. The author, an Italian trader named Francesco Lapi, wrote that in Seville, Spain "an amphora of wine, which is one-thirtieth of a barrel, is worth 70 or 80 ducats."

But instead of writing out the word "amphora," Lapi used the @ symbol.

"Until now no one knew that the @ sign derived from this symbol, which was developed by Italian traders in a mercantile script they created between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance," Stabile told The Guardian in 2000. "The loop around the 'a' is typical of that merchant script."

When Stabile looked at Spanish-Latin dictionaries from the 16th century, he found that arroba was synonymous with amphora. So, it's very likely that Spanish traders would have adopted the same @ symbol to stand for arroba, making the Spanish name for the @ sign one of the oldest and truest we have.

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How @ Got On Your Keyboard

In more modern usage, Houston says that the @ symbol became shorthand for "at the rate of." A factory ordering supplies might invoice for "100 tons of steel wire @ $50/ton," for example, or a neighborhood grocer would advertise a daily special for "bratwurst @ $.30/lb."

Even though @ was widely used in business and commerce by the 19th century, the symbol wasn't included in the earliest mechanical typewriters. Houston points out that the very first typewriter made by American inventor Christopher Latham Sholes in 1868 only had enough keys for the numbers two through nine. The capital letters "O" and "I" substituted for zero and one.

Just like the $ sign, the business-friendly @ made its way onto typewriter keyboards by the end of the 19th century. But it would take another 50 years for the @ symbol to be invited to the nascent computing party.

Houston writes that in the 1950s, the @ sign was added to something called the Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code (BCDIC), a collection of 48 characters printed on early computing punch cards. And in 1961, IBM cemented the @ symbol's place in computing by including the character in the programming code for its room-sized "Stretch" supercomputer, the fastest computer of its day.

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Ray Tomlinson and the First Email Address

There's a good chance the @ sign would still be an obscure keyboard character if not for the actions of a humble engineer named Ray Tomlinson back in 1971.

Tomlinson was working for a private defense contractor helping the U.S. government's Advanced Research Projects Agency build what would become the world's first internet, known as ARPANET. Tomlinson's job was to write programs that would run on this new network connecting a whopping 19 (!) different machines in 1971.

Electronic mail already existed in a primitive form at the time. Messages could be saved by a user and opened up later by a different user on the same machine. But Tomlinson, as a side project, wanted to see if messages could be sent from one machine to another over ARPANET.

There was a problem, though. How would Tomlinson direct messages to different users on the same remote computer? He needed a symbol that would serve as the address. Looking down at his teletype terminal, Tomlinson saw the humble @ symbol sitting atop the letter "P."

According to Houston, Tomlinson chose the @ symbol for a number of practical reasons. First, it was already common shorthand for "at the rate of" so it made sense as "user 'at' host computer." Second, it was obscure enough that it wouldn't have been used in any existing host computer names. And third, because the @ wasn't already a command on his company's programming system.

Tomlinson wrote up the experimental email program and sent a test message to himself from his brand-new email address: tomlinson@bbn-tenexa. What did the world's first email say? Tomlinson has zero recollection, but guesses it was something appropriately momentous like "testing 1 2 3 4" or "QWERTYUIOP."

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Now That's Cool According to the BBC, there's a Bulgarian document in the Vatican Apostolic Library dating from 1345 AD in which the "A" in "Amen" is substituted with an @. No explanation why.
" " New York Governor Kathy Hochul (left) with her husband, William J. Hochul Jr., shakes hands with Chief Judge Janet DiFiore (right) during her swearing-in ceremony at the New York State Capitol in Albany, New York, Aug. 24, 2021. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo handed over the reins of the nation's fourth most populous state to Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul, a fellow Democrat who will become New York's first-ever female governor. ANGELA WEISS/AFP/Getty Images

It's pretty ironic that New York finally got its first woman governor because a state attorney general's report found that Gov. Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed at least 11 women, some of them state employees. Cuomo, who served as governor since 2011, finally announced Aug. 10, 2021, that he would resign when it became clear any support he had evaporated and impeachment proceedings were all but certain. And as he stepped aside and Hochul was sworn in Aug. 24, 2021, history was made.

Lt. Gov. Kathleen "Kathy" C. Hochul was sworn in as the first woman governor in the state's long history. Having served as lieutenant governor since 2014, Hochul (pronounced HOH-kuhl), is well prepared for the job.

" " Lieutenant Governor and incoming New York Governor Kathy Hochul gave her first press conference Aug. 11, 2021, at the New York State Capitol in Albany City a day after Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that he would be resigning. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Here are five things you need to know about the woman who is New York's first female governor:

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1. She Bleeds Blue

Hochul isn't just a Democrat, she's an Irish-Catholic, blue-collar Democrat. She was born Aug. 27, 1958 (she's almost 63) and grew up in the small town of Hamburg, just outside of Buffalo. Her parents were hard-working people  her dad ran his own IT firm and her mom ran a flower shop and co-founded a shelter for domestic abuse survivors. They both actively supported the civil rights movement and protested the Vietnam War. Their example rubbed off and set the trajectory for Hochul's life.

" " New York's Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul participates in the 2020 Women's March in New York City. John Lamparski/Getty Images

2. It's All in the Family

During the summer after high school, Hochul got her first taste of politics working on Sen. Patrick Moynihan's political campaign. She went on to Syracuse University for her undergraduate degree and interned at the state Assembly during summer breaks while at Syracuse. While interning, she met her husband, Bill, who was later nominated by President Barack Obama to serve as the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of New York. (He has since retired and is now general counsel for a private company). After earning her law degree from Catholic University of America, Hochul joined a large law firm but wasn't fulfilled. She left to work as legal counsel to U.S. Rep. John LeFalce and was soon recruited to work as a legislative assistant and legal counsel to Sen. Moynihan.

3. She's Been in Politics a Long Time

Hochul's first elected office was a seat on the Town Board of Hamburg where she served for 14 years. She was the only woman on the board until the following year when another seat opened up and she encouraged her friend to run. In 2003, she was appointed deputy county clerk of Erie County and four years later she was appointed county clerk by then Gov. Eliot Spitzer (another New York governor with a shady past). In 2011, Hochul won a congressional seat in a special election that had been held by Republicans for 40 years though she narrowly lost the seat the following year. While she was in Congress, Hochul served on the House Armed Services and the Homeland Security Committees. In 2014, she became Cuomo's running mate and the rest is now history.

" " Mayor Bill de Blasio and New York Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul arrive for a St. Patrick's Day Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan March 17, 2021 in New York City. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

4. She's Issue-oriented

As someone who comes from a solidly middle-class background, Hochul aligns herself with the issues that resonate with those voters  paid family leave, affordable child care, health care and education, and safer gun laws. She is also a feminist who believes strongly in abortion and reproductive rights. She supports LGBTQ rights and the fight for equality. Along with her mother and aunt, Hochul established the Kathleen Mary House in 2006, a transitional home for victims of domestic violence. She worked on immigration legislation when she worked for Sen. Moynihan in the 1980s and still works tirelessly to protect immigrant rights.

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5. Her Transition Is Expected to Be Smooth

As lieutenant governor, Hochul served as the President of the New York State Senate, chaired the Regional Economic Development Councils and New York State Women's Suffrage 100th Anniversary Commission. She was also co-chair of the New York State Heroin and Opioid Abuse Task Force and Community College Councils. Committees. That's all about to change. Hochul is probably assembling a transition team right now. According to one report, she currently has just nine staff members. Job one: Finding a new lieutenant governor. If Hochul doesn't appoint someone immediately, the state Senate Majority Leader, Andrea Stewart-Cousins, would become the acting lieutenant governor until the position is filled. They will serve the remainder of this term, until it expires at the end of 2022. Hochul, along with her lieutenant governor, can run for re-election next year and will do so as incumbents.

" " Kathy Hochul arrives for a Coney Island parks reopening event in Brooklyn, New York City, April 9, 2021. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Now That's Interesting Hochul can be independent when she thinks the facts warrant it. She was one of 17 Democrats in Congress to support a resolution finding former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt for withholding documents related to Operation Fast and Furious, a failed gun-running investigation.

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Originally Published: Aug 11, 2021
" " Samurai were part an elite class of Japanese warriors who fought to defend their medieval lords. Digital image courtesy of the Getty's Open Content Program

In the Land of the Rising Sun, samurai movies are a century-old tradition. Pop culture frames the swordsmen as near-mythic figures. We're told samurai belonged to an elite class of Japanese warriors who always fought fair, loyally defended their medieval lords and hewed to a unifying honor code known as "bushido."

Scriptwriters thrill in pitting them against dark-robed ninja assassins. A fearsome mercenary, the standard movie ninja carries razor-sharp throwing stars and has mastered a unique martial art called "ninjutsu." Things get even hairier when the director gives him supernatural powers like flight or invisibility.

Magical talents aside, just how accurate is our modern outlook on samurai and ninjas? To find out, we interviewed three historians  and learned some surprising things in the process.

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War and Peace

Japanese history is broken down into eras and periods. Particularly relevant to our discussion are the Sengoku Period of 1467 to 1603 and the successive Tokugawa (or "Edo") Period that lasted until 1868.

The Tokugawa Period takes its name from a shogun family that assumed control of Japan in 1603. Shoguns were hereditary military dictators who'd been ruling the country since 1192. On paper, they served Japan's emperors. Yet in practice, these figures were far more powerful and it was they who truly called the shots.

Earlier centuries had been plagued by constant warfare. But things stayed calm under the Tokugawa regime. International trade was tightly regulated and the shoguns took pains to discourage political squabbling.

This was also a time when Japan redefined its relationship with samurai. As Thomas Conlan  a professor of East Asian history at Princeton University  told us via email, "The samurai became an identifiable social status only in the 1590s. Before then, all of society was militarized and there was no distinction between peasants and warriors."

Such ambiguity didn't sit well with General Toyotomi Hideyoshi. A game-changing warlord, he issued a nationwide "Sword-Hunt Edict" in 1588. This prohibited farmers from owning weapons of any sort. Under the new rules, only samurai  and samurai alone  could bear arms.

"Basically, people who were known to have fought in battles recently were considered samurai and were forbidden to go back to farming, and people who were known to be currently farming land had to surrender their weapons," says historian Nick Kapur of Rutgers University in an email. "In a lot of cases, it was self-reported and people basically got to choose."

Hideyoshi's reforms carried over into the Tokugawa Period. In effect, they laid the groundwork for a rigid, hereditary caste-like system that put samurai above artisans, peasants and merchants. By then, the feudal wars that defined the Sengoku Period had long passed. With no battles to wage, the samurai were given bureaucratic and administrative roles.

" " In late 1863, a photographer captured a delegation of four samurai from the Satsuma clan who went to Yokohama to discuss the murder of an English merchant, as well as to normalize relations between their clan and British diplomats. Digital image courtesy of the Getty's Open Content Program

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Waxing Nostalgic

Hindsight has a way of glamorizing warfare. Just ask Sarah Thal, a historian of "early modern and modern Japan" who teaches at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

"During the long peace of the Tokugawa era, when samurai came to work more as administrators than as fighters, many romanticized the earlier times of war (in the 12th to 16th centuries for instance) when samurai actually fought," she says in an email.

The last shogun was overthrown in 1868. Afterward, Japan entered its reformative Meiji Period, which embraced industry and centralized governance. Historically, the samurai had served feudal lords and enjoyed special privileges. But all that soon changed.

"The official status of samurai was abolished in 1869 and their privileges revoked in the early 1870s," Thal explains. "With the abolition of their lords' domains, many former samurai were out of work, unable to get jobs in the new government.

"In the 1890s, they, their children, and many Japanese began trying to define a 'Way of the Samurai' that operated both as a nostalgia for the supposedly moral, good old days and as a critique of the modernizing trends of the time," Thal says.

Enter Nitobe Inazo. A diplomat and author, he radically transformed the way future generations would look at samurai. In 1899, Inazo published an influential book called "Bushido: The Soul of Japan." The text presents itself as an introduction to "bushido." According to Inazo, this was the traditional, universal code of conduct observed by real-world samurai.

Except it wasn't. "The so-called 'samurai code' of bushido did not exist in the [Sengoku] heyday of samurai warfare," Kapur notes. The word "bushido" itself wasn't coined until the peaceful Tokugawa Period.

But it's from "Bushido: The Soul of Japan" that we get some of the most pervasive myths about samurai values and behavior. "Samurai were not all the moral, noble, well-to-do spiritual swordsmen depicted in film," Thal says. "They did not have a single, coherent moral code that defined how they thought and acted."

"Just like warriors anywhere else," adds Kapur, "samurai raped and looted and pillaged and were constantly betraying their lords."

" " While samurai were real warriors in Japanese history, the stories of mercenaries known as ninjas are, well, kind of fabricated. tunart/Getty Images

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The Lowdown on Ninjas

Speaking of misconceptions, it's time to talk ninjas. Supposedly, they were sellswords who performed covert operations, gathered intelligence and  last, but not least  assassinated people in the cover of darkness.

The neighboring Iga and Koka regions in southeastern Japan are usually cited as the training grounds where all ninjas honed their deadly skills. Sometimes, you'll even hear that ninjas formed a hereditary class or caste, not unlike the samurai.

Scores of Japanophiles, movie buffs and martial artists have embraced ninja lore. Every year, some enthusiasts get dressed up in jet-black garb to celebrate "Ninja Day" Feb. 22.

Not to rain on anyone's parade, but the storied mercenaries are ... kind of fabricated.

"Ninja as we know them today did not actually exist," Kapur says. The word ninja, he says, comes from "two Chinese characters meaning 'stealth' and 'man' ()." By the way, "shinobi"  and not "nin"  is how most Japanese-speakers pronounce the first character.

Medieval Japan had its share of folks who snuck into castles and embraced undercover warfare. Historical records show samurai weren't above such tactics. "We have a lot of documents about these activities, but [they] were carried out by a variety of people," Kapur says. "There was never any specialized class of assassins living in hereditary clans and selling their services for hire. This is pure myth which, like the myths about the samurai, was created during the long and peaceful Edo period."

Despite this, ninja fables are nothing new. "Even by the 18th and 19th centuries, ninja had become a pop culture phenomenon in Japan," Thal says. "So there were all sorts of fantastic, fictional depictions in art, literature, drama and the like."

Now That's Interesting George Lucas has said that one of his inspirations for the original "Star Wars" movie was a 1958 Japanese samurai film called "The Hidden Fortress." Another classic samurai picture, 1961's "Yojimbo," was loosely adapted into the Sergio Leone western "A Fistful of Dollars."

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Originally Published: Feb 11, 2020
" " Phineas Parkhurst Quimby (1802-1866) delved into metaphysics and psychology to underscore his belief that the body was simply a vessel for the five senses and the faculties of the human mind. Phineas Parkhurst Quimby Resource Center

Science, religion and medicine have intermingled (and sometimes clashed) in fascinating ways throughout the course of human history. And one little-remembered, controversial American figure symbolizes this clash better than most: Phineas Parkhurst Quimby, whose writings, unpublished during his time, provided the underpinnings for the New Thought movement, which is based on the idea that the spirit is more powerful and real than matter and the mind has the ability to heal the body.

Reverend Lux Newman is a clinical hypnotherapist who edited and published "The Complete Collected Works of Dr. Phineas Parkhurst Quimby" in 2013. She describes his work as essentially a sort of 19th-century precursor to the modern field of psychology.

"He called himself a physician. I would also say that he was a psychologist. Because he studied the mind...he talked about things that were very peculiar that had nothing to do with his day and time. Like chemical changes taking place in the brain. This is over 150 years ago. He was observing the placebo effect and many other things that would be under the realm of psychology," said Newman.

Quimby (also known as PPQ for short or "Dr. Quimby" to his patients) was born in 1802 in New Hampshire. As an adult, he built clocks and watches, but his true vocation would come in the form of his work in the realm of healing. Quimby possessed no formal institutional training in medicine and was often skeptical of the prowess of doctors who did. The following quote is an excerpt from the Quimby manuscripts, which were a collection of Quimby's key writings and articles, edited and published by his disciple Horatio W. Dresser decades after Quimby's death:

Thus man is a mere lump of clay in the hands of blind guides and whatever they say to the people they believe. Their beliefs disturb their minds and the doctors sow the seed of disease which they nurse till it grows to a belief, then comes the misery.

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Disdain for Medical Doctors

Quimby's mistrust of doctors grew out of personal experience. Quimby himself was once deathly ill (he probably had tuberculosis) and was diagnosed as a hopeless cause by a medical doctor. Quimby had all but given up on life, but found his life force renewed by a vigorous horseback ride. This experience set off Quimby's lifelong disdain for the medical profession and his passionate exploration of the human mind, which started with studies of animal magnetism  which pertains to mysterious forces said to influence individuals, including hypnosis  and expanded over time to using his psychological understanding to diagnoses diseases of the mind. Newman notes that Quimby's teachings were radical for the time, because although he acknowledged Jesus in his field of work, he disavowed all major religions and disputed belief in the power of God as a means of curing individuals.

"He opposed all religions. These are just beliefs and opinions. And he said you should never trust somebody else's belief or opinion. It isn't the truth. It's just a belief. You can't prove it. He believed in science. He called science 'wisdom,'" said Newman. "He believed that there was a method of science that could be used for healing. He called it thought and reasoning. He didn't cure people by any special means or power."

Keith McNeil, author of the academic study, "A Story Untold: A History of the Quimby-Eddy Debate," cites a passage from one of Quimby's flyers to lay out how the treatment method worked in practice:

"PPQ simply sits down by the patients, tells them their feelings and what they think is their disease. If the patients admit that he tells them their feelings, &c., then his explanation is the cure; and, if he succeeds in correcting their error, he changes the fluids of the system and establishes the truth, or health. The Truth is the Cure. This mode of practise applies to all cases. If no explanation is given, no charge is made, for no effect is produced."

So, essentially, Quimby listened to patients explain their ailments, and if there was a mental source contributing to their disease  say, anxiety  Quimby would then diagnose and explain that phenomenon in a way the patient could understand. He called these diagnoses "the truth." His research delved into metaphysics, underscoring how the body was just a vessel for the five senses and the faculties of the human mind, according to Newman.

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The Mind-Body Connection

McNeil further explains that "PPQ believed that the human mind could create material conditions such as disease, so that it was necessary to change the human mind to create a healing condition."

" " Mary Baker Eddy (1821-1910) H. G. Smith/Wikimedia Commons

However, Newman maintains that Quimby did not believe that all diseases stem from the mind, unlike one of his disciples, Mary Baker Eddy, who eventually founded the Christian Science religious denomination that focused on spiritual healing and divine connection to God.

"You can't cure some diseases just by the power of your mind like Mary Baker Eddy claimed. This is ridiculous. It puts people responsible for their own diseases when some of them are definitely not their fault. Some can be. And those would be the ones where the explanation would be the cure. Otherwise, they'd better get to a doctor," says Newman.

In an age when it feels like everyone has a therapist on hold, Quimby's approach to healing may not seem like anything visionary, but it was an unorthodox method for the time. However, despite Quimby's spurning of organized religion, he did imbue his course of treatment with some spiritual inklings and reference to Jesus. McNeil describes the unique way that Quimby blended these different worlds.

"He was not a religious leader, but he knew the Bible and tried to bring his philosophical and metaphysical views together with religious themes. (It was customary for non-medical healers, mesmerists, faith healers, etc. to liken their methods to Jesus.)"

Several of Quimby's teachings were published posthumously by the aforementioned Dresser, though there is some dispute over whether these were actually Quimby's writings, considering that, you know, he had been dead for several decades by the time the manuscripts saw the light of day. Some scholars like McNeil believe that the main text is indeed the work of Quimby, but that Dresser edited the articles in such a way as to present a somewhat biased view of Quimby.

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The New Thought Movement

Newman believes the teachings are Quimby's but found out that several of Quimby's documents and journals had not been published in Dresser's version of Quimby's manuscripts, so she took it upon herself to research and publish her own edited book with Quimby's writings in full. Today, Quimby is perhaps most famously known for inspiring the mind-healing philosophy of the New Thought spiritual movement, though Newman disputes the idea that Quimby significantly influenced the religious group's modern-day teachings.

During his life, Quimby acquired thousands of fervent patients and disciples, including Eddy. Eddy was quite sick at the time, and no doctors had been able to successfully cure whatever plagued her. Eddy's husband wrote to Quimby, and the couple joined the innovative thinker in Maine. There, Eddy received treatment from Quimby and observed his unique methodology.

Although Eddy was by all accounts loyal to Quimby during his lifetime, critics of Eddy accused her of essentially taking Quimby's works to form the tenets of Christian Science after his death. This led Eddy to ardently assert the independence of Christian Science from Quimby. Newman, too, argues that the lessons of Christian Science are fundamentally different from Quimby's beliefs, stating that the "Dressers went after [Eddy] with a vengeance."

"She made a whole movement of her own, really, from what I've read. I could find nothing [similar]...If Quimby would have been alive, I'm sure he would have stepped up and protected Mary Baker Eddy. That it was all nonsense. If those Dressers had wanted to start a movement, they should have started it themselves. Not going after Mary Baker Eddy because she was once a client of Quimby's."

However, while McNeil stresses that although there were significant differences between the philosophies of Eddy and Quimby, there were also similarities:

"Both promote a non-medical methodology for healing, both based on the belief that the medical profession was wrong in its methodology. Christian Science is based on the belief that all is spiritual in reality thus seeming material conditions are ultimately not real, like the night dream seems real but is not real," says McNeil. "Christian Science is a theological whole. PPQ believed in an alternate reality ultimately but his healing methodology was, as noted by many, far more materialistic than his followers wished to admit."

So, why should we care about Quimby and his manuscripts nowadays? Well, some scholars have asserted that the rising popularity of New Age and non-traditional spiritual movements at the turn of the 21st century has been remarkably similar to the mind healing, spiritual science, New Thought and Christian Science movements that cropped up at the turn of the 19th century. So although Quimby's mortal body died long ago, he lives on  in a sense  through the teachings of the those who were inspired by him. And so does Mary Baker Eddy.

Now That's Interesting Mary Baker Eddy began publication of The Christian Science Monitor in 1908. It remains an influential international newspaper and has been awarded seven Pulitzer Prizes to date.
The first lava began spewing out of a fissure close to Mount Fagradalsfjall on the evening of March 19 on the Reykjanes peninsula to the south west of Reykjavik.

It will be six months on Sunday that the volcanic eruption currently mesmerising spectators near Reykjavik first began, making it the longest Iceland has witnessed in more than 50 years.

The first lava began spewing out of a fissure close to Mount Fagradalsfjall on the evening of March 19 on the Reykjanes peninsula to the southwest of Reykjavik.

And the ensuing spectacleranging from just a slow trickle of lava at times to more dramatic geyser-like spurts of rocks and stones at othershas become a major tourist attraction, drawing 300,000 visitors so far, according to the Iceland Tourist Board.

Iceland's sixth volcanic eruption in 20 years is already longer than the preceding one in Holuhraun, in the centre-east of the island, which lasted from the end of August 2014 until the end of February 2015.

"Six months is a reasonably long eruption," volcanologist Thorvaldur Thordarson told AFP.

The lava field that has formed this time has been christened "Fagradalshraun"which can be translated as "beautiful valley of lava"and takes its name from nearby Mount Fagradalsfjall.

Almost 143 million cubic metres of lava have been spewed out so far.

But that is actually comparatively small, representing just under a tenth of the volume of the Holuhraun eruption, which spewed out the biggest basalt lava flow in Iceland in 230 years.

Iceland's sixth volcanic eruption in 20 years has already lasted longer than the preceding one in Holuhraun, in the centre-east of the island.

The latest eruption is "special in the sense that it has kept a relatively steady outflow, so it's been going quite strong," said Halldor Geirsson, a geophysicist at the Institute of Earth Science.

"The usual behaviour that we know from volcanoes in Iceland is that they start really active and pour out lava, and then the outflow sort of decreases over time until it stops," he said.

Iceland's longest-ever eruption took place more than 50 years agoon Surtsey island just off the southern coastand lasted nearly four years, from November 1963 until June 1967.

No end in sight

After subsiding for nine days, the lava reappeared at Fagradalshraun in early September, occasionally spurting red-hot from the crater and accompanied by a powerful plume of smoke.

It also accumulated in fiery tunnels beneath the solidified surface, forming pockets that eventually gave way and unfurled like a wave onto the shore.

The eruption has become a major tourist attraction, drawing 300,000 visitors so far, according to the Iceland Tourist Board.

The real number of visitors trekking to the rough hills to view the spectacle is probably even higher than the estimated 300,000, as the first counter installed on the paths leading to the site was only set up five days after the eruption.

In the first month, 10 fissures opened up, forming seven small craters, of which only two are still visible.

Only one crater is still active, measuring 334 metres (1,100 feet), according to the Institute of Earth Science, just a few dozen metres short of the highest peak in the surrounding area.

Nevertheless, the volcano is showing no sign of fading anytime soon.

"There seems to be still enough magma from whatever reservoir the eruption is tapping. So it could go on for a long time," said Geirsson.

Explore further Iceland volcano unleashes third lava stream

 2021 AFP
Garrett K. Jones is a local fantasy author. He currently has four books released in his ongoing series, and he produces a vlog on YouTube and the Creator's Corner podcast (available on Spotify, Google, & Apple). www.archivesofthefivekingdoms.com/ IG/Twitter: @gkj_publishing

Feel free to contact him with title suggestions of films youd like him to review.
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" " The London Bridge as we know it today spans the River Thames connecting two vibrant neighborhoods, the City of London and Southwark. TangMan Photography/Getty Images

Crossing the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark, the London Bridge in some form has welcomed travelers for two millennia. Yet, despite its longevity and fame  it even has its own nursery rhyme  what people think of as the London Bridge is often not the London Bridge at all.

In fact, do a Google search for "images of the London Bridge," and what you'll probably see instead are images of the Tower Bridge, the famous Victorian Gothic structure with two towers. But the London Bridge of today offers a much simpler profile, and while the current structure dates from the late 20th century, the story of the bridges that have stood on that site is considerably longer.

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History of the London Bridge

"The history is much more interesting than the Tower Bridge, which is what most people think the London Bridge is," says David Green, principal of global design firm Perkins&Will, who also is an expert on the history of cities, including the roles of transportation and bridges in their development.

Today, the London Bridge, Tower Bridge and three others are managed by Bridge House Estates, established over 900 years ago. It's a charitable trust, and monies not required by the Bridge Maintenance Budget go to helping out needy Londoners via the funding arm, City Bridge Trust. The City Bridge Trust donates 30 million pounds annually in this way.

According to the City of London, the first bridge across the Thames was built between 1176 and 1209. It was replaced in the early 19th century and a third time when the existing bridge was built. However, even before the 12th-century stone bridge, a series of wooden bridges had been constructed at the site, and the story of the London Bridge begins with a Roman invasion and the founding of the settlement of Londinium.

What is called the London Bridge today got its start as a military pontoon bridge built by the Romans when they were settling the area, according to Green. For the past 2,000 years, the position of the bridge has remained a nexus for economic development, although its physical construction has changed several times.

Timber bridges on the site were damaged by multiple fires and a storm. A final wooden bridge designed by Peter of Colechurch (aka Peter the Bridge Master, chaplain of St. Mary Colechurch) was completed in 1163 A.D. Henry II commissioned the first stone structure, also designed by Peter, on the site around 800 years ago. Slightly to the west of the timber bridge location, it was a simple masonry arched bridge, like the Pont Neuf in Paris, and included a drawbridge.

This "Old London Bridge" was used as both a river crossing and a development site like the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, Italy. For half a century the stone bridge was home to many buildings, including residences, shops and a chapel dedicated to St. Thomas of Canterbury. In fact, there were about 200 buildings on the bridge, according to Green.

With so much development, the bridge became constricted  not to mention the bathroom facilities dropped straight into the Thames  so the city started removing the buildings in the 18th century.

" " This stone version of the London Bridge was topped with buildings, residences, shops and a chapel, which eventually caused it to become overcrowded and unstable. The British Library

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London Bridge No. 2

As the London Bridge continued to be a major transportation route even without its buildings, structural problems appeared. The arches deteriorated, and the bridge, which had experienced a variety of damage, was also slowly sinking. By the 1820s, it was deemed structurally problematic, Green explains.

Thus, a new bridge was proposed and completed in 1831. A masonry stone structure that was sturdier and highly engineered, it had been proposed by Scottish civil engineer John Rennie and constructed by his sons. Situated upstream from the 12th-century bridge, which was quickly demolished, it lasted just 140 years.

By the 1920s, the city knew that renovation or reconstruction would be necessary, but the second bridge remained until the late 1960s when it was finally replaced.

Interestingly, the 19th-century London Bridge was sold to Robert P. McCulloch, Sr., a chain saw magnate who founded Lake Havasu City, Arizona. He purchased the bridge for $2.4 million in 1968 plus shipping costs of around $240,000 and had it shipped to its new home, where it was reconstructed above a man-made channel. Today, it's the second most-visited tourist attraction in the state.

" " Scottish civil engineer John Rennie designed this stone version of the London Bridge, which was dedicated in 1831 by Queen Victoria. It stood for 140 years. Library of Congress

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The London Bridge Today

The London Bridge we know today was designed by city engineer Harold Knox King with architects Mott, Hay & Anderson and William Holford & Partners. It was opened by Queen Elizabeth in 1973. The bridge features three spans founded on concrete piers and is constructed of concrete and polished granite, which is not as exciting as it sounds.

"It's a fairly unremarkable piece of engineering, but it's turned into this amazing public space," Green says. The structure is similar to most overpasses in U.S. highway construction, and it is not generally somewhere tourists visits for its beauty, especially considering the historical architecture throughout London. However, the London Bridge offers an excellent location from which to take photos of the nearby Tower Bridge.

Until Westminster Bridge opened in 1750, the London Bridge offered the city's only option for crossing the Thames. Today, it connects two vibrant neighborhoods. On the north side is the City of London, which is the financial sector, like Wall Street, says Catherine Mahoney, head of communications for charity and philanthropy at City Bridge Trust. To the south is Southwark, with the Borough Market, The Shard and the London Dungeon.

Even with its current important status in modern London, the bridge remains a site of tradition, such as the 12th century right to use it to drive sheep into the City of London for sale. In 2013, 20 Suffolk and Texel sheep crossed the bridge in a reenactment of the historical charter as part of a fundraising effort. "It's a really cool, interesting bridge with a rich, interesting history," says Green.

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Is the London Bridge Falling Down?

So technically, the London Bridge has fallen down  to some degree  many times during its 2,000-year history.

"Bridge piers are liable to damage from shipping and from the force of the river rushing through," Roger Hobbs, emeritus professor, department of civil and environmental engineering, Imperial College London, explains in an email. "This finished the life of the medieval bridge and probably earlier bridges. They also need maintenance before problems become serious/dangerous."

So, where did the nursery rhyme we all grew up singing originate? It was first published in the mid-19th century, but it had probably been known long before that. There are a few prevailing theories about the song, including an 11th-century Viking attack, the 1666 Great London Fire, the unsubstantiated immurement of a person in the structure's foundation and the ongoing issue of the bridge needing repair.

That leaves the question of the "fair lady" mentioned in the ditty, but no consensus has been reached there either. One possibility is Eleanor of Provence, who was Henry III's consort and controlled London Bridge revenue during the late 13th century. Another guess is the fair lady is Matilda of Scotland, a consort of Henry I, who had commissioned bridge projects more than a century earlier. It has also been suggested that it could be a member of the Leigh family, who claim one of their relatives was entombed below the bridge. But it's really anybody's guess.

Now That's Morbid During the late Middle Ages and Early Modern Period, heads of traitors were impaled and displayed at the London Bridge's southern gateway, including that of Scottish hero Sir William Wallace.

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Originally Published: Jun 25, 2020
 Wooden, SCOTUS on the ACCA, not so free and easy | Main | SCOTUS releases first big order list of October Term 2021 ... with little of particular sentencing note 

October 3, 2021

Split Tenth Circuit panel upholds constitutionality of Colorado's indefinite sentencing of sex offender for 37 years

A helpful reader made sure I did not miss the interesting split panel ruling last week by the Tenth Circuit in Wimberly v. Williams, No. 20-1128 (10th Cir. Sept. 29, 2021) (available here). The majority opinion starts by setting out the essence of the case of the panel's ruling:

In 1984, Mr. Bruce E. Wimberly pleaded guilty to first-degree sexual assault. The Colorado trial court accepted his plea and considered the sentencing options. One option was a conventional sentence: a determinate prison term up to 24 years. But the Colorado Sex Offenders Act of 1968 provided a second option: an indeterminate term of confinement lasting anywhere from one day to life imprisonment. The court chose the second option, made additional findings required by the statute, and imposed an indeterminate term of confinement ranging from one day to life imprisonment. More than 24 years have passed. With passage of this time, Mr. Wimberly argues that the Constitution requires his release because he didnt receive a new hearing at the end of the 24-year determinate term (that the trial court chose not to impose). Without a new hearing, Mr. Wimberly claims that his continued confinement violates his rights to equal protection and due process. The federal district court rejected Mr. Wimberlys arguments, and so do we. The state trial court provided adequate procedural safeguards when imposing the indeterminate term of confinement, and that term could last anywhere from a single day to the rest of Mr. Wimberlys lifetime. The State thus had no constitutional duty to provide a new round of procedural safeguards 24 years into Mr. Wimberlys indeterminate term.

Judge McHugh dissents, arguing that Colorado functionally subjected the defendant to an unconstitutional form of civil confinement in an opinion that starts this way:

Petitioner-appellant Bruce E. Wimberly has been imprisoned for over 37 years, which is more than a decade longer than the maximum permissible sentence for his underlying crimes. Over this past decade, Colorado has denied Mr. Wimberly the procedural protections it affords to civil committees in its custody. The majority sees no constitutional problem with this; but I do. I therefore respectfully dissent. The majoritys conclusion stems from its premise that it doesnt matter whether we call this a sentence or a criminal commitment. Maj. Op. at 9. I reject this premise. Mr. Wimberly is presently confined under the Colorado Sex Offenders Act of 1968 (CSOA or the Act), which, in a section titled Indeterminate commitment, provides that courts may, . . . in lieu of the sentence otherwise provided by law, commit a sex offender to the custody of the [Department of Corrections] for an indeterminate term having a minimum of one day and a maximum of his or her natural life. Colo. Rev. Stat.  18-1.3-904 (emphasis added). In my view, both U.S. Supreme Court precedent and Colorado state law support the conclusion that the CSOA provides for a scheme of criminal commitment, not sentencing. From my premise that Mr. Wimberly is serving a criminal commitment, I further conclude Mr. Wimberlys present confinement violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

October 3, 2021 at 03:43 PM | Permalink

Comments

When you keep a convict beyond his or her prison sentence, what incentive does that particular inmate have to behave toward corrections officer and staff? What would such an inmate have to lose by attacking or killing his or her jailors? What would be the worst that could happen to a civally committed person who kills a guard or staff member when they are already doing a DE FACTO life sentence? Another life sentence under exactly the same conditions that the person is already serving under civil commitment? I'm surprised that more civally committed detainees have embraced the left-wing radicalism of Black Lives Matter, Antifa, etc.? I am especially that Minneapolis's unrest of 2020 resulting from George Floyd's death has not also rubbed off on civally committed detainees at Minnesota's Moose Lake facility. Maybe a few uprisings by civally committed detainees might finally force states to abolish civil commitment for former sex offenders.

Posted by: William Delzell | Oct 3, 2021 8:01:36 PM

I'm really surprised that this kind of sentence could have been given and even more surprised (as is the defendant) that it was not struck down. It is clearly cruel, it is clearly unusual.

It seems that The Constitution is not enforced if it's a sex crime.These prosecutor and judge devils are willing to violate the Constitution at those times. That's not the ways it's supposed to work.

Posted by: restless94110 | Oct 4, 2021 1:00:37 PM

Post a comment
This story was originally published by Atlas Obscura and has been republished here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.

When he was about 6 years old, Venkat Raman Singh Shyams father took him by the hand and led him into a dense forest, where tigers, hyenas, sloth bears, nilgai antelope, and wild boars roamed freely. Shyams family, which belongs to the Gond tribe, lived in a hamlet at the periphery of the Kanha Tiger Reserve in central India. Kanha, home to thick groves of bamboo and slender-trunked trees, including sal and East Indian ebony, is the forest that provided the backdrop for Rudyard Kiplings The Jungle Book.

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As the pair went deeper into the thicket, they came to a solitary stone with a large, ochre cat painted on it. It was a totem of the tiger, covered in tangerine paste and decorated with symbols of the sun and moon above it. That was Shyams introduction to Baghdevin Hindi, literally tiger god.

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For centuries, indigenous communities in Central and Western India, such as the Gond, Warli, and Koli, have worshipped tigers and leopards. Big cat shrines can be found in countless small villages scattered across the wilderness, as well as adjacent semi-urban areas. Conservation scientists are now investigating whether these traditions of animal reverence have, in fact, mitigated negative human-big cat encounters. Preliminary research suggests that worship of the big cat deity translates into a greater tolerance of the animals and their behavior, even when it involves attacking livestock.

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We ask the deity to protect our families, and not harm our livestock or our fields, says Shyam, whose family has honored Baghdev for generations. In return, we promise to offer it a sacrificial goat or a chicken, along with a fermented alcoholic beverage made from the flowers of the mahua tree.

For many indigenous communities in the region, tigers and leopards are the same animal, and the big cat deity they represent is known by different names: While the Gonds call it Baghdev, the Warlis know it as Waghoba, a combination of the Marathi words for big cat and community elder. Each shrine dedicated to the animal is marked by a stone statue or a wooden panel made of teak, painted or engraved with the animals image. The idol is often placed under a thick canopy of lush green trees. Just like the tiger should roam freely in its natural habitat, the deity, too, should exist unbounded, says Rajesh Chaitya Vangad, an acclaimed Warli artist who grew up listening to an intricate cross-weave of mythical tales and anecdotes about the forest and its inhabitants. In some villages, however, particularly those on the fringes of more populous areas, the statue or image is placed under sun-dried thatched roofsor, if the village can afford it, installed within a modest temple, where it often shares space with other idols.

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The practice of worshipping the deity has existed for hundreds of years, long before there were kings and queens, says Vangad. Waghoba is viewed as a villages guardian and gatekeeper; as such, most shrines are located at the hamlets entrance, but additional shrines exist higher up in the mountains, says Ramya Nair, a field researcher for Wildlife Conservation Society India. Nair has studied how Warli people live side by side with wildlife and was the lead author of a paper on the topic, published in June in Frontiers in Conservation Science. Her teams research suggests that the centuries-old tradition of worshipping Waghoba is important for present-day wildlife conservation. Because the indigenous communities revere the animals as incarnations of a god, they are less likely to try to eradicate the predators from the area, even as more of the land is used for agriculture and other human activity.

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That reverence is renewed in a two-day ritual held in each village once or twice a year, depending on the tribes tradition. Villagers gather to tend to the shrine and the ground around it, and to pray to the deity. In return for the tiger gods protection, the village offers it a sacrificial goat or chickensometimes a wild pig is sacrificed as well, says Shyamalong with coconuts, rice, flowers, mahua drink and raal, solidified resin from the sal tree. The figure of the deity is smeared with saffron or ochre paste as the village fills with songs, chants, and drumming that lasts for hours. After the sacrifice, the animals severed head is offered at the shrines altar; its meat is distributed among the members of the community as prasad, or blessed food. Such rituals, say practitioners, are an integral part of each villages cultural fabric.

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The tiger god definitely exists, says Ullas Bhaguji Bhagat, who belongs to the Mahadeo Koli community in Pale, a village in Maharashtra. If for some reason we cannot hold the ceremony or are unable to complete it, someone in our family is bound to fall sick or get wounded. Wide-eyed, he adds: Years ago, a tiger did visit our village. We hadnt performed the ceremony that year, so it attacked the cattleWe went to the temple and performed the necessary rituals. After that, the tiger hasnt stepped inside our village.

Nairs research found that big cat attacks, instead of shaking the villagers belief in the deity, were interpreted as a consequence of its wrath. People often tend to associate livestock depredations as a fault of their own, especially if they feel that they may have made a mistake in performing the rituals correctly. Such reasoning gives them a way to cope with their loss, she says.

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Whether the reverence shown for the animals has resulted in fewer attacks has not yet been studied but, notes Nair, At the end of the day, its a belief. Whether we try to make sense of it or not, it is what they believe in.

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University College London conservation anthropologist Sahil Nijhawan believes that modern conservation strategies could take a cue from indigenous traditions of tolerance and respect. Our current model of conservation is founded upon the idea that in protected areas we should eliminate the people, and outside protected areas we should eliminate the wildlife, says Nijhawan. The idea of coexistence, however, does not rest on elimination of one or the other; it rests on tolerance from both sides. Waghoba is one such example where certain communities have found ways to meaningfully share their landscape with dangerous animals, without having to eliminate them.

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The Gonds, for example, believe their identity is inextricably linked to every living being in the forest. Not just the tiger, we pray to snakes, peacocks, deer, porcupines, frogs, even crabs, says Shyam. We have been born in nature and so have they. Our lives are braided together and we are incomplete without them. Therefore, we must live with them as peacefully as possible.

Shyams attitude mirrors that of individuals Nair and colleagues interviewed as part of their extensive ethnographic study. We came across multiple worshippers who claimed that the tiger deity protected them, says Nair. All of their personal stories are data, but not in a scientific format. However, these narratives are important because they give you a glimpse into how people feel and how crucial their relationship is with the big cats. In the Frontiers paper, Nair and her coauthors wrote, It is worth reflecting on how fleeting our conservation interventions can be in comparison with something as resilient as the institution of Waghoba.
Thousands of protesters gathered in Washington and cities across the country on Saturday to demand continued access to abortion at a time when judges and conservative lawmakers have been imposing lots of new restrictions on the practice. The demonstrators, which was the first Womens March of the Biden administration, focused particularly on protesting the Texas ban on most abortions.

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In Washington, demonstrators headed to the Supreme Court, a month after justices declined to take action to block the Texas ban. The Supreme Court begins its new term Monday and there are widespread fears among activists that the justices could impose new restrictions on abortions. No matter where you live, no matter where you are, this moment is darkit is darkbut thats why were here, Alexis McGill Johnson, president of Planned Parenthood, told the crowd.

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In all there were 660 demonstrations across the United States with hundreds gathering in Austin and cities across Texas. Organizers said that while the protests were not as massive as during the Trump era, the way demonstrations were held in so many cities and towns across the country shows widespread support for the movement. They also said the marches were an important reminder that just because former President Donald Trump is out of office doesnt mean abortion rights are safe.

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Asteroid now bears Slovak dissidents name, but he will never know

The late priest Anton Srholec is one Slovak honoured this way.

This undated image made available by NASA shows the asteroid Bennu from the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. (Source: AP/TASR)

Five years since the death of Slovak Catholic priest and dissident Anton Srholec, the well-known man has been honoured by astronomers by naming an asteroid after him.

Asteroid 544541, with its temporary designation 2014 WP73, has thus been named Srholec. The asteroid was discovered by amateur astronomer Stefan Kurti from Nove Zamky, Nitra Region, and his colleagues at the Piszkestetoi Obszervatorium in Hungary in March 2011.

I wanted to pay tribute to Anton Srholec, Kurti told the TASR newswire. He faced problems under the Communist regime that punished him, but he did not give up and helped others throughout his life.

The orbit of Asteroid Srholec and the location of the object and planets on the day of discovery, March 24, 2011. (Source: Courtesy of Peter Veres/TASR)

The Srholec asteroid, about two kilometres in diameter, orbits the Sun in the main asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. It orbits the Sun once every 5.18 years.

Experienced astronomer

Kurti and his colleagues were the first to observe the asteroid a decade ago, but other observatories recorded the same asteroid a few days after their discovery. Further observations followed in 2014.

It is common that the same asteroid is observed by several other astronomers, he said.

For those to whom a discovery is attributed, the right to suggest the name of the new asteroid is then a type of reward, the Slovak amateur astronomer added.

Related article:

Related article: Asteroids approach our planet almost daily. Collision is unlikely Read more

Kurti is an experienced astronomer with a number of asteroid observations recorded in his list. Moreover, he has been attributed ten asteroid discoveries so far, which he could then name.

Asteroids related to Slovakia

Kurtis recent name proposal, Srholec, was approved by the International Astronomical Union and published in a September bulletin along with other 36 names.

Srholec is one of 22,763 asteroids that have been given a name, and there are more than 100 small planets bearing names related to Slovakia.

Some are related to geographical locations such as Tatry, Modra and Krivan. Others are named after well-known Slovaks, including writers Milan Rufus, Martin Kukucin, and Ludmila Podjavorinska.

3. Oct 2021 at 9:15 | Compiled by Spectator staff
https://sputniknews.com/20211002/video-brazil-sees-5th-nationwide-protest-against-president-bolsonaro-since-may-1089612485.html

Video: Brazil Sees 5th Nationwide Protest Against President Bolsonaro Since May

Video: Brazil Sees 5th Nationwide Protest Against President Bolsonaro Since May

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (Sputnik) - Brazilians took to the streets of the country's major cities on Saturday to demand the impeachment of President Jair... 02.10.2021, Sputnik International

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According to a Sputnik correspondent, social movements, unions, and leftist political parties gathered in Rio de Janeiro to voice their discontent. The organisers attempted to bring in centre and centre-right forces to no avail. The protests are currently peaceful.Most of the banners and slogans chanted by the protesters are about the victims of the COVID-19 pandemic, whose number is approaching 600,000, delays in acquiring vaccines, joblessness, hunger, as well as high gas prices.Protesters spoke in support of the previous president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is currently very popular among Brazilians. The country is scheduled to hold a presidential election in October 2022.The demonstrations are the fifth nationwide anti-Bolsonaro protest by left-wing forces since May.Incidentally, a poll released the day before the protest revealed that a record 58% of polled Brazilians rejected Bolsonaro's work in office, with many agreeing that his performance has been either "bad" or "very bad".

vot tak "The organizers attempted to bring in center and center-right forces to no avail." ... These don't object to being butt-raped by israel. They lurve that feeling their subservience makes them part of "the gang". The jailhouse suka syndrome.

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https://sputniknews.com/20211003/bling-bling-us-woman-uncovers-438-carat-diamond-at-arkansas-state-park--1089615497.html

Bling, Bling! US Woman Uncovers 4.38-Carat Diamond at Arkansas State Park

Bling, Bling! US Woman Uncovers 4.38-Carat Diamond at Arkansas State Park

This year alone, at least 258 diamonds have been found by patrons of Arkansas' Crater of Diamonds State Park. The combined weight of the stones reportedly... 03.10.2021, Sputnik International

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Noreen Wredberg and her husband, Michael, got more than they bargained for while visiting the aptly named Crater of Diamonds State Park on September 23rd. During their trip to the Pike County, Arkansas, park, Wredberg stumbled upon what she first presumed to be a regular, worthless stone. However, a closer inspection by Park Superintendent Caleb Howell would reveal that the rock in question - estimated to be "the size of a jellybean, with a pear shape and a lemonade colour" - was actually a yellow diamond weighing 4.38 carats.Park policy permits patrons to keep what they find while visiting the site, which has been recording such discoveries since 1906. "When I first saw this diamond under the microscope, I thought, 'Wow, what a beautiful shape and colour'", Howell said of the yellow diamond. Wredberg's find is the largest diamond registered this year, and the largest diamond found since Arkansas resident Kevin Kinard uncovered a 9.07-carat diamond in September 2020. Kinard's 9-carat discovery is the second-largest diamond registered in park history. A total of 75,000 diamonds have been discovered at the site. According to the Arkansas state website, at least 33,000 of those diamonds were uncovered by visitors.

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https://sputniknews.com/20211003/china-sends-nearly-40-jets-to-fly-near-taiwans-airspace-for-second-day-in-row-1089621700.html

China Sends Nearly 40 Jets to Fly Near Taiwan's Airspace for Second Day in Row

China Sends Nearly 40 Jets to Fly Near Taiwan's Airspace for Second Day in Row

China Sends Nearly 40 Jets to Fly Near Taiwan Airspace for Second Day in Row

2021-10-03T10:37+0000

2021-10-03T10:37+0000

2021-10-03T10:38+0000

asia & pacific

us

china

taiwan

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The Chinese Air Force sent 39 fighter jets to fly through the area on the edge of the Taiwan air defence identification zone on 2 October after flying another 38 a day earlier, the island's Defence Ministry has stated.There were two aerial sorties undertaken by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force on Saturday  one during the day and one at night, the same as on 1 October. The air defences spotted Chinese Su-30 fighter jets, J-16 strike fighters, Y-8 anti-submarine warfare aircraft, and KJ-500 early warning and control jets. Taiwan scrambled its jets and deployed anti-aircraft systems in response.The PLA Air Force flybys come in the wake of US Deputy Defence Secretary Kathleen Hicks dismissing concerns about a possible Chinese invasion of the self-governed island, that Beijing considers a part of its territory that should be reunited with the rest of the country. Hicks suggested that the US will insert itself into the conflict, if such an attack takes place.Beijing and Washington have long been at odds over the latter's attempt to meddle in China-Taiwan affairs, by sending its warships to the strait separating the island from the mainland and considering the sale of weapons to Taipei. US President Joe Biden approved a $750 million weapons package purchase by Taiwan despite Beijing strongly objecting to such a transaction between Washington and Taipei, who do not even have proper diplomatic relations. The Chinese government warned the White House that its actions might destabilise the region and lead to a conflict.

Sputnik User Just like Israel, Taiwan won't last 12 hours without yank support 5

hassadnah Taiwan island is part of China, the whole world can no denied that. USA have been the devil that poisoning Taiwan islanders and make them thought that they are American Blood Brother. 3

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asia & pacific, us, china, taiwan
https://sputniknews.com/20211003/ex-tory-leader-iain-duncan-smith-says-met-commissioner-dick-must-make-way-for-a-new-broom-1089624344.html

Ex-Tory Leader Iain Duncan Smith Says Met Commissioner Dick Must Make Way for a New Broom

Ex-Tory Leader Iain Duncan Smith Says Met Commissioner Dick Must Make Way for a New Broom

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick is under pressure to quit  not for the first time in her career  over the kidnapping and murder of a... 03.10.2021, Sputnik International

2021-10-03T14:12+0000

2021-10-03T14:12+0000

2021-10-03T20:57+0000

britain

great britain

london metropolitan police

cressida dick

uk

manchester

british conservative party

iain duncan smith

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uk conservative party

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A former Conservative Party leader has called for London's top cop to go over the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving officer.Iain Duncan Smith (IDS) told Sky News' Trevor Phillips that it was "time for a new broom" at the London Metropolitan Police, and that Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick should "step down". Speaking hours before the start of the Conservative Party's annual conference in Manchester, he said the public must be able to rely on the police to be "both forceful where necessary, but also helpful and can be trusted".Former Women's Minister Nicky Morgan backed calls by ex-Met Police Chief Superintendent Parm Sandhu for a re-vetting of all serving officers, and said the "test" of whether Dick should continue was how she plans to change the "culture" in the force."This is a much broader cultural issue... in all organisations and on our streets as well", she said. "It is just appalling and unacceptable that women and girls do not feel safe when they are walking around, often in broad daylight".Conservative co-chairman Oliver Dowden said he and Prime Minister Boris Johnson both "profoundly disagreed" with elected Conservative North Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Allott's "stupid" comments that women needed to be more "streetwise". But Dowden stopped short of calling for Allott's replacement, saying he had "rightly apologised".Wayne Couzens was handed down a whole-life sentence on Thursday for the murder of Sarah Everard on Clapham Common in south-west London in March this year. Couzens, who was a serving police officer at the time, kidnapped Everard under the pretext of arresting her for breaching COVID-19 pandemic regulations, despite being off-duty, out of uniform and alone.Dick described the case on Thursday as "one of the most dreadful events" in the Met's 190-year-history and a "gross betrayal of everything policing stands for".But in March, the commissioner ordered a heavy-handed crackdown on women holding a silent candlelight vigil for Everard on Clapham Common  which, it later emerged, Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton attended.Dick, whose appointment by Labour Mayor of London Sadiq Khan was approved by then-home secretary Amber Rudd, is no stranger to controversy. On 22 July 2005, as a senior commander under Commissioner Sir Ian Blair, she ordered armed officers to shoot dead Brazilian electrician Jean-Charles de Menezes on a London Underground train at Stockwell Station after surveillance officers mistook him for one of the south Asian perpetrators of the previous day's attempted suicide bombings on the network.Outspoken backbencher IDS was Tory opposition leader from 2001 to 2003, and also served as work and pensions secretary to Prime Minister David Cameron from 2010 to 2016.

https://sputniknews.com/20211003/uk-pm-johnson-pledges-to-get-more-rapists-behind-bars-amid-sarah-everard-murder-investigation-1089620761.html

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https://sputniknews.com/20211003/ex-us-bagram-base-active-again-amid-unconfirmed-media-claims-of-chinas-interest-in-airfield-1089630878.html

Ex-US Bagram Base 'Active Again' Amid Unconfirmed Media Claims of China's Interest in Airfield

Ex-US Bagram Base 'Active Again' Amid Unconfirmed Media Claims of China's Interest in Airfield

Ex-US Bagram Base 'Active Again' Amid Unconfirmed Media Claims of China's Interest in Airfield

2021-10-03T16:55+0000

2021-10-03T16:55+0000

2021-10-03T16:55+0000

us

asia & pacific

china

afghanistan

bagram air base

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The Bagram Airbase, located not far from Kabul, Afghanistan, had its floodlights turned on for the first time in over a month, according to the accounts of local social media users posting alleged photos of it online. The airfield, which used to serve as the main base of the US military in Afghanistan, has also seen the return of air traffic to and from it, according to the alleged accounts of locals. Several military planes have reportedly flown to and from Bagram.Several media outlets, including the Daily Mail and US News & World Report, were quick to allege that the planes could have belonged to China, citing the Asian nation's purported interest in the base.Sputnik could not independently confirm the change in Bagram Airbase's status or the country of origin of the allegedly arriving aircraft.US News & World Report claimed that China had mulled sending in military personnel and economic development officials to the former US airbase to assess whether it could be useful, for example as a part of the "Belt and Road Initiative". However, the Chinese Foreign Ministry's spokesperson, Wang Wenbin, strongly denied such allegations as "a piece of purely false information".The Taliban*, which seized power in Afghanistan in August amid the US withdrawal from the country, also rejected the notion that Bagram was occupied by Chinese forces. While the group did not explain the reports of increased activity at the base, some social media users alleged it had been re-activated to boost its defences against the purportedly remaining forces of the "resistance"  a group that defies and fights against the Taliban's rule.*The Taliban is a terrorist organisation banned in Russia and many other countries.

https://sputniknews.com/20211003/multiple-afghan-civilians-killed-in-explosion-near-kabul-mosque-taliban-says-1089623916.html

vot tak "However, the Chinese Foreign Ministry's spokesperson, Wang Wenbin, strongly denied such allegations as "a piece of purely false information". .... The only useful part of the article, the rest being repitition of zio-media fake news. 5

koursk koursk the new taliban have driven out the regular armies of the nato zone and the private armies (al qaida and the islamic state) belonging to the billionaires who command in washington and brussels 4

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us, asia & pacific, china, afghanistan, bagram air base
https://sputniknews.com/20211003/exclusive-tehran-to-boost-uranium-enrichment-head-of-irans-atomic-energy-organisation-says-1089603710.html

EXCLUSIVE: Tehran to Boost Uranium Enrichment, Head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation Says

EXCLUSIVE: Tehran to Boost Uranium Enrichment, Head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation Says

Iranian authorities have repeatedly stressed that the country has never pursued nuclear weapons and never will, despite its decision to boost uranium... 03.10.2021, Sputnik International

2021-10-03T04:58+0000

2021-10-03T04:58+0000

2021-10-03T04:58+0000

world

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iran

nuclear technology

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interviews

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In an exclusive interview with Sputnik Iran, Mohammad Eslami, vice president and the head of the Atomic Energy Organisation of the Islamic Republic of Iran (AEOI), explained what the recent conflict with the IAEA was about, why Iran considered the report on access to monitoring cameras at the TESA Complex in Karaj unconstructive, and more.Vice President Eslami has refuted information that a large number of uranium particles of man-made origin was found at three sites in Iran, which had not been reported to the IAEA. He also stressed that Tehran will continue to enrich uranium, but will never use it to develop nuclear weapons.Sputnik: Having been appointed head of the Atomic Energy Organisation of the Islamic Republic of Iran (AEOI), what areas or directions have you identified as the priority ones that need to be changed?Mohammad Eslami: Iran is now facing an acute need for electricity. Therefore, we have set a goal to meet 50 percent of the country's demand for 10,000-16,000 MW of electricity by building new [nuclear] power plants with a combined capacity of 8,000 MW. This is currently the principal objective of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran. The second priority of the organisation is to develop the production of radiopharmaceuticals and the development of radiotracer generators. Today, these nuclear power products should be actively introduced in our country in medicine, industry, agriculture, and the environment.Sputnik: Do you believe any country should have access to and be able to produce nuclear energy?Mohammad Eslami: Of course, all countries have the full right to use advanced nuclear technologies. This right is enshrined in the Statute of the IAEA. Moreover, the IAEA should encourage countries to develop nuclear power projects and help states with the necessary expertise and even technology. According to its statute, the IAEA should provide comprehensive support and assistance to all countries both in training and in research areas for the development of peaceful nuclear energy. Of course, this applies primarily to countries where there is normal stable economic development, where there are no military conflicts, and where there is democracy and the rule of the people.Sputnik: In your view, how has Iran's nuclear power changed? What has it done for the country? For many years, Iran's nuclear programme has been in the news almost exclusively in a negative light.Mohammad Eslami: For almost 40 years, Iran's progress in every sphere has faced unfair and harsh criticism from the West. This is not just about nuclear power. They [the West] cannot allow other countries to have access to advanced technologies in energy. In their view, all advances and discoveries in this field should be exclusively under their banner and control. Iran is a rich country, not only with natural resources but also with enormous human potential. This has allowed Iran to fully localise knowledge on the development of the peaceful atom, develop nuclear technology on its own, and establish its own scientific training base in nuclear energy. The country was able to build its first nuclear power plant with the participation of Russian specialists, that is, to attract attention for foreign investment in this area, to reach a self-sufficient level of peaceful nuclear energy to meet the needs of the country's population, both in fuel and in radioisotopes and the development of nuclear medicine. At the same time, Iran has been a member of the IAEA for 50 years and during this time only our country has been subjected to various attacks and captious criticism on nuclear energy.Sputnik: What are Iran's plans for nuclear power development? Do you plan to increase uranium enrichment capacity? What level of enriched uranium is Iran planning to reach?Mohammad Eslami: Iran will operate within the framework of the International Treaty (NPT), of which it is a member. Iran pledges not to develop or proliferate nuclear weapons. Iran is committed to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. Moreover, under the law of the Islamic Republic and the fatwa of Iran's supreme leader, the development of nuclear weapons is prohibited. Therefore, our nuclear programme is exclusively peaceful, and we will enrich uranium in a way to avoid crossing the permissible level (the threshold value of uranium enrichment for military purposes [creation of nuclear weapons] is 90 percent  ed. note Sputnik).Sputnik: IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi recently submitted a report stating that Iran had denied IAEA inspectors access to surveillance cameras at a nuclear facility in Karaj. Why did Iran call the report false and unconstructive?Mohammad Eslami: Under the NPT, as well as under the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement (CSA), IAEA inspectors have been monitoring for many years  in person and using surveillance cameras. This is done not only at sites in Iran but also in other NPT countries, in accordance with the IAEA Statute. Unfortunately, states that are hostile to us are deliberately and illegitimately politicising this process, it is a form of discrimination. Iran has so far shown the utmost restraint to maintain its credibility.First, under the CSA, IAEA inspectors continue to monitor nuclear facilities in Iran. We have no problem or disagreement with them on this matter. Secondly, the range of surveillance cameras to which the IAEA must have access at certain sites is fixed in the JCPOA. All these cameras were installed at the sites by IAEA inspectors. In fact, this was a deal between Iran and the P5+1. Iran has shown a sign of goodwill in return for the other side fulfilling its obligations: lifting all designated sanctions, allowing Iran to develop advanced technologies to meet its needs, including in nuclear energy. However, these commitments have not been fulfilled by the US and European countries. According to the deal, Iran has met the conditions for reducing nuclear activities at a number of sites. The cameras were installed to monitor this process. Two and a half years have passed and the other side of the deal still has not fulfilled its obligations. Iran, however, has absolutely voluntarily accepted the Additional Protocol to the NPT and hosted IAEA inspectors so as not to undermine its credibility.One has to wonder to what extent a party that has re-sanctioned us, failed to meet its obligations, withdrawn from the deal, imposed sanctions even on those who are cooperating with us, has the right to demand additional monitoring inspections on our compliance with obligations.As for the Karaj nuclear facility, it should be recalled that it was the site of a terrorist attack and was destroyed in an explosion. It is regrettable that neither the IAEA nor the countries that have made monitoring claims against us condemned that terrorist act. An investigation by judicial and law enforcement bodies is underway at this site. The IAEA representatives were told about these important details in both Tehran and Vienna: the facility was severely destroyed, in particular where the cameras were supposed to be located. Not condemning a terrorist act at an official site under IAEA supervision is tantamount to supporting terrorists.Sputnik: Can you comment on the IAEA director general's statements that a large number of man-made uranium particles were found in Iran's territory at three sites that were not reported to the IAEA?Eslami: Unfortunately, this false news is actively being promoted by members of a terrorist group who are now taking refuge in European countries (the People's Mujahedin Organisation of Iran, or the Mujahedin-e-Khalq  ed. note). They keep trying to present some fake documents, allegedly satellite photos, the authenticity of which is not confirmed. The photos were taken in the 1990s but they are presented as recent ones. The IAEA, as an international body, should not fall for these tricks and become a puppet in the hands of this terrorist group.Sputnik: Iran and Russia have a long history of cooperation on nuclear energy. What are the main topics on the agenda?Eslami: The most important subjects are the Bushehr NPP project, which consists of 3 units. Unit 1 has already entered, so to speak, an independent production cycle. Now, we have a new maintenance contract for the other two units with a capacity of 1,700 MW on the agenda.

https://sputniknews.com/20210930/irans-nuclear-chief-says-june-sabotage-inflicted-severe-damage-on-karaj-facility-1089554371.html

https://sputniknews.com/20210714/iranian-president-rouhani-reveals-when-tehran-can-produce-90-uranium--1083382892.html

BUY HUAWEI bravo Iran. Iran can stop worrying, we from the West know exactly who the terrorists of our governments are, we know that the West is dirty, supporting, promoting, paying, educating and relocating terrorists around the world. 7

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world, middle east, iran, nuclear technology, jcpoa, interviews
https://sputniknews.com/20211003/five-police-officers-injured-at-anniversary-march-in-mexico-city-justice-ministry-says-1089623573.html

Five Police Officers Injured at Anniversary March in Mexico City, Justice Ministry Says

Five Police Officers Injured at Anniversary March in Mexico City, Justice Ministry Says

MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) - Five Mexican police officers were injured at a march commemorating the 1968 massacre in the Plaza of Three Cultures in Mexico City, the... 03.10.2021, Sputnik International

2021-10-03T11:32+0000

2021-10-03T11:32+0000

2021-10-03T12:06+0000

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"Five employees of the Ministry of Justice and Public Security (two women and three men) were injured, the victims were treated on the spot by personnel from an emergency medical unit (ERUM) without the need for hospitalisation", the ministry said in a statement.The march began at the Plaza of Three Cultures and ended in front of the National Palace. It was attended by 5,200 people and the events were generally peaceful, the police said.A group of young people clad in black who hid their faces under masks and balaclavas also known as encapuchados  joined the march. The police separated the more aggressive march participants, who threw Molotov cocktails and attacked the city's police "with hammers, stones and explosives, and burning objects", from the rest of the demonstration.The demonstration in Mexico City was accompanied by 1,100 law enforcement officers and no protesters were detained. The police used only containment measures, shields, and fire extinguishers.Mass student rallies began in Mexico City in the summer of 1968 to protest the Olympics. On 2 October, the Mexican Armed Forces opened fire at one such march. The number of victims differs depending on the source, with a 2006 report putting it at 350. More than 2,000 were arrested on that day.

See you in the ice those extremely violent angry "youths" are probably the same kind of male as the one who reacted violently to being rejected by Miya (recently murdered teen girl). Man-animal hybrids (like island of Dr Moreau or Skeletor's Beast men ) who are unable to control their rage and emotions. Should be able to find proof of their non humanity in their dna. 1

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mexico, world, news, olympics, protest, police
https://sputniknews.com/20211003/iranian-fm-tehran-asked-us-to-unfreeze-10-billion-ahead-of-nuclear-talks---1089615242.html

Iranian FM: Tehran Asked US to Unfreeze $10 Billion Ahead of Nuclear Talks

Iranian FM: Tehran Asked US to Unfreeze $10 Billion Ahead of Nuclear Talks

A senior US State Department official last month said that the US and its allies are awaiting Iran's return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) ... 03.10.2021, Sputnik International

2021-10-03T03:51+0000

2021-10-03T03:51+0000

2021-10-03T05:15+0000

us

iran

united nations

nuclear talks

frozen funds

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Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian on Saturday revealed that US officials and middlemen seeking renewed nuclear talks with Iran should come to the table with a substantial offer that demonstrates Washington's intentions and renewed commitment to an accord. During the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) last month, Amirabdollahian informed US intermediaries that nuclear talks could occur if Washington unfreezes some $10 billion of Tehran's funds that are blocked because of American sanctions. "They are not willing to free $10 billion belonging to the Iranian nation so that we can say that the Americans once in the past several decades considered the interests of the Iranian nation", Amirabdollahian added. Amirabdollahian told the outlet that Tehran would "soon" return to Vienna for talks. However, no date or timeline was provided.Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in his UNGA address again emphasised that Tehran is not pursuing nuclear weapons, and would need the US to fulfill its obligations and lift all sanctions related to the accord. As for Washington, a senior State Department official stressed last month that time is running out while continuing to assert that Tehran is growing its nuclear programme. While the US is willing to return to the negotiating table, American officials have suggested that there will be a point when the non-proliferation benefits offered under the JCPOA no longer meet Washington's demands. The unnamed State Department official noted that the US reserves the right to "conclude that Iran simply has a different course of action in mind". In that case, "we'll have to act accordingly", they added.

monti Time is ALWAYS "running out" in negotiating with the US... they are right...if the US is serious...they need to unfreeze Iranian assets...else Iran can gaslight them back... 9

sharknbake21 US REGIME HAS TO ASK TEL AVIV, IF TEL AVIV SAYS NO, US REGIME WILL SAY "no". US regime since 1948 doe snot have an independent foreign policy . 3

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Evan Craighead

us, iran, united nations, nuclear talks, frozen funds
https://sputniknews.com/20211003/italians-go-to-polls-in-municipal-elections-1089618224.html

Italians Go to Polls in Municipal Elections

Italians Go to Polls in Municipal Elections

ROME (Sputnik) - Italians in more than a thousand cities, towns, and villages across the country went to the polls on Sunday morning to elect mayors and... 03.10.2021, Sputnik International

2021-10-03T07:12+0000

2021-10-03T07:12+0000

2021-10-03T07:16+0000

elections

italy

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Polls opened at 7 a.m. (5:00 GMT) in Rome, Milan, Naples, Turin, Bologna, Rimini, and the southern province of Calabria. More than 12 million Italians are eligible to cast ballots.All eyes are on the polls in the capital and other major cities. A mayoral candidate needs to secure 50% of the vote plus one to avoid a runoff. The second round will be held from 17-18 October.Polling stations will close at 3 p.m. on 4 October. Coronavirus restrictions are being enforced, including mandatory mask wearing and social distancing. People who do not have a digital COVID-19 pass are still allowed to vote.

https://sputniknews.com/20210901/party-source-says-italys-former-pm-berlusconi-admitted-to-hospital-for-second-time-in-a-week-1083769251.html

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elections, italy
Foreign Secretary Truss Blasts Labour Party for Opposing AUKUS

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has criticised the opposition Labour Party for their stance on the AUKUS defence pact between London, Washington, and Canberra after the Labour conference in Brighton called it "a dangerous move which will undermine world peace".

She also noted that "Britain's best days are ahead of us" and stressed that the UK "will be tough on those who don't share our values and don't play by the rules".
https://sputniknews.com/20211003/marie-antoinettes-redacted-love-letters-finally-uncensored-using-x-ray-tech-1089613414.html

Marie Antoinette's Redacted Love Letters Finally Uncensored With X-Ray Tech

Marie Antoinette's Redacted Love Letters Finally Uncensored With X-Ray Tech

Scientists have shed new light on secret letters between the doomed French queen, Marie Antoinette, and her long-rumoured lover, after successfully uncovering... 03.10.2021, Sputnik International

2021-10-03T01:14+0000

2021-10-03T01:14+0000

2021-10-03T06:04+0000

france

research

study

x-ray

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Historians have been diligently working for centuries to decipher the surviving letters from Antoinette's clandestine love affair with Swedish count Axel von Fersen. Thanks to a team of conservation scientists, the mystery behind the secret letters has been solved.Scientists detailed in a study published on Friday that they have deciphered the contents of a letter using X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, an analytical technique that, among other benefits, can be used to detect the chemistry of very old ink without damaging a document.This well-proven method helped reveal what was written under time-worn censored lines that were done with iron-gall ink.The uncensored contents of the letters reportedly show the depth of Antoinette's affection for her close friend during a time of great turmoil.But even more surprising within the findings was the discovery by scientists that the mysterious censor of the queen's letter was none other than her beloved Fersen himself, as indications suggested that he had rewritten the royal's letters and later redacted portions.The letters further revealed sentimental displays of affection between the French queen and the Swedish count, with words such as "beloved", "tender friend", "adore", and "madly" littered throughout the writing.Seth described the revelations as "absolutely fantastic", adding that "science is educating us on issues we couldn't have guessed".Executed in 1793 in the wake of the French Revolution, Antoinette wrote many letters in her life, and these controversial documents are said to have captured some of the more extreme moments of her life."She's under house arrest, she fears for her life, she may be killed", Seth said. "She is writing with this awareness of her fate".The letters had remained in the custody of the count's family until 1877, when they were publicly aired by von Fersen's great-nephew. Years later, the letters were acquired by France's National Archives.The research findings were published in the journal Science Advances.

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france, research, study, x-ray
https://sputniknews.com/20211003/multiple-afghan-civilians-killed-in-explosion-near-kabul-mosque-taliban-says-1089623916.html

Multiple Afghan Civilians Killed in Explosion Near Kabul Mosque, Taliban Says

Multiple Afghan Civilians Killed in Explosion Near Kabul Mosque, Taliban Says

The blast hit the Afghan capital as the Taliban* was holding the first mass rally outside the city to celebrate their victory in the nearly 20-year war. 03.10.2021, Sputnik International

2021-10-03T11:43+0000

2021-10-03T11:43+0000

2021-10-03T13:19+0000

asia & pacific

kabul

afghanistan

taliban

explosion

blast

zabihullah mujahid

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A bomb went off near the entrance to the Eidgah Mosque in Kabul where a memorial ceremony was being held for the mother of Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, and killed several people, the movement announced on Sunday.Initially, the Interior Ministry said that at least two people had been killed and three more injured by the blast. However, a source later told Sputnik that the death toll had reached 12 people, while more were wounded in the attack.Qari Saeed Khosty, a spokesperson for the Afghan Interior Ministry, said that three people had been detained in connection with the incident.No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. A photo allegedly taken at the site of the incident has since appeared online.The situation in the country remains tense, with the Daesh* terrorist group staging deadly attacks across Afghanistan since the Taliban seized power.The Taliban movement boosted its offensive earlier this year amid the US troop withdrawal, as Washington decided to end its military campaign after almost 20 years. In August, the militants seized Kabul, prompting mass evacuations from the capital, while the last stronghold of the anti-Taliban resistance in Panjshir Province fell on 6 September.*The Taliban and Daesh-K (ISIS-K) are terrorist organisations banned in Russia and many other states

2007harleydavidsonsg Defamatory remarks like that don't help matters, the same could be said for a number of world religions. Shape up or ship out idiot. 10

DPaoa US sponsored terrorism 3

6

kabul

afghanistan

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asia & pacific, kabul, afghanistan, taliban, explosion, blast, zabihullah mujahid
https://sputniknews.com/20211003/never-surrender-bojo-pledges-to-not-bring-back-low-wage-immigration-amid-lorry-drivers-shortage-1089621087.html

Never Surrender: BoJo Pledges to Not Bring Back 'Low-Wage Immigration' Amid Lorry Drivers Shortage

Never Surrender: BoJo Pledges to Not Bring Back 'Low-Wage Immigration' Amid Lorry Drivers Shortage

The lack of HGV drivers in the UK has prompted a fuel crisis with long queues at filling stations that can only offer "No fuel" signs for hundreds of concerned... 03.10.2021, Sputnik International

2021-10-03T10:27+0000

2021-10-03T10:27+0000

2021-10-03T10:27+0000

uk fuel crisis

boris johnson

visa

uk

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UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has vowed that the shortage of lorry drivers will not force him to allow more low-paid immigration into the country. Acknowledging that the visa system will be kept "under review", Johnson said that Brexit has provided Britain with control and he will not give it up.According to him, it was "low-wage immigration" that undermined the job of HGV driver, turning people away from the industry. Now when immigration isn't flourishing the way it used to, Johnson said that "for the first time in over a decade, you're seeing wages going up around the country, and that is fundamentally a good thing".Salaries for lorry drivers have skyrocketed indeed, with a trainee driver with no experience now being able to earn 24,000 pounds a year, with the figure rising up to 30,000-55,000 pounds after they gain qualification.But the spike is largely due to how the United Kingdom is currently struggling for more HGV (heavy goods vehicles) drivers, as the country has been stricken by a fuel crisis, with at least 26 percent of petrol stations empty of fuel as of 1 October. Last month, Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer called for 100,000 foreign lorry drivers to be given a work visa in the UK to help tackle the fuel crisis. According to him and his supporters, the Brexit-prompted end of free movement between the European Union and the United Kingdom has caused the driver shortage.Per the government, however, the situation with HGV drivers worsened due to the coronavirus pandemic.

https://sputniknews.com/20211001/26-of-uk-filling-stations-are-dry-petrol-retailers-association-says-1089578008.html

NthrnNYker59 Only because there are no mainland European truck driver willing to drop their current jobs for these stop-gap visas and then get booted when the crisis is over... who does this clown think he's kidding ? 5

See you in the ice He is a Turk. Turks are invaders. Have been invading, attacking, plundering, raping from East to West for 2000+ years. LOL look how many invaders from the Eastern wastelands infest your gov't. History repeats. Which is not so bad because that means Arthur will arise again. Then the hunt and pursuit will be on to the end of the Earth. 3

3

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Daria Bedenko

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Daria Bedenko

boris johnson, visa, uk
https://sputniknews.com/20211003/new-domain-in-battle-uk-touts-new-cyber-warfare-centre-to-stage-offensive-attacks-1089629771.html

New Domain in Battle: UK Touts New Cyber Warfare Centre to Stage Offensive Attacks

New Domain in Battle: UK Touts New Cyber Warfare Centre to Stage Offensive Attacks

The new cyber warfare centre will reportedly be mentioned by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson as an example of Londons levelling up agenda during his... 03.10.2021, Sputnik International

2021-10-03T15:50+0000

2021-10-03T15:50+0000

2021-10-03T20:42+0000

russia

china

international law

cyber warfare

uk

headquarters

ben wallace

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UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has announced the construction of the National Cyber Force headquarters in northwestern Englands Samlesbury to launch possible offensive cyber attacks against unspecified hostile nations.In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph, Wallace referred to some foreign states waging cyber warfare on the UK every single day, adding that Britain has a right under international law and among ourselves to defend ourselves.He promised his country would defend itself from cyber warfare if that warfare is dangerous, corrupting, or damaging.When asked if the National Cyber Force will be capable of attacking a hostile countrys critical infrastructure, Wallace said it would be a dereliction of duty if these capabilities weren't on our shelves.Wallace insisted that the construction of the new digital warfare, which is worth 5 ($6.7) billion, would put the UK at the front of countries capable of staging offensive cyber attacks. He argued that Britain will be one of the very, very few nations in the world with that scale.The defence secretary described cyber as a new domain in battle, stressing the importance of the UK acting against potential adversaries in this field.According to him, the impact of the new cyber warfare centre can be likened to the location of Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) in Cheltenham in the 1950s. Cheltenham was a small country town and look what it has done. That's what we mean by levelling up, he said.Raab Wants Coalition to Tackle 'Malicious Cyber Attacks'Wallaces remarks come a few months after then-UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab called for a wider coalition to respond to states complicit in "malicious cyber attacks", as he gave his keynote cybersecurity speech at Britains National Cyber Security Centre's (NCSC) CYBERUK conference.Touching upon the threats facing the West in cyberspace, Raab accused Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran of working to "sabotage, steal, and ransack the international system".This was preceded by General Patrick Sanders, commander of the UK Strategic Command, claiming that China was a "chronic threat" to the UK amid a record number of cyber-attacks targeting Britain during the COVID-19 pandemic.He was echoed by Russian Ambassador to the UK Andrei Klein, who noted that Moscow had never interfered in the UK's political processes and instead seeks to find common ground to improve bilateral relations.Ties between the two are still at an all-time low after former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter were poisoned in March 2018 in the UK city of Salisbury. London points the finger at Moscow, claiming it played a role in the incident, while Russia denies the allegations. The countrys Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said back in May 2019 that the Skripal case was falling apart due to a lack of any evidence incriminating Russia.

https://sputniknews.com/20210727/uk-media-report-on-iranian-secret-cyber-files-casts-more-doubt-than-confidence-experts-say-1083466470.html

https://sputniknews.com/20200926/general-uk-cyber-attacks-1080580326.html

Ladyshadow apparently these kids don't realize that their own cyber attacks will be caught, dah. 2

vot tak It is this constant public skool boi/grrrrrl nonsense coming out of israel's brit colony that justifies their own complete isolation from the civilized peoples of this planet. BDS the brits like they are israelis. Do the same to the usa and the rest of the 5 eyes countries. 1

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Oleg Burunov https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/09/0b/1080424846_0:0:2048:2048_100x100_80_0_0_3d7b461f8a98586fa3fe739930816aea.jpg

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russia, china, international law, cyber warfare, uk, headquarters, ben wallace
https://sputniknews.com/20211003/nyc-schools-proceed-with-covid-vaccine-mandate-as-scotus-justice-sotomayor-blocks-teachers-appeal-1089613733.html

NYC Schools Proceed With COVID Vaccine Mandate as SCOTUS Justice Sotomayor Blocks Teachers' Appeal

NYC Schools Proceed With COVID Vaccine Mandate as SCOTUS Justice Sotomayor Blocks Teachers' Appeal

On Monday, a US appeals panel issued an order that allowed the New York City Department of Education to impose a vaccine mandate on its teachers and adult... 03.10.2021, Sputnik International

2021-10-03T01:59+0000

2021-10-03T01:59+0000

2021-10-03T05:48+0000

new york

school

sonia sotomayor

teachers

vaccines

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Beginning Monday, virtually all active teachers and personnel in New York City schools must have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, as required by the district-wide vaccine mandate announced by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio in August. Teachers who did not secure an exemption, or simply failed to meet the October 1st, 5:00 p.m. local time deadline, risk being sidelined, with unpaid leave extending until September 2022. Despite legal opposition, the contentious mandate's first-dose deadline remained in place on Friday, with US Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor rejecting an emergency appeal."Put bluntly, plaintiffs do not have a substantive due process right to teach children without being vaccinated against a dangerous infectious disease", said a lawyer representing the city, as reported by Reuters.The appeal suggested that unvaccinated teachers and public school personnel were not given alternatives, such as weekly COVID-19 testing - an option available for select municipality employees. Additionally, the mandate forces public schools to potentially sideline "thousands" of educators at a time when teacher availability is already low. Vinoo Varghese, an attorney for teachers, slammed both the NYC mayor and Dr Dave Chokshi, the city's health commissioner, claiming that they "don't care about" schoolchildren and those "fantastic public employees" who may lose their jobs. De Blasio welcomed Sotomayor's move. Earlier in the week, de Blasio warned NYC school teachers and personnel to get their first dose by the October 1st deadline, "or don't return to work on Monday", October 4th. The NYC mayor told reporters on Friday that around 90% of NYC school teachers and personnel have received at least their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. "The bottom line is this mandate has worked and the goal was to protect kids, including our youngest kids who can't be vaccinated yet, and to ensure that families knew schools would be safe", he said. Sotomayor's swift decision came on her own, without a referral to the full court. Her Friday denial mirrors that of fellow US Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who, in August, denied an appeal by students who opposed a COVID-19 vaccine mandate at Indiana University.

TruePatriot Absolutely outrageous. And Sotomayor ought to be castigated outright for her stupidity and lack of comprehension of Constitutional law. In addition, DiBlasio ought to be recalled and that clown Chockshi fired. Lacking all that, the teachers simply need to walk off the job and all the parents need to start pulling their kids out of school for home schooling and to start protesting to all the school boards about this dictatorial tyrannical action. 2

Thomas Turk Insanity rules in poloticos and medicos non-think. Poor innocent Murikan kids. Tv. Gab News.WATCH: Doctor Exposes Covid Vaccine Attacking Blood Cells 2

2

new york

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new york, school, sonia sotomayor, teachers, vaccines
https://sputniknews.com/20211003/oman-speeds-up-evacuation-from-muscat-ahead-of-cyclone-shaheen-landfall-1089626066.html

Oman Speeds Up Evacuation From Muscat Ahead of Cyclone Shaheen Landfall

Oman Speeds Up Evacuation From Muscat Ahead of Cyclone Shaheen Landfall

BEIRUT (Sputnik) - Oman ordered emergency agencies on 3 October to speed up the evacuation of Muscat residential areas ahead of Cyclone Shaheen's landfall. 03.10.2021, Sputnik International

2021-10-03T12:34+0000

2021-10-03T12:34+0000

2021-10-03T12:34+0000

oman

news

world

evacuation

cyclone

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The state news agency ONA reported that power would be cut in the coastal districts after evacuation is complete. Work was cancelled and medical facilities were ordered to close.The cyclone is expected to come ashore between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. local time (14:00-17:00 GMT). High winds and storm surge were reported onshore in the afternoon.Shelters have opened throughout the sultanate. ONA said more than 600 people had arrived at 10 relief centers in Al Batinah North Governorate, north of Muscat.

oman

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oman, news, world, evacuation, cyclone
https://sputniknews.com/20211003/peoples-assembly-activists-hold-rally-against-tory-party-in-manchester--1089626947.html

'People's Assembly' Activists Hold Rally Against Tory Party in Manchester

'People's Assembly' Activists Hold Rally Against Tory Party in Manchester

The Conservative Party conference is taking place amid a shortage of tanker truck drivers which has already translated into a lack of fuel at petrol stations. 03.10.2021, Sputnik International

2021-10-03T13:38+0000

2021-10-03T13:38+0000

2021-10-03T13:38+0000

news

world

uk conservative party

uk

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Sputnik is live from Manchester, UK, where "People's Assembly Against Austerity" activists are holding an anti-Tory demonstration on 3 October as the annual Conservative Party conference kicked off earlier this day. The members of the group have repeatedly said that the austerity measures adopted by the government are destructive. The United Kingdom began implementing austerity measures in various sectors of public life in the wake of the 2007-2008 global financial crisis. University College London, in a report released in 2017, linked 120,000 deaths to the government's cutbacks.Follow Sputnik's live feed to find out more!

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'People's Assembly' activists lead anti-Tory protest in Manchester 'People's Assembly' activists lead anti-Tory protest in Manchester 2021-10-03T13:38+0000 true PT99M10S

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news, world, uk conservative party, uk, 
https://sputniknews.com/20211003/president-duterte-says-daughter-to-run-in-2022-philippines-election-reports-suggest-1089615669.html

President Duterte Says Daughter to Run in 2022 Philippines Election, Reports Suggest

President Duterte Says Daughter to Run in 2022 Philippines Election, Reports Suggest

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte says his daughter, Sara Duterte-Carpio, will run for president in the 2022 election, the news network... 03.10.2021, Sputnik International

2021-10-03T04:12+0000

2021-10-03T04:12+0000

2021-10-03T04:47+0000

asia

news

world

philippines

rodrigo duterte

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Sara Duterte-Carpio is currently the mayor of Davao.On 2 October, President Rodrigo Duterte, 76, announced that he was retiring from politics, less than a year before the next presidential race. Duterte also said that his daughter was going to run for president.Rodrigo Duterte was expected to register as a candidate for vice president from his ruling party PDP-Laban. His longtime friend, Senator Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Tesoro Go has replaced him in the race, according to ABS-CBN.Duterte came to power after the 2016 presidential election. The 2022 presidential vote is set to take place in the Philippines on 9 May.

https://sputniknews.com/20211002/philippines-president-duterte-says-hes-retiring-from-politics--1089599213.html

Hess Duterte should be arrested and put in jail for his heinous crimes. 0

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asia, news, world, philippines, rodrigo duterte
https://sputniknews.com/20211003/snowden-comments-on-pandora-papers-saying-offshore-companies-still-compiling-secret-databases-1089634791.html

Snowden Comments on Pandora Papers Saying Offshore Companies Still Compiling Secret Databases

Snowden Comments on Pandora Papers Saying Offshore Companies Still Compiling Secret Databases

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Former US intelligence officer and whistleblower Edward Snowden who leaked classified information on digital surveillance programs, says... 03.10.2021, Sputnik International

2021-10-03T22:40+0000

2021-10-03T22:40+0000

2021-10-03T22:40+0000

pandora papers

twitter

leaked documents

edward snowden

consortium of investigative journalists (icij)

tax haven

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"The humorous side of this very serious story is that even after two apocalyptic offshore finance/law firm leaks, those industries are still compiling vast databases of ruin, and still secure them with a Post-It Note marked do not leak," Snowden said on Twitter on Saturday. "Hats off to the source!"Earlier in the day, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) published a new leak on the alleged financial secrets of over 35 current and former world leaders, as well as more than 330 politicians and officials from across the globe.ICIJ said the publication, called Pandora Papers in reference to the 2016 Panama Papers scandal, was based on a leak of 11.9 million files. The ICIJ said more than 600 reporters in 117 countries took part in the investigation that covered every corner of the globe.Snowden, a former US National Security Agency (NSA) contractor, leaked hundreds of thousands of classified documents in 2013. In addition to exposing the US domestic surveillance program, Snowdens documents also illustrated the size and scope of US spying on other nations, including routine eavesdropping on world leaders.Snowden fled the United States to Hong Kong and then to Russia, where he spent more than a month stranded at a Moscow airport while the United States was trying to have him handed over to face a criminal trial on spying charges. The whistleblower was ultimately granted asylum in Russia and received a three-year residence permit in the summer of 2014, which was extended and eventually replaced by a permanent one.

koursk koursk the mobsters billionaires who reign in the nato zone do not even need tax havens to get rich *** they have imposed on NATO public finances all the tax loopholes they need *** tax havens, that is rather the upper middle classes who need it *** the billionaire hoodlums wallow in the cynicism of special interests and corruption *** they are far too corrupt to be able to teach the Russian and Chinese states and their countries any ethical lesson. allies. 4

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twitter, leaked documents, edward snowden, consortium of investigative journalists (icij), tax haven
https://sputniknews.com/20211003/spain-to-allocate-over-230mln-for-la-palma-island-hit-by-volcanic-eruption-pm-sanchez-says-1089630724.html

Spain to Allocate Over $230Mln for La Palma Island Hit by Volcanic Eruption, PM Sanchez Says

Spain to Allocate Over $230Mln for La Palma Island Hit by Volcanic Eruption, PM Sanchez Says

MADRID (Sputnik) - Spain will allocate more than 200 million euros ($232 million) to tackle the aftermath of a volcanic eruption on the Canary island of La... 03.10.2021, Sputnik International

2021-10-03T16:19+0000

2021-10-03T16:19+0000

2021-10-03T16:19+0000

europe

spain

volcano

volcano eruption

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According to the prime minister, Spain is developing a recovery plan together with the Canary Islands government and La Palma's council. The plan has several stages, one of which includes providing over 10 million euros for the victims of the eruption. The second part of the plan will be approved by the cabinet next Tuesday.The La Palma volcano began erupting on 19 September, demolishing 880 buildings and leading to the evacuation of some 6,000 locals.

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europe, spain, volcano, volcano eruption
https://sputniknews.com/20211003/spooky-scary-democrats-pelosi-sets-halloween-as-new-deadline-for-house-vote-on-biden-spending-bills-1089625699.html

Spooky Scary Democrats: Pelosi Sets Halloween as New Deadline for House Vote on Biden Spending Bills

Spooky Scary Democrats: Pelosi Sets Halloween as New Deadline for House Vote on Biden Spending Bills

Two massive spending bills - a $1 trillion infrastructure package and a $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill - have given the Democratic Party a hard time... 03.10.2021, Sputnik International

2021-10-03T13:25+0000

2021-10-03T13:25+0000

2021-10-03T18:42+0000

joe biden

us house of representatives

us

nancy pelosi

congress

halloween

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US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has set yet another new deadline for the House of Representatives to vote on Joe Biden's sweeping "Build Back Better" agenda, now saying that the two bills will be brought to the floor on Halloween, October 31st.In a letter to her Democratic colleagues, Pelosi uses the line "It's about time!" as a refrain six times, calling on fellow lawmakers to finally take action on the two sweeping bills.The letter pointed at how the deadlines have already been extended several times, with Pelosi arguing that "more time" is needed - even though she personally promised to finally bring the infrastructure bill and the reconciliation package to the floor for a vote.Pelosi also noted how the vote is important for other initiatives to move forward.However, the Democratic rush to push Biden's spending bills through has been undermined by party members themselves. They continue to squabble over how exactly they want to implement their president's agenda and whether his bills are too expensive for the US government to handle - especially in light of other urgent issues like raising the debt ceiling.While it is the GOP resistance that stands in the way of addressing the latter, the passage of a $1 trillion infrastructure bill and an even larger $3.5 reconciliation proposal has prompted squabbles between moderate and progressive Dems. The latter call for the reconciliation proposal to be greenlighted before the smaller infrastructure bill is passed, but moderate Democrats voiced concerns that the reconciliation bill, which includes funds for climate action and social welfare, is maybe going too far with the spending.In her letter, however, Pelosi echoes Biden's assertions that "Build Back Better" costs zero dollars, since it "is paid for". She also reiterated that she would not trigger a vote on something that does not have enough support to be passed - a statement she made earlier when explaining why the House had still not voted.Apparently, this is not something that moderate Democrats - let alone Republicans - are ready to back. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), one of the most vocal opponents of the large spending plans, said that he would not support a bill north of $1.5 trillion. He was also supported by Democratic Senator Kyrsten Sinema, who pointed at "concerns and priorities, including dollar figures" when expressing her opposition to President Biden and Majority Leader Senator Chuck Schumer.

siberianhusky And deeper and deeper in to the sh*t hole they have dug for them selves. And faster and faster into irrelevance in this this world. 3

TruePatriot Nasty Nancy Pelousy doesn't realize the outcome will be the same tomorrow as at the end of the month. It's over. These bills are DOA. Besides they have virtually nothing to do with infrastructure and are massively unfunded with the US having an out-of-money condition in its bank account. 2

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joe biden, us house of representatives, us, nancy pelosi, congress, halloween
https://sputniknews.com/20211003/trump-on-possible-clash-with-desantis-in-2024-id-beat-him-like-i-would-beat-everyone-else-1089632544.html

Trump on Possible Clash With DeSantis in 2024: 'I'd Beat Him Like I Would Beat Everyone Else'

Trump on Possible Clash With DeSantis in 2024: 'I'd Beat Him Like I Would Beat Everyone Else'

The former US president remains ambiguous about a possible third run for the Oval Office in 2024. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, however, has indicated that he... 03.10.2021, Sputnik International

2021-10-03T20:16+0000

2021-10-03T20:16+0000

2021-10-03T20:15+0000

donald trump

us

republican

primaries

ron desantis

2024 us presidential elections

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Former US President Donald Trump has expressed high confidence in his chances for a possible face-off with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, should the latter aim for the Oval Office in 2024, according to excerpts from an interview with Yahoo Finance set to be published Monday.Trump's boasts come even though DeSantis has never announced an intention to run for the White House 2024 race, although the latter is currently focused on keeping his governorship in the 2022 midterms.Trump has been coy about his plans for 2024. Even though he appeared to make up his mind on his intentions, he continues to deliver ambiguous statements: first, he would tease his supporters with hints that he might take part in the next presidential election and then indicate that a "bad call" from his doctor, should it occur, might stop him from running. It is too early for a lineup of presidential hopefuls for 2024, but many have viewed DeSantis, one of the most prominent Republicans in the country, as a possible candidate. A September poll by Emerson College suggested that DeSantis would receive the highest percentage of support from Republican voters in the event that Trump did not run, securing 32% of possible votes. When Trump is listed as a candidate, he leads with 67%, and DeSantis comes in second, the only theoretical candidate in the poll with double-digit support, at 10%

vot tak Give both trump and desantis handbags and deposit them in the octagon. Sell tickets, proceeds to aide those these 2 war criminals/traitors harmed. Then drag the 2 turds to a sports stadium and very publicly hang the govno. Sell tickets here, as well, again proceeds to help those these freaks harmed. 4

RussiaRules I would vote for DeSantis over Trump all day long. I would never vote for the feckless Trump ever again. DeSantis however is shady as well. Bring back Ron Paul. 1

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https://sputniknews.com/20211003/ukraines-zelensky-says-ready-to-meet-putin-face-to-face-1089620643.html

Ukraine's Zelensky 'Ready' to Meet Putin Face-to-Face

Ukraine's Zelensky 'Ready' to Meet Putin Face-to-Face

KIEV (Sputnik) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on 3 October that he was ready to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin behind closed doors. 03.10.2021, Sputnik International

2021-10-03T09:35+0000

2021-10-03T09:35+0000

2021-10-03T11:41+0000

world

ukraine

vladimir putin

news

volodymyr zelenskiy

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"We are ready for this kind of meeting and I believe that meeting with the Russian president would be the right thing to do We could have a very in-depth face-to-face conversation", he told a news briefing.Zelensky suggested that Putin's entourage did not want them to meet one-on-one for fear that a summit could produce an "unexpected result", but he said that he expected it to be fruitful.Speaking about a possible four-way meeting among the head of Russia, Ukraine, Germany, and France, Zelensky said that he was open to the prospect "in principle"."I think that any meeting at this level would help Ukraine address the Donbass tragedy and the issue of Crimea. I am confident that this meeting could be brought forward if Ukraine agreed not to raise certain issues, but we cannot afford it yet", he said.

https://sputniknews.com/20210927/moscow-warns-possible-expansion-of-nato-infrastructure-in-ukraine-would-violate-russias-red-lines-1089448603.html

Holger H. Why should Putin meet this Clown face to face? He is not in charge and doesnt have the authority to make important Dezision 7

Thomas Turk Hey, Put. You wanna give us back Criemea and let us have DonBas? No? What the heck, was worth a try, eh. 4

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world, ukraine, vladimir putin, news, volodymyr zelenskiy
https://sputniknews.com/20211003/us-accuses-china-of-provocative-military-activity-near-taiwan-1089628558.html

US Accuses China of 'Provocative' Military Activity Near Taiwan

US Accuses China of 'Provocative' Military Activity Near Taiwan

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The US Department of State said on Sunday it was very concerned by China's "provocative" military activity near Taiwan after dozens of... 03.10.2021, Sputnik International

2021-10-03T14:29+0000

2021-10-03T14:29+0000

2021-10-03T14:29+0000

us

asia & pacific

china

taiwan

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https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/103227/58/1032275896_0:232:4439:2729_1920x0_80_0_0_4454a4346984c6c076ed6aa3ffc0005a.jpg

Taiwan scrambled patrol planes after 39 Chinese aircraft, many of the fighter jets, made two sorties to the islands air defence identification zone over Saturday. China sent 38 planes toward Taiwan in a similar fashion on Friday.The State Department urged Beijing to end "coercion" against Taiwan, which China sees as its breakaway province. It said that Washington had an abiding interest in peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and vowed to stand with its ally.

WhatTheFishIsThis That Troublesome US Bully halfway around the World should STFU regarding China's Family Squabble. 6

Ladyshadow The US seems to forget how often they do the same to other countries. Those dam double standards keep getting in the way. 6

8

china

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us, asia & pacific, china, taiwan
https://sputniknews.com/20211003/us-warns-sudan-that-bilateral-relations-depend-on-civilian-led-transition-1089615088.html

US Warns Sudan That Bilateral Relations Depend on Civilian-Led Transition

US Warns Sudan That Bilateral Relations Depend on Civilian-Led Transition

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US support for Sudan, including political, economic, and military assistance, depends on the countrys adherence to a civilian-led... 03.10.2021, Sputnik International

2021-10-03T03:31+0000

2021-10-03T03:31+0000

2021-10-03T05:11+0000

sudan

us

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https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e5/0a/03/1089615062_0:166:3053:1883_1920x0_80_0_0_ab5d5e864fffbcb2333591453a263c27.jpg

US Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Jeffrey Feltman travelled to Sudan from September 28th to October 1st to reaffirm American support for the civilian-led transition in the country.The State Department spokesperson warned that deviation from this course, "will place at risk Sudan's bilateral relationship with the United States, including significant US assistance".Price specified that US support for Sudan's debt relief, as well as plans to help modernise the Sudanese military, also depend on adherence to the civilian-led transition.According to the US State Department, the key benchmarks in Sudan's transition process include reaching consensus on the date of the transfer of the chair of the Sovereign Council to a civilian; agreeing on new national security parameters; establishing the Transitional Legislative Council and mechanisms for transitional justice."The United States will continue to closely monitor developments, in coordination with the Troika and our other partners in Europe, the United Nations, and the African Union", Price said.At the end of last month, the Sudanese government announced it had thwarted a military coup attempt believed to be organised by supporters of former President Omar Bashir. The former president was overthrown in a military coup in April 2019 following mass protests over the deteriorating economic situation and declining living standards in the country.

Nostromo Why is USA meddling in Sudan ? 1

Thomas Turk Nostromo..'Cos the Chinese-built port for shipping livestock from Sudan's Red Sea coast will be completed by year-end, the latest African component of Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative, a Sudanese company official said. Constructed by China Harbour Engineering Co. and.. News. Russian Naval Base in Sudan Stays for Now:. So we must get in there with our best, and that is to train their military to KILL, mad Murikan stylr!!

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sudan, us
In his last visit to Batavia Downs, American Zest A demolished a field of Open II pacers as he won in 1:52.3 by open lengths. After a brief stop at Yonkers last week, the Aussie-bred returned to Genesee County and made quick work of the Open I class to claim the winners share of the $12,300 purse in the Saturday night (Oct. 2) Handicap.

Larry Stalbaum took American Zest A off the gate and settled in third as Foo Fighter N posted torrid numbers of :26.3 and :55.2. Positions remained unchanged until midway up the backstretch when Silver Beast pulled first over while American Zest A quickly followed him. It was only a few strides before Stalbaum tipped American Zest A three deep in the last turn in advance of taking control of the race. American Zest A cleared in the stretch and pulled away to a 2-1/4-length victory in 1:53.3.

It was the seventh win of the year for American Zest A, who is both owned and trained by Stalbaum. He paid $3.80 to win.

In the $11,000 Open II Handicap, Art Scene made every step a winning one despite some tense moments at the wire. Endeavors Pride had been sitting in the pocket the entire trip and at the head of the stretch, Cummings tipped him off that cover to make a late rush for the lead. But Art Scene was tough and hung on by a head in 1:54.4.

Art Scene is owned by Vogel & Wags Nags, Team Rice Racing and Adelphi Bloodstock and is trained by Maria Rice. Jim Morrill Jr. piloted the $3.20 winner.

Jim Morrill Jr. topped the drivers list again, scoring three wins on Saturday night.

There was no winner in the Jackpot Super Hi-5 pentafecta wager again on Saturday, so there will be a carryover of $5,214 for that wager on Wednesday (Oct. 6) when live racing resumes at Batavia Downs. There is also another carryover that has been quietly growing in the Jackpot Pick-6 and its now worth $1,006.

Post time for the first race is 5 p.m. (EDT).

(Batavia Downs)
Going into Saturday's (Oct. 2) Renaissance Pace for two-year-old fillies, there was virtually no doubt that Gotthegreenlight would win. The only question was if she'd break the 1:54.3 track record, shared by three fillies.

Although she did not set the track record, she nevertheless won the Renaissance as much the best, crossing the line 1-3/4 lengths in front in 1:55 4/5.

Gotthegreenlight came into this race with impressive credentials. She was 7-for-8 lifetime, with her biggest victory coming in the New York Sire Stakes final at Yonkers Raceway two starts back. Leaving from post position one, she easily established control early on and set only moderate fractions. There was never a chance of any of her five rivals giving her a serious challenge, and George Brennan never really asked her to go. Second choice (at 24/1) Counterparty Risk made up some ground late to get second, while Aida De Vie got third.

Gotthegreenlight is owned by Patricia Stable and Kovach Stables LLC, and trained by Nifty Norman. Her career earnings are now more than $238,000.

The Saturday card also featured the first leg of the New Jersey Sire Stakes - Standardbred Development Fund for two-year-old colt and gelding pacers. Camouflage Money went gate-to-wire to win in 1:53.4, for owners South Mountain Stables, Camelot Stable Inc, and JAF Racing LLC, trainer Linda Toscano, and driver Troy Beyer.

Live harness racing resumes at Freehold on Friday, Oct. 8, starting at about 12:30 p.m. There will be a pick 5 carryover worth $1,128.98.

(Freehold)
To virtually no ones surprise, Lyons Sentinel dominated her foes in the $175,000 Dayton Distaff Derby on Saturday (Oct. 2), lowering the track record for mares on a night that featured a trio of star-studded $175,000 Dayton Derbies for the track's marquee program of the 2021 season.

Driver Tim Tetrick got the winner away fourth, but rushed her to the lead just past the quarter. Rocknificent had left alertly in the early going but yielded to Lyons Sentinel to secure a pocket ride behind the current No. 1 ranked horse in the Hambletonian Society-Breeders Crown poll. The result, however, was the same, as Rocknificent finished second for the sixth time in her last seven startsfive of those runner-up finishes coming to Lyons Sentinel. Miss You N raced creditably to finish third in the mile, timed in 1:48.2.

Threelyonsracing of Brantford, Ont. owns the winning four-year-old daughter of Captaintreacherous. Lyons Sentinel is trained by Jim King Jr., who also conditioned the last dominant distaff pacer in the sport  Shartin N.

Back Of The Neck pulled a mild upset and broke the local track record for four-year-old male trotters when winning the $175,000 Dayton Trotting Derby. Nailing runner-up When Dovescry in the final stride of the 1:51.4 mile, the lightly raced son of Ready Cash won for the second-straight week after winning a top conditioned trot at The Meadowlands last week.

This is a very good horse, said Svanstedt in the winners circle. When hes in his top form he can go with these top trotters.

It took every inch of the mile for Back Of The Neck to earn the victory by a nose over the pacesetter When Dovescry. Former Hambletonian winner Forbidden Trade nabbed the show dough in the stellar field that included four millionaires and combined earnings over $11 million.

It was the 11th win for Back Of The Neck from just 28 starts. He is owned by Howard Taylor, the Order By Stable, J. Taylor, B. Cynwyd and Svanstedt.

For the first time in its eight year history, the $175,000 Dayton Pacing Derby produced a local winner. Driver Dan Noble and Ocean Rock crushed a full field of North Americas best pacers in 1:48, over three lengths better than Nicholas Beach (Joe Bonjiorno) and This Is The Plan (Yannick Gingras). The four-year-old son of Rockin Amadeus, who now owns an impressive four race win streak, has now banked $385,385 this season and over $900,000 lifetime for owner Sandra Burnett.

This horse has taken us on such a great ride, said trainer Christi Noble, Dans wife, while holding their infant son Nash in the winners circle. We made a bridle change this week and it seemed to help, Dan chimed in. When informed the 1:48 clocking was just one-fifth of a second off the all-time, all-age Hollywood Dayton track standard, Noble said He had quite a bit left in the tank at the finish.

Noble was content to get away third in the early going, but confidently rushed Ocean Rock to the front as the field flashed by the stands the first time on the five-eighths mile oval. Despite the noteworthy credentials of the field, Ocean Rock never experienced an anxious moment and cruised under the wire to the delight of an enthusiastic local crowd.

The handle on the 14-race Dayton Derby program was $697,053, second largest in the tracks brief existence.

Eight $75,000 Ohio Sires Stakes (OHSS) consolations for two- and three-year-old state-bred youngsters were contested Saturday night (Oct. 2) at Dayton Raceway. A total of 15 Ohio-registered, diagonally gaited stallions were represented in four OHSS trotting events, while 14 stallions of side-wheeling genetics had progeny who competed in four pacing events.

The ill-fated trotting stallion Cash Hall, who passed away in 2019 and had been standing at Cool Winds Farm in Lima, Ohio at the time of his death, was represented by two foals, both of whom won their respective divisions  Street Gossip in the three-year-old colt trot, and Cash N Chips in the three-year-old filly trot. Street Gossip is out of the Yankee Glide mare The Young Princess and is conditioned by Virgil Morgan, Jr. for Carl Howard and the Jesmeral Stable. This winner of $280,638 was bred by Morrisville College and was driving to his OHSS win in wire-to-wire fashion with Brett Miller at the lines in 1:54.2 as the favourite. Cash N Chips was clocked in 1:55.1 for driver Hunter Myers as the 6-5 choice for trainer Steven Bush, who co-owns her with Alvira Fassett. This filly is out of the Chip Chip Hooray mare Sugar N Chips and was bred by Walnut Hall Limited and Birnam Woods Farm. She now has $132,981 in earnings.

Creatine, a trotting stallion standing at Sugar Valley Farm in Delaware, Ohio, saw his two-year-old daughter Purple Aura from his first crop of youngsters capture the OHSS consolation for freshmen trotting fillies in 1:56.2, a track record. Driven by Anthony Macdonald for trainer Jason McGinnis and owners Thestable Purple Aura and Hutchison Harness, Purple Aura upped her earnings to $84,879 with this win, the sixth of her career in 11 starts. Bred by Steiner Stock Farm, Purple Aura is out of the Dejarmbro mare Purple Sona.

The trotting stallion What The Hill, who stands at Hickory Lane Farm in Findlay, Ohio, saw his first crop compete this season and had his son What The Blaze score a resounding 1:57.2 win in the OHSS consolation for two-year-old trotting colts. Driven by Danny Noble for trainer Christi Noble and owner-breeder Sandra Burnett, this flashy bay colt is out of the Pilgrims Taj mare Evanora. This victory was the first of his career in seven starts and pushed his earnings to $66,400.

First-crop pacing sire Downbytheseaside, who was represented by more foals than any other stallion in these OHSS consolations (seven) and stands at Sugar Valley Farm in Delaware, Ohio, had a winner in Fantasy Life, the 9-5 choice in the two-year-old filly pace. She was driven by Danny Noble for trainer Ron Burke and was timed in a career-best 1:52.3 as she notched her fifth win in nine starts, pushing her bankroll to $77,700. Bred by Billy Walters and Joe McLead, Fantasy Life is out of the Camluck mare Tea Time, and is owned by Burke Racing, Weaver Bruscemi, J&T Silva-Purnel & Libby, and Beasty LLC.

Well Said, another Sugar Valley Farm pacing stallion whose oldest Ohio foals are three this season, had a winner in Velocity Chaps, a three-year-old son out of the Arts Chip mare Velocity Chiplet. Owned and bred by Velocity Standardbreds and trained by Mark Evers, Velocity Chaps was clocked in 1:52.2a track recordwith Josh Sutton driving. Unraced at two, this bay colt now has $76,757 in earnings.

Well Said had another winner with his daughter, the three-year-old pacing filly Wall Said, who was driven to victory in 1:53 by Tim Tetrick for trainer Mike Sweeney in the sophomore pacing filly consolation. Wall Said, who is out of the Blissful Hall mare Ashland Blue, and was bred by Spring Haven Farm, upped her earnings to $94,800 for owners and breeders Wall Brothers Stables, P. Sweeney, R. Miller and J. Miller.

Charley Barley, the 2006 Breeders Crown Freshmen Pacing Colt Champion, stands at Ohio States ATI facility in Wooster, Ohio, and bred his first crop of mares in Ohio in 2012. His son Sir Charles Of Sky, a three-year-old gelding, captured the consolation for sophomore colts in a wicked 1:51.4 for driver Chris Page and trainer Ron Burke. Owned by Burke Racing and Weaver Bruscemi, Sir Charles Of Sky is out of the Western Ideal mare Skyway Hanover. He was bred by Tommy Householder and now has $103,251 in earnings.

(with files from Hollywood Dayton Raceway and Ohio Sires Stakes)
Prohibition Legal maintained her perfect record in Ontario Sires Stakes Gold Series action with an impressive victory in the lone $157,200 two-year-old pacing filly division at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Saturday (Oct. 2).

Starting from post three, driver James MacDonald settled Prohibition Legal in fifth, tucked in behind stablemate Silver Label, as I Love Ongait led the field of nine to a :26.1 opening quarter. Heading down the backstretch, Sylvain Filion moved Silver Label to the front, and the pair paced by the half in :55.2. As Silver Label settled on the lead, MacDonald tipped Prohibition Legal into the outer lane and the favourite began a steady march forward.

Silver Label was still in control at the 1:23.4 three-quarters, but her stablemate was about to change gears. With a :26.4 sprint, Prohibition Legal accelerated down the stretch to a 1-1/4-length victory in a personal-best 1:50.4. Silver Label finished second and Love That Smile was another length and a half back in third.

It was a great, great race. Id say the better horse won, right now, but who knows in the future, said trainer Nick Gallucci. I wasnt expecting to see 1:50.4 ring up tonight, but obviously happy to see it, proud of both the fillies.

Millar Farms of Stouffville, Ont. bred and owns the fillies. Prohibition Legal is a daughter of Big Jim and Catch A Wish, while Silver Label is by Bettors Delight and out of Hidden Gem. Prior to Saturdays contest, neither filly had been bested in Ontario Sires Stakes action and Silver Label was undefeated through six starts. Prohibition Legal suffered her only loss through seven career starts in last weekends Shes A Great Lady Stakes at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

After losing I was little worried, sometimes a horse gets beat and they go into another race against a good horse and they might not be as willing to race that horse, but her its opposite, said Gallucci of Prohibition Legal. She wanted to race, she wanted to beat the other horse. It almost made her stronger and gave her a little more fight I would say. Its nice to see.

I think what makes good horses great, you find out with a sprint, he said. For that four or five strides, you find out which one is better, and Prohibition Legal, shes always had that acceleration for those steps.

Prohibition Legal and Silver Label head into the October 16 Super Final ranked first and second in the two-year-old pacing filly division standings with 250 and 175 points, respectively. The top-10 point earners will square off in the $225,000 Gold Series season finale.

That race obviously will stretch out Silver Label a little bit, hopefully she builds on it into the next race the way Prohibition Legal did into this race from last week, said Gallucci. Her [Prohibition Legals] last two races have been her toughest races and, hopefully she comes out of this one okay, but she came out of the last one great.

On Monday, Oct. 4, Woodbine Mohawk Park will host the last Gold Series leg for the two-year-old trotting fillies and the three-year-old trotting colts. The fillies will compete in Races 2 and 6, while the colts square off in Race 8. Fans can download a program and watch the live stream on the Woodbine Mohawk Park website.

To view Saturday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Saturday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.

(Ontario Sires Stakes)
Rating 4/5 Price 149,999/- Product Name Galaxy Z Fold 3 Brand Name Samsung Pros Bright, crisp screen

S-Pen support

Water resistant Cons Rear cameras aren't great

Under-screen selfie camera is quite bad

Still expensive Specifications Screen 7.6-inch Foldable Dynamic AMOLED inner screen, 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED outer screen

Refresh Rate 120Hz on both screens

Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G

Rear cameras 12MP wide, 12MP ultra wide, 12MP telephoto with OIS

Selfie cameras 10MP on outer screen, 4MP under display

Battery 4400 mAh with 25W fast charge support

When Joanna Stern reviewed the first Samsung Galaxy Fold, she had written that to use the foldable smartphone without any damages she needed to live in a bubble. The Samsung Galaxy fold has undergone two transformations since and is now in its fourth avatar. Samsung would be glad to know that to use the Galaxy Z Fold 3, we no longer need to live inside a bubble.

The Galaxy Z Fold 2 we saw last year had significant improvements that made it better and capable of living in the wild. Now, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 looks like it is finally ready to meet the world. This is possibly the best case Samsung can make for a smartphone that can unfold into a tablet as there are a number of little things the company has refined and repaired over the years to reach this point.

Between what you saw last year with the Galaxy Z Fold 2 and what you get now the changes are minor, but they all add up to finally give you a device that you can recommend to people who have that kind of money to spare and are looking for this novel form factor. Because lets admit it, a foldable smartphone is still not really normal or mainstream. And it is still expensive ( 1,49,999). But to give Samsung its due, while many other smartphone companies have foldable devices on their roster, Samsungs foldables this year, both the Flip and the Fold, are actually perfectly good devices that you can recommend to people who are looking for something unique. And now would also be a good time to tell you that we prefer the Fold over the Flip.

When closed, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is still an extremely tall, narrow, and thick slab of a device thats more akin to a remote control than a traditional phone. (Jhinuk Sen/HT Tech)

Once upon a time, I used to be a huge proponent for small devices, I just wanted them to fit into my pockets. And for that ideal state of existence where I dont carry a bag just for my phone, I would have to compromise on many other things - screen real estate and battery life, for starters. Now, after having spent more than 6 months with the iPhone 12 Pro Max, I am a convert. I like and prefer big phones now, and I cannot lie. Even when it is closed, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is a chunky phone. It is rather tall, narrow, a thick slab that looks more like a thick TV remote, and its heavy too.

When closed, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is still an extremely tall, narrow, and thick slab of a device thats more akin to a remote control than a traditional phone. Its awkward to fit into a pocket both because of its shape and its weight  although its slightly lighter than last year, fundamentally its still the size of two phones and it has the weight to match. Its not going to fit into any pocket so dont even bother. For added protection you can buy the cover which also has a slot for the S-Pen, but it ruins the allure of the device.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 with the cover. (Jhinuk Sen/HT Tech)

Like on the Galaxy Z Flip 3, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 also has an IPX8 rating so it is water-resistant. While it is still not dust and sand-resistant, the foldable does feel sturdier this year. I dont manhandle my devices so Im not particularly worried about damaging them, but it is a relief nonetheless to know that it is better protected.

The outer screen measures 6.2-inch diagonally, but while it is narrow it is very adequate. You can use all the apps, including messages, use the S-Pen for notes, etc. Except for typing, I could well use the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 without having to open the phone up, which is actually great. The outer screen has a 120Hz refresh rate so everything is snappy and smooth. When you open the phone up, it just gets better, particularly while typing. On the outer screen, if you have to type in a quick text, swipe-typing is best.

The Galaxy Z Fold 3 unfolded gives you a 7.6-inch display that is crisp and sharp. This has a 120Hz refresh rate too and is great for pretty much everything. I used this device a lot for watching videos, playing games, and to read - it was pretty perfect. The one thing that ruins the experience is the interior selfie camera. Samsung has hidden its selfie camera under the display. This 4MP camera is hidden by a screen door that looks like a smudge on the screen, like the screen glitched up in that little area. The selfie camera is pretty substandard and its made worse by the fact that it takes in light through a screen. If you are going to take selfies on the Galaxy Z Fold 3, use the cameras on the back, please. The selfie camera on the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is just about ok for video calls. I found the faceID to be buggy both on the external and internal screens with the fingerprint scanner working better for unlocking.
Although Star Trek Generations saw the return of the original series star William Shatner, the iconic actor wasn't joined by colleagues Leonard Nimoy and DeForrest Kelley. Instead, Shatner appeared alongside Walter Koenig and James Doohan, who reprised their roles as Chekov and Scott respectively. Paramount Studio's original plan was for the entire cast of Star Trek: The Original Series to appear in Generations in order to pass the torch to the TNG crew. However, it soon became clear that several original members were unhappy at the prospect.

Released in 1994, Star Trek Generations marked Star Trek: The Next Generation's leap to the big screen. Not only was it the first and only meeting between Shatner's Captain James T. Kirk and Patrick Stewart's Captain Jean-Luc Picard, but Star Trek Generations also climaxed with the death of Captain Kirk. As the screenplay took shape, it became clear that other TOS legends would appear in the film's prologue set in the 23rd century, with Kirk moving into the 24th century to meet Picard and heroically die fighting the film's villain, Dr. Tolian Soran (Malcolm McDowell).





As a result of this change, the challenge of finding adequate roles in the story for every member of the TOS cast proved incredibly difficult. Many of the classic Star Trek actors were disappointed that their appearances basically amounted to cameos instead of sharing equal screen time with The Next Generation's cast. However, the studio was adamant that Star Trek Generations primarily focused on TNG's actors since they would carry the Star Trek movie franchise forward. As a result, and despite the integral William Shatner signing on, both Leonard Nimoy and DeForrest Kelley decided not to appear in the film.

In The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years oral history of Star Trek by Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross, DeForrest Kelley explained that he was disappointed that Dr. Leonard McCoy and his crewmates only appeared in one scene, commenting: "When I read the script and saw we were only in the first ten minutes, I thought it was best to pass and go out with [Star Trek] VI." At that time, Kelley didn't know that Nimoy also said no and he admits, "I certainly wouldn't have done the film without him in it." Both Kelley and Nimoy agreed that the well-received Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country was a rousing and satisfying farewell for the original cast.

Leonard Nimoy's issues with Star Trek Generations ran deeper than simply disliking Spock's minor role in the story. Not only was he not happy that the Vulcan had what amounts to an inconsequential cameo, but he had also been Paramount's original choice to direct the movie. However, Nimoy, who both developed the story and directed the incredibly successful Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and Star Trek VI, hated the screenplay for Star Trek Generations. When producer Rick Berman refused to change the script, Nimoy walked away from Star Trek Generations entirely. In fact, Nimoy went on to candidly voice his disdain for Star Trek Generations in The Fifty-Year Mission, revealing: "My feeling about Generations is very negative... Generations bothered me. My God, what are they doing? Why that scene? What's this scene about? Where are they going with this? That was the reason I wasn't involved in making it."

For his part, William Shatner tried to get Leonard Nimoy and DeForrest Kelley to sign onto the film anyway, but to no avail. Instead, the only actors featured in the Star Trek Generations scene aboard the USS Enterprise-B with Captain John Harriman (Alan Ruck) were James Doohan as Scotty and Walter Koenig as Chekov. It was especially bizarre for Trekkers to see Kirk joined by Scotty and Chekov instead of Spock and Bones since Doohan and Koenig had long-standing personal issues with Shatner. Star Trek Generations ultimately delivered on its gimmicky conceit, but unfortunately, audiences never got a true Star Trek crossover movie where The Next Generation meets The Original Series casts that they, as well as Leonard Nimoy and DeForrest Kelley, hoped for.
For Boyka's return to the ring in Undisputed 5, Michael Jai White should also be brought back as George "Iceman" Chambers. The Undisputed martial arts movie franchise first got rolling in 2002, but didn't really get underway in its current form until the straight-to-video follow-up Undisputed 2: Last Man Standing, in which Michael Jai White took over the role of Chambers from Ving Rhames in the first film. Scott Adkins also debuted as the Yuri Boyka, the self-proclaimed "Most Complete Fighter in the World" who would go onto to become the star of the series with the subsequent entries, Undisputed 3: Redemption and Boyka: Undisputed.

While Adkins' Boyka has effectively become the main character of the Undisputed series, White's Chambers is no less of a crucial pillar to the franchise. Beginning as the villain of Undisputed with Rhames' portrayal, Chambers returned in Undisputed 2 with much the same attitude of bullying aggression and insufferable behavior. With Adkins' Boyka as a driven and determined (if overzealous) fighter viewers got behind  despite him originally being a villain in the Undisputed series  as Chambers, White pulled off the rare feat of making viewers actively root for the protagonist's downfall.





Both Chambers and Boyka had let their victories in the ring go to their heads, and Chambers' experience of wrongful imprisonment in order to set up his fight with Boyka brought him down to Earth in realizing how much he had to adapt to a much more versatile opponent. Boyka, in turn, learned the most painful way possible that despite his undeniable formidability, he was not the invincible ruler of the ring he thought he was. In a skewed way, even as they were at each other's throats, Boyka and Chambers learned a lot from each other, but with only Boyka's subsequent story having been shown (with Scott Adkins' character essentially saving the Undisputed franchise), viewers are left wondering Chambers' fate. The best way to rectify this would be for Chambers and Boyka to cross paths again in Undisputed 5.

Admittedly, the logistics of their pairing would be a bit challenging, since Boyka is now back in prison at the end of Boyka: Undisputed. Whether by an unexpected early release or a second chance at escape, Boyka could emerge a very different man from the one Chambers knew. Chambers would also be a changed man himself, and probably after continuing his MMA training after Undisputed 2, could even be a radically different fighter than in his two matches with Boyka. Undisputed 5 would have the potential to show Chambers as an MMA fighter who could match Boyka's every technique, along with an even more unexpected prospect  specifically, that through the new challenge they'd be confronted with, the two former enemies could actually be forced to join forces and fight side-by-side.

Outside of simply continuing through Undisputed 5, there's also been talk of the franchise transitioning to a Boyka-led Undisputed TV series. Chambers' return in that format could even take the form of episodes alternating between where Boyka and Chambers currently are before building back up to their unexpected meeting years later. Whether the Undisputed franchise is to continue in an episodic approach or by just jumping into Undisputed 5, George "Iceman" Chambers is due for a return, and after his last match with Boyka, the possibilities are endless for the kind of fighter, enemy, or ally he could return as now.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, center, walks past a guard of honor while visiting the Monument to the People's Heroes during a ceremony to mark Martyr's Day at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021. Xi paid respects at a solemn commemoration for those who died in the struggle to establish Communist Party rule, as he leads a national drive to reinforce patriotism and single-party authority. Credit: AP Photo/Andy Wong

The ruling Communist Party is tightening political control over China's internet giants and tapping their wealth to pay for its ambitions to reduce reliance on U.S. and European technology.

Anti-monopoly and data security crackdowns starting in late 2020 have shaken the industry, which flourished for two decades with little regulation. Investor jitters have knocked more than $1.3 trillion off the total market value of e-commerce platform Alibaba, games and social media operator Tencent and other tech giants.

The party says anti-monopoly enforcement will be a priority through 2025. It says competition will help create jobs and raise living standards.

President Xi Jinping's government seems likely to stay the course even if economic growth suffers, say businesspeople, lawyers and economists. "These companies are world leaders in their sectors in innovation, and yet the leadership is willing to squash them all," said Mark Williams, chief Asia economist for Capital Economics.

The crackdown reflects Xi's public emphasis on reviving the party's "original mission" of leading economic and social development, said Steve Tsang, a Chinese politics specialist at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. He said it could also help Xi politically if, as expected, he pursues a third five-year term as party leader.

Chinese leaders don't want to reimpose direct control of the economy but want private sector companies to align with ruling party plans, said Lester Ross, head of the Beijing office of law firm WilmerHale.

"What they are worried about is companies getting too big and too independent of the party," said Ross.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, center, with Premier Li Keqiang, right, walks past wreaths of flowers and a member of an honor guard after he paid respects to the Monument to the People's Heroes during a ceremony to mark Martyr's Day at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021. Credit: AP Photo/Andy Wong

Chinese internet companies and their billionaire founders, including Alibaba Group's Jack Ma and Tencent Holdings' Pony Ma, are among the biggest global success stories of the past two decades. Alibaba is the biggest e-commerce company, while Tencent operates the popular WeChat messaging service.

But party plans emphasize robots, chips and other hardware, so these companies are rushing to show their loyalty by shifting billions of dollars into those.

The ruling party's campaign is prompting warnings the world might decouple, or split into separate markets with incompatible technology. Products from China wouldn't function in the United States or Europe, and vice versa. Innovation and efficiency would suffer.

U.S. curbs on Chinese access to telecom and other technology haven't helped.

Alibaba said it will invest $28 billion to develop operating system software, processor chips and network technology. The company has pledged $1 billion to nurture 100,000 developers and tech startups over the next three years.

Last year, Tencent promised to invest $70 billion in digital infrastructure. Meituan, an e-commerce, delivery and service platform, raised $10 billion to develop self-driving vehicles and robots.

Chinese officials recognize the campaign imposes an economic cost but are unwilling to speak up, said Tsang. "Who is going to stand up and say to Xi Jinping, your policy is going to be harmful to China?"

A worker attends to a visitor at the Tencent booth during China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing, China on Monday, Sept. 6, 2021. Tencent Holdings Ltd., best known abroad for its WeChat messaging service, has a sprawling business empire that includes games, music and video. Credit: AP Photo/Ng Han Guan

Investors, many burned by the drop in technology shares, are keeping their money on the sidelines. Tencent's market capitalization of $575 billion is down $350 billion from its February peak, a decline equal to more than the total value of Nike Inc. or Pfizer Inc.

CEO Masayoshi Son of Japan's Softbank Groupan early investor in Alibabasaid on Aug. 11 he will put off new China deals. Softbank invested $11 billion in ride-hailing service Didi Global, whose share price has fallen by one-third since its U.S. stock market debut on July 30.

The crackdown began in November when Beijing ordered Ant Group, which grew out of Alibaba's Alipay online payments service, to postpone its stock market debut in Hong Kong and Shanghai. The company, which offers online savings and investment services, was told to scale back its plans and to install bank-style systems to vet borrowers and manage lending risks. Industry analysts cut forecasts of Ant's expected stock market value.

Meanwhile, Xi's government is tightening control over data gathered by private companies about the publicespecially at Alibaba and Tencent, which have hundreds of millions of users. China's leaders see information about its 1.4 billion people as a tool for gaining insight into the public and economyand a potential security risk in private hands.

A law that takes effect Nov. 1 establishes security standards, prohibits companies from disclosing information without customer permission and tells them to limit how much they collect. Unlike data protection laws in Western countries, the Chinese rules say nothing about limiting government or ruling party access to personal information.

Beijing also is accused of using its stockpile of data about the public in a campaign of repression against Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim minorities in China's northwestern region of Xinjiang.

"Very lax" until a few months ago, China has become "one of the most active and forceful jurisdictions in regulating the digital economy," wrote Angela Zhang, an anti-monopoly expert at the University of Hong Kong law school, in a paper this month.

A man passes by the logo for Alibaba outside the Beijing headquarters in Beijing, China, Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021. In a statement issued late Monday, Sept. 6, 2021, Chinese prosecutors have dropped a case against a former Alibaba manager accused of sexual assault by an employee, weeks after the case caused a backlash against the e-commerce firm for the improper handling of alleged sexual misconduct. Credit: AP Photo/Ng Han Guan

In April, Alibaba was fined 18.3 billion yuan ($2.8 billion) for offenses that included prohibiting vendors that wanted to use its platforms from dealing with Alibaba's competitors.

Units of Alibaba, Tencent, live-streaming site Kuaishou, microblogging platform Sina Weibo and social media site Xiaohongshu also have been fined for distributing sexually suggestive stickers or short videos of children. Tencent's music service was ordered to end exclusive contracts with providers.

Beijing is also using the crackdown to narrow China's politically sensitive wealth gap by pushing tech giants to share their wealth with employees and consumers.

Didi, Meituan and other delivery and ride-hailing businesses were ordered in May to cut fees charged to drivers and improve their benefits and security. Meituan CEO Wang Xing promised to donate $2.3 billion to environmental and social initiatives. Tencent's Ma pledged $2 billion to charity.

Alibaba has promised to spend 100 billion yuan ($15.5 billion) on job creation, rural development and other initiatives to support Xi's "common prosperity" campaign.

Such income redistribution plans are "reminiscent of the mass mobilization and populist strategies" of the 1950s and '60s under then-leader Mao Zedong, Zhang wrote.

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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HERE are two terms you dont see often in the same sentence: menstruation and mental health. Yet, it is a topic worth discussing, says womens counselling psychologist Oraine Ramoo. Hormones can have an effect on a womans moods and emotions and can even impact the quality of ones life.
I appreciate the position taken by Mr Kevin Baldeosingh on the reasons why he will not get 
Im off to see the wizard, the wizard of vaccination!

After nearly one and a half years of waiting, an offer to receive a COVID-19 vaccination finally came up. For weeks, Id struggled with trying to get the attention of the officer in charge of my ward to no real avail. I had registered a health declaration yonks ago and even signed up with the major likely supplier of any vaccine in Da Nang although I live in Hoi An. With other foreigners beginning to get jabbed, I did worry a little bit about when it would be my turn to be vaccinated.

I went with a group of Vietnamese and foreigners to an appointment with the Center for Disease Control (CDC) down in Tam Ky, the capital of Quang Nam, the province I live in. It was a rushed push to get everyone together and off to Tam Ky on a dark, stormy Monday afternoon.

This image shows a sign at the Center for Disease Control in Quang Nam Province, Vietnam. Photo: Stivi Cooke

With the trip down on the new highway being fairly quick, about an hours drive from Hoi An, our tour van driver wiggled and wove his way around the outskirts until we arrived at the CDC. There was nothing flash about the place, a two-story block, and the exterior has seen better days with plenty of upgrading works in the background.

To tell the truth, I was relieved that the center wasnt so busy or so large. Id had nightmares about sitting out in the sun for hours waiting for my turn. Yet it was busy enough with plenty of large vans arriving and leaving, many groups with foreigners mixed with Vietnamese. I already knew that the local and national governments have been calling for groups of businesses to get their staff vaccinated, a sensible and necessary step to lift restrictions everywhere.

A chart shows the COVID-19 vaccination process at the Center for Disease Control in Quang Nam Province, Vietnam. Photo: Stivi Cooke

I feel grateful that someone else was organizing this as I dreaded going alone and having to fumble with my poor Vietnamese skills. Would it be organized chaos or something calm and professional? Thankfully, the process was well set up with simple stages that anyone could follow. Since our manager did most of the talking, all I had to do was shuffle wherever the CDC staff told me to go.

I first went through a quick blood pressure and heart rate check, paperwork scrutiny, and then a move to the next room for the jab. Wed been told beforehand that we would have the AstraZeneca shot.

The jab itself was quickly done and the arm pain came later! I was ushered out to sit in the corridor for about twenty minutes, with the paperwork processed for our certificates, while being monitored for any immediate side-effect from the medicine. No one collapsed or choked, which was what we all wanted to avoid.

Thats me getting my jab  tricky trying to get a selfie while bracing for a needle in your arm!

Finally, we got our first certificates, which well have to submit later for the second jab. Theres a QR code and we asked if it was good for travel (domestic or international), which the nurse was not able to confirm. Ah well, a step at a time. Im sure more will become clearer when we return for the next shot.

One big question will hang over all the vaccination efforts in the acceptance of the paperwork in the travel and immigration systems. Whats the certificate valid for? As few countries have yet to have a commonly agreed document format or QR database sharing for international travel, I think its going to be a messy business trying to travel  at least until the middle of next year, if not longer.

Im not yet even thinking about this proof of vaccination for booster shots since I cant travel at this time. But Ill take any shots Im required to, just for the sake of freedom of movement.

Stivi Cooke holds his vaccination record at the Center for Disease Control in Quang Nam Province, Vietnam in this supplied photo.

Side effects? You bet! The day after the shot, I came down with a savage headache and fever and chills mixed up together. I slept off the effects for a whole day and at the time of writing this, Im still doing well. Fortunately, a friend is a nurse and advised me to have some Panadol and some light meals ready at home, which did come in handy.

Personally, I think its strange that anti-vaxxers, people who dont want the jab, are very likely to have used some form of medication in the past  particularly something like aspirin which actually has a label warning about side effects and possible serious dangers. Life is a risky business and there are times when I think we just have to accept some risks, such as vaccinations, as part of our survival.

For those of you who are next in line for the jab  good luck!
MOSCOW -- All the barriers to register Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine with the World Health Organization (WHO) have been cleared and only some paperwork remains to be completed, Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said on Saturday.

The Sputnik V shot, widely used in Russia and approved for use in over 70 countries, is undergoing a review by the WHO and the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Their approval could open up new markets for the shot, especially in Europe.

Murashko has met WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in Geneva.

"Russia's position on promotion and registration of the Sputnik V vaccine was heard, we have removed all the questions for today," Murashko was quoted as saying by Interfax news agency.

He said that the company which is dealing with Sputnik V registration at WHO only "has to sign a few documents, submit a few additional papers".

The WHO could not be immediately reached for comment.

The WHO said in July its review of how Russia produces the Sputnik V vaccine had found some issues with the filling of vials at one plant. The manufacturer said it had since addressed all of the WHO's concerns.
Here are todays leading news stories:

COVID-19 Updates

-- Vietnams Ministry of Health documented 5,490 COVID-19 cases, including 2,723 in Ho Chi Minh City, on Saturday evening, raising the national tally to 803,202, with 664,938 recoveries and 19,601 deaths.

-- The United States has provided Vietnam with an additional 1.5 million doses of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine via the COVAX Facility. The vaccine batch arrived in the Southeast Asian country on Saturday night.

-- Authorities in Hanoi brought over 1,000 people who came into contact with COVID-19 cases linked to Viet Duc University Hospital to quarantine facilities on Saturday night and early on Sunday morning.

Society

-- Police officers were mobilized to help nearly 8,000 people travel from the southern provinces of Dong Nai and Binh Duong to their hometowns in the central region and Central Highlands on Saturday night.

-- The Ministry of Public Security is expected to integrate information on vaccine green passes on chip-based ID cards of residents in the coming time.

-- The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam has asked authorities in Hanoi to allow the resumption of domestic flights to and from Noi Bai International Airport from October 5.

-- Two people were found dead while harvesting rice in the northern province of Hai Duong on Saturday, with authorities believing they had been fatally electrocuted following a problem along the 35kV power line.

-- Police in Ho Chi Minh City have arrested two employees of the medical centers in Binh Tan and Tan Phu Districts for illegally selling Molnupiravir, an antiviral drug, which is used in the treatment of COVID-19 patients.

Business

-- Vietnam and the U.S. have reached an agreement on illegal logging and timber trade that will prevent hefty tariffs on Vietnamese timber exports, according to the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

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Police of Binh Tan District under Ho Chi Minh City have recently arrested and indicted two workers of local medical centers for misappropriating the antiviral drug Molnupiravir from public reserves for 'black market' sales.

The two health workers in question were identified to be Nguyen Van Thua, 40, from Hoc Mon District, and Huynh Phuong Thao, 36, from Tan Binh District, a source told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Saturday.

Charges against them were approved by the respective district-level Peoples Procuracy, the source added.

On September 13, while working as a stockkeeper for a drug inventory of Binh Tan District, Thua pocketed 1,079 boxes of Molnupiravir, a drug for COVID-19 treatment developed by American pharmaceutical company Merck & Co., and sold them to Thao for the price of VND2 million (US$88) each box.

Using Facebook to seek customers, Thao resold the Molnupiravir pills at VND2.5-4 million ($110-176) per box.

After Thao sold them, the boxes were reported to have changed hands once again at the price of VND5.5-6 million ($242-264.)

At the time, both Thua and Thao were aware that the doses were in trial phases and were distributed for free to COVID-19 patients undergoing home treatment in Ho Chi Minh City, officers stated.

The Binh Tan District Medical Center in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Ngoc Khai / Tuoi Tre

Police have also indicted three other suspects in a counterfeit Molnupiravir manufacturing racket, officers said during a press meeting on September 27.

Trafficking operations dealing with counterfeit COVID-19 vaccines, medical supplies, and drugs have been on the rise during the past months, said Huynh Quang Tuyen, a senior official at the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Public Security.

Since the pandemic hit the country in early 2020, Ho Chi Minh City has registered 392,155 COVID-19 cases and 15,069 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health's data.

The Ministry of Health and the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health have tested Molnupiravir in home treatment for COVID-19 patients in the southern city since mid-August.

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The Ministry of Health recorded 5,376 more COVID-19 cases throughout Vietnam on Sunday, alongside 28,859 discharged patients and 114 deaths.

The new cases, including 5,367 local and nine imported infections, were reported in 39 provinces and cities, the health ministry said, adding a total of 2,674 patients were detected in the community.

Ho Chi Minh City documented 2,461 of the latest cases, Binh Duong Province 1,283, Dong Nai Province 824, An Giang Province 147, Long An Province 85, Khanh Hoa Province 50, Can Tho 33, Hanoi four, and Da Nang one.

Vietnam had logged 5,477 locally-infected patients on Saturday.

The country has confirmed 803,993 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 is on top with 397,513 patients, followed by Binh Duong Province with 215,643, Dong Nai Province with 50,663, Long An Province with 32,694, Tien Giang Province with 14,120, Dong Thap Province with 8,296, Khanh Hoa Province with 7,907, Da Nang with 4,920, Hanoi with 4,239, and Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province with 4,165.

By comparison, Vietnam detected a combined 1,570 locally-transmitted infections in the previous three waves.

The health ministry announced 28,859 recoveries on Sunday, bringing the total to 693,797.

The toll has climbed to 19,715 deaths after the ministry documented 114 fatalities on the same day, including 79 in Ho Chi Minh City and 20 in Binh Duong Province.

Vietnam has registered 808,578 patients since the COVID-19 pandemic first struck it early last year.

Health workers have administered approximately 44.6 million vaccine doses, including 979,585 shots on Saturday, since vaccination was rolled out on March 8.

Almost 10.5 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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Police in Vietnam have arrested a man after he sneaked back into his home country from Laos and allegedly infected eight people with COVID-19 while dodging quarantine.

The man, identified as L.P.T., was recently nabbed and indicted on charges of spreading dangerous infectious diseases, Ho Sy Dong, a senior police official in Quang Tri Province, said on Saturday.

Local police received a notification of T.s dodging quarantine and evading medical declaration on September 25, when he had returned to his hometown in Cam Lo District after spending time working in Laos.

When confronted by police officers on that day, T. denied the allegations and refused to fulfill his medical declaration.

However, his subsequent COVID-19 test came out positive, which led to the detection of eight other infections and 117 at-risk individuals linked to him as of September 30.

Functional forces are continuing investigation to find out other accomplices in T.s illegal entrance.

T.s wrongdoing has been made clear, but the indictment process can be started later as the defendant is still in treatment for COVID-19, Dong said.

Quang Tri has recorded 245 COVID-19 cases since a new wave of infections began in Vietnam on April 27.

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Algeria has recalled its ambassador to Paris in protest at statements attributed to French President Emmanuel Macron, who reportedly referred to "a political-military system" in power in Algiers.

The Algerian presidency expressed its "rejection of any interference in its internal affairs", mentioning "unchallenged remarks" said to have been made by the president which it described as "inadmissible" and "irresponsible".

In response, Algiers decided "to immediately recall for consultation" its ambassador, Mohamed Antar-Daoud.

Algerian media has widely broadcast statements credited to Macron published on Saturday by the French newspaper Le Monde, calling them "acerbic" and of "misconduct".

According to the paper, the president made remarks critical of its former colony during a meeting on Thursday with descendants of protagonists in the Algerian war of independence from 1954-62.

Macron also evoked "a completely rewritten official history" which was "not based on truths" but on "a discourse based on a hatred of France", specifying that this came from Algeria's ruling classes, not society as a whole.

Relations between Paris and Algiers were already strained. The previous day, the French ambassador to Algeria, Francois Gouyette, was summoned to the foreign ministry in protest at Paris' decision to halve the number of visas granted to Algerians wishing to travel to France.

The move would have "no impact" for students and business people, but rather the idea was "to annoy people" from the ruling elite who "used to apply for visas easily", Le Monde quoted Emmanuel Macron as saying.

Last week, the French government said it was cutting the number of visas available to Maghreb countries including Algeria, citing their refusal to take back illegal migrants.

Macron also reportedly described the Algerian system as "tired" and "weakened" by the Hirak, the pro-democracy movement which prompted the resignation in 2019 of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

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He refers to "a good dialogue" with current President Abdelmajid Tebboune", adding that his counterpart was "caught in a system which is very tough".

The website 24H Algerie accused the French president of spouting familiar themes pushed by the French political right and far right, rejecting any recognition of France's "massive colonial crimes". The private newspaper El Watan devoted its Sunday front page to "Macron's misconduct".

The comments attributed to the French president also caused a storm on social media, with many linking Macron's statements to the upcoming presidential campaign in France.

In September, Emmanuel Macron apologised to Algerians who fought alongside French colonial forces in Algeria's war for independence and were then massacred and ostracised as traitors.

Since taking office in 2017, the French leader has made moves to settle questions related to France's colonial domination which began in 1830 and ended in 1962 after a bloody Algerian war.

In July 2020, the remains of 24 Algerian resistance fighters killed in the 19th century were returned to Algeria.

In 2018, France formally acknowledged the army's systemic use of torture in the 1954-62 Algerian war. President Macron visited the widow of anti-colonial activist Maurice Audin, tortured and killed by the French army in 1957, to ask for forgiveness on behalf of the French Republic.
A SkyUp Airlines Boeing 737. Dmytro Smolyenko/Ukrinform/ Barcroft Media/Getty

A low-cost Ukrainian airline is no longer requiring its female cabin crew to wear high heels.

SkyUp Airlines' female staff can now choose to wear sneakers and trousers, The BBC reported.

The change marks a step away from old traditions that are overly focused on women's appearances.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

A low-cost Ukrainian airline is ditching its old uniform for female flight attendants, which required them to wear high heels and pencil skirts on board.

SkyUp Airlines, one of the youngest budget airlines in Europe, said it is giving the crew members the option of wearing sneakers and trousers instead, The BBC reported.

The shake-up followed complaints from several flight attendants about the uncomfortable uniform in a company survey.

"Twelve hours on your feet, flying to Kyiv to Zanzibar and back. If you wear high heels, you are hardly able to walk afterwards," SkyUp flight attendant Daria Solomennaya told The BBC.

"Many of my colleagues are permanent clients of podologists; their toes and toenails are constantly damaged by high heels," she added.

SkyUp Airlines did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Other airlines have already made changes to dress codes that were previously considered standard in the industry. In 2019, Virgin Atlantic announced that women were no longer required to wear makeup while working.

SkyUp's uniform changes also signal a pivot away from some of Ukraine's old traditions, which have typically focused on womens' appearances.

The scrutiny of female flight attendants around the world often makes headlines. In September, a former Emirates flight attendant said she was subjected to random weight checks, as Insider reported.

The woman said a colleague complained that the crew member was "too heavy" and that she was weighed for three years as a result.

Read the original article on Business Insider
The UK's ruling Conservative Party has kicked off its annual conference in Manchester with consumers and businesses buffeted by the impact from Brexit, the pandemic, a creaking welfare system, soaring prices, and labour shortages that have seen fuel pumps run dry and supermarket shelves laid bare.

Yet nearly two years on from his emphatic general election victory, and despite fierce attacks over his record and personality, Boris Johnson and his party sit comfortably ahead in opinion polls.

On Monday the army begins helping to distribute fuel and the government has extended a limited visa scheme for more overseas labour to help in the short term.

But the prime minister arrived in the northern English city on Sunday rejecting calls from industry to open the doors to more foreign workers. He said he was ready to take bold decisions to rebuild the economy after the coronavirus pandemic.

A dearth of lorry drivers in particular is behind many of the current supply problems. Thousands of Europeans who used to work in the British haulage industry -- and in other sectors too, from farming to food processing, hospitality to care homes -- have returned to the continent, leaving acute gaps in the labour market.

In Manchester, Johnson argued that Britains economy is simply going through a post-Brexit period of adjustment after leaving the European Union, and said supply chain problems and shortages in food and fuel could continue until Christmas.

The truck driver shortage was a chronic problem associated with an over-reliance on migrant workers who were willing to work for low wages and poor conditions, he said.

The UK's post-Brexit divisions have resurfaced amid the crises, with some blaming the government's new highly restrictive immigration policy, while others point to the pandemic and other factors such as an ageing workforce.

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The well-documented problems faced by British exporters to the EU are the direct result of new red tape resulting from the hard Brexit negotiated by Johnson, with Britain now outside the bloc's single market and customs union.

Trade with the EU has plummeted since the new rules kicked in, figures showing no post-lockdown bounce unlike in some sectors regarding exports to non-EU countries.

The prime minister was also directly responsible for the post-Brexit arrangements for Northern Ireland that are now so bitterly contested.

Almost overnight, months of deadlock over the island of Ireland's border issue -- that plagued and ultimately brought down Theresa May's government -- were overcome.

Johnson's breakthrough deal helped him secure and win the December 2019 election, and to "get Brexit done" in that the UK finally left the EU the following January.

For some time, the prime minister did not accept that the new Northern Ireland Protocol would mean an Irish Sea border with Britain, and an internal UK barrier so sensitive with unionists.

Likewise, the subsequent trade deal with the EU brought new barriers for businesses and people in their relations with the continent. And Johnson has admitted he has failed to make headway towards a lucrative trade deal with the United States, hailed by campaigners as one of the prizes of Brexit.

The post-Brexit fallout has brought renewed tensions with Scotland, where a majority had voted to remain in the EU, and where calls for a new independence referendum have grown louder.

But to many people, especially in much of England, Boris Johnson cuts a sympathetic figure who echoes their sentiments, his transgressions forgiven.

In contrast, opposition Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has struggled to connect with the public, despite moving to pull his party from the left -- which brought a resounding defeat under Jeremy Corbyn -- towards the political centre.

Starmer has recently described Johnson as "trivial", but some commentators believe he has his work cut out if he is going to land meaningful punches on the prime minister.

"A lot of people in the Labour look at Boris Johnson and think 'this man is a clown, this is a man of no convictions, this is a serial liar, and all we have to do is keep telling people that, and at some point the message will get through and they'll notice'," political historian Robert Saunders told a think-tank "UK in a Changing Europe" podcast.

"I think there is quite a lot of evidence that the public know that Boris Johnson has a somewhat dodgy personal history, they know that he is economical with the truth, and they don't mind."

The prime minister is also much derided abroad -- yet his reported tensions with President Biden over Northern Ireland did not prevent him from making political capital out of the recently-struck AUKUS defence deal.

At home, the right-wing Johnson has twice been elected mayor of London in a centre-left city, and arguably helped swing the result of the 2016 Brexit referendum by joining and then championing the "Leave" cause.

At the last election his leadership secured the biggest Conservative victory since the 1980s, notably bringing many traditional "Red Wall" Labour seats in the north of England into the Tory fold.

Boris Johnson and the country may be in for a hard winter, but the prime minister's many critics may be foolish to think that he will be damaged politically in equal proportion.
Under the aegis of the newly established Nigeria-Russia Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Russians are now gearing up to revamp the Ajaokuta Steel Industry that was abandoned after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and further take up energy, oil and gas projects in Nigeria, as well as facilitate trade between Nigeria and Russia. As Eurasia Review writes, after the Soviets collapse, Russia has been struggling to find ways of regaining part of its Soviet-era economic influence throughout Africa, and Nigeria has been high on Russias agenda for reviving multifaceted business ties, at least to share its market and take up opportunities similar to the United States and China.

There had been a number of deals and business proposals previously, featured in Russia-Nigerian relations. As far back in June 2009, Dmitry Medvedev as president visited Nigeria for the first time, held talks on possible nuclear energy, oil exploration and military cooperation.

According to Russias Rosatom, the protocol on nuclear offered the possibility of bilateral cooperation for the development of nuclear infrastructure and the joint exploration and exploitation of uranium deposits. The aim, two nuclear plants estimated cost at $20 billion  the bulk of it by Russia, is to boost Nigerias electricity supply.

Russias second-largest oil company, and privately controlled Lukoil, has gone forth and back these several years with plans to expand its operations in Nigeria, and in a number of West African countries.

Nigeria is an economic powerhouse in West African region. As it is known, Nigeria is one of the Africas fastest growing economies and it boosts the largest population. Russia and Nigeria some sort of economic relations, but these are not consistent with the long-standing cordial relations between both countries.

In addition, Nigeria is a vast market with huge potentials for prospective foreign investors and so is Russia. Regrettably, investors from both sides appear to know little or nothing about these opportunities. This is, usually attributed to the apparent inadequate knowledge of the many investment opportunities in both countries.

Statistics are extremely hard to obtain. By the end of 2018, Russias trade with Nigeria was almost US$600 million, still seen as far below the full potential of trade and economic cooperation between the two countries. Stunningly, talking about bilateral economic footprints, both Russians and Nigerians are unprepared to give needed useful information about Russias investment in Nigeria. Seen as a two-way street, Nigerias presence in Russia is only the diplomatic representative office.

The Nigeria-Russia Chamber of Commerce and Industry, established and inaugurated late September 2021, now has as its primary task to raise bilateral economic relations between the two countries. It will help implement some of the significant issues that were discussed during the historic first Russia-Africa summit held October 2019 in Sochi, Russia.

President, Nigeria-Russia Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dr Obiora Okonkwo told the visiting Russian delegation headed by Ambassador Oleg Ozerov, of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and Head of the Secretariat of Russia-Africa Partnership Forum (RAPF), that establishment of the NRCCI was the first step towards resuscitating and strengthening existing relations between Nigeria and Russia.

He said the inauguration of the chamber shows the beginning of a new journey that will enable Nigeria explore business relations with the Russian Federation, and will promote economic growth, technology transfer, development and foster better understanding between both countries.

Reports indicated that Nigeria-Russia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NRCCI) was created and incorporated under the Companies and Allied Matters Act 1990, and has established beneficial relationships and contacts with numerous economic development organizations in the Russian Federation.

The principal objectives of NRCCI is to promote commerce, industry, trade and ancillary services; foster, advance and protect commercial, industrial, trade and professional enterprises.

We are therefore seeking to establish an industrial development mechanism built on the principle of mutual beneficial relationships with their own business groups. The strategy is to establish and sustain business contacts with the existing numerous economic development organizations in Russia and Nigeria, explained Okonkwo.

The Russian business delegation included Andrei Albeshchenko from the Association of Economic Cooperation with African States; Andrei Vladimirov, State Atomic Energy Corporation Overseas; Stepan Belanovich, Uralchem United Chemical Company JSC; Maksim Poltoradnev, Uralchem United Chemical Company JSC and other Russian business executives.

The business visit to Abuja was organized by the Association of Economic Cooperation with African States (AECAS) with support from the Russian Foreign Ministry, assistance from the Russian Embassy in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Ozerov and his delegation paid a courtesy call on Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa.

According to reports, Vice President Osinbajo has expressed keen interest in developing bilateral cooperation and the need to increase the presence of Russian companies in Nigeria. Vice President Osinbajo stressed the fact that the formal inauguration of a Nigeria-Russia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NRCCI) will consolidate efforts to deepen the long-lasting relationship and invigorate business opportunities between Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Russian Federation.

We are interested in developing relations with Nigeria. It is one of the largest and most promising economies where we see lot of opportunities. We were happy to hear that the Vice President supports the development of bilateral economic relations. Russia has a lot to offer, from new technologies to fertilizers, agriculture, energy and infrastructure projects. We must intensify cooperation to achieve tangible results prior to the second Russia-Africa summit, Ozerov, Head of the Secretariat of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum, told journalists during the press conference following the meeting.

Within the framework of the joint declaration adopted at the first Russia-Africa Summit, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation established the Secretariat of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum. The Secretariat of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum also moved to create an Association of Economic Cooperation with African States (AECAS).
The Biden administrations Pacific strategy will face a major test later this year when India makes good on a controversial $5 billion arms deal with Russia, an agreement that could trigger U.S. sanctions at a time when Washington is trying to pull India closer. As Politico reports, the deal for five Russian-made S-400 air defense systems has long been a concern in Washington, but with delivery expected in December, the White House will be forced to decide how to manage the complicated relationship between the two countries.

In play is the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, or CAATSA, a 2017 law with broad support in Congress that punishes countries for making major arms deals with Russia, the worlds second-largest arms exporter.

To date, the only countries sanctioned under the law are Turkey and China, both for buying the same S-400 system slated to arrive in India. Its a precedent that could put the Biden administration in an awkward position with a key ally.

The government of Narendra Modi appears to have made the decision to go forward with the system, and they've not backed down for the last three years despite the threats of sanctions, said Sameer Lalwani, senior fellow for Asia Strategy at the Stimson Center.

They planned around it, they made this commitment and reaffirmed it. They're not blinking on this and so we can play this game of chicken as much as we want, but the consequences will be worse for us, he said.

Modi was in Washington last week to meet with Biden and the other leaders of the The Quad  India, Australia, Japan and the U.S.  to discuss a range of regional issues, but American and Indian officials would not confirm the S-400 was on the agenda.

India has for decades been a customer of weapons made in the U.S., Russia, France and Israel. But in recent years successive administrations in Washington have tried to wean India off Russian gear, with important wins. But Russia maintains a grip on some major systems, selling nuclear-powered submarines and warships to the Indian armed forces.

The S-400 air defense system, however, looms large.

In 2020, the Trump administration kicked Turkey out of the F-35 program and imposed sanctions under CAATSA after Turkey received its first S-400, a major step against a longtime NATO ally.

Being removed from the F-35 club was a bitter pill for the Turkish government, but Washington and its NATO allies had spent years publicly and privately warning Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan against consummating the deal. Turkish leadership remained defiant throughout, however. Just this past week, Erdogan said he was prepared to buy a second S-400, pledging nobody will be able to interfere in terms of what kind of defense systems we acquire, from which country, at what level.

The Indian government was definitely watching all of that in great detail and all along the way we continued to warn them, said R. Clarke Cooper, assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs under the Trump administration, now at the Atlantic Council. The message to the Indian government after inking the deal with Russia in 2018 was look, you take delivery of the S-400 you're going to potentially jeopardize interoperability with the United States, and you're going to potentially jeopardize interoperability with other partners that you value, Cooper said.

The 2017 CAATSA law came in response to Russias annexation of Crimea, and was aimed at dissuading countries from buying Russian equipment while also punishing the countrys arms industry. Given the size of Russia's arms exports to the Asia-Pacific region, however, the Trump and Biden administrations worked to balance the law against antagonizing burgeoning allies with a long history of buying Russian gear.

India is a key part of that balancing act, and how the U.S. treats Indias dealings with Russia will have an impact on how other nations will expect to be treated.

The Indian Embassy in Washington did not respond to a request to comment on the potential for sanctions.

Since CAATSA went into effect, the message to countries with long-standing relationships with the Russian defense industry has generally been, keep your AK-47s, but if you really are looking to have a modern military alongside the United States and partners, don't put that at risk, Cooper said. I would be surprised if the Biden team is having any different kind of conversation with the Indian government.

A senior administration official, who was not authorized to discuss the issue and asked for anonymity, said India's planned defense purchases from Russia are no secret, but we urge all of our allies and partners to forgo transactions with Russia that risk triggering sanctions, under CAATSA.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has not made any determination about sanctions, and CAATSA does not have any blanket or country-specific waiver provision, the official said. Any transaction with Russias defense or intelligence sectors must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

In Turkey's case, the worry inside NATO was that the powerful Russian radar system that tracks targets for the S-400 would pump valuable information back to Moscow about how the F-35 and other aircraft operate. Leaders in Brussels said there was no chance they would put their F-35s anywhere near that radar system, even if it were operated by an ally.

India remains a massive market for arms exporting countries, accounting for 9.5 percent of all global arms imports in 2020 bested only by Saudi Arabia, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

And billions of that spending will continue to go to Russia.

Whatever happens, whether it's sanctions or whether it's a waiver, the real challenge for the administration is figuring out how to avoid having to deal with this over and over and over again, said Stimsons Lalwani.

In 2023, India will receive the first two of four new frigates from Russia, and in 2025, will begin leasing its third nuclear-powered submarine from Moscow, all major deals already sealed.

The question will be whether this is going to trigger a wave of sanctions each time, Lalwani said. So the other reason the administration will have to work this out with Congress is so this Sword of Damocles isnt hanging over the relationship for the next five to 10 years because those deals have already been made and signed.

In March, Senate Foreign Relations Chair Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) sent a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warning, if India chooses to go forward with its purchase of the S-400, that act will clearly constitute a significant, and sanctionable, transaction with the Russian defense sector  it will also limit Indias ability to work with the U.S. on development and procurement of sensitive military technology.

While those major deals will force Washington to reckon with its own policy choices, the industrial competition between the American and Russian defense industries will remain fierce.

In May, the State Department approved the sale of six P-8 submarine-hunting aircraft to India, adding to the 12 Boeing-made aircraft the country already operates. The deals all carry the provision that 30 percent of the manufacturing take place in India, part of Modis Make in India program.

A major prize awaits in the coming months, when India decides who will build its new fleet of up to 110 multirole fighter planes. Lockheed Martin is working to sell India on its F-21 fighter, a derivative of the F-16.

Boeing is offering its F-15EX Eagle II and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, which is competing with Saabs Gripen E/F, Dassaults Rafale, and Eurofighters Typhoon, which is produced by a consortium of Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo. Russia is thought to be offering both its MiG-35 and Sukhoi Su-35.

The Obama administrations designation of India as a major defense partner in 2016 was meant as a sign of Washingtons desire to draw closer to New Delhi, while nudging the Indian government to begin shunning some Russian gear.

The deal grants India access to U.S. defense technologies at a level comparable to NATO allies, and came just after Russia lost a $3 billion deal to Boeing to build Apache and Chinook helicopters.

The United States and its influential defense industry are not about to walk away from these deals and a growing relationship with India at a time when the country has become a close ally in deterring China. But with India not about to walk away from its relationship with Russia, Congress and the White House will soon have to decide how much theyre willing to accept.
The former president of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani, fled to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in August via Uzbekistan, using a presidential helicopter and subsequently a plane of Kazakhstans FlyJet air carrier, a source close the ex-leader was quoted as saying by Afghanistans Hashte Subh Daily, TASS reports.

According to the source, shortly before the Taliban (outlawed in Russia) entered Kabul on August 15, Ghani, along with his advisors and bodyguards left the capital in several helicopters, reserved for evacuating the president and his inner circle in case of emergency.

"Of the 54 people who landed in the four helicopters in the Termez, Uzbekistan, 22 were pilots, co-pilots, and Air Force technicians, and the other 22 were the presidents bodyguards, and none of them had passports," the source said.

When the aircraft landed in Termez, Ghani, along with his wife Rula Ghani, national security chief Hamdullah Muhib, presidential administration chief Fazl Mahmood Fazli and other companions, had to spend 31 hours in the airport, guarded by over 200 Uzbek servicemen.

"Around dinner on Monday [August 16], after 31 hours of uncertainty, a small white plane with no government or trademark landed at Termez Airport, <> They [the president and his inner circle] first boarded this small plane, which had a total of 60 seats, and then we boarded one after the other with the same hungry stomachs, thirsty mouths, miserable conditions, and tangled hairs," the source said.

"The inside of the plane seemed normal and there were no special cabins for the president and other officials. They sat in the seats near the cockpit, making us move to the back seats. Nobody was talking and we didnt know where we were heading. Minutes later, the plane took off and they announced that we were leaving for the United Arab Emirates. Inside the plane, for the first time in 28 hours, we got some water and food," he continued.
The Azerbaijani Army launched a counter-offensive operation, later called the "Iron Fist", on September 27, 2020 in response to the large-scale provocation of the Armenian armed forces along the frontline, Trend reports.

The erupted 44-day Second Karabakh War ended with liberation of Azerbaijans territories from nearly 30-year Armenian occupation.

Trend presents the chronicle of the eighth day of the Second Karabakh war:

- President Ilham Aliyev announced that the Azerbaijani army raised the Azerbaijani flag in Madagiz (now renamed to Sugovushan), and announced the liberation from occupation of a number of villages in Tartar, Jabrayil and Fuzuli regions;

- On October 3, the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan presented a list of the destroyed military equipment of the Armenian Armed Forces. Its total losses amounted to 230 tanks and other armored vehicles, 250 artillery installations, multiple launch rocket systems and mortars, 38 air defense systems, 10 command and observation posts, 7 ammunition depots, more than 130 vehicles, 1 anti-aircraft missile complex S-300;

- During the night of October 3, the combat activity of the Armenian armed forces in various directions of the front was suppressed, crushing blows were inflicted on them;

- The armed forces of Armenia subjected to intensive shelling the city of Tartar, the regional villages of Sakhlaabad, Gazyan, Gapanli, Gaynag, Askipara, Gusanli, the villages of Aghdam region Ayag Garvand, Imamgulubeyli, Garadaghly, Tazakand, Ajabadin region of Muganli, Giyunyungodbaranla

- Prosecutor General Kamran Aliyev said at a briefing that since September 27, 19 civilians have been killed as a result of Armenian shelling. Among those killed are three women and two children;

- The Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan has distributed footage of the destruction of Armenian Army's military equipment;

- The Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan has distributed video footage from the territories liberated from the occupation;

- residents of Baku on the balconies of their houses celebrated the liberation of the village of Sugovushan.
Capital flows into green growth projects have still seen positive signals despite adverse impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic on foreign direct investment (FDI) in Vietnam.

French development finance organisation Proparco recently provided a 50 million USD loan for the Ho Chi Minh City Development Joint Stock Commercial Bank (HDBank) to lend green projects to promote sustainable development. This is the first time HDBank has borrowed capital from the organisation but it has started to finance green projects in Vietnam since 2018.

The International Financial Corporation (IFC) in July gave a 100 million USD long-term loan to the Orient Commercial Joint Stock Bank (OCB) to further promote the contribution of the private sector in green and sustainable growth in Vietnam. The purpose of this credit was to extend lending to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), especially to promote the financing for climate-friendly projects in Vietnam.

In May, the Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV) received a 100 million USD loan and technical assistance worth 300,000 EUR (366,000 USD) from the French Development Agency (AFD). The capital is used to finance businesses investing in the fields of environmental protection, climate change response, and green growth.

Earlier, a series of banks including the Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam (Agribank), Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam (Vietcombank), Tien Phong Commercial Joint Stock Bank, Nam A Commercial Joint Stock Bank also get long-term loans from international financial institutions to fund green growth projects in Vietnam.

Opportunities to raise capital for green projects

According to the World Bank's assessment, green growth financing projects play a very important role in the sustainable development of Vietnam in the future.

Meanwhile, the IFC said the implementation of the national target on reducing total greenhouse gas emissions by 9 percent by 2030 to mitigate the effects of climate change will provide a climate investment opportunity worth about 753 billion USD for the country in the 2016-2030 period.

The green growth trend of international investment organisations is opening up many opportunities for Vietnamese enterprises to call for capital.

A recently released report by HSBC Vietnam highlighted that Vietnam's economy, which has developed rapidly over the past decade, is a fertile land for investors who are seeking growth.

HSBC assessed climate change initiatives and green finance programmes in Vietnam are still in their infancy, but this frontier market is gradually catching up with governance and social factors. For example, in the renewable energy sector, Vietnam is recording the highest level of investment in renewable energy in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region.

Source: VNA
Nam's arms were amputated at the age of 15 due to a chemical accident. In front of the boy's eyes, all the doors to the future closed. That was four years ago, and his life has now turned a new page.

Tran Bang Nam, a 19-year-old Thai Nguyen resident, was fortunate to receive two donated arms from a 31-year-old brain-dead young man from Hai Duong. Nam is still astounded 7 months after the historic transplant at 108 Central Military Hospital because life appears to have turned a new chapter.

A doctor examines Nam's transplanted hand.

Nam had an accident with a chemical explosive four years ago that crushed his two forearms, which could not be saved and had to be amputated. At the age of 15, his future came to an end.

When Nam awoke from the surgery and saw that his arm had been amputated, he asked his mother, "Mom, where is my hand?" Nam's mother patted him on the back and said, "It is taken to be transplanted."

Nam officially stopped studying after he returned from the hospital. Everyone assisted him with all daily activities such as bathing, toilet, dressing, eating, and so on. He was still anxiously awaiting the day of the hand transplant, constantly asking his mother when he would be allowed to leave the hospital.

Nam's mother, knowing she couldn't hide, had to tell her son the truth: his two arms would have to be surgically removed for the rest of his life. When he heard the news, the 15-year-old boy saw everything collapsing in front of his eyes, teetering on the brink of collapse.

According to Nam, there was a period of psychological crisis during which he was quiet and irritable for no apparent reason. There were nights when Nam stayed awake, missing his friends and school, and worrying about his uncertain future.

Nam tried to find a way to revive himself after losing his balance for a few months, starting with using tape to stick a spoon on his hand to scoop rice, clamping his elbows to hold a toothbrush... Nam gradually grew accustomed to his body's flaws, but the inferiority complex grew stronger and infiltrated every fiber of his being.

Nam's family was overjoyed at the beginning of 2020, when the patient Pham Van Vuong, 31, of Thanh Tri, Hanoi, had his forearm successfully transplanted from the world's first living donor. Though the chances of receiving a transplant are extremely slim, Nam hoped and registered for one.

Nam's family received a call from Hospital 108 in mid-September 2020, informing them that someone had donated two forearms.

The patient is upbeat and dedicated to his rehabilitation. If the treatment continues, the patient will look completely different in 6-12 months, when the hand will be able to recover at least 80-90 percent of its original strength. At the time, Nam could ride a motorcycle, drive a car, and live a normal life like many others," Professor Hoang explained.

Nam often fantasized about returning to school and having fun with his friends after the life-altering transplant. The Thai Nguyen young boy hopes to return to school soon to fulfill his dreams.

Exciting opportunities for millions of people with disabilities

Both hand transplants for patients Vuong and Nam were performed by doctors at 108 Hospital, which had four years of preparation, according to Professor Hoang, who himself spent around ten years in Germany studying and researching, as a PhD student and then a medical doctor in plastic surgery and hand surgery, and then post-doctoral research.

The patient's before and after pictures of hand transplantation.

After eight hours of stress, the transplant was successful on September 16, which was the first case of two-arm transplantation in Vietnam as well as Southeast Asia. The two arms fused very well after transplantation, and now, seven months later, the graft scars are very small, and the arms have turned firm and flexible.

Nam's arm recovered faster than expected, according to Professor Nguyen The Hoang, Deputy Director of Military Hospital 108, who performed the hand transplant. The most delicate movement of the hand was writing, which Nam also did.

While working on a doctoral thesis in science, Professor Hoang was invited by his teacher to be one of five surgeons who performed a world-first operation at the Rechts der Surgical Hospital in Isar, a town in Germany in 2008, on a German citizen who had lost both arms in a workplace accident. The surgery went off without a hitch, and the two arms that were transplanted functioned normally, which however, took up to 16 hours to complete with the coordination of leading experts from Germany, the US, the UK, Australia, and France.

Currently, only a few limb transplants are performed worldwide each year for two reasons: limb transplantation is a far more complex and stressful technique than organ transplantation, and donors are exceedingly rare.

According to Professor Hoang, the most difficult allogeneic limb transplant is the wrist and forearm transplant because there are 43 muscles, eight large blood vessels, and countless complex nerves to control extremely delicate movements of the hand, whereas leg grafting is much simpler.

Even though only 3 of 6 of the factors in the case of patient Vuong were in sync, the transplant was still successful. The rate of immune compatibility for the male patient was even lower, but the doctors were still self - assured in doing it, and the patient is recovering excellently. Professor Hoang believes Nam's case will rebound faster than Vuong's because the forearm was not crushed and infected.

For each patient, the hospital's board of directors and the surgical team must carefully discuss and prepare for the worst-case scenarios in order to prepare to deal with them with the goal of ensuring absolute safety for the patient," Prof. Hoang said.

He also stated that allogeneic limb transplantation is far superior to hand grafting and the use of prosthetic hands.

In terms of cost, prosthetic hands cost billions of VND, are difficult to obtain for the poor, and must be repaired or replaced if damaged. The prosthetic hand can be grasped flexibly, but the patient always wants to hide and is self-deprecating in communication. Meanwhile, using the hand grafting technique, it only takes a few tens of millions of VND.

Prof. Nguyen The Hoang and patient Tran Bang Nam at Military Hospital 108.

Rehabilitation of the post-transplant limb takes time, but it is capable of limited function. Above all else, the new hands will restore confidence in the patient's ability to communicate and function, something no computer or equipment can ever replace. Hand transplantation is the most effective, most ideal, and least expensive therapy option for all individuals with hand disabilities, said Professor Hoang.

The procedure has been perfected by the doctors at 108 Hospital, but finding donated limbs is proving to be a challenge.

Since Nam's transplant, there haven't been any more cases of brain-dead patients registered to donate arms or legs at Military Hospital 108. Prof. Hoang said there are hundreds of amputee patients waiting for a transplant, many of whom are very young girls who have permanently lost their hands in traffic accidents and fire.

Despite understanding the compassionate value of limb transplantation, few families agree to let their loved ones' bodies be incomplete after death, according to Prof. Hoang.

We hope that through dissemination of many positive stories, in the coming time, more people will understand the importance of organ and limb donation to help many disabled patients recover and return to normal life. In the event of burial or cremation, a person's arm or other body part will decompose into ash.

Thuy Hanh

Vietnam successfully performs first liver transplant on child patient with late-stage cancer Doctors from the National Children's Hospital and the 108 Central Military Hospital have successfully performed a liver transplant on an 18-month-old girl suffering from malignant hepatoblastoma.
Vietnam's emerging and dynamic private sector proved its resilience during the Covid-19 pandemic as it helped the country become one of the few countries to obtain positive growth in 2020.

Many private enterprises grew strongly during the difficult time when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out.

Role of pioneers

Vietjet Air CEO Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao.

Vietjet Air has released its semi-annual financial report for 2021 with after-tax profit of more than VND34 billion, up 102% year on year thanks to profit from new projects.

Vietjet is known as a young private airline with several years of experience, but it has occupied the leading position in the domestic market since 2018.

The younger private airline - Bamboo Airways  remains profitable and on September 23 it successfully carried out the first non-stop flight to the US.

These are impressive results, especially when Vietnam's aviation industry is facing unprecedented difficulties. Even the oldest and largest airline in Vietnam  the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines - has incurred huge losses of tens of trillions of VND.

In the past 10 years, Vietnam's aviation market has undergone a great change along with the rise of private firms. The industry has become a typical example for the development and contribution of the private sector to the economic development of Vietnam.

With the participation and competition of the private sector, the air route network of Vietnam has expanded widely with hundreds of new domestic and international routes opened over the past decade. Private groups have also been involved in the development of airports.

In the past five years, Vietnams aviation industry has recorded a double-digit growth rate, compared to China at 10-15%, Thailand and South Korea at about 10%. International organizations rated Vietnam's aviation industry as one of the fastest growing in the world.

The strong development of the private sector has also been seen in other fields such as construction materials with big names such as Hoa Phat and Hoa Sen; consumer goods with Masan and Dabaco; retail market such as Vinmart, The Gioi Di Dong (Mobile World); real estate such as Vinhomes, Novaland, Phat Dat ...

The rapid growth in revenue, profit and scale of Vietnamese businesses has helped the stock market have private enterprises with capitalized value worth of tens of billions of dollars such as Vingroup, Vinhomes, Hoa Phat and others

Building a middle-income economy

The rapid growth in revenue, profit and scale of Vietnamese businesses has helped the stock market have private enterprises with capitalized value worth of tens of billions of dollars such as Vingroup, Vinhomes, Hoa Phat and others

The Country Private Sector Diagnostic (CPSD), published recently by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the World Bank (WB), said that the private sector plays a leading role in the outstanding development of Vietnam. The potential of this sector needs to be further exploited to promote productivity growth so that Vietnam can achieve its goal of becoming a high-income country by 2045.

Kim-See Lim, IFC's regional director for East Asia and the Pacific, said that the private sector has helped bring Vietnam into the ranks of middle-income economies within just a generation. However, as Vietnam was preparing for the next stage of development, it faced the Covid-19 pandemic.

She said that Vietnam should promote a dynamic, diverse, and innovative private sector for the post-Covid-19 recovery period, when public resources become limited.

Carolyn Turk, World Bank Country Director for Vietnam, said Vietnam's emerging and dynamic private sector proved its resilience during the Covid-19 pandemic, as it helped Vietnam become one of the few countries to obtain positive growth in 2020.

By opening up to trade and pursuing an export-led growth model, Vietnam has attracted large amounts of foreign direct investment (FDI) into the labor-intensive segments of the manufacturing value chain. Currently, Vietnam is the second largest smartphone export base in the world, producing over 40% of Samsung's global phone products. Domestic private enterprises are very dynamic with big names such as Vingroup, VietJet, and Masan.

At the inauguration ceremony of VinFast automobile factory, President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, then the Prime Minister, said the achievement of VinFast as well as Vietnam's private corporations had proven the State's viewpoint in Resolution No.10: the private economy is an important driving force of the national economy.

The development of the private sector is also reflected in the number of businesses registered to operate in Vietnam, which has increased sharply, from more than 42,000 units in 2000 to about 800,000 at present.

The driving force for economic recovery

The strong development of the private sector has also been seen in other fields such as construction materials with big names such as Hoa Phat and Hoa Sen; consumer goods with Masan and Dabaco; retail market such as Vinmart, The Gioi Di Dong (Mobile World); real estate such as Vinhomes, Novaland, Phat Dat ...

Ms. Carolyn Turk said that Vietnam needs to continue with stronger legal and structural reforms to create a stronger foundation for competition and innovation in the economy, thereby promoting the development of the private sector in the roadmap to shift the economic growth model to achieve the goal of becoming a high-income country by 2045.

According to the World Bank Group, as Vietnam is struggling to respond to a large-scale Covid-19 outbreak, accelerating the pace of reform, upgrading the qualifications and skills of the workforce, and improving Infrastructure will help strengthen the private sector so that the economy will soon recover from the pandemic and make the most of its growth potential.

Accordingly, the shift towards focusing on green, efficient and high-performance private investment is extremely necessary to maintain rapid and sustainable economic development for Vietnam. To achieve this, it is necessary to promote the private sector by reducing barriers to market entry and competition, improving its position in global value chains, diversifying into knowledge-intensive industries, addressing skills gaps, and promoting digitalization in many industries.

IFC recommended that the reform program should focus on key areas such as creating a fair competitive environment among all businesses, promoting financial access opportunities for small and medium enterprises, expanding long-term capital sources, strengthening and greening infrastructure services, and securing a skilled workforce to achieve the high-value, innovative, and high-productivity growth model.

Kyle Kelhofer, IFC Country Director for Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, said that to prolong Vietnam's successful development story, it is necessary to keep accelerating reforms to create favorable conditions for the development of the private sector so that it can lead the economy to move to a growth path based on innovation, high quality and sustainability.

The Covid-19 pandemic has made it even more urgent to address challenges to the development of the private sector in search of public-private partnership solutions to mobilize resources of the private sector. This is especially important because the limited government resources have been prioritized for health care and livelihood support during the pandemic.

The electricity, logistics, education and skills training, agribusiness, and tourism sectors have strong potential for the private sectors participation. Demand for sustainable energy and logistics services is increasing due to strong industrialization, the expansion of the middle-income population, and rapid urbanization. Private investment in these sectors can help reduce the burden on the state budget and contribute to the greening of infrastructure and production through new investments in renewable energy and climate-related smart solutions.

Tran Thuy

Vietnam needs more private corporations After over 30 years of Doi Moi (reform), Vietnam has had large private groups operating in many industries with international stature. There are also Vietnamese USD billionaires, but only a handful.
As a student who once failed entrance exams to universities, Doan Thi Hai Duong has just won a scholarship with a monthly stipend of 2.800 in a doctoral program at Max Planck for Plant Breeding Institute  Germany.

It is one of the institutes of the Max Planck Society, one of the leading non-profit organizations in science and technology in the world, with 33 Nobel prize winners.

Doan Thi Hai Duong - a shining example of energy and love for science.

Doan Thi Hai Duong is the youngest of three siblings in her family. Ever since her childhood, she has dreamt about becoming a doctor. Her favorite subject was Biology.

Despite not getting into a Specialist School, I always did my best to get good results in high school. My goal since 10th grade was to study abroad when I saw my cousin got a scholarship to study in Japan, Duong recalls.

In order to achieve her dream, Duong worked hard to improve in English and Biology. In 2013, Duong attended the entrance exam to Hai Phong University of Medicine and Pharmacy. She did not pass. In 2014, she gave it another try, but to no avail. She finally applied to her second option, University of Hai Phong, majoring in Biotechnology. After some time doing various lab work on campus, she developed an interest in botanical biology.

After graduating in 2017, I realized my resume was not impressive enough for me to apply for a foreign scholarship. So, I applied for a research position in the Department of Molecular Biology at the Institute of Agricultural Genetics. I received guidance from leading professors, got access to modern equipment and even had the opportunity to go to the Philippines to practice for three months, she says.

Experiencing a professional research environment abroad prompted Duong to apply for a master's degree in Korea. In June 2017, Duong passed the interview conducted by Professor Kim Jae Yeon and received a master's scholarship from Gyeongsang National University.

It was not easy for Duong when she first came to Korea. Although I was mentally prepared, it still took me more than a month to get used to the workflow. I had to stay up late many nights. I struggled with what many people could accomplish with ease. But that only made me more determined. Thanks to her effort, Duong achieved excellent results and defended her project on time.

However, a week before receiving her masters degree in August 2020, Duong heard news that her father had passed due to serious illness. Because of the complicated situations surrounding the Covid-19 epidemic, she couldnt fly back to Vietnam.

My father always encouraged me to rise up from failure to pursue my dream. Not being able to meet him for the last time devastated me. That along with the pressure from studying made me postpone my plans to continue studying for my doctoral degree as I suffered from depression, Duong said.

After some time, Duong started to recover. In 2021, she finished her resume to apply for doctorate scholarships. Among the 10 universities Duong applied to, she received three replies. In April 2021, she got her first interview with the VIB-UGent research center for plant systems biology (Belgium) but was ultimately rejected.

Three months later, she got another interview with the University of Jena. After introducing myself and my preferred research direction, the professor there gave a short presentation about the topic. After listening, I realized the program was not the perfect fit for me, she said.

Doan Thi Hai Duong once failed an entrance exam to university but is now working on her doctorate.

The third interview was with Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding (Germany). With her experience from the last two interviews, Duong was more confident and passed the first three rounds of interviews. At the fourth interview, the interviewing professor said she was qualified for the scholarships but expressed concern about her determination to follow through with her study, because it was going to be hard and stressful. Duong replied: After three years in Korea I have learned to adapt to the pressure of working at a lab. You have to believe in yourself, know what your values are, and be determined to follow your research.

On September 6th, 2021, Duong won the scholarship with a salary of 2800 Euros/month before taxes. She will continue her study in Molecular Biology, following her research in maters level of modifying botanical genome and plant-breeding technology to create new species that can withstand climate change.

Ngoc Linh
Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang has appreciated efforts made by Collectif Vietnam Dioxine members to support campaigns to back Vietnamese French woman Tran To Ngas lawsuit against US chemical companies

Vietnamese French woman Tran To Nga speaks at the meeting (Photo: VNA)



Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang has appreciated efforts made by Collectif Vietnam Dioxine members to support campaigns to back Vietnamese French woman Tran To Ngas lawsuit against US chemical companies and to raise funds for Agent Orange (AO)/dioxin victims in Vietnam.

Receiving the organisations representatives on October 2, Thang expressed his admiration for the determination and courage of Nga who has persistently pursued the lawsuit against US companies that had manufactured the toxic AO defoliant used by US forces during the war in Vietnam.

He informed Collectif Vietnam Dioxine about efforts the Vietnamese State and people are making to alleviate the physical and mental pains of Vietnamese AO/dioxin victims.

Every year, the Vietnamese State spends about 400 million EUR (463.7 million USD) on the care, support and vocational training for the victims.

In 2019, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development decided to remove glyphosate from the list of phytosanitary products allowed to circulate in Vietnam, which is considered a responsible action of the Vietnamese government with a hope to put public health above economic and commercial issues. In addition, decontamination at sites severely polluted by dioxin such as Bien Hoa and Da Nang airports has also been implemented effectively with the support of the US government, according to the diplomat.

The ambassador called on Collectif Vietnam Dioxine members to continue to take practical and concrete actions to help and support AO/dioxin victims in the coming time. He also pledged to always stand side by side with them in the fight for justice and rights for the AO/dioxin victims in Vietnam.

At the meeting, Nga expressed her gratitude for the sentiments and support of French friends and Vietnamese people around the world, which, she said, has motivated her to continue fight till her last breath.

Vo Dinh Kim, coordinator of Collectif Vietnam Dioxine, affirmed that the organisation will continue to organise dissemination activities about Agent Orange, and call for help for victims as well as support for Nga's lawsuit.

The organisation has sent a written request to the French government calling for an official day to commemorate AO/dioxin victims, he added.

Set up in 2004, Collectif Vietnam Dioxine is a non-governmental organisation, bringing together nearly 20 associations and delegations of Vietnamese people in France and French friends, including the Association of Vietnamese People in France (UGVF), Union of Vietnamese Youth in France (UJVF), France-Vietnam Friendship Association (AAFV), and Frances Republican Association of Veterans.

From 1961 to 1971, the US military sprayed about 80 million litres of toxic chemicals, 61 percent of which were AO, containing 366 kg of dioxin, on to nearly a quarter of South Vietnam. About 86 percent of the area was sprayed more than two times, 11 percent of the area was sprayed more than 10 times.

As a result, around 4.8 million Vietnamese were exposed to the toxic chemical. Many of the victims have died, while millions of their descendants are living with deformities and diseases as a direct result of the chemicals effects.

Source: VNA
Over 10 provinces and cities in Vietnam have decided to exempt part of or full tuition fees for students.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, millions of Vietnamese students have to study online.

The latest province that has announced its plan to exempt part of tuition for the first semester of the school year 2021-2022 for students at public schools is the central province of Quang Ngai. The total amount of exempted tuition fees is estimated at nearly 30 billion VND ($1.5 million).

Earlier, the central province of Quang Nam and the northern province of Bac Ninh made public their decisions to exempt tuition for the first semester.

In Quang Nam, more than 40,000 students will benefit from this plan, with a total amount of VND14 billion ($600,000).

In Bac Ninh, besides tuition exemption, the local government will provide VND1 million aid per person to disadvantaged students. In particular, Bac Ninh also provides equipment for online learning for students with extremely difficult circumstances with a maximum aid of VND10 million/student.

So far, many localities have announced tuition fee exemption and reduction to share difficulties with parents and students. Among them, Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, and Da Nang provide exemption of 100% of tuition fees, and Hanoi with 50% of tuition fees for the 2021-2022 school year.

The provinces that give exemption of tuition fees for the first semester include Vinh Long, Long An, Soc Trang, Can Tho, Bac Lieu, and Ho Chi Minh City.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, millions of Vietnamese students are still studying online.

Ngoc Linh
Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

New Mexico cities and towns have broken nearly 100 heat records in September, and the state is in for another week of hot and dry weather.

Daniel Porter, meteorologist with the National Weather Service Office in Albuquerque, said high-pressure systems have dominated the region, with temperatures 5 to 10 degrees above normal.

On Monday, Albuquerque reached 90 degrees for the eighth consecutive day.

If we take the high and the low temperature for each day so far and averaged it all out, we are currently the second-warmest for the first half of September, with an average temperature of 77.6 degrees, Porter said.

A cool front will bring moisture to northeastern New Mexico on Tuesday, meteorologist Clay Anderson said.

That will be used as fuel for thunderstorms that are going to pop up late in the day and into the evening hours, Anderson said.

Severe thunderstorms will be possible in the states far northeastern corner. Hail and high winds could also make an appearance.

Albuquerque is expected to have a high of 91 degrees on Tuesday. Rain chances are minimal all week for the metro area.

Hazy skies should begin to clear as wildfire smoke exits the region.

Albuquerques forecast calls for a high of 90 degrees on Wednesday, 91 on Thursday and 90 on Friday. A notable cool front is likely to move into New Mexico early next week.

We could actually start to see some more seasonal temperatures, Anderson said. But until we get there, we should look for increasing winds through the weekend, especially on Sunday.

Theresa Davis is a Report for America corps member covering water and the environment for the Albuquerque Journal.
Nobody actually expects a corrupt politician to include illegal kickbacks as an income source on his or her annual financial disclosure statements. If a legislator is going to scheme to get paid under the table for legislation they push, they likely arent going to list bribes and kickbacks along with legitimate income in some document on file with the government.

But the recent criminal indictment of former House Majority Leader Sheryl Williams Stapleton illustrates just how weak this states financial disclosure laws are for elected and appointed officials  as well as the jaw-dropping inadequacy of the states auditing of financial reports.

In the face of the investigation that led to the charges  28 counts including racketeering, money laundering and fraud  Williams Stapleton resigned from the Albuquerque House seat she held for 27 years. These charges are related to an alleged scheme to personally cash in on a deal she helped broker with a Washington, D.C.-based company through her position with Albuquerque Public Schools. The former lawmaker has denied any wrongdoing.

In Williams Stapletons most recent financial disclosure statement, filed with the New Mexico Secretary of States Office, there was at least one glaring discrepancy that, in hindsight, warranted at least some questions.

Her 2020 financial statement lists her husbands employment as the manager of an Albuquerque restaurant. But she didnt report his employment as an income source, as required for any source of gross income of more than $5,000 a year. If her husbands earnings were above that in 2020, not reporting them would violate the states Financial Disclosure Act.

But Williams Stapleton wasnt the only New Mexico legislator whose financial disclosure filings have problems.

During recent research into the occupations of members of our citizen Legislature, New Mexico Ethics Watch found two cases in which lawmakers listed no occupation  not even retired  on both their financial disclosure forms and their individual legislator pages on the Legislatures website. There are two other lawmakers who listed no occupations in their financial disclosure filings but have occupations listed on their individual pages on the Legislatures site.

There is no indication that any of these were noticed by the secretary of state or anyone else in authority.

For several years, New Mexico Ethics Watch has pointed out the Swiss cheese inadequacies in the law as well as contradictions and omissions in individual disclosure statements. Our most recent report on financial disclosures can be found at https://www.nmethicswatch.org/uploads/1/3/6/2/136215453/nmew_fda-follow-up-report3.pdf.

Our organization has long advocated for clearer and more specific information required for those filing financial disclosure statements, procedures to make it easier for officials to file their reports and for robust oversight and enforcement of Financial Disclosure Act compliance.

Weve advocated for random deep auditing of reports by the Secretary of States Ethics Bureau and for the Legislature to provide more money to pay for this. And weve called for requiring more detailed disclosures, including: specificity of income sources; disclosure of financial information for domestic partners, close family and household members, in addition to spouses; disclosure of the relationship between co-owners of real estate listed in their disclosure reports; business partnerships disclosure; and a listing of income by tiers or bands to reveal significance.

One of our recommendations was to provide the secretary of state with statutory authority to promulgate rules and regulations for the Financial Disclosure Act. It was a good sign last year when the Legislature passed and the governor signed House Bill 244, which did just that. Hopefully the Legislature will build on that step and pass more reforms creating more transparency.
On average, twice per day in Bernalillo County, a defendant who has been released from jail pretrial by a judge is arrested for committing a new crime. You read that correctly  twice per day. Most of these new crimes  over six in 10  are felony offenses.

These are findings from new analysis conducted by researchers at the University of New Mexico on over 10,000 felony cases between July 2017 and March 2020, in which a judge granted the defendant pretrial release. During this roughly 1,000-day study period, nearly 2,000 released defendants were arrested for committing a crime while awaiting trial. How many other released defendants committed crimes but were never arrested is, of course, anyones guess.

These data shed light on a serious problem that continues to concern police officers, prosecutors and victims alike  both residents and businesses.

In recent years, weve all heard local police say something to the effect of, Every day, were re-arresting someone who was just let out of jail on other charges. Often dismissed as an exaggeration, it turns out to be true and even a bit of an understatement.

Among those who re-offend while awaiting trial, more than twice as many are arrested for violent crimes as for things like public order crimes and DWI. In fact, on average, a released-from-jail defendant commits a violent crime every other day.

The Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce was a strong supporter of bail reform and agrees that nonviolent offenders should not be held in jail simply because they dont have money for bail.

That being said, we continue to believe judges are often not using enough of the authority voters gave them to detain serious offenders prior to trial. When the district attorney flags for the court that someone is dangerous and should be detained, judges agree only half the time, releasing the rest and hoping for the best. That is not acceptable.

We urge the state to create a rebuttable presumption in favor of detention for defendants arrested for certain serious or violent crimes. In these cases, the burden would shift to the defense to show their client could be released without endangering the community. It appears there is finally bipartisan support among lawmakers for this change, which Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham says would put a wedge in the revolving door that currently exists in our justice system. If its a strong enough policy, covering enough serious crimes, we certainly agree.

Believe it or not, we must note that our states judiciary views the UNM study results as good news, alleging that the pretrial release system is working.

For example, they emphasize that only 13 times between July 2017 and March 2020 did a released defendant commit a first-degree felony while awaiting trial. First-degree felonies are a small category of the very worst crimes on the books, including murder and rape. Sure, the number 13 might sound like a relatively small figure, but to be clear, this still means that every two-and-a-half months someone who the justice system had in custody and chose to release commits a truly heinous crime against one of our residents. Thats hardly encouraging, and for the victims involved, its devastating. And the fact that released defendants are committing a violent crime every other day is also disturbing.

Add to all of this the recent discovery that our courts have not been monitoring released defendants ankle bracelets in real time and alerting judges, prosecutors or the police when violations occur. This major lapse may have contributed to a recent high-profile murder and the near-sexual-assault of a minor. A system of widespread pretrial release without adequate monitoring of the released is clearly part of the recipe for the high crime weve been living with for the past half-decade.

Thankfully, the judiciary intends to change course and begin monitoring ankle bracelets in real time, but it took peering behind statistics and seeing human tragedy for the change to be made. On pretrial release, we encourage the same approach. Full steam ahead is not the right response. Too many families and businesses are being victimized by defendants placed back on our streets by the courts. Its an everyday problem, and now is the time to fix it.
The messaging at times couldnt be more inconsistent  even within the same nation/state/municipality, even coming from leaders of the same political party.

Back in July, the president of the United States announced the federal government would require its employees and contractors to either be vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo regular testing. Noncompliance meant progressive disciplinary action. It was a bold and necessary step given the surge of the delta variant of the coronavirus this summer.

The federal government is the largest employer in the nation with 2.1 million civilian workers and 4.1 million contractors, so requiring them to get vaccinated or undergo frequent testing  with religious and health exemptions  not only served public health interests, it also set an example for responsible states, counties, cities and private employers to follow.

The state of New Mexico fortunately was one of them.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed an executive order in July requiring all state employees to either be fully vaccinated or otherwise submit to regular COVID-19 testing. State employees who are not fully vaccinated must demonstrate a negative COVID-19 test at least once every two weeks. Those who dont comply are subject to disciplinary action up to termination.

There will be no quarter for this virus within state government offices, the Democratic governor said. I will not tolerate any unnecessary risk within the workforce under my authority. And I strongly encourage other New Mexico government agencies and private-sector employers to consider doing the same.

(The Journal and Albuquerque Publishing Company require employees to be vaccinated or provide a negative COVID test weekly.)

The governor in August took it a step further, issuing a public health order requiring those working in such high-risk settings as hospitals, nursing homes, hospice facilities and prisons to get vaccinated or face the possibility of losing their jobs. It also allows for exemptions on medical and religious grounds. It was a tough decision given the enormous strains placed on our doctors, nurses and other health care workers during the pandemic, as well as staffing shortages, but it was the right decision, and one thus far upheld in federal court.

Last month, President Joe Biden doubled down on his mandate requiring federal employees and contractors to be vaccinated when he eliminated the option for regular testing, while still preserving religious and medical exemptions from vaccinations. It was a smart move given the weekly national death toll is now over 2,000 for the first time since March.

The Democratic president last month also announced a sweeping new federal rule requiring businesses with 100 or more employees to ensure every worker is either vaccinated or submits to weekly testing. OSHA is tasked with drawing up the rules over the next few weeks; it will cover as many as 100 million Americans. Even before Bidens Sept. 9 announcement, dozens of companies, including Amtrak, Microsoft, United Airlines and Disney, issued vaccination ultimatums to most workers.

Biden said last month a distinct minority of Americans, supported by a distinct minority of elected officials, are keeping us from turning the corner on the surging COVID-19 delta variant.

Which raises the question: Given the recent decisions of Bernalillo County and the city of Albuquerque not to require their employees to be vaccinated, are their leaders among the distinct minority of elected officials keeping us from turning the corner?

Both Bernalillo County and the city of Albuquerque  two of the largest employers in the Metro area  have decided not only to not require their employees to be vaccinated, but also not to require them to undergo regular COVID-19 testing.

The city is actively encouraging vaccination for all who are eligible, hosting convenient clinics at our facilities and providing paid leave to employees to get the shot, said city spokeswoman Ava Montoya. We continue to make getting tested and vaccinated as accessible as possible.

Encouraging shots for its 5,800 employees is a good thing, but actually requiring them as a condition of continued employment as President Biden and Gov. Lujan Grisham have done is real leadership.

Bernalillo County Manager Julie Morgas Baca recently said she decided against a vaccine mandate for the countys 2,600 employees in part due to a fear of losing public safety employees. She, too, is urging employees to get vaccinated and offering two bonus vacation days but is stopping short of a mandate. And she believes the county has effective protections in place already, including staggered work schedules, required masking and virtual meetings.

According to county spokeswoman Tia Bland: The county managers decision not to mandate employee vaccinations, at this time, also took into consideration the number of retirement-eligible public safety employees who expressed interest in retiring sooner than later, if all employees were required to be vaccinated.

Mayor Tim Keller also cited staffing strains on public safety personnel as a reason for not implementing citywide vaccine mandates during a recent interview with the Journal.

Losing public safety employees is a legitimate concern, but the governor made no such excuse when she required State Police and corrections officers to be vaccinated, nor did Biden.

More and more, whether a New Mexican is required to be vaccinated depends on who their employer is  which makes no sense. Just as the virus respects no geographic boundaries, it doesnt check in with individual human resources departments.

Morgas Baca says shes prepared to revise the current policy if necessary as she monitors COVID infection rates. With the state surpassing 1,000 new daily COVID cases Thursday, the highest one-day total in eight months, hospitalizations again topping 300 and the states COVID death toll quickly approaching 5,000, the time to rethink the policy is now. And this time her bosses, the Bernalillo County commissioners who were elected to make the tough decisions, need to go on the record with a policy recommendation.

As for Mayor Keller, it may be a month before an election, but the virus knows no calendar either. Its time for him to look at the data and science as well and join our national and state leaders in mandating vaccinations for city employees.

This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.
Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

As a little girl, Joanna Keane Lopez remembers forming clay animals from mud.

Today, she creates adobe sculpture from clay.

Adobe walls sparkle in the sun, with its rays catching mica chips that glitter like stars. Lopez turns this ancient home-building material into geometric works of art.

SITElab15: Joanna Keane Lopez: Land Craft Theatre showcases her work in a new commission at SITE Santa Fe. The exhibition runs through Jan. 9, 2022.

Some of her forms rise into half-moons against gallery walls; others incorporate stair-step pueblo architecture. One piece combines mirrors, mica, cotton and the blood-red of cochineal insects found on cactuses.

Im really interested in geometric shapes, Lopez said. Im interested in pushing my work toward being as minimal as possible.

The Albuquerque artist and co-president of the Santa Fe nonprofit Adobe in Action, Lopez has exhibited at Arkansas Crystal Bridges Museum of Art, the National Hispanic Cultural Center and Blue Star Contemporary in San Antonio, Texas.

Through the combination of clay and sand, Lopez smooths together work, seeking healing and reparation of the splintering of families, homes and community connected to her New Mexico roots.

My fathers family comes from Socorro, she said. We have an old land grant there, so the family has been out there since the 1700s.

Her ancestors christened the neighborhood Lopezville. Lopez visited the area regularly as a child.

Mainly, its in a state of fragmentation, she said. Theres been a lot of inter-generational trauma in the family. Theres been a pull away from living on traditional land.

Across the decades, her family history took darker turns, infected by drug addiction, imprisonment and suicide. For Lopez, her adobe work serves as a kind of healing balm.

When she was studying at the University of New Mexico-Taos, Lopez contacted two women who taught her the tradition of adobe-making and plastering. At the time, she was working on her bachelors degree in fine arts. She says enjarradora (woman plasterer) and painter Anita Rodriguez taught her how to process the bricks, while artist and natural builder Carole Crews showed her how to plaster.

I was so lucky to work with both of them because they are just legends, Lopez said.

She also learned to use aliz, a milky clay slip used to finish the interior of the walls, mixing it with buttermilk.

Traditionally, the men would do the bricking and the women would do the plastering, she said.

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Adobe demands a relationship, Lopez said. You have to fix the cracks, you have to re-mud the building. It draws family and friends to the tasks. Lopez wants to reignite that connection.

I have always been into houses,she explained. When I lived in Taos, I lived in a place that was by an artist builder. It was wood; it got me thinking about architecture as art.

Lopez quickly transferred those skills into sculpture and large installations. She works with five-gallon-bucket loads of clay and hundreds of pounds of adobe bricks to produce her singular architecture-cum-sculptures.

Her colorful adobe sculptures invite viewers to move freely around them, inspiring reflection and playfulness. She also created paper sculptures suspended from the ceiling.

Next year, Lopez will have come full circle. She will return to her alma mater, Albuquerque High School, as an artist-in-residence through 516 ARTS.

She also teaches an adobe architecture workshop at Albuquerques New Mexico Earth Adobes. Both the Andy Warhol Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation have supported her work.
Brown bears are fattening up for winter hibernation in Alaskas Katmai National Park and Preserve. And, since Wednesday, thousands of viewers from around the world have been tuning in for Fat Bear Week to watch the bears gobble fish from the Brooks River, estimate how well theyre packing on the pounds, and then vote for the portliest in a single elimination bracket.

But just how fat are those fat bears? A winner will be crowned Oct. 5, but webcam viewers  almost 650,000 cast votes last year  and actual visitors  15,000 came to Brooks Falls to see the bears in 2019  are just guesstimating. But theres hope for achieving greater accuracy: Geographic Information Systems specialist Joel Cusick is pioneering a new technique for calculating the bears weight that has broader implications for noninvasive wildlife research.

The idea came to Cusick, who works for the National Park Service in Alaska, in 2018, while he was working on mapping and surveying at Katmai. A terrestrial lidar scanner, which uses lasers to determine distance and other measurements, was on hand to measure buildings. Thats the device traditional civil engineers use, but when Cusick wandered down to Brooks Falls and stood on a viewing platform 300 feet from the bears, inspiration hit. He thought: Why not use the scanner to measure a bears surface volume instead?

I got a laser return from the butt of Otis, one of the more famous brown bears up there, Cusick said. I thought, Wow, this just might work. 

Lidar, which stands for light detection and ranging, emits beams of light to measure three-dimensional objects or areas. When light waves hit an object, they bounce off and return to the sensor. Computers then use the speed of light to calculate the distance between the sensor and all the points. That figure is then processed using software that can model a three-dimensional object. Scanners have become standard technology that is deployed from the ground, the sky and satellites to measure vegetation growth. Now, theyre being used to measure bears length, height and girth.

And bears like Otis, a legendary past champion of Fat Bear Week, are actually a pretty good fit for lidar scanning. Bears in Katmai are generally weighed in the spring, when theyre lighter, using a pulley system. But the process is resource-intensive; it usually involves a helicopter and requires tranquilizing the bear. The 4.1 million-acre park in southwestern Alaska (home to more than 2,000 bears) is already remote and mostly accessible only by plane. In the fall, its always been a great mystery how heavy these bears get, because they just cant weigh them, Cusick said.

The devices need only from 3 to 11 seconds to pass over the animal; since the bears are currently preoccupied  fishing for salmon swimming upstream to return to spawning grounds  they stay relatively still as they wait.

I didnt expect them to be as still as they were, Cusick said, who described them as standing like statues.

It initially seemed like their thick fur might prevent the laser from penetrating enough to be accurate, but the wet environment and mist mats it down enough to get a good reading. If theyre partially submerged, however, it becomes a challenge; the laser cannot scan through water. Besides, Cusick needs to get a good recording of the bears bellies, which are plump with fish, berries and other foods.

If we can get their belly just swinging right above the water, thats the largest percentage of their volume and thats what we hope for, he said. Its a lot of patience, standing there like a photographer, waiting for a perfect shot. Were doing the same with lasers.

Inspired by his success, Cusick returned in 2019 and 2020 with a more precise and faster scanner. His work confirmed that people did indeed vote for the fattest bear last year: Bear 747. (The bears are numbered by the park for research purposes.) The winners volume was 22.6 cubic feet or 1,416 pounds, compared to the runners-up, who trailed the aptly named 747 at 1,250 pounds  Bear 32, or Chunk  and 1,212-pound Bear 151, or Walker. The internet sensation began humbly in 2015 as a National Park Service effort to educate the public about the bears, who can gain up to four pounds a day preparing for winter, and their surrounding ecosystem.

Theres still work to be done regarding the accurate conversion of volume to mass. The trick to getting the mass of the bear is knowing the density in pounds per square inch, Cusick said. That is the part of the equation that is still not determined. He used a rough estimate to calculate weight, figuring that bears are 60% water and 40% fat.

The fat bears arent being scanned this year due to COVID-19 and staffing constraints; Cusick is always accompanied by a bear monitor who knows the bears. (The voting process remains the same this year.) But other researchers are eager to continue the work in their own areas of expertise. Im trying to get all the ologists I work with to step into the 3D world that is possible with this sort of on-the-ground terrestrial laser scanning, Cusick said. Its a fast-growing technology.

And the ologists, as he calls them  mostly bear biologists, so far  are interested. Im really excited about his work, said Lindsey Mangipane, a polar bear biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It shows a lot of promise.

A recent study shows that polar bear mass is an accurate metric for evaluating the links between what the bears eat and how the population is doing. As sea ice melts, bears are spending more time on land, where they lack access to their traditional prey, such as ringed and bearded seals.

Mangipane and others are working on a study using captive polar bears in zoos, which are trained to step on scales and already have a known weight, to gauge the scanning methods accuracy. Scanning would be done throughout the year to make sure that the bears shape  how fat or skinny they are  isnt throwing off the results. Tests could start within the year.

If the lidar scanning proves accurate for captive polar bears, scientists hope to use it as a non-invasive tool in the wild. Less reliable sea ice means that the biologists job has become more dangerous than it used to be.

We used to go out and catch polar bears on the ice, Mangipane said. The past few years, the ice wasnt good enough for us to go out. Its important, moving forward, that we have new methods to get the data we need to make more informed management decisions.

Kylie Mohr is an editorial intern for High Country News writing from Montana. This story was originally published in HCN on Sept. 29, 2021. Find it at www.hcn.org/articles/north-bears-just-how-fat-are-the-fat-bears.

Fat Bear Week

Check out the standings at explore.org/fat-bear-week.
Mystery can add a seductive lure to painting.

That cryptic sense of the unknown reigns throughout works by about 70 artists exhibiting in the New Mexico Watercolor Societys 2021 fall exhibition at the Expo New Mexico Fine Arts Building. The annual show runs through Oct. 24.

Woody Duncans watercolor of a sculptor defying gravity balancing one foot on a ladder and the other on his 21-foot three-headed creation raises questions about risk, symbolism and enigma.

Duncan stumbled upon the high-wire sculptor on a visit to Santa Fes Form & Concept Gallery.

According to Form & Concept, the sculpture symbolizes a process of communal grieving. The artist Tigre Mashaal-Lively wove the robes from personal garments and heirlooms donated by friends, family and community members.

Duncan talked to Mashaal-Lively about the piece called The Solacii and photographed Mashaal-Lively working on it.

It was different; it was fascinating, the Albuquerque artist said. It was all covered with cloth. It wasnt quite finished.

Two weeks later, he learned someone had vandalized the piece. Santa Fe police are investigating the incident.

Apparently, someone had set fire to it, Duncan said. A lot of the cloth was gone.

To create the painting, Duncan began experimenting with a new method, a primer called Gesso Juice that produced a white acrylic ground.

I used a corner of a credit card to scrape the surface, he said. It left a lot of streaks and textures. Ive always appreciated the mistakes in watercolor. The watercolor medium acts strange on the gesso; it doesnt absorb into the paper. It has lots of ridges and textures.

Duncan has been a watercolor artist for 35 years. He worked as a middle school teacher in Kansas before retiring here 17 years ago.

Los Ranchos watercolor artist Joyce Rapp captured a portrait of a mysterious land iguana while vacationing in the Galapagos. She photographed the lizard, then painted the image at home.

I didnt need a telephoto lens, she said. Theyre not afraid of people at all. I like to paint from my photos of trips.

A retired software programmer, Rapp took up watercolor when she retired 11 years ago. She read books on the subject and took classes.

I just always liked seeing watercolor and I dont have a formal art background at all, she said. Ive never tried anything else. I like the look of it. And its not messy.

Unlike many artists, she doesnt begin with a drawing.

Ill project the image and then I can refine it if I need to, she said. Its a time-saver because what I really love is the painting part.

She hopes to travel to New Zealand next.

The India-born Mary McWilliams came to the U.S. to earn a doctorate at the University of Arizona in 20th century literature. She taught part time when she and her husband moved to San Diego. They also own a home in Placitas.

Looking to learn a new skill, McWilliams began painting in 2018 and took a few classes.

People told me all the time that watercolor was very difficult, she said. I took that as a challenge.

Citing Canadian journalist Malcolm Gladwells theory that it takes 10,000 hours to master anything, she began painting five hours a day.

Three years ago, McWilliams became a member of the New Mexico Watercolor Society. Last year, she took second place in a competitive show.

Her painting Are You Looking at Me? emerged from a photograph of an older woman squinting in sparkly jewelry, augmented by a nose ring.

I was fascinated by the look in her eyes and her jewelry, McWilliams said.

She likes to focus on portraits of those most of us ignore.

I want to shine the light on people who are not considered beautiful by society, she said. There is beauty everywhere.
Editors note: The Journal continues Whats in a Name?, a twice a month column in which staff writer Elaine Briseno will give a short history of how places in New Mexico got their names.

Anyone born in the last five decades probably doesnt realize what a novel treat it was to go to the movies. Nowadays, movies travel around in our pockets, only a touchscreen away.

But in the 1920s, people were wild for moving picture shows and Albuquerque resident Joseph Barnett capitalized on Americas latest pastime by building the citys first grand movie palace. Barnett already owned two other motion picture houses, according to a 1920 story in the Albuquerque Journal.

The Sunshine Theater opened to much fanfare on May 1, 1924 on the southeast corner of Central Avenue and Second Street, where the White Elephant gambling hall and saloon once stood. Theres no official record of how Barnett came up with the name, but there might be a clue in the states slogan at the time. New Mexico had unofficially branded itself the Sunshine State, even printing it on license plates. However, Florida also began using the nickname, eventually leading New Mexico officials to go with the Land of Enchantment instead.

We may never know the official naming story.

What we do know is that the emblematic, six-story, Renaissance Revival building is still standing and its grandeur remains.

According to Barnetts 1954 obituary, he was the son of Italian immigrants. He ran away from home as a boy with nothing but an elementary education. He came to Albuquerque penniless, playing a fiddle in local saloons to earn money. He eventually became a saloon owner and sank every penny he earned into more real estate.

He had the keen ability to envision future growth. According to one story, he bought a piece of property on the corner of Second Street and Copper that was home to a livery stable. He declared The day will come when a great hotel will be on that land.

A great hotel did come.

The Hilton Hotel, now Hotel Andaluz, was built there in 1939.

Upon his death at the age of 88, its believed he was one of the citys largest individual landowners.

The swashbuckler movie Scaramouche, starring Mexican actor Ramon Novarro, graced the screen on opening day of the Sunshine. The price of admission was only 50 cents for adults and 25 cents for children. According to the Albuquerque Morning Journal, thousands of people showed up and filled the theater to its 1,200 capacity through numerous showings that day. A live orchestra accompanied the film and guests were greeted by a lobby of floral arrangements Barnett had received from friends.

Joseph Barnett, owner of the building, who began the day by taking his place in an obscure corner in the rear, did not remain long out of sight, the article said. His friends began asking for him that they might congratulate him 

When films werent being played, live vaudeville graced the stage. Local church and civic groups used the theater for gatherings, governors and the U.S. Forest Service held offices there, and several movie stars made movie premiers there, including Bob Hope and Kirk Douglas. In addition to the theater, the building housed shops and office space. The Sunshine Cafe sprung up across the street on Second to take advantage of the crowds the theater drew.

Sunshine Theater thrived until the Heights became the darling of Albuquerque. Merchants began to migrate to newer neighborhoods and when Winrock opened in 1961, it became the center of the citys retail culture, stealing away the crowds and weakening Downtowns commercial power.

National chain Commonwealth Theaters company announced in 1974 that it was not going to renew its lease at Sunshine. The company spokesman said it was a lack of customers that led to the decision.

The theater tried to reinvent itself.

In 1976, Sunshine started showing old, classic movies from the 30s, 40s and 50s. That continued until 1979 when Luna Theaters, a company from Texas, took over the lease and began showing Spanish films.

Just four years later, Sunshine Theater was facing the wrecking ball. In 1983, a team of developers, hoping to revive Downtown and once again make it the center of city life, proposed demolishing the building and installing a festival retail marketplace. But, the grow, grow, grow at any cost mentality of the 1940s and 1950s seemed to have waned by this point, especially at the expense of historic buildings. There was much debate about the project on the City Council and a group of citizens banned together to rescue the theater from destruction. They formed a Save the Sunshine committee and argued that any redevelopment on that corner should incorporate the Sunshine.

In a May 20, 1984 opinion piece, committee member and journalist V.B. Price discussed the proposal.

The festival market concept is a good one and has worked well in other cities, he said. It could do much for Downtown, as long as its life doesnt depend on cannibalizing what little is left of Downtowns historic identity.

The project withered on the vine and the plans never materialized, leaving the building to absorb another day of sun. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places and the New Mexico State Register in 1985.

The old theater became a live music venue in the early 90s and remains that today.

Hungry developers it seems, have set down their forks  for now.

Curious about how a town, street or building got its name? Email staff writer Elaine Briseno at ebriseno@ abqjournal.com or 505-823-3965 as she continues the monthly journey in Whats in a Name?
Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

The New Mexico Environmental Improvement Board on Friday concluded a two-week hearing on proposed regulations to address oil and natural gas pollution that contributes to high ozone levels.

Ozone can cause smog and respiratory issues.

The air pollution has worsened across New Mexico in recent years, including in the states oil basins.

The state Environment Department proposal would target emissions by requiring operators to find and fix leaks and have emissions data certified by a professional engineer.

John Smitherman, a senior adviser for the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association, said the state should not pursue a proposal to tighten pollution controls for wells that have been drilled but have not yet entered the full-blown production phase.

We believe the volumes of gas during that time are very small and do not warrant the risks and costs associated with trying to capture them, Smitherman said.

Smitherman said that requiring operators to change how they operate during a wells initial flowback stage could lead to dangerous liquid and gas pressure buildups.

Industry groups have also raised concerns about the rules potential economic impacts on smaller producers in a state that relies heavily on oil and gas revenue.

Tom Alexander, a former industry executive and current Environmental Defense Fund consultant, said requiring leak detection and repair is reasonable because technology like special cameras already exists.

If a well cant stand modest investment to do the right thing, then maybe it needs to be plugged, Alexander said. I dont see anything here that is going to destroy the industry.

EDF and other environmental groups are asking for the rules to require:

 More inspections for sites near homes and schools.

 Stricter standards during drilling and completing wells.

 Earlier deadlines for adopting zero-emission equipment control devices.

Those changes would make the rule align more closely with Colorados regulations.

The seven-member board is expected to make a decision on the proposed rule in early 2022.

Theresa Davis is a Report for America corps member covering water and the environment for the Albuquerque Journal.
WASHINGTON  Dr. Anthony Fauci says hes worried that people resisting COVID-19 vaccine shots based on religious grounds may be confusing that with a philosophical objection.

Fauci, who is President Joe Bidens chief medical adviser, says getting the COVID-19 vaccine is no different in concept than receiving other vaccines such as for measles, which have been done for many years. He says a public health review found very, very few, literally less than a handful of established religions which actually oppose vaccinations.

Religious exemptions have been on the rise since Biden last month announced sweeping new COVID-19 vaccine mandates covering more than 100 million Americans.

Fauci acknowledges the challenges of businesses to determine if an employees claimed religious exemption is more an excuse to bypass legal requirements.

He told CNNs State of the Union: I would hope that people would understand that all of this is for their benefit, for the safety of themselves, their family and their societal responsibility.

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MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:

 Distribution problems, hesitancy slow Uganda vaccination bid

 Israel tightens COVID green pass rules, sparking protest

 Russia: Antibody tests for COVID-19 remain popular, factor in low vaccine rate

 Far-right protesters in Romania reject virus restrictions

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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:

MOSCOW  Russia has reported a record daily death toll from COVID-19. Its the fifth time in a week that deaths have hit a new high in the country.

The national coronavirus task force said Sunday that 890 deaths were recorded over the past day. That exceeds the 887 reported on Friday. The task force also said the number of new infections in the past day was the second-highest of the year at 25,769.

But officials say there are no plans to impose a lockdown. Mask-wearing regulations are in place but loosely enforced.

The country of 145 million has recorded about 7.5 million infection cases and nearly 210,000 deaths during the pandemic.

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JERUSALEM  Israel has restricted its COVID Green Pass to allow only those who have received a vaccine booster dose or recently recuperated from coronavirus to enter indoor events.

Under Sundays new guidelines, people eligible for a green pass  a kind of digital vaccination passport  must have received a booster shot.

Those who have received two doses, or those who have recovered from coronavirus, are only eligible for six months after the date of their vaccination or recovery.

Technical problems hamstrung the Health Ministrys rollout of the updated pass as millions of Israelis tried to reissue digital documentation that would allow entry to restaurants, bars, cultural venues and other indoor activities.

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GULU, Uganda  The remote Ugandan district of Gulu is currently a COVID-19 hot spot in the East African country.

There are repeated and sudden power failures that plague the vaccine storage unit. That adds to the logistical challenges facing efforts to ramp up vaccination across the country.

Officials must first account for every dose previously received. So shortages are rampant despite the presence in the country of over 2 million vaccine shots.

The growing supply is giving a headache to health officials who are trying to whip up enthusiasm for vaccines. But many living in rural areas cite safety fears and would rather wait.

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SYDNEY  Australias New South Wales state has recorded 10 new deaths and 667 locally acquired COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, as its outbreak continues to ease.

Three weeks ago we had 1,599 cases, state Health Minister Brad Hazzard said Sunday. And just three weeks later today I am very pleased to be able to tell the community that we are down, I wanted it down to zero if we can get it there, but 667 today locally acquired cases.

Meanwhile, the state of Victoria recorded 1,220 new community acquired cases of COVID-19 and three deaths in the past 24 hours. The state, Australias second most populous, set a record of 1,488 new cases on Saturday.

I want to thank each and every one of those more than 71,000 Victorians who went and got tested, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said Sunday. It is critical to us, knowing where this virus is, where it isnt.

There were 71,275 tests conducted Saturday in Victoria and 36,248 vaccine doses administered. There are now 11,785 active cases in the state.

The Australian Capital Territory recorded 38 locally acquired cases in the past 24 hours.

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ANCHORAGE, Alaska  Alaska on Saturday activated emergency crisis protocols that allow 20 health care facilities to ration care if needed as the state recorded the nations worst COVID-19 diagnosis rates in the U.S. in recent days, straining its limited health care system.

The declaration covers three facilities that had already declared emergency protocol, including the states largest hospital, Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage.

Among the factors that led the state to activate the crisis of care standards include scarce medical resources within some facilities, limited staff and difficulty transferring patients to other facilities because of limited bed availability. Other factors included limited renal replacement therapy and oxygen supplies.

According to data collected by Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, one person in every 84 in Alaska was diagnosed with COVID-19 from Sept. 22 to 29. The next highest rate was one in every 164 people in West Virginia.

Statewide, 60% of eligible Alaskans are fully vaccinated.
SEOUL, South Korea  North Korea has warned the U.N. Security Council against criticizing the isolated countrys missile program, in a statement Sunday that included unspecified threats against the international body.

During an emergency closed-door meeting of the top U.N. body Friday, France circulated a proposed statement that expresses concern over North Koreas missile launches and calls on it to fully implement council resolutions that ban its ballistic missile firings.

On Sunday, Jo Chol Su, a senior North Korean Foreign Ministry official, warned the U.N. council it had better think what consequences it will bring in the future in case it tries to encroach upon the sovereignty of North Korea.

Jo also accused the U.N. body of a double-dealing standard because it doesnt equally take issue with similar weapons tests by the United States and its allies, according to the statement circulated by state media.

After a six-month hiatus, North Korea resumed missile tests in September, launching newly developed missiles including nuclear-capable weapons that place South Korea and Japan, both key U.S. allies, within their striking distances. The country still offered conditional talks with South Korea, in what some experts call an attempt to pressure Seoul to persuade Washington to relax crippling economic sanctions on it.

Under multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions, North Korea is banned from engaging in any ballistic missile activities as the country aims to mount nuclear weapons on its ballistic missiles. North Korea has argued its nuclear program is meant to cope with U.S. military threats, though Washington has said it has no hostile intent toward Pyongyang.

Despite its recent launches, North Korea maintains a 2018 self-imposed moratorium on a long-range missile directly threatening the American homeland, a sign that it still wants to keep alive chances for future diplomacy with the U.S.

U.S. officials have urged North Korea to return to talks without preconditions, but the North has argued it wont do so unless the Americans drop their hostile policy, in an apparent reference to the sanctions and regular military drills between Washington and Seoul.
DEVELOPING... Story will be updated as new information can be verified. Updated 4 times

KABUL, Afghanistan  At least five civilians were killed in a bomb blast outside a Kabul mosque Sunday, a Taliban official said. It was the deadliest attack in the Afghan capital since U.S. forces left at the end of August.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but suspicion fell on Islamic State extremists who have stepped up attacks on the Taliban in recent weeks, particularly in an IS stronghold in eastern Afghanistan.

An apparent roadside bomb went off at the gate of the sprawling Eid Gah Mosque in Kabul at a time when a memorial service was being held for the mother of chief Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. Five people were killed, said Qari Saeed Khosti, the spokesman of the Interior Ministry.

The explosion underscored the growing challenges the Taliban face just weeks after they took control of Afghanistan in a blitz campaign, culminating in their takeover of Kabul on Aug. 15.

During their 20-year insurgency, the Taliban themselves had frequently carried out bombing and shooting attacks, but are now faced with trying to contain rival militants using the same methods. The growing security challenges come at a time of an economic meltdown, as the Taliban struggle to run the country without the massive foreign aid given to U.S.-backed government they toppled.

Three suspects were arrested in Sundays explosion in Kabul, said Bilal Karimi, a Taliban spokesman. He said Taliban fighters were not harmed.

Mohammad Israil, a Kabul resident, said he heard a loud sound and saw people running away.

An Italian-funded emergency hospital in Kabul tweeted it had received four people wounded in the blast.

The area around the mosque was cordoned off by the Taliban, who maintained a heavy security presence. Later in the afternoon the site was cleaned. The only signs of the blast was slight damage to the ornamental arch by the entrance gate.

IS militants have stepped up attacks against the Taliban since their mid-August takeover, signaling a widening conflict between them.

IS maintains a strong presence in the eastern province of Nangarhar, where it has claimed responsibility for several killings in the provincial capital of Jalalabad.

In late August, an IS suicide bomber targeted American evacuation efforts at Kabuls international airport. The blast killed 169 Afghans and 13 U.S. service members and was one of the deadliest attacks in the country in years.

Attacks in Kabul have so far been rare, but in recent weeks IS has shown signs it is expanding its footprint beyond the east and closer toward the capital.

On Friday, Taliban fighters raided an IS hideout just north of Kabul in Parwan province. The raid came after an IS roadside bomb wounded four Taliban fighters in the area.
PHOENIX  The Arizona Supreme Court has upheld utility regulators decision to allow consolidation of several communities into a single wastewater service district with rate increases or decreases in different parts of the new district to make them uniform.

The justices ruling Friday said rates approved by the Arizona Corporation Commission for the consolidated district dont violate a state constitutional provision barring discrimination in rates paid by customers and locations in similar circumstances.

The case involved districts in Maricopa and Mohave counties that EPCOR Water Arizona Inc. consolidated into one district.

The Sun City Home Owners Association and a state consumer advocacy agency had intervened in the regulatory case, opposing full consolidation and pushing to keep separate rates for the service areas.

The Sun City group appealed the commissions decision to the state Court of Appeals. It ruled for the commission and said the commission properly considered the case and that the approved rates werent discriminatory.

The Supreme Court agreed but overturned with the lower courts finding that the commissions acts should be presumed to be constitutional.
AUSTIN, Texas  A federal judge is deciding whether to block the nations most restrictive abortion law, which has banned most abortions in Texas since early September and sent women racing hundreds of miles to get care outside the state.

The Biden administration on Friday urged U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman to suspend the law, saying Texas has waged an attack on a womans constitutional right to abortion. But even if the law is put on hold, abortion services in the second-most populous state may not instantly resume because doctors still fear that they could be sued without a more permanent legal decision.

That worry underscores the durability of Senate Bill 8, which has already withstood a wave of challenges. Pitman, based in Austin and who was appointed by former President Barack Obama, presided over a nearly three-hour hearing Friday but did not say when he will rule.

The law bans abortions once cardiac activity is detected, which is usually around six weeks, before some women know they are pregnant. To enforce the law, Texas deputized private citizens to file lawsuits against violators, and has entitled them to at least $10,000 in damages if successful.

A state may not ban abortions at six weeks. Texas knew this, but it wanted a six-week ban anyway, so the state resorted to an unprecedented scheme of vigilante justice that was designed to scare abortion providers and others who might help women exercise their constitutional rights, Justice Department attorney Brian Netter told the court.

So far, abortion providers trying to block the Texas law have been rejected at every turn. That makes the lawsuit filed by the Justice Department their best chance yet to deliver the first legal blow to the GOP-engineered restrictions, which were signed into law by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in May and took effect Sept. 1.

Amy Hagstrom Miller, president of Whole Womans Health, said some of the 17 physicians at her four clinics are ready to resume normal abortion services if the law is put on hold. Preparations began this week when some doctors gave patients found to have cardiac activity information to comply with another restriction  requiring a 24-hour waiting period before an abortion  so that they would be ready to be called back.

Its not the hundreds of people weve had to turn away, Hagstrom Miller said in an interview. But there is a significant group of people who have said, Please, let me do whatever I can. Keep me on a list, and call me if you get an injunction.'

But the majority of her physicians, Hagstrom Miller said, remain wary and fear lawsuits absent a permanent court ruling. Clinic staff are also worried. Of course, we understand that, she said.

Abortion providers say their fears have become reality in the short time the law has been in effect. Planned Parenthood says the number of patients from Texas at its Texas clinics decreased nearly 80% in the two weeks after the law took effect.

Some providers have described Texas clinics that are now in danger of closing while neighboring states struggle to keep up with a surge of patients who must drive hundreds of miles. Other women, they say, are being forced to carry pregnancies to term.

This is not some kind of vigilante scheme, said Will Thompson, defending the law for the Texas Attorney Generals Office. This is a scheme that uses the normal, lawful process of justice in Texas.

If the Justice Department prevails, Texas officials would likely seek a swift reversal from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which previously allowed the restrictions to take effect.

The Texas law is just one that has set up the biggest test of abortion rights in the U.S. in decades, and it is part of a broader push by Republicans nationwide to impose new restrictions on abortion.

On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court begins a new term, which in December will include arguments in Mississippis bid to overturn 1973s landmark Roe v. Wade decision guaranteeing a womans right to an abortion.

Last month, the court did not rule on the constitutionality of the Texas law in allowing it to remain in place. But abortion providers took that 5-4 vote as an ominous sign about where the court might be heading on abortion after its conservative majority was fortified with three appointees of former President Donald Trump.

Ahead of the new Supreme Court term, Planned Parenthood on Friday released a report saying that if Roe v. Wade were overturned, 26 states are primed to ban abortion. This year alone, nearly 600 abortion restrictions have been introduced in statehouses nationwide, with more than 90 becoming law, according to Planned Parenthood.

Other states, mostly in the South, have passed similar laws that ban abortion within the early weeks of pregnancy, all of which judges have blocked. But Texas version has so far outmaneuvered courts because it leaves enforcement to private citizens, not prosecutors, which critics say amounts to a bounty.

Texas officials argued in court filings this week that even if the law were put on hold temporarily, providers could still face the threat of litigation over violations that might occur in the time between a permanent ruling.

At least one Texas abortion provider has admitted to violating the law and been sued  but not by abortion opponents. Former attorneys in Illinois and Arkansas say they instead sued a San Antonio doctor in hopes of getting a judge who would invalidate the law.
REDDING, Calif. - Currently several people who live in Redding received a Code Red notifications to stay inside of their homes on Baywood Dr. in the Northpoint neighborhood due to an incident that happened on Saturday.

According to the Redding Police Department, the incident was "active and ongoing" and is taking place at the 4200 block of Baywood Rd. at the north end of Redding.

Police said there was a report of a man who shot an AR-style semiautomatic riles in an apartment complex at the above location.

The suspect was described by police as a Hispanic male adult who was last seen wearing a black, flat-billed ball cap, a blue shirt, black pants with a green belt and a backpack.

Police then learned there was a second suspect and was also armed with a firearm.

A victim then confronted 37-year-old Garret Parsons of Redding and asked him to leave the apartment complex. Parson then began to wave the gun at the victim and fired at the ground.

Parsons then jumped a fence and took off southbound towards Lake Blvd. through the Shasta Head Start property.

After the shot was fired, a different resident at the apartment complex grabbed an AR-style semiautomatic rifle and went to the victim.

The resident, 31-year-old Shaun Dobbs, identified himself as the neighborhood watch of the apartment complex.

Through an investigation, police learned Dobbs never fire the gun but matched the initial description of the armed man.

Parsons was then located by officers at the end of St. Patricks Ave. and was taken into custody without further incident.

He provided a fake name to officers and was determined to be a Parolee at Large.

Parsons was taken to the Shasta County Jail and is facing multiply charges.
SHASTA COUNTY, Calif. - The Redding Rancheria hosted the 29th annual Stillwater Pow Wow on Friday, Saturday and Sunday on their own land for only the third time. Tribal leaders said on Saturday that they are working on establishing permanent dance grounds on their tribal lands in the future.

Action News Now reporter Ryan Kanne said native people representing tribes from across the U.S. and Canada gathered on the outskirts of Redding at the Win-River Casino property to dance, to meet with each other, and to buy and sell jewelry, clothing, and food.

Many of the participants had not seen each other in a very long time, due to COVID-19 restrictions.

The dancers compete at the event in children and adult categories. Drummers and lead dancers represent visiting participants from tribes outside of the area.

The regional event is a popular one, often held in the past on the Redding Civic Auditorium grounds. The 2020 event was postponed due to the pandemic.

Tribal members told Action News Now that they are really glad to see people back at Pow Wow.

Tribal Chair Jack Potter Jr. compared the Pow Wow to a community newspaper.

"You can see old friends and talk and chat up with them, and find out how their family is doing," he said.

He explained that the dance/community events are a great way for tribal people to connect.
REDDING, Calif.  44-year-old Joshua Carlson pled guilty on Friday to a charge concerning the attempted murder of his ex-girlfriend.

According to the Shasta County District Attorney, Carlson admitted to shooting his unarmed girlfriend in the chest after she had come to his home in order to retrieve personal belongings. The incident occurred on September 14, 2020.

In addition to the charge for attempted murder, there were other special allegations Carlson pled guilty to. This included the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, assault upon another with use of a firearm, and a special allegation due to great bodily injury.

The District Attorney said on Saturday that Carlson shot a single bullet through his kitchen window, hitting his ex-girlfriend where she had been standing on his porch.

He later told law enforcement that he prepared himself the night before the confrontation by loading his revolver and running multiple scenarios through his head, according to the D.A.s office.

According to the D.A., Carlson will be sentenced to 21 years in prison.

RELATED: Sheriff: Redding man facing attempted murder charges for shooting ex-girlfriend

Carlsons ex-girlfriend, who was not identified, survived the shooting.

The D.A.s office said victim advocate Robyn Reger was helping in the process by assisting the victim. The D.A. also extended appreciation to the Shasta County Sheriffs Office and to her offices Bureau of Investigation employees.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA - October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and law enforcement officers (LEO's) from all over the North State will be honoring the month by wearing official pink patches through the end of the month.

The purpose of the LEO's efforts is to show support for survivors and fighters of breast cancer, and also to raise awareness for the need to screen and treat breast cancer.

One in eight women will develop invasive breast cancer during their life.

Men are also affected by breast cancer with 2,650 cases expected to be diagnosed this year.

Agencies from all over Northern California are participating, including the Butte County Sheriff with a bear on the patch, and the Chico Police Department has a pink bordered patch with four design elements, as you can see in the video provided in this story.

In Redding, a business has joined in to support the cause again in 2021. The company is called Signarama. The business owners have purchased and donated pink patches for several North State fire and law enforcement agencies.

In 2021 two new Shasta County agencies have joined the cause. Redding Firefighters and the Shasta County District Attorney's Office are participating this year for the first time. In Shasta County, all proceeds from patch sales will go to the Nor-Cal Think Pink efforts.

Patches are being sold for $10 each or $40 for a set of all six of the Shasta County pink patches. Checks must be made payable to "NorCal Think Pink."

Individual patches will be sold at all participating agencies except for the Redding Fire Department. Redding Fire and Police patches can be purchased at the police station on Cypress Avenue. Marshal's patches can be purchased at the courthouse and all others in the lobbies of the various agencies.

Action News Now has been told that all participating agencies will have their individual patches and the set of six patches for sale while supplies last.
Updated 2:15 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021 - Authorities in Huntington Beach have said that crude oil is not leaking from a Southern California pipeline at this time. Amplify Energy CEO Martyn Willsher told the Associated Press on Sunday that divers are trying to figure out exactly where the spill happened. Willsher said the pipeline has been shut off.

Authorities closed miles of beaches in Southern California on Sunday, saying at least 126,000 gallons of oil has spilled into the waters off of Orange County.

According to the mayor of Huntington Beach is saying the city's beaches could remain closed for weeks or even months.

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LONG BEACH, Calif.  A 13 square mile oil spill has been located three miles off of the coast of Newport Beach in Southern California.

According to the U.S. Coast Guard, a response has been organized by a unified command consisting of Beta Offshore, the Coast Guard, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlifes Office of Spill Prevention and Response (CDFW-OSPR). Supporting agencies are the cities of Long Beach, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, and the Orange County Sheriff's Department.

The Coast Guard received an initial report of an oil sheen off the coast of Newport Beach Saturday at approximately 9:10 a.m.

CDFW-OSPR is monitoring for oiled wildlife. People are being asked to call the Oiled Wildlife Care Network at 1-877-823-6926 if they see any wildlife in distress.

U.S. Coast Guard officials are also asking being to avoid the area as they work to investigate the spill and clean up the oil and any associated damage.

Trained spill response contractors are working to clean up oil. Public volunteers are not needed and could hinder response efforts, said authorities.

The cause of the spill, volume, and type of oil is currently under investigation.
REDDING, Calif.- Dozens of protesters gathered at Riverfront Park this morning to stand up for womens rights at the Womens March in Redding.

While there was a march at Redding City Hall at noon, the protest at Riverfront Park was held so protesters could gather together and support organizations like Planned Parenthood and Womens Health Specialists.

At the event, people were able to write messages to the Supreme Court and hang them up on a clothesline for everyone to see.

Protest organizer Aly Evirs told Action News Now that the event held Saturday was planned at the last minute after the National Womens March organizers asked for a protest to be planned in Redding.

Evirs has been with the Womens March since 2018 and was happy to see the turnout today.

Today is about standing up for each other as women, as femmes, people who identify as women -- and really just being strong and saying, We care about each other and what happens to our healthcare, explained Evirs.

Many people told Action News Now that this protest was not their first. Some said they participated in the 1970 Women's Strike for Equality.

One woman proudly showed off a pin she made herself and wore the day of that protest saying, "The women have had enough."

Those protesters said it was good to see young people at the event to lead the next generation.

"They need to feel empowered that they can make decisions for their health and that they can be a part of the voting process and make things change. It really does matter," said protester Jolene Kingsley. "Every vote matters."

People of all ages came out to show their support for women's rights.

For Greg Greenberg, it was important to see people willing to spend their day standing up for what they believe in.

"In the era of social media, often we get very skewed versions of what reality is, but when you come out here face to face with other people you really see how other people feel and understand that other people support womens rights," said Greenberg.

Evirs told Action News Now that the Women's March is planning another protest sometime in January.
Update 4:39 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021 - At 4:11 p.m. all lanes of Interstate 5 northbound were reopened for traffic. There are currently no travel delays.

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Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021 at 3:21 p.m Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021 at 3:21 p.m

Updated 3:21 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021 - Traffic is still slow on Interstate 5 northbound, and one lane is closed in that direction due to the crash. The actual location of the crash was verified to be on Interstate 5 just south of Highway 299. According to the California Highway Patrol, the incident is a hit-and-run.

If you have any information on this incident you are asked to call the California Highway Patrol.

This photo from Interstate 5 was taken at 3:20 p.m. The crash first occurred shortly before noon on Sunday.

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REDDING, Calif. - Drivers are asked to avoid northbound Interstate 5 near Highway 299 in the Redding area.

A traffic collision has caused traffic delays.

Action News Now reporter Jordan Henry said traffic on I-5 was backed up for miles on Sunday afternoon.

According to the California Highway Patrol webpage the incident happened just south of Lake Blvd. and was seen impacting traffic on both Interstate 5 and on a Highway 299 offramp.

No injuries were reported, but drivers should avoid the area or risk delays.
General Secretariat of the Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications; General Secretariat DETEC

Bern, 03.10.2021 - On 2 October the conference to prepare for the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow (COP26) came to a close in Milan. At this meeting, known as the Pre-COP, a selected group of countries discussed political solutions to certain unresolved issues for the upcoming negotiations. Federal Councillor Simonetta Sommaruga advocated for a robust framework for implementing worldwide climate protection.

The Pre-COP in Milan was the last major climate meeting of the parties to the Paris Agreement ahead of the 26th UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow. COP26, which runs from 31 October to 12 November, is seeking to implement the climate agreement adopted in 2015.

As head of the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC), Ms Sommaruga held several bilateral meetings in Milan, including with US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry. The two agreed that countries cannot continue with 'business as usual' in the face of continued global warming and that there is a need for consistency in implementing climate protection measures.

A key point for Switzerland is that the emission reductions achieved by one country through climate protection projects in another should not be double counted, by both the buyer and host countries. If two countries are allowed to offset the same emission reductions, this effectively halves the real gains achieved in climate protection. As Ms Sommaruga pointed out, Glasgow should not stand for any half measures in climate protection. She expressed this same position in discussions with COP26 President Alok Sharma and with Frans Timmermans, European Commissioner for Climate Action.

Furthermore, Ms Sommaruga called for fair and efficient financing of climate protection projects in developing countries. Switzerland expects all parties to the Paris Agreement to support countries particularly affected by climate change according to their means. The business community should also do its part.

A common timeframe for climate targets

Another important question for Switzerland is the period of time for which countries should set their climate targets. Some countries consider five years to be appropriate, while others say ten. Mr Sharma had thus asked Ms Sommaruga, together with Rwanda's Minister for the Environment Jeanne d'Arc Mujawamariya, to come up with a solution on which countries could agree. Switzerland is heavily involved in these negotiations not least because of its own vulnerability: if global warming reaches 2 C worldwide, the temperature rise faced by Alpine Switzerland will be far greater, as already demonstrated in the past.

Address for enquiries

Franz Perrez, Swiss Ambassador for the Environment, Head of International Affairs, Federal Office for the Environment FOEN, Tel. +41 79 251 90 15

Publisher

General Secretariat of the Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications; General Secretariat DETEC

https://www.uvek.admin.ch/uvek/en/home.html



Federal Office for the Environment FOEN

http://www.bafu.admin.ch/en




https://www.aish.com/jw/s/Aron-Grunhut-A-Jewish-Hero-who-Rescued-1350-Jews.html

Brave and determined, Aron Grunhut organized ship and railway transports to help Jewish refugees escape Hitler.

Aron Grunhut, a Jew from Bratislava, Slovakia, saved more than 1,350 lives during World War II.

In 1939 he organized an illegal ship transport to Palestine. The same year he also teamed up with British diplomat and humanitarian Nicholas Winton to rescue 10 Jewish children by railway transport to England, where they survived the war.

People should know Aron Grunhut didnt sit around twiddling his thumbs, his son, Benny, 93, proudly told Aish.com in an exclusive interview from his home in Florida.

Aron Grunhut

For decades, Grunhuts name passed into oblivion as totalitarian regimes governed Czechoslovakia after it became a reunified country when World War II ended. But in recent years, different organizations have shone a light on his heroism. They include the Bnai Brith World Center-Jerusalem and the Committee to Recognize the Heroism of Jewish Rescuers During the Holocaust, which in 2011 paid tribute to 175 Jews, including Grunhut, who saved other Jews.

The Jewish Rescuer Citations were designed to show a side of life during the Holocaust not often discussed: that of Jewish resistance.

Perhaps one of the least told stories of the Holocaust is the story of Jews who rescued fellow Jews. Jewish rescuers put their own lives in jeopardy to help other Jews escape the Nazi killing machine, according to the Bnai Brith website.

Slovak Government Hails a Humanitarian

Along those lines came a traveling exhibition called Aron Grunhut: Rescuer of the Jews and Human Rights Defender. Initiated by journalist Martin Mozer and supported by the Slovak government, it began its journey, fittingly, in Bratislava in 2014.

On the eve of the Holocaust, Bratislava  then known as Pressburg  claimed the largest Jewish community in Slovakia. In 1930 some 15,000 Jews lived in the city, making up 12 percent of the population.

Aron Grunhut and wife Etel

After the creation of an independent Slovak state in the late 1930s, the Jews of Bratislava were subjected to discrimination and persecution, according to Yad Vashem, Israels Holocaust museum. Authorities revoked the licenses of most Jewish doctors and lawyers and fired many Jewish public officials. Jewish students no longer could attend public schools. Many Jews were evicted from their apartments in central areas in the city, and their property confiscated.

By 1942 nearly half of Bratislavas Jews had been dispersed among smaller towns across the country. Then began deportations to extermination camps in Poland. Most Slovakian Jews were murdered in the Holocaust.

Aron Grunhut relied on business savvy, connections and chutzpah to save as many souls as he could. Born in 1895 in Bratislava to a devout Orthodox family, he traded in various commodities. His contacts and business trips frequently took him abroad.

Aron Grunhut with sons Benny, left, and Leo, center. The son on right is unidentified.

Grunhut watched the radicalization of the political situation and foresaw the huge danger that Hitler represented to Jews. He decided to act.

In the months following the political union of Austria with Germany, Grunhut saved Jewish refugees from the municipality of Kittsee who were moved to Hungary. He helped them to Slovakia  otherwise they would have ended up in concentration camps.

He had a tent camp built for Jews as people without right of domicile and even organized their journeys to Palestine.

Cutting Deals with a Gestapo Lawyer

He met with a Gestapo lawyer in Vienna to secure the release of Bratislava clothing merchant Juda Goldberger, who was kidnapped and transported across the border.

One of Grunhuts most dramatic rescues occurred in 1939, when he arranged for an illegal transport of Jewish refugees to Palestine. He negotiated with the Nazis to allow imperiled Jews to escape to safety.

He started planning the rescue in June of that year. By the end of July he had chartered two river steamboats, the Queen Elizabeth and the Tsar Dusan. They departed from the Bratislava port with 1,365 Jewish refugees, not only from Slovakia but also Hungary, Poland, the former Austria, and the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia.

Boats en route to Palestine faced danger negotiating Europes rivers.

They sailed down the Danube to the Bulgarian city Ruse, from where they were supposed to travel by train to Varna, according to the Aron Grunhut exhibition.

Grunhut planned the voyage to take six days altogether. However, Bulgarian frontier guards stopped the steamboats with the refugees and intended to send them back. They spent more than four weeks aboard in international waters. Finally Grunhut persuaded Bulgarian offices to allow the ships to continue. Then in the Romanian port Sulina, the refugees changed to the cargo ship Noemi Julia. After 83 distressful days filled with worries, the Jewish refugees arrived in Haifa.

Aron Grunhut, left, and son Benny Goren (Grunhut)

Grunhut bravely slayed many dragons that stood between him and success. In delivering the refugees to Palestine, he evaded a strict quota on Jewish immigration in the most desperate of times as set out by the British White Paper of 1939. Palestine was then under British Mandate control.

Like Schindler and Winton

He has been compared to Oskar Schindler and Sir Nicholas Winton, renowned saviors of Jews during the Holocaust.

Grunhut made contact with Winton, a diplomat and banker in Britain born to German-Jewish parents, who organized railway transports to save children from Hitler. The two men consulted with Jewish communities and rabbis to select a group of children to travel from Bratislava on a transport to England.

Ten boys from Orthodox families made it to London in June 1939 and survived the war there. They included Tibor Weiss (now Yitzchok Tuvia Weiss), who became Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, and Grunhuts son Benny, now a grandfather and retired architect who outlived his four brothers.

Aron Grunhut remained with his family in Bratislava during the first years of World War II. He stayed active in the Jewish resistance. In 1943 Slovak authorities arrested and locked him in jail for several months. Meanwhile, his wife, Etel, and youngest son escaped to Hungary.

Life in Hiding

After his release from prison, Grunhut crossed the border to Hungary in secret to live undercover with his family. When the Hungarian secret police discovered Grunhut in 1944, a brave firefighter named Emanuel Zima hid his family in the cellar of the former Czechoslovak Embassy occupied by Germans in Budapest. Other Jewish refugees were hiding there. All survived until the Soviet army liberated Czechoslovakia in 1945.

Benny Goren (Grunhut) stands in front of photo of himself as a child at the opening of the Aron Grunhut exhibition in Bratislava.

When the war ended, the Grunhuts returned to Bratislava. Aron started exporting goose liver to France. Following the Communist coup in 1948, they emigrated to Israel. The community-minded Jewish hero led groups like the Society of Former Bratislava Citizens in Israel and the Association of Chatam Sofer, honoring the founder of a celebrated yeshiva in Bratislava.

Grunhut died in Tel Aviv in 1974 at age 79.

Aron Grunhut Saved My Life

He was a great man. He was a great father, says Benny Goren-Grunhut, who Hebraicized his last name. My mother was such a lady. She worked hard in the family restaurant so my father could do mitzvot.

Goren-Grunhut cherishes a letter he received from the Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem who was on the kindertransport with him. My dear Benny, I never knew your father was Aron Grunhut, who saved my life. Come and visit me. If you come, you will be my only guest for two or three hours.

Delightedly, he recounts: I told the rebbe, My father isnt here anymore. I need someone to bless me. The rabbi blessed me. We became good friends.
The national news media gushed with worshipful joy over the fact that Peter Buttigieg has acquired twin babies. Other babies may have been born to members of this administration, but the national media carried no stories about them. Babies have been born to other wealthy celebrities and, of course. thousands of American babies have been recently born to American mothers and fathers, but there have been no slavish media celebrations of their arrivals.

Theres a good chance that American youngsters and their parents are at risk in Afghanistan, but the national media is not investigating their identity in order to rescue them. On the contrary, the media are suppressing the fact of their existence. So why are the babies to be called Buttigieg so much more important than all other babies?

Its a moment of celebration of the Magical Homosexual Archetype, the redeemers of society. The desires of homo- and transsexual people, including the phenomenon of wealthy men purchasing blue-chip ova and renting wombs, having women artificially inseminated and acquiring the baby at birth, have been elevated to the highest level of cultural privileging and ethical-political adoration. The birth of a child who will be called Buttigieg is more important to CNN/ABC/MSNBC/etc. than the death of an American child trapped overseas.

The Buttigiegs overflowing joy cannot be based in faith in the unalienable sacredness of all human life. During the campaign, he fervently supported perinatal infanticide with the slogan, I trust women. According to his own moral capacity, if the woman (or women) who gave birth to these babies had submitted to their being killed two weeks before the births, she might have broken a contract, but she was exercising her right and not otherwise committing an offense.

Buttigieg is not releasing details of the process of acquiring these babies, but there are hints that this is not a classical adoption, which happens when a mother, father, and their families decide to give a child away. Buttigieg is quoted by the adoring press that in the process of trying to grow his family [w]e started trying to figure out what will work for us. That is not the mindset of classical adoption.

Buttigieg attempts to control the new-parent narrative by releasing an already infamous, staged photo of the two fathers. But this black and white photo does the opposite. It captures the narcissism and self-centeredness of all sexuality-based consciousness -- hetero, homo, pano, transo. Sexuality-based consciousness is the opposite of the unique chance of selfless love granted to a mother. The two men appear absorbed in each other and relate to the supposed babies as props, which is what they may well be in this photo. This is a very different psychological dynamic from that of a new mother and child. These two healthy men stagecraft themselves as hospital patients, pretending to be birth parents and canceling the existence of the birth mother. They are already claiming total control over the identities of these babies. The babies are widely reported to be fraternal twins, which is more common in artificial procreation.

Lets think about the definition of slavery, or involuntary servitude as it is called in the 13th Amendment. When thinking of involuntary servitude, we tend to think of forced labor, as it was practiced in American history, before the most righteous war in history demolished legal slavery in America and in advanced countries for all time. In truth, the particular purposes for which an enslaved person is acquired by an owner are irrelevant to the essence of involuntary servitude. Throughout history, some enslaved people have been the cherished companions of their owners and lived lives of luxury. Involuntary servitude is essentially the right of an owner to entirely control the identity of another human being and thereby to use them for their own purposes. The owned person is denied the opportunity to experience their full natural identity and choose their own purposes. It is the right of an owner to suppress and obliterate the bio-natural or social identities the enslaved person may have had prior to being owned and to wholly define and control the identity of the owned person.

Applied to the practices of wealthy homosexual men who acquire babies, if there is total discontinuation of the full scope of bio-natural and social identities, including the right to an immutable and pre-existing identity as the offspring of a fertile mother and as a member of her family, it casts a shadow of falsehood over the life of the acquired person. If the acquired person is limited by the belief that they arose from nothing more than a commodified ova and womb, without recognition of the full scope of their natural and social identities (which, in truth, lie beyond the power of any human being to control), they are living in a state that parallels affectional involuntary servitude.

Image: Instagram Via CNN (cropped)

To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here.
Biden insists that 97%-98% of the population must be vaccinated to end the COVID risk. However, as it seems possible that mass vaccination is a trigger for aggressive new variants, one cant help thinking that he wishes to propagate the virus going forward to the midterm 2022 elections and beyond. That would explain why Biden and his CDC director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have overruled the CDCs own advisory panel of experts recommendation against booster shots, further politicizing an already fraught issue: Forcing a gene therapy agent onto Americans.

The CDC advisory panel was very clear about what it thought was the safest recommendation: By a 16-2 vote, it overruled recommending booster vaccines to the general population. Instead, it voted unanimously to recommend the shots to adults 65 and older and those at high risk for severe Covid-19.

Despite the advisory panels strong concerns about boosters, Walensky had different ideas:

Earlier Thursday, the CDC advisory panel struggled over the controversial proposal to give boosters to wide swath of the U.S. population. In breaking from the panel, Walensky has paved the way to distribute the shots to nursing home staff, people who live or work in prisons and homeless shelters, front-line health employees, unpaid caregivers, teachers and other essential workers. (Emphasis added).

Walensky didnt explain precisely why she rejected the advisory panels strong recommendation. Instead, she just waffled about hard decisions and imperfect data:

As CDC Director, it is my job to recognize where our actions can have the greatest impact, Walensky said in a statement. At CDC, we are tasked with analyzing complex, often imperfect data to make concrete recommendations that optimize health. In a pandemic, even with uncertainty, we must take actions that we anticipate will do the greatest good.

Regarding that imperfect data, the statement seems arbitrary since data does not seem to be in question. What is in question is which demographics should receive a booster shot. Her words are just obfuscation to keep the whole virus drama moving forward into the upcoming election.

Perhaps, though, things will change soon because a courageous doctor with an impeccable reputation who is a leader in his field has once again stepped forward with clear information. That would be Dr. Peter McCullough, editor-in-chief of two medical journals, practicing internist, cardiologist, epidemiologist, and a former Professor of Medicine at Baylor University, in Dallas, Texas.

He already had some intelligent recommendations last May:

...he said in a new interview this week that with increasing reports of adverse effects, its too risky for people who have a more than 99% survival rate to receive one of the experimental vaccines. Based on the safety data now, I can no longer recommend it, he said in an interview with journalist and author John Leake. There are over 4,000 dead Americans, there are over 10,000 in Europe that die on days one, two and three after the vaccine, said McCullough.

No one appears to have listened. The administration is doubling, tripling, and quadrupling down on vaccines, even though the push for boosters shows that vaccines have limited efficacy that wears off quickly requiring boosters...which gets us back to Walenskys order....

None of the problems the booster order is intended to address are the fault of the unvaccinated. Nevertheless, the Biden administration and its allies in academia and business are aggressively dividing society into competing camps. One has to wonder what they know, given that the CDC and FDA have been holding the COVID data close to their vest and not disseminating it, which is the usual practice.

And then theres the treatment issue. In the same article quoted above, for example, we learn that Dr. McCullough addressed this issue in 2020:

He testified to the U.S. Senate last November against what he described as the federal governments politicization of health care during the pandemic, curbing or blocking the availability of cheap, effective treatments for COVID-19 such as hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin.

The possibility of cheap, effective treatments, combined with the viruss low morbidity rate (survival for those under 70 is greater than 99%), means that COVID should pretty much be just a bad flu, although its in a population that hasnt yet had this particular bad flu before. Again, mass vaccinations make no sense, as the vaccine will prolong the outbreak as variants are sure to be created.

In light of the above facts, more and more, it looks as if the DNC embraced the virus and is doing its best to keep it circulating through society for purely political reasons. It was able to get Trump out of the White House, along with election fraud that was made easier because of panicked lockdowns. Now, the vaccine is the newest weapon in the DNC arsenal.

Lending credence to this suspicion is the fact that, beginning early in the epidemic, Democrats consistently denigrated therapeutic agents that were effective, leaving many citizens to die needlessly and alone. Last year they quashed hydroxychloroquine; this year theyre quashing ivermectin. The playbook, though, is the same.

Meanwhile, having been prescient in 2020 and early 2021, Dr. McCullough now recommends we take these genetic vaccine failures off the market entirely:

He argued the COVID-19 genetic vaccines have an unfavorable safety profile and are not clinically effective, thus they cannot be generally supported in clinical practice at this time. (Emphasis added.)

On a personal note, the FDA has failed in its mandate to protect the public. As a retired medical device design and project engineer, I can tell you that the sheer number of deaths and adverse reactions (which may run to the thousands domestically, with this just the latest example) should be unacceptable. Apparently, the FDA has become a tool of the DNC and its silence is deafening about vaccine safety. The only bright spot was the CDC advisory panels sober recommendation about boosters, which its Director promptly ignored.

The FDA has an obligation to safeguard the public and its failing in that duty considering that the fully vaccinated are contracting COVID as a breakthrough illness in too many cases. We have cheap and effective therapeutic drug therapies that have been proven to defeat this virus, though we are denied their use. Decisions about therapeutic drugs should be between ourselves and our physicians, free from government interference and the creeping tyranny of the DNC.

Why, are we only given an ineffective so-called genetic vaccine; in a vaccinate or nothing proposition, instead of proven treatment? And why does Biden seem determined to make 98% of the country guinea pigs for a leaky vaccine and endless boosters?

Remember Afghanistan. God help us.

UPDATE: This article has been updated to reflect the fact that Dr. McCullough is no longer a teacher at Baylor.

Image: I got vaccinated poster by Linnaea Mallette.

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California governor Gavin Newsom dodged a bullet with his recent recall election. On being confirmed in office, he promptly shot Californias children in the heart by announcing a vaccine mandate for Covid. Any child twelve or older who does not comply with the mandate will be denied in-school learning. At this point in time, there is no long-term data on mRNA vaccines because this experimental technology has only been used for about ten months. Nevertheless, children in California now have a choice between going to school or being experimented on.

Perhaps it is not surprising that a politician would be willing to experiment on children. Politicians are primarily interested in gaining power. How they use that power depends on what kind of people they were before they were elected. A venal person will be a venal politician. A person with no empathy will not magically develop that quality upon being elected. What is so deeply disturbing about the California vaccine mandate is that so many doctors are willing to go along with it, ignoring the most important principle of the Nuremberg Code that no person should be experimented on against their will.

After World War II, the Nuremberg code emerged from the trials of Nazi war criminals. The Code established that voluntary consent to a medical experiment was unconditional. For more than 70 years, the Nuremberg Code was adhered to so strictly that medical knowledge arising from Nazi experiments on prisoners was not used.

As just one example of this reference for the Code, look at the case of Dr. Robert Pozos is the Director of the Hypothermia Laboratory at the University of Minnesota of Medicine at Duluth. Dr. Arnold Relman, the editor of the New England Journal of Medicine, refused to publish Dr. Pozos data after he learned some of it included results from the freezing experiments Nazis conducted on prisoners. The EPA has banned the use of Nazi data in the study of phosgene, a toxic gas used in manufacturing. The prohibition against information is so strong that, even when knowledge obtained from Nazi experiments might be of some value, it has been rejected.

One of the fundamentals of the Code that doctors have adhered to is the principle that no experiment should be performed where there is a danger of death or disabling injury unless the physicians wish to offer themselves as subjects. The CDC has listed anaphylaxis, thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS), myocarditis, and pericarditis, as well as some deaths, as outcomes after Covid vaccination. These events have been rare, but according to the Nuremberg Code, no human being should be subjected to experimentation with these vaccines without full voluntary consent.

Gavin Newsoms vaccine mandate overrides the right to consent. Doctors willing to perform vaccinations on children whose parents are coerced into agreeing to the vaccines are betraying the most vital consideration of their profession and aligning themselves with the thinking of Nazi war criminals.

Pandra Selivanov is the author of The Pardon, a story of forgiveness based on the thief on the cross in the Bible.

Image: Snapping on the gloves by Clay Banks (cropped). Unsplash license.

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Perhaps like me, you were unaware that Harry Sussex and Meghan Markle staged a tour of New York City this week, aping what a genuine royal tour of a member of the British Royal Family would look like. But if you are a subscriber to Netflix, you almost certainly will be offered a documentary of it, because the couple reportedly signed a multi-year deal with the streaming giant that the New York Times reports could subsidize the lifestyle of a monarch for at least a few years:

Two executives involved in those discussions said representatives for the couple at one point were seeking a deal in the neighborhood of $100 million.

Harry was clearly wired for sound as they made their way through Gotham:

YouTube screengrab (cropped)

Fortunately for those of us who would rather undergo a root canal than watch an hour or two of puffery about self-absorbed, PC-obsessed fake royals, Andrew Bolt of Sky News Australia did a 6 minute-plus hilarious segment of his program on the fake royal tour, embedded below. There are many interesting points covered. The best they could do for dignitaries that would meet with them consisted of Chelsea Clinton, Bill de Blasio, and Linda Thomas-Greenfield (shes the US Ambassador to the United Nations, in case you [like me] had forgotten).

Andrew Bolt is an Australian writer and TV commentator who deserves a wide audience here. I read a lot of his material that appears in the Murdoch-owned Aussie newspapers, sent to me by Australians. Sky News Australia also comes up with wonderful content on a regular basis. Rita Panahi, one of their hosts, has a Twitter feed that is full of humor. I just downloaded their app, which is available in the USA, and look forward to checking what they make available to us Yanks there. (update: I just tried it out and the programming is not available in the USA, so I am deleting the app.)

Even (or especially) if you despise these egomaniacal shallow celebrities, this video will reward your investment of time.

Hat tip: John McMahon

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It is tragic for the individual, family, and loved ones of an elderly person suffering from dementia or Alzheimer's. It is a disaster for our nation if it is our president. Is President Biden suffering from a disease that is robbing him of his cognitive abilities?

President Biden's longtime personal physician and now White House physician, Dr. Kevin O'Connor, has either not performed or not released the results of a cognitive test. President Biden's staff shield him from view, and the media continue to protect the president from scrutiny. Since the media have not explored the cognitive abilities of the president, we will do it by comparing the CDC's "10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer's" to President Biden's behavior.

Memory loss that disrupts daily life such as dependency on notes. An Australian news organization reporting on President Biden's news conference regarding damage from Hurricane Ida ended up highlighting President Biden's utter dependency on prepared notes. Australian media, unlike American media, will inform their readers of Biden's concerning behavior.

Challenges in planning or solving problems. The debacle of Afghanistan.

Difficulty completing familiar tasks. Shore News noted in a March 21, 2021 article that President Biden lost his way when walking toward Marine One and needed to be steered back to his helicopter by Vice President Harris and his aides.

Confusion with time or places. The Independent Sentinel on February 29, 2020, noted that Candidate Biden stated, "Right here in the state of North-South Carolina" at an event in South Carolina. Later confused past and future by stating that he looked forward to appointing the first African-American senator.

Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relations. No evidence of any change.

New problems with words in speaking or writing. On March 25, 2021, the British Sun's headline read, "Biden completely forgets what he's talking about and mumbles incoherently at camera in excruciating press conference." The article noted that Biden ended the press conference by stating he was taking his final question, then walked away in the middle of the final question. Our allies are certainly questioning President Biden's behavior.

Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps. At an April 29, 2021, outdoor rally in Duluth, Georgia, President Biden ended his speech by announcing to the crowd, "I'm looking for my mask. I'm in trouble"  only to find his mask in his pocket. The question that begs to be asked is, whom does the President think he is in trouble with over his mask?

Decreased or poor judgment. Good ole Joe Biden was elected to the presidency because he got along with almost everyone. Just months into his presidency, he needlessly humiliated French president Emmanuel Macron and all of France by publicly announcing that America and England would provide Australia with nuclear submarines, undercutting our French ally.

Withdrawal from work or social activities. President Biden spends almost every weekend alone with the first lady. Even MSNBC acknowledged how isolated President Biden appeared in the photograph taken in the Camp David conference room as the Afghan crisis unfolded.

Changes in mood and personality. The United Kingdom's Independent News headline: "Biden faces backlash after snapping at CNN reporter: "You're in the wrong business." Joe forgets that reporters' questions are not personal; it's just business.

The CDC states, "People with one or more of these 10 warning signs should see a doctor to find the cause." President Biden exhibits at least nine of the ten CDC warning signs of Alzheimer's disease, which is concerning. In reading articles about Biden's behavior and watching videos of President Biden, it is apparent he is not in control of his own faculties, let alone the federal government.

If President Biden is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, why hasn't Congress acted in removing the president in accordance with Amendment XXV of the Constitution? It may be that the Democrat leaders in the House and Senate know they need a weakened president to enact their legacy legislation and believe they can continue to control the federal government with Biden in the role. Republican leaders in the House and Senate may believe that once they control both houses, they will have the power to approve the next vice president  all while our rivals across the globe take advantage of our weakened president and our allies plot a future without the United States.

America with a weakened leader reminds me of the instruction I received when parachuting. If you have a malfunction, you must decide how bad of a malfunction. If malfunction results in a broken leg or two, then ride it to the ground. Because if you go to the reserve and it malfunctions, your life is over. We cannot survive a President Harris, House speaker Pelosi, and Senate leader Schumer leading our country. Let us all wait until the November 2022 elections.

Image: Marc Nozell via Flickr, CC BY 2.0.

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Joe Biden, who abandoned hundreds of Americans in his disastrous Afghanistan pullout, ended up bringing in tens of thousands of random, unknown Afghans, later called "refugees," with no visas or vetting, into the U.S. instead.

But not to worry. Last August, he assured:

Planes taking off from Kabul are not flying directly to the United States. Theyre landing at U.S. military bases and transit centers around the world, Biden said. At these sites where they are landing, we are conducting thorough  security screening for everyone who is not a U.S. citizen or a lawful permanent resident. Anyone arriving in the United States will have undergone a background check. Once screened and cleared, we will welcome these Afghans who helped us in the war effort over the last 20 years to their new home in the United States of America. Because that is who we are, that is what America is, Biden continued.

And now we see the result of all that vetting: Some 700 of them have wandered off the military bases where they were being housed for processing, according to Reuters. Nobody knows where they went.

Legal Insurrection, citing Jazz Shaw at Hot Air, points out that they gave up a lot of government benefits, such as jobs, housing, free cash, social services, visa service, medical care, English language lessons (all those "translators," you see), and more (Homeland Security has a goodie list), which was the penalty for walking off the base:

This is an astounding fact and a clear national security threat since it seems that the U.S. has no idea who these people are or where they are going. Or why. As Jazz Shaw notes over at Hot Air, they have every incentive to stay and be processed and handed a job, housing, medical care, cash, and a host of other taxpayer-funded goodies the Biden admin is lavishing on them at our expense. Also, while it doesnt constitute definitive proof of anything, who just walks away from a secure place to stay with a roof over their head, free meals, and the promise of incoming cash assistance and other resources? Particularly considering the chaotic circumstances surrounding their departure from Afghanistan and the lack of time to make any arrangements in many cases, doesnt that seem rather odd? According to one document thats being given to all of the evacuees, once they leave the base they can not return. They will also not be eligible for help with their immigration paperwork, cash payments, and the other benefits being funded via the continuing resolution passed on Thursday night. That sounds like a lot to give up unless youre really motivated to get away from the base and the federal officials there.

As the evacuation went on, there were reports at the time that many of those who got on were people who had previously failed vetting, the chaotic evacuation was their golden chance.

And there were reports that actual Taliban-linked individuals got on.

So what really happened with all that vaunted vetting? Well, to start, there were stray reports that some of the flights ended up being direct flights. But there were also a lot of intermediate stopovers in places like Qatar and Spain and Germany as Biden claimed. Even that's problematic, though. With conditions reportedly gross at least at some of these way-stations, it's a sound bet that the vetting was skipped and many came to the U.S. quickly. They definitely came in a matter of days, after all that supposed vetting, filling up military bases because the influx was so high and the available housing was so low. CBS has a good report here. I wrote about the gross conditions here:

The other problem, according to a report by Axios, picked up by Breitbart, is that the refugees being taken to Doha for processing are being stuffed into horrendous conditions in refugee centers, with barf, diarrhea, rats, spilled liquids, trash, urine, and other plagues (imagine the flies) all around them in high desert heat.

Thorough vetting? Don't bet on it.

We already know what the vetting has been like based on two previously reported problems.

One, the measles:

WASHINGTON  Inbound flights of Afghan refugees to the United States will remain suspended for at least another week, a White House spokeswoman said Monday, after four cases of measles were discovered among recently arrived Afghans. The flights, which were first halted Friday, will remain paused for at least 7 additional days, deputy White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Boise, Idaho. A White House official later clarified this meant a week from Monday, not a week from last Friday.

The vaunted overseas vetting process somehow didn't catch that until the Afghan refugees were in the U.S. Thorough vetting abroad? You decide.

Two, the assaults. As AT deputy editor Andrea Widburg noted in this blog post here:

It's sickening, considering what Biden has brought to America, especially because the Afghans can freely walk off military bases and vanish into America. But why wait to vanish into America to assault women? Instead, a group allegedly attacked a female soldier on the base at Fort Bliss: The FBI is investigating the assault of a female Fort Bliss soldier by several male Afghan refugees at the Army's Dona Ana Complex camp where thousands are currently being housed, officials told ABC-7 on Friday. "We can confirm a female service member supporting Operation Allies Welcome reported being assaulted on Sept. 19 by a small group of male evacuees at the Dona Ana Complex in New Mexico," said Lt. Col. Allie Payne, director of Public Affairs for Fort Bliss and the 1st Armored Division.

So much for thorough vetting on that front, too.

Now they're wandering off base, to parts unknown, with no need for papers, government services, or Biden's goodie bag. Sound like a few might be terrorists? It's pretty much what a terrorist would do. And better still from a terrorist's point of view, there is no risk of deportation now.

I don't see any efforts by the FBI or U.S. Marshalls to take care of this matter, it's literally considered legal. But that kind of event cannot be good for the U.S. or its national security. And now that Joe Biden has vowed not to deport anyone, they can stay. Has Joe Biden imported in a terrorist cell to get ready for a new 9/11? We will probably find out the hard way and it's on Biden.

Image: Screen shot (cropped) from CBS News video, via shareable YouTube

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A thousand-piece puzzle spread out on the dining room table is easier to put together than the testimony from our top military and civilian leadership regarding Americas withdrawal from Afghanistan.

One of the Generals slouched his way through the hearing. Another General was defensive about improper negative interviews he gave regarding his former boss. The Secretary of Defense shifted blame for the whole thing to others and then dodged responsibility for cleaning up the mess he was partly responsible for creating. This is our top military leadership?

When one is faced with a thousand-piece puzzle, one starts by finding the straight edges. The puzzle has a border. What is the border for these witnesses? The border is what our Constitution provides.

First, when Congress declares a war under Article I, section 8 of the United States Constitution, the generals and Secretary of Defense are responsible for conducting specific military actions in that war. The President is the civilian Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States under Article II, section 2. Civilian control of the military is a foundational principle of our governance structure.

Second, during wartime, the President, as Commander-in-Chief, has ultimate decision-making power regarding strategy and tactics and can fire commanders at will.

Third, Congress has some oversight regarding the wars conduct and the judgment used in making strategic and tactical decisions. Still, the voters who choose a Commander-in-Chief every four years retain ultimate oversight.

So, this is the outline of our puzzle: In response to an act of war by jihadists against the United States, Congress authorized action in Afghanistan in 2001. Commanders-in-Chief, field commanders, and Secretaries of Defense then execute that war.

If this has the ring of too many cooks in the kitchen, it is because there are a lot of cooks in the kitchen regarding the War in Afghanistan.

After we create our puzzles border, how do we fit the rest of the pieces together? We start with one corner and build inward toward the center. The corner we start with is, What specific military action are these witnesses responsible for? The answer is withdrawing troops and appropriate non-combatants from Afghanistan. The question is not whether this withdrawal is wise (this is a political question); the question is whether they handled this mission properly. We have found our first internal pieces of the puzzle connected to one corner. In the witnesses own words:

I. A logistical success; a strategic failure. Translation: American withdrawal planes took off from Kabul International Airport but carried many of the wrong Afghans (did the Taliban let them through?) and left many American citizens and others behind to fend for themselves. Logical conclusion: a mission failureboth logistical and strategic.

II. Not taking an offer seriously (an offer by the Taliban to let United States forces secure Kabul during the withdrawal). Translation: We would have needed more troops to secure access to the Kabul airport. We only had enough troops to secure the inside of the airport itself. Logical conclusion: the General should have asked for more troops.

III. The call on how to do that (bringing out non-combatants) is really a State Department call. Translation: I wash my hands of the Department of Defense's responsibility for withdrawing Americans still in Afghanistan. Logical conclusion: the State Department lacks the manpower and equipment to evacuate large numbers of persons. Only the military can safely do that. The State Departments job is to determine who is eligible to be evacuated. The DOD still must be involved until all the right people are evacuated.

So, following just one thread from one corner of the puzzle we conclude that the plan for the wholesale withdrawal from Afghanistan is a military and diplomatic disaster. Those questioned by Congress were given a single task that they failed to carry out in a professional manner. Their ineptitude has cost many innocent lives. How our country is left with woke versus warrior in our military leadership may be partly explained by Obamas military purges.

Isolating one issue at a time, gathering facts on the issue, and then drawing logical conclusions is part of the citizen evaluative process so important in our Republic. The Congressional hearings were very informative. By design, 1000 pieces of our national puzzle are now thrown to the public in the form of one disaster after another to encourage citizens to throw up their hands and give up on determining causation and accountability. The People are the Sovereign, however, and must judge performance to determine who is to represent them.

Eventually, as each piece of the puzzle is painstakingly put together, and action steps demanded by the public at each stage, the whole picture will be seen. What picture might this turn out to be?

The Swamp.

M. E. Boyds Apples of Gold: Voices From the Past that Speak to Us Now is available at amazon.com using the title and subtitle.

Image by Andrea Widburg.

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On Tuesday, September 28, 2021, the board of Californias second-largest school district, San Diego Unified School District, voted unanimously to mandate Covid vaccinations for students and staff. The vaccines must be carried out by December 20, 2021. Any student who is not vaccinated by that date will not be allowed to attend in-person classes. The board also approved forbidding unvaccinated students permission to take part in extracurricular activities.

The board paid lip service to the idea that students and staff could remain unvaccinated if they qualified for medical exemptions. However, two doctors in California have already been sanctioned for writing vaccine exemptions. Dr. Bob Sears is on probation for writing medical exemptions to vaccines. Dr. Tara Zandvliet wrote several exemptions in the San Diego Unified School District. She has now been placed on a three-year probation. People cannot get vaccine exemptions for legitimate medical conditions if doctors are punished for writing such exemptions.

Covid vaccines have been proclaimed safe and effective, yet the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are based on mRNA. This is a new technology in vaccines that was not widely tested before the Covid pandemic. The vaccines have been used on a worldwide scale since December 2020, giving a massive database of subjects but a very short time range.

Its impossible to know in a year if there are any long-term deleterious effects from mRNA vaccines. In the case of underage children being subjected to mRNA vaccines, it is not possible to know what effects the vaccines are having on them until they grow up and have children of their own. Thus, even as the public has been assured the vaccines are doing no harm, there is no actual long-term data to back up that claim.

Now thousands of people in the San Diego Unified school district will have to choose between education for their children and/or their jobs on the one hand, and experimental vaccines on the other hand. There was a time when forced medical experimentation was considered a war crime. After World War II, the Nuremberg trials established the Nuremberg Code.

The Code is the gold standard for human experimentation. Its most important principle is that a human subject must be a competent, informed, willing volunteer. The Code has been revised over the years, but it was accepted that people should never again be experimented on against their will. The Covid pandemic has destroyed that lofty ideal and, in the United States, vaccine mandates from our own government are turning us all into guinea pigs.

Pandra Selivanov is the author of Future Slave, a story of about a 21st century black teenager sent back in time who becomes a slave in the old south.

Image: Nazi defendants at the Nuremberg trials. Public domain.

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The press and its Democrat allies are portraying a wave of Haitian migrants heading north from South America as just poor, pitiful, refugees looking for relief from poverty.

Turns out that's not the case.

It's well-known that most of those coming up are country-shoppers rather than refugees, having been previously resettled in prosperous Chile and Brazil as refugees a decade ago. What's more, a lot of them have gotten jobs and made money.

Which is why we are seeing what we are seeing as some 60,000 of them make their way into Colombia and beyond on the path to the U.S. According to Reuters:

NECOCLI, Colombia, Oct 1 (Reuters) - An influx of thousands of mostly Haitian migrants seeking transport northward toward the United States is pushing locals in the Colombian beach town of Necocli out of housing, residents said, as landlords favor migrants able to pay in dollars. The backlog of migrants waiting in the town for scarce places on boat transport toward the jungles of the Darien Gap in Panama, where smugglers guide groups northward on foot, has swelled to up to 19,000 after the lifting of COVID-19 border closures. Though many migrants, low on cash, are sleeping in tents or on the town's beach, others are able to rent rooms by the day or share houses. That has pushed out dozens of permanent residents. "The owners of the house, without mincing words, just said they needed us to move out as quickly as possible," said dance teacher Yesid Puche. "From a moral standpoint it's a bit sad that the same people from the town where you grew up will turn their backs on you for a few pesos."

So the big-dollar Haitians are offering so much money to landlords that they're telling regular tenants to get out. That's disgusting but, apparently, that's legal in Colombia. Some 19,000 have flooded into the little Colombian beach town of Necocli at once, creating the problem.

It's also upside-down economics. The Haitians are supposed to be the poor and powerless ones who can't bear to live in a supposed hellhole like ... Chile. They're miserable, they're supposedly discriminated against. But in Colombia, they're the rich guys kicking the poor locals around with the flash of their dollars. And those poor locals are not the ones planning to head for the U.S. border to claim refugee status -- the rich Haitians are.

For context, take a look at the photo carousel from Reuters at the bottom of this story, particularly the third of the four pictures for an indicator. That's not poverty Those people are well-heeled Western tourists. The first and second pictures are telling, too -- brand new suede designer boots without a hint of dirt on them in the first, an expensive designer haircut on one of the children in the second.

Fact is, the Haitians fleeing all that supposed poverty and oppression are actually pretty well-heeled. This Los Angeles Times report notes that Chile has taken in more than a hundred thousand migrants in the last decade and is a country that has no history of either slavery or black migration, so the racism claims are a stretch. The country has been pretty good for the Haitians who have entered legally, assimilated, taken Chilean citizenship, and learned the Spanish language, according to the report. (Those who are there illegally and working illegally, and who have refused to learn Spanish are also doing better than they would in Haiti, but not as well as the lawful entrants. They're the ones crying 'racism.') Chile has one of Latin America's lowest poverty rates as does Brazil. Here's what the United Nations had to say:

In an analysis of the countries with the greatest reductions in poverty in the 2012-2017 period, in Chile, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic, the increase in income from wages in lower-income households was the source that contributed the most to that reduction, while in Costa Rica, Panama and Uruguay, the main factor was pensions and transfers received by lower-income households.

El Salvador, eh? What a coincidence -- that country ships a lot of well-heeled illegals to the U.S., too. It illustrates an iron law of illegal immigration: The dirt-poor do not migrate, they don't have the money for it. But the middle- and lower-middle-class? You can find them in Del Rio.

As for the Haitians, the reports of their cash come from more than one source. Remember Todd Bensmann, the think tank researcher who learned that Mexico was the one behind the Haitian migrant surge in Del Rio? I wrote about his report, here. He's got another one out, a more refined and detailed report of what went on in that border surge at The Federalist, and he found in his on-the-ground reporting that a lot of them had admitted they spent a lot of money that they somehow had for this journey. One of the migrants spoke about the deterrent effect of deportations to Haiti, based on its potential for migrants to lose cash:

Wholesale repatriation by air did not seem necessary; just a small percentage seemed enough to send Haitians fleeing, dozens of migrants told CIS in Ciudad Acuna, to which they initially fled. Asked why one was going back to Tapachula, one typical migrant whod fled Del Rio answered, with a touch of anger: Because Biden said all Haitians coming will be returned to their country. We spent much money to come here. Much, much, much money. And we get nothing now. This is very sad for me. Of course, the Trump administration succeeded in reducing a mass migration episode that erupted in early 2019, in large part, by using air repatriation to home countries too. In 2019, for instance, the Trump administration deported 50,000 Guatemalan immigrants in a bid to increase the risk to others that their smuggling fees and effort would not pay off. Many stopped trying to come, unwilling to waste smuggling fee investments.

People with nothing don't care about those things -- any number times zero is still zero. But people with cash do pay attention, and these Haitian migrants obviously did.

Now the press is still claiming they're all just poor refugees who deserve a free ride from Uncle Sam. In reality, they're country-shoppers, looking for the best deal, taking their cues from Joe Biden's invitation to all illegal migrants, and they don't qualify for any of the reasons to stay that they claim. Far from poor, they're rich guys who got here by trampling over the real poor of Latin America on their way.

Image: Screen shot from video posted by France24, via YouTube

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Boris Johnson has said he is ready to take big, bold decisions to rebuild the country after Covid as the Tory Party conference opens in Manchester.

The Prime Minister arrived for the start of the annual gathering in ebullient mood buoyed up by opinion polls showing the Conservatives ahead of Labour.

In a statement released on Saturday he declared: We didnt go through Covid to go back to how things were before  to the status quo ante.

Build back better means we want things to change and improve as we recover.

That means taking the big, bold decisions on the priorities people care about  like on social care, on supporting jobs, on climate change, tackling crime and levelling up.

But behind the optimism, Conservative MPs heading to the city are aware of a number of storm clouds gathering.

While the fuel crisis appears to be easing in much of the country, petrol retailers have warned that the situation is getting worse in London and the South East.

With long queues at many filling stations, military drivers will take to the roads on Monday in an effort to support the delivery of supplies to forecourts.

There are fears that the shortage of HGV drivers which triggered the crisis could lead to empty shelves in shops in the run up to Christmas.

Boris Johnson and Health Secretary Sajid Javid (left), visit the construction site of the new childrens hospital at Leeds General Infirmary (Christopher Furlong/PA)

Writing in The Sun, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer blamed Mr Johnson for the chaos accusing the Prime Minister of ignoring repeated warnings from the industry.

Boris Johnson was warned about this crisis and he did nothing about it. Britain deserves better than this incompetence and total lack of leadership, he said.

Some Tories, meanwhile, fear the Government is facing a cost of living crisis with many households struggling to make ends meet over the winter, threatening the Governments all important levelling up agenda.

It follows the ending of the 20-a-week Universal Credit uplift and the furlough scheme and the raising of the energy price cap at a time when many prices in the shops are going up.

Long queues for petrol continue in London and the South East (Gareth Fuller/PA)

Household budgets will take a further hit from next April when national insurance contributions rise by 1.25% to pay for the Governments investment in the NHS and social care.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak sought to address some of the concerns with the announcement of a 500 million hardship fund for vulnerable families but it may not go far enough for some.

Former cabinet minister David Davis told The Observer: You dont level up by increasing the tax and cost of living on the working class. We have to be absolutely clear what levelling up means.

On a visit to Leeds General Infirmary on Saturday, Mr Johnson insisted that wages were also going up with those of the least well off rising fastest.

He made clear that he was determined to resist further pressure from employers to address labour shortages by easing immigration rules.

Sir Keir Starmer accused the the Prime Minister of a total lack of leadership (Andrew Matthews/PA)

I think what the UK shouldnt be doing is to continue to try to be a low-wage, low-skills, low-productivity economy, he said.

People dont want that. They want us to be a well-paid, well-skilled, highly productive economy and thats where were going.

Meanwhile, party chairman Oliver Dowden is expected to use his opening address to the conference to refute Labour deputy leader Angela Rayners accusation that Tories are scum.

I know that this is a fundamentally decent party, Mr Dowden is expected to say. You might not always hear it from our opponents, but I see it every day.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued its strongest plea yet to pregnant women: get the COVID-19 vaccine. And health care providers nationwide are echoing the agencys recommendation by urging their patients to protect themselves and their babies against the deadly virus.

If you are pregnant, you should absolutely get yourself vaccinated as soon as possible, Dr. Shikha Jain, University of Illinois Chicago assistant professor of medicine, told Yahoo Finance Live. We know that the virus is very dangerous for pregnant women and potentially even for their unborn babies and that the vaccine is very safe. We've seen that across the world in vaccines given out to women who are pregnant.

The urgent advisory from the CDC and health care providers follows data showing symptomatic pregnant women with COVID-19 have more than a two-fold increased risk of requiring ICU admission and invasive ventilation, as well as a 70% increased risk of death.

As of Sept. 27, more than 125,000 pregnant women had been infected with COVID-19, resulting in more than 22,000 hospitalizations and 161 deaths. And August was the deadliest month of the pandemic on record for pregnant women, with a total of 22 deaths.

Despite data showing COVID-19 vaccines are safe for those who are pregnant, many women have held off on getting a shot. According to CDC data, less than one-third have received a COVID-19 vaccine.

A pregnant woman receives a vaccine for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at Skippack Pharmacy in Schwenksville, Pennsylvania, U.S. REUTERS/Hannah Beier

I have told every single one of my friends, my colleagues, anyone who has asked me, if they are pregnant, they absolutely should get the vaccine, Jain said. I know many of my colleagues who were pregnant early on, they have all gotten vaccinated and not a single one has regretted it.

The decision to remain unvaccinated by the majority of pregnant women has led to increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as stillbirth, preterm birth and admission to neonatal intensive care units, according to the CDC.

Booster shots for pregnant women could come in the future

For the 31% of pregnant women who are vaccinated, the next question is whether or not a booster shot should be administered. So far, the CDC has not recommended a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine for those who are expecting, but that could change soon, according to Jain.

I do think that's something we'll need to discuss and look into more. We do know pregnancy in general does put you at risk of being a little bit more immunocompromised than if you weren't pregnant, said Jain. I wouldn't be surprised if this recommendation comes in the future.

But right now the biggest thing I want to emphasize is if you are pregnant, you should absolutely get yourself vaccinated as soon as possible, Jain added. The pregnant women we are seeing in the hospital who are very sick are the ones that are not vaccinated.

Seana Smith anchors Yahoo Finance Lives 3-5 p.m. ET program. Follow her on Twitter @SeanaNSmith

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He was on a two-day visit to the Ladakh sector to review the operational situation

He said in the last one year, there had been huge development in infrastructure by India and it also deployed the latest weapons on its side. (Twitter)

New Delhi: Army chief General M.M. Naravane on Saturday said China had deployed its troops in considerable numbers all across the northern front which remained a matter of concern for India. He was on a two-day visit to the Ladakh sector to review the operational situation as tensions with China continue to remain high.

He also said in the last 10 days, there had been two ceasefire violations by Pakistan at LoC and there had been an increase in infiltration attempts by terrorists from across the border in the last two months.

"The Chinese have deployed troops in considerable numbers all across Eastern Ladakh. Not only in Eastern Ladakh, but all across the northern front, right up to our Eastern Command," the Army chief told a news agency. He said definitely there had been an increase in their deployment in the forward areas which remains a matter of concern for us. He said the Chinese had developed infrastructure at its side of the LAC to deploy more troops.

Gen. Naravane said the Indian Army was regularly keeping an eye on Chinese movements. "Based on whatever inputs we get, we are also carrying out matching development both in infrastructure as well in terms of troops that are needed to counter any threat," said the Army chief. He said in the last one year, there had been huge development in infrastructure by India and it also deployed the latest weapons on its side. Gen. Naravane said the Indian army was quite poised to meet any eventuality.

He said the Indian Army had inducted made-in-India K-9 Vajra howitzers in high altitude locations in Eastern Ladakh. The 13th round of Corps Commander meeting between India and China could take place in the second week of October, he said, adding that he was hopeful that by and by all friction points would get resolved.

Gen Naravane said the situation in Ladakh in the last six months had been normal. "We are confident that as we discuss things with each other, we will be able to reach consensus on how disengagement is to take place. By and by, all the friction points will get resolved," he said. The Army chief said even when the talks had started with China, people were doubtful whether talks would resolve anything, "but I am of the firm opinion that we can resolve our differences with dialogue and that is what has happened in the past few months."

While there has been disengagement between Indian and Chinese troops on the banks of Pangong Tso and Gogra Post, the two armies are still in stand-off in the Hot-Springs area. Moreover, China has shown no interest to further de-escalate the situation in Depsang plains where it is blocking Indian troops from patrolling. China is intruding in new areas along the LAC to put pressure on India.

Some 100 Chinese soldiers reportedly crossed the Line of Actual Control at Barahoti in Uttarakhand on August 30 and returned after a few hours.

India has already deployed around 50,000 troops in Ladakh. India has also deployed tanks, armoured vehicles, heavy artillery guns and air defence missiles there. China is also upgrading its airbases in the sector and has also deployed Russian Air Defence Systems.

On Pakistan, Gen. Naravane said till June end there was no ceasefire violation by Pakistan nor there was any infiltration attempt. But, he said, in the last two months there had been an increase in infiltration attempts by terrorists which could happen only with Pakistan Army's knowledge and local support. He said India had conveyed to Pakistan at local and DGMO level that this would affect the ceasefire agreement between the two countries.

Earlier this year, Indian and Pakistan armies announced that they would observe a ceasefire along the Line of Control and all other sectors from February 24 midnight in a major de-escalatory move.
The letter came as TMC workers across the state hit the streets to celebrate the massive lead Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee

TMC supporters jubilate outside party supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's residence at Kalighat, during counting of votes for the Bhawanipur Assembly by-polls, in Kolkata. (Photo: PTI)

Kolkata: The Election Commission on Sunday afternoon directed West Bengal Chief Secretary HK Dwivedi to ensure that no celebrations take place over poll results amid fears of violence.

In a letter, the EC said the state government must ensure that adequate steps are taken so that no post-poll violence happens.

"... no victory celebrations/ procession during/after the counting shall be allowed in the ongoing elections in West Bengal, for which counting is being taken place on October 3, 2021," EC secretary Rakesh Kumar said in the letter.

"All necessary actions must be taken to ensure the strict compliance of Commission's direction where in all such activities have already been prohibited in view of pandemic. Further, state government must ensure that adequate steps are taken so that no post poll violence takes place," he added.

The EC asked Dwivedi to ensure strict compliance with the directions.

The letter came as TMC workers across the state hit the streets to celebrate the massive lead Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee received in the Bhabanipur by-election. The party's candidates in Jangipur and Samserganj assembly were also ahead of their rivals, adding to the revelry.

BJP's Priyanka Tibrewal, Banerjee's rival in the Bhabanipur seat, had on Saturday night written to the Acting Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court Rajesh Bindal, urging him to give orders to the police to take preventive steps to avoid incidents of violence after the results are declared.
Different drugs like MDMA, ecstasy, cocaine, MD (mephedrone) and charas were recovered from them during the raid conducted on Saturday

Mumbai: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has detained Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan's son Aaryan Khan and seven others after it raided a cruise ship here and busted a drugs party, an official said on Sunday.

The detainees include two women, he said.

Apart from Aaryan Khan, the others were identified as Munmun Dhamecha, Nupur Sarika, Ismeet Singh, Mohak Jaswal, Vikrant Chhoker, Gomit Chopra and Arbaaz Merchant, the NCB official said, adding that different drugs like MDMA, ecstasy, cocaine, MD (mephedrone) and charas were recovered from them during the raid conducted on Saturday evening.

The anti-drug agency has registered an FIR in connection with the drugs party, he said.

Based on a tip-off that a party was scheduled on the ship, an NCB team, led by its zonal director Sameer Wankhede, had raided the Goa-bound Cordelia cruise ship on Saturday evening and recovered drugs from some of the passengers, the official said.

"During the operation, the suspects were searched and different drugs were recovered from them, which they had hidden in their clothes, undergarments and purses (by women).

The detained persons will be produced in a court later in the day after the legal formalities get over, the NCB official said.

Early this morning, the NCB questioned the detainees at its office here, he said.
It is Mr Shringlas maiden visit to Sri Lanka after taking over as foreign secretary in January last year

With Sri Lanka facing the worst food and forex crises since Independence in 1948, Mr Shringlas separate meetings with finance minister Basil Rajapaksa, foreign minister G.L. Peiris and his counterpart, Adm. Jayanth Colombage (Retd), all on Monday, assumes immediate importance for the hosts in particular. (Twitter)

Chennai: The ongoing three-day visit of Indian foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla to Sri Lanka is replete with political symbolisms as much as the substantive discussions in the capital Colombo. With Sri Lanka facing the worst food and forex crises since Independence in 1948, Mr Shringlas separate meetings with finance minister Basil Rajapaksa, foreign minister G.L. Peiris and his counterpart, Adm. Jayanth Colombage (Retd), all on Monday, assumes immediate importance for the hosts in particular.

It is Mr Shringlas maiden visit to Sri Lanka after taking over as foreign secretary in January last year. But it is not unknown territory. As joint secretary in charge of Sri Lanka during a leg of President Mahinda Rajapaksas two-term presidency (2005-15), he had known the issues and the decision-makers well. It is thus appropriate that he begins the business leg of his Colombo engagements with a courtesy call on Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is at present Prime Minister, and winds it up by calling on President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Tuesday.

After landing in Colombo on Saturday evening, Mr Shringla began his nationwide tour on Sunday by offering worship at Dalada Maligawa, the Temple of the Tooth at Kandy, the traditional Sinhala royal capital. Here, Lord Buddhas tooth-relic is the main object of obeisance for the nations Sinhala-Buddhist majority.

Mr Shringla then followed it up with a stopover at eastern Trincomallee, where he toured the two oil tank farms of Second World War vintage. Being operated by public sector Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), though not wholly yet, India is upset by periodic statements by some Sri Lankan hosts about imminent repossession. New Delhi does not want the tanks to fall into wrong hands -- China now as it was the US during the Cold War.

There is further political symbolism in Mr Shringla visiting Mr Jaffna, the capital of the Tamil majority Northern Province, on Sunday evening, when he is meeting with local government officials and Tamil leaders. Of greater significance is his separate meetings with Tamil political leaders, of both Sri Lankan ethnic stock and also those of recent Indian origin, in Colombo, on Monday. Given the complexities of intra-Tamil affairs in both regions, it will be an occasion for update, nothing more.

The real business is in Mr Shringlas meeting with finance minister Basil Rajapaksa, given the current food and forex crises. That the visit is a follow-up on external affairs minister S. Jaishankars discussions with his counterpart, Mr Peiris, on the sidelines of the recent UNGA session makes Mr Shringlas official meetings that much more significant and urgent, for the hosts, to be precise.

No great decisions or declarations are expected at the end of the visit, as Mr Shringlas job, it seems, is to give a patient and purposeful hearing to the hosts immediate requirements, and brief them about the possibilities and conditionalities, if any. But such conditionalities, one can surmise, will not hinge on China or other external factors. The taste of the pudding is in the eating, and the pudding, in this case, is expected to be cooked and served in the days and weeks after Mr Shringlas return to New Delhi.
Banerjee, the TMC candidate in the Bhabanipur seat in south Kolkata, secured 16,397 votes

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee comes out of a polling station after casting her vote during the by-election to the Bhabanipur assembly constituency, where the TMC leader is contesting, in Kolkata, Sept. 30, 2021. (PTI/Swapan Mahapatra)

Kolkata/Berhampore: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was leading by 31,645 votes in the Bhabanipur bypoll after the tenth round of counting on Sunday afternoon, as per the Election Commission.

The TMC was also leading in Murshidabad's Samserganj and Jangipur where votes were counted for assembly elections.

Banerjee, the TMC candidate in the Bhabanipur seat in south Kolkata, secured 42,122 votes, as per official data after the tenth round of counting.

Her nearest rival, BJP's Priyanka Tibrewal, secured 10,477 votes, while Srijib Biswas of the CPI(M) secured 1,234 votes.

Total 21 rounds of counting will be held in Bhabanipur.

In Samserganj, TMC candidate Amirul Islam was leading by 3,768 votes after the fifth round of counting. He secured 19,751 votes, while his nearest rival, Zaidur Rahaman of the Congress, received 15,983 votes.

Jangipur's TMC candidate Jakir Hossain was leading by 15,643 votes after the second round of counting. Hossain secured 25,572 votes, and his nearest rival, BJP's Sujit Das, got 9,929 votes.

Voting in the seats was held on September 30.

As the reports of Banerjee's massive lead came in, TMC supporters hit streets across the state to celebrate with green "abir".

On the other side, the BJP and the CPI(M)'s state offices wore a deserted look.

Tibrewal on Saturday night wrote to the Acting Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court Rajesh Bindal, urging him to give orders to the police to take preventive steps to avoid incidents of violence after the results are declared.
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kW

More mature than ever, and with a surprisingly good build quality, reviews have revealed, its pretty much all the car youll ever need, regardless of the powertrain. Well, unless you need to venture off the lit path every now and then, but there is an All-Terrain model for that too.Like true petrolheads, we know every modern generation of the C-Class by heart for the most part, but what is less known is that the Stuttgart car traces its roots back to the Mercedes-Benz 170 (W 15).That model came out in 1931, at the Paris Motor Show hosted from October 1 to 11, and at around 4 meters (157.5 in) from bumper to bumper, it was nearly half a meter (20 in) smaller than the modern A-Class hatchback.The 170 was praised for its comfort by the media and owners alike, and that was no coincidence, as it was actually the worlds first mass-produced passenger car with independent suspension and a swing axle, Mercedes claims. Guess we have another thing to thank them for now, dont we? Anyway, back to the 170, which also featured a low center of gravity, and hydraulic brakes.When combined, they made for a nimble car (think 1930s nimble), which weighed 1,455 kg (3,208 lbs) and packed a 1.7-liter six-cylinder engine  hence the name. The 32 hp (23.5) produced allowed it to reach a maximum speed of 90 kph (56 mph), which was respectable for that time.Even though it came out when the term petrolhead had yet to be invented, it wasnt cheap by any means. However, despite its price of 4,400 Reichsmarks, as the automaker put it, it was well received . In fact, the former Chairman of the Board of Management, Wilhelm Kissel, noted back in the day that we were the only company that was able to sell 1,700 more passenger cars this year compared to the previous year, 1931, thanks to our 1.7-liter model. [] We were saved thanks to the excellent standard of the swing-axle car and the quality of the diesel engine.But what did journos had to say about it? Well, that its hard not to use superlatives, as per Motor und Sport, who claimed that a dynamic style of driving is not accompanied by any risk. ADAC Motorwelt stated that there are indeed few cars in which the chassis and body are designed to fit together as well as in the Mercedes-Benz model 170, and Automobil Revuewrote that in the vast majority of cases, the judgement of the expert or knowledgeable buyer will always come out in favor of the Little Mercedes.In its first full year of production, 1932, Mercedes-Benz managed to part ways with 4,438 units of the 170, which accounted for nearly 75% of their total annual sales. Offered in no less than ten different body styles and chassis variations, the little car remained the most popular Mercedes until 1934. In total, 13,775 of them saw the light of day until 1936, when it was replaced by the more classy-looking 170 V (W 136), with its inline-four engine.With way over 150,000 units sold, the latter, which came in different configurations too, including a police special, and retained the front-engine rear-wheel drive layout of its predecessor, proved way more popular and managed to remain in production until 1955, playing its role in making Mercedes-Benz known by everyone.
Muhammad Fitri was riding his motorcycle when a van violently crashed into him, leaving the man unconscious on the side of the road. The hit-and-run could have easily been a fatal crash, but fortunately, Fitri was wearing an Apple Watch , and as awkward as it may sound at first, this saved his life.A feature called fall detection and available on the Apple Watch Series 4 and newer, can determine automatically that the wearer may have been involved in a violent fall, so the device displays an alert waiting for input to check for the current health condition.If theres no answer from the person wearing the Apple Watch, the device can automatically reach out to emergency services while also notifying a contact previously configured on the iPhone.In the case of Fitri, this little feature proved a lifesaving tool, as the Apple Watch notified his girlfriend and also called an ambulance exactly to the location of the accident.The local media reveals the man was rushed to the hospital, but no further details about the accident have been provided, so its not clear if the driver of the van was found or not.But the bottom line is a simple device like a smartwatch can easily become a must-have in some cases, with the whole thing showing just how important the world of technology currently is for each and every one of us, not only for the little things but also for critical tasks such as saving our lives.For what its worth, Apple has recently launched a new Apple Watch, with sales projected to begin later this month. Just like the previous models, the Apple Watch Series 7 is available from $399, and the aforementioned fall detection is obviously available as well.
In some cases, however, these devices are running super-old versions of Android, so from time to time, they need to be updated to receive the latest security improvements and new features.But its also no surprise that some cheap no-name devices are stuck with older Android versions, and people just keep using them because they only need the likes of Google Maps or other applications.Beginning September 27, however, if such a device is running Android 2.3.7, signing in with a Google account is no longer possible.This is because Google is giving up on this old version of Android, so apps like Google Maps would no longer support signing in. In other words, you should get username and password errors, and Google says the only way to go right now is to just move to a newer release of the operating system.The next in the queue is the super-old Android 3.0, though it goes without saying you should get a device that runs one of the latest versions of the operating system, not only for the newest security improvements but also to make sure you receive access to the new-generation features developed by Google.If this isnt possible, then Google recommends users to access their Google accounts in their web browsers, though in the case of Google Maps, this doesnt make much difference. So in theory, if your device is running Android 2.3.7, Google Maps should theoretically still work without account support, but for many people, this is a deal-breaker anyway.For what its worth, Android 2.3.7 was released in September 2011, so its already a 10-year-old version that few people are running in the first place.
Over the decades, more than 4,500 such airplanes were made, and that means there are plenty of images and videos of the thing around. This however does not diminish in any way the appeal the F-16 continues to have, and given U.S. Air Force (USAF) airmens talent for taking photos at just the right moment, continues to impress every time its shown.The main photo of this piece was taken on a night back in August, just as a single-seat F-16C variant of the plane was preparing to take off from the Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada for a Red Flag-Nellis 21-3 mission The airplane is deployed with the 64th Aggressor Squadron , a unit tasked with acting as sparring partners for other pilots during training.F-16 pilots like to call their planes Vipers, partially on account of various associations with a starfighter featured in the Battlestar Galactica sci-fi series. It cant leave Earths atmosphere, of course, but the single afterburning turbofan engine (either a General Electric or a Pratt & Whitney, depending on configuration) is more than capable of taking these metal birds at speeds of Mach 2, and for distances of about 2,620 miles (4,217 km).Packing guns, rockets, missiles, and a wide range of targeting systems, the F-16s were involved over the years in over 13 million sorties and some 19.5 million flight hours. There is no exact figure on the number of kills the family is responsible for, but it did see its share of action in the hottest places on the globe, including in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, or Syria.
EV

Lets hope @elonmusk can work with the fire service and together we can develop a better response.  Baltimore Co. Volunteer Firefighters Association (@BaltCoVolFire) October 1, 2021

The attempts to exempt the company from responsibility are astonishing. To make matters worse, two new fires happened this past week: one after a flood, the other after a crash. Is that an excuse for these cars to catch fire, or is it another sign that Tesla has to improve the safety of these components?The first blaze took place on September 29. A Tesla (Model 3, from what we can see in the pictures taken by RiverheadLOCAL ) caught fire and affected other cars on a Calverton Enterprise Park runway. According to that website, Insurance Auto Auctions leased the runway from the Riverdale Community Development Agency to store vehicles considered a total loss after hurricane Ida.The image shows a Model S close to that Model 3 badly damaged and other vehicles still on fire behind the Model 3 that may have started the incident. First responders said that five vehicles were affected by the blaze and that it did not have suspicious causes. That may help silence the ones that always claim these fires are arson.The second incident happened on September 30. According to the Baltimore County Fire Department, the Tesla Model 3 crashed at 7:50 PM at the intersection of Charles Street and Towsontown Boulevard in Towson. No information on what caused the crash was revealed. If you happen to know the driver or any witness to the incident, please put them in touch with us.Thewas leaking fluids and had a small fire underneath it. The driverUnfortunately, we cannot say the same about the people that died in similar circumstances in Coral Gables on September 13 Five minutes later, the fire was fully-involved, which required much greater efforts from the firefighters. Crews from the Towson, Brooklandville, Chestnut Ridge VFC, and Hillendale stations tried to extinguish the blaze for about two hours.The Baltimore County Fire Department said that portable extinguishers were not enough to kill the fire, so they requested a foam unit from its hazmat (hazardous materials) division andAccording to the firefighters, that was necessary becausewhich is not correct. Lithium aluminum hydride is pyrophoric, not lithium on its own.What makes lithium-ion cells a worse problem for firefighters is that their electrolyte is flammable. Thats one more reason for companies to pursue solid-state batteries , which have a solid electrolyte. Apart from that, most lithium-ion chemistries use oxides, which end up providing oxygen for the flammable elements to burn without the help of outside air. If a defect or a dendrite causes a thermal runaway, you have a spontaneous EV fire. If an accident causes a thermal runaway, you have what we have seen with these two Teslas.The discussion about EV fires is a long one. Tesla likes to say they are rare events, but so are EVs. We still have a reduced number of vehicles that run solely on electricity. When all cars are electric, as they will have to be in the near future, how will firefighters manage to put out fires that happen with them?Thats what a Twitter user asked the BCVFA (Baltimore County Volunteer Firefighters Association). In this user's words, we cant expectfor all fires. The association tagged Elon Musk and said they hope him to help develop a better response for such situations. So do we.In fact, Tesla fires have been happening since Model S was released. Either due to accidents or to issues with the battery packs. We have not seen a recall to address the latter at any time. The former demands more protected battery packs.Not long ago, Tesla and Musk said that the battery packs were waterproof. Despite that, water invaded these components in floods, which could cause short circuits. This is a strong possibility for the Tesla fire in Calverton and why quality control must be impeccable.Regarding the crash in Baltimore, would there be a way to have safer battery packs in these situations? Even considering the multitude of different damages a vehicle could suffer, the answer is yes.Ford has decided to put the battery pack for the F-150 Lightning between the rails of the chassis. It has protected it withand a Rivian went even further on that: its battery pack uses a carbon composite shell and a ballistic shield to resist any sort of puncture while off-roading. The cells are also protected by a waterproof material that allows Rivian EVs to ford up to 42.7 inches (1.08 meters).It may be the case that the 4680 structural battery pack will be way more resistant than that on current Tesla products. According to what we know so far, the new cells will be inserted in a casting that will be highly resistant. The issue is that these cells are not ready yet and will probably take more time to be manufactured than we previously thought.Supposing it was ready, it would not answer the question we once did here: are we making electric cars right ? If we are not, Tesla just delivered 241,300 new EVs in Q3 2021 that miss a more robust battery pack. It has already produced more than 1 million vehicles.What if these EVs keep catching fire, either by defects Tesla never discussed or by damages to the battery pack its design and quality control fail to prevent? Well keep reporting them just like we covered the Hyundai Kona Electric Volkswagen ID.3 , and BYD Han fires. The EV shift will happen whether we like it or not. However, thats no reason to believe early adopters volunteered to bear the price for that change on their own until we find the right way to do EVs.
Not long ago, weve made a brief incursion into Swedish air space, where we found the 35 Draken , a Saab-made machine that back in the 1950s took the notion of delta wing to a whole new, and relatively successful level. This Sunday, well move over to France, the home base of Airbus, but also the place where the focus of this piece, the Nord 1500 Griffon, was born and died.After the years of the Second World War, the French were hard at work rebuilding their state. That included giving birth to new companies and industries to support and accelerate the process.The so-called Nord-Aviation was one of these post-War companies. Owned by the French state, it was born in 1954, and set out to design and manufacture airplanes and missiles. In the 16 or so years it was on the market, Nord was responsible for making flying machines like the Pingouin (a re-engineered Messerschmitt Bf 108), the Norecrin four-seater, or the 1400 Noroit flying boat.Given how the company was born at the height of the jet age, it of course tried its hand in making sound speed-capable aircraft as well. And their most prominent machine (aid failure), is the 1500 Griffon.The idea of the Griffon was born out of the need of the French to have in their arsenal something really fast and capable. It also had to have delta wings, because they were all the craze back then.The Griffon, an evolution of the earlier Gerfaut research airplane, was to be a peculiar contraption even at that time, as it was supposed to use dual-propulsion, meaning both a turbojet and a ramjet, to get itself going. This combination would have allowed it to both conduct unassisted takeoffs, but also generate additional thrust in its quest to reach Mach 2 (1,535 mph/2,470 kph).Back in 1955, the first prototype of the Griffon made its maiden flight. It had only the turbojet engine on, as this flight was supposed to validate the things systems and aerodynamic properties. Even so, it reached a top speed of Mach 1.3, convincing the French theyre on to something.Four years later, Griffon II took to the sky. This one was equipped with engines that combined the power from an Atar turbojet with that from a Nord ramjet. This configuration allowed it to reach a top speed of Mach 2.19, while flying at an altitude of 50,000 feet (15,240 meters) in 1959.Fitting such a technology did cause its design to shift dramatically from what peope usually associated with the notion of an airplane. Because of the size of the ramjet (over 4 feet/1.5 meters in diameter), the airplane had to be gifted with a longer and wider aft fuselage, but also with a larger air intake. These changes made the Griffon look, at least when viewed from certain angles, as if is was carrying a baby in its belly.The airplane had room for just one pilot, despite its size. It was over 14.54 meters long (47 feet), had a wingspan of over 8 meters (26 feet), and the maximum takeoff weight was 6,745 kg (14,870 lbs).Despite the intriguing design ideas and money poured into it, the airplane was not without issues. The absence of suitable materials meant its airframe had a tendency to overheat, the exhaust from the ramjet caused problems with the tailpipe, and it was overall hard to fly, given how there was no adjustment to the ramjet other than having it turned on and off.That means it was only a matter of time before the French lost interest in the place, and thats exactly what happened. That means the Mach 3-capable Griffon III never came to be, and the moniker never made it into production.As it stands, the world is left with just the two prototypes made and flown on several occasions, so we have no idea how this design would have behaved in combat.
In this May file photo, travelers watch a JetBlue Airways aircraft taxi away from a gate at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Va. According to three people familiar with the situation who spoke on Friday, Alaska Airlines and JetBlue are joining United Airlines in requiring employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
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American Airlines, JetBlue and Alaska Airlines have joined United Airlines in mandating that employees must be vaccinated against COVID-19, per the Wall Street Journal.

Why it matters: The Biden administration has been pressing businesses to require workers to be vaccinated against the virus as vaccination rates flatten across the U.S.

The airlines provide government services including cargo hauling and special flights, which they say makes them contractors to the government so they fall under President Biden's mandatory vaccination directive, AP reports.

The big picture: American Airlines told staff on Friday that it would require all employees based in the U.S. and "certain international crew members" to be vaccinated, per a memo obtained by Reuters.
The State Department's energy envoy, Amos Hochstein, will serve as the new mediator between Lebanon and Israel in a dispute over the maritime border and natural gas exploration in the Eastern Mediterranean, Israeli and U.S. officials tell Axios.

Why it matters: Hochstein is one of President Bidens closest confidants and has worked with him for many years. Appointing Hochstein as the mediator raises the profile of this ongoing conflict, and signals it is a higher priority for the Biden administration.

The big picture: Israeli and U.S. officials hope the new government in Lebanon and the energy and economic crisis in the country will create an incentive for the Lebanese to move on the issue.

The talks are an attempt to resolve a dispute over natural gas exploration in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. The revenues at stake could reach the tens of billions of dollars.

The backstory: There have been major natural gas discoveries off the coasts of both countries over the last decade, and the border dispute has halted gas exploration in an area that has attracted the interest of U.S. energy companies.

The U.S.-brokered talks that began in October 2020 were the first direct political negotiations between Israeli and Lebanese officials in 30 years, but they stalled after several rounds.

Driving the news: Hochstein is replacing career diplomat John Desrocher, who was appointed as the U.S. mediator during the Trump administration. Desrocher was appointed as the charge d'affaires at the U.S. embassy in Qatar.

What they are saying: We can confirm that Amos Hochstein will resume his role as U.S. mediator for the Israel-Lebanon maritime border talks, which he held during the Obama Administration. He looks to build upon the strong work done by Ambassador John Desrocher over the last year, a State Department spokesperson told Axios.

Whats next: Hochstein is expected to arrive on a first visit to Lebanon and Israel during October, Israeli officials told Axios.

Go deeper: Israel and Lebanon to resume U.S.-mediated talks on maritime border
Canada's Federal Court on Wednesday upheld a human rights tribunal ruling ordering the government to compensate First Nations children who faced discrimination in the welfare system.

Why it matters: The ruling clears the way for billions of dollars in compensation for affected Indigenous families. It's the latest breakthrough in a yearslong battle for justice for Canada's Indigenous peoples.

Context: The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal found in 2016 that the federal government had discriminated against First Nations children by underfunding Indigenous family services. The policy saw many Indigenous children pushed into foster care.

52.2% of children in foster care in 2016 were Indigenous, despite them making up only 7.7% of Canada's child population.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in 2019 the government would appeal the tribunal ruling that year ordering it to pay the maximum fine under Canadian law of C$40,000 ($31,000) for each child removed from their home to "make sure we're getting compensation right," the Guardian notes.

What they found: "No one can seriously doubt that First Nations people are among the most disadvantaged and marginalized members of Canadian society," Federal Court Justice Paul Favel said in his ruling rejecting the Canadian government's appeal.

"The tribunal was aware of this and reasonably attempted to remedy the discrimination while being attentive to the very different positions of the parties," Favel added.

The judge said the parties in the case must now "decide whether they will continue to sit beside the trail or move forward in this spirit of reconciliation."

What to watch: The Canadian government could still appeal the ruling  something Cindy Blackstock, executive director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society, which launched the human rights complaint that led to the ruling, along with the Assembly of First Nations, implored Trudeau not to do.

A tweet previously embedded here has been deleted or was tweeted from an account that has been suspended or deleted.

What they're saying: Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller told CBC News the government "needs time to review the decision before deciding" whether to appeal the ruling.

The big picture: The ruling came the day before Canada's first-ever National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, which honors Indigenous children who survived or died after being removed from families to attend state-funded residential schools run by the Catholic Church and other Christian denominations.
Construction will begin next year on a large-scale solar park located on the site of a former landfill in southern Columbus.

Why it matters: Local leaders are touting the project as part of a recent citywide emphasis on sustainable energy projects.

Driving the news: The city announced an agreement Tuesday with AEP Energy to use the park to power 5,000 homes through the new Clean Energy Columbus electric aggregation program.

Under aggregation, residents and businesses purchase solar electricity as a pool of customers.

The goal is to fully power the city with Ohio-based renewable energy within the next three years.

Flashback: Columbus voters overwhelmingly voted to create the program in last November's election. It began earlier this year.

The big picture: Mayor Andrew Ginther has pushed a goal of Columbus being fully carbon neutral by 2050.
Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R) voiced alarm and frustration about the surge of COVID cases in her state on Friday, decrying comparisons of mask mandates to Nazism.

Why it matters: Alaska's number of weekly cases has steadily increased in recent months, jumping 10% from just last week, according to state health data. Meanwhile, anti-vaxxers continue to protest mask and vaccine mandates in increasingly hostile situations.

What she's saying: "We are leading the nation right now in our COVID rates," Murkowski said in her address on the Senate floor. "Were separated enough geographically, but through the advantages of air travel and road travel, we mix, we mingle, we get around, and the virus knows no bounds."
Bakersfield, CA (93308)

Today

Sun and clouds mixed. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 66F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Clear skies. Low near 50F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
'It's to show respect for all our brothers and sisters who have gone before us': Nonprofit supports fallen officers' families with fundraising ride
You can reach Ishani Desai at 661-395-7417. You can also follow her at @idesai98 on Twitter.
Regional COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations are on a consistent decline after Southeast Texas experienced one of its worst periods since the start of the pandemic.

Although the rolling average is now below the astronomical height set in late August and early September, public health experts say the improvements have only moved the regions status from a disaster to a manageable disaster.

In September, Jefferson County alone saw more than 4,000 new cases and 76 deaths, but its 14-day average has now reduced to 82 new daily cases  its lowest level since late July.

Dr. Praphul Joshi, a local COVID-19 expert and associate professor of public health at Sam Houston State University, said that there is now enough sustained evidence to say the spike likely is over, but the region still isnt out of the woods when it comes to hospitalizations.

Related: COVID surge not over, younger generation dying at higher rates

We are better than where we once were, but we are still in a worse situation compared to last summer or even this past winter, Joshi said. We have finally seen this decline, but still have high hospitalizations.

Almost all of the status indicators used to rank a countys impact from COVID-19 are still in the red, including the 14-day average.

Joshi said a somewhat stable average would be more like 20, which Jefferson County reached for about four months from March to early June but still has a long way to go from this point.

About 10% of all people being tested have returned positive results, according to the latest county report released on Friday, and almost half of all ICU beds at local hospitals are occupied with COVID-19 patients.

The only indicator that has decreased in urgency so far is the overall number of COVID-19 hospitalizations, which have dipped to 14%. That still lands it at a level two threat level, according to state health indicators.

Despite the evidence that much more work is still ahead, Joshi said that there has been some positive progress over the last few weeks which has helped health workers recover from the edge of crisis.

The rate of decline has been interesting; this peak came in fast and it seems to be declining fast, Joshi said. That progress seems to be trickling down now to hospital and ICU use.

New cases and patients in the hospital are still trending lower in age, with the median age of the 51 new cases reported in Jefferson County on Friday adding up to around 35-years-old. One of those new patients was reported as a 2-year-old.

Joshi said that it only makes sense that cases have trended younger when looking at the disparity of vaccinations between older and younger residents.

About 94% of the currently hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in the county are unvaccinated.

The level of people fully-vaccinated in the county has finally breached the 50% threshold but is still well below the level that would prevent higher rates of infection.

Related: Port Arthur offers COVID booster shots to eligible individuals

But the roll-out of booster shots has seemed to be successful among vulnerable patients that have already received a Pfizer vaccine. The number of booster vaccinations is now over 5,400 in Jefferson County after only a few weeks.

Without a sufficient level of immunity, Joshi said the improvements in statistics has likely come from a combination of new precautions in place at local schools and a reduction in travel and in-person gatherings.

The biggest factor has been the people congregating with each other, thats what causes a high level of outbreaks in the summer and winter months, Joshi said. The schools are doing a good job, as are students in protecting themselves.

jacob.dick@beaumontenterprise.com

twitter.com/jd_journalism
DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP)  The latest Dubuque mural already has received plenty of praise, as evidenced by those driving past who honked and shouted their support as the artist worked on the piece.

Corban Lundborg, an artist and military combat photographer who lives in Atlanta, painted the mural on the side of the American Legion Post 6 building at 1306 Delhi St. The piece is based on an Associated Press photograph of two U.S. Marines walking through a landing zone during the Vietnam War.

Theres not a lot of Vietnam photographs that were shot in color, Lundborg said. I like the unity of it, and its relevant to today. The Vietnam War was very controversial for a lot of reasons, but one of the underlying factors that everybody agrees on is recognizing the veterans.

The Dubuque Telegraph Herald reports Lundborg began outlining the mural Sept. 19 and completed the piece a few days later, using a mix of acrylic paint and spray paint to complete the image. As he worked, he continuously referred to the AP photo on his phone.

The project is the result of a partnership between the American Legion and Voices Productions, the organization behind dozens of murals around Dubuque. Lundborg noted that he came to Dubuque in 2015 and 2016 to partake in other Voices Productions projects, as well.

Chuck Duggan, house manager for American Legion Post 6, said the post was contacted about two months ago about putting a mural on its building. He said three photos were presented as options for the mural, and he liked that the one selected predominantly featured the American flag.

Duggan said the Legion hosted a breakfast for around 300 people the day Lundborg began work on the mural, and most stopped by to check out its progress.

I asked (Lundborg), Is this the most attention that youve got while working? And he said, By far, Duggan said.

Lundborg said he has been an American Legion member since 2017 and has been involved with the military since 2009. As a combat photographer, he does a lot of aircraft-focused internal work, he said.

He also has been dabbling in the arts since he was a kid, but he didnt begin creating murals and other art until after he already had joined the military and got into tattooing.

The mural also will tie in to an upcoming Dubuque Museum of Art exhibit that will feature the photograph on which the mural is based.

Gary Stoppelman, executive director of the Dubuque Museum of Art, said the exhibit, Vietnam: The Real War, will be open from Nov. 13 to Feb. 6. The exhibit will feature 50 Associated Press photographs from the Vietnam War, as well as artifacts. The opening day of the exhibit will feature the presentation of the colors, playing Taps and reading names of those who died while serving in the war.

The idea was how we tell the truth in war and how we can tell multiple perspectives of that story, Stoppelman said. The more inclusive we can be, the better the experience.

He said several other community organizations will hold Vietnam War-centered events and discussions while the exhibit is open. This includes MercyOne Dubuque Medical Center, which will share information about lingering health effects from the war, and University of Dubuque Sgt. Jeffrey Dodge Center, where an oral history of war stories will be recorded.

Stoppelman added that he was excited the Legion agreed to host the mural, which will give the upcoming exhibit an even broader reach.

Thousands more people will be able to experience this, he said of the mural. We are connecting it to the fabric of the community.

Bob Felderman, who is on the museums Board of Trustees and is American Legion Post 6s second vice commander, said the Legion had been considering having a mural done for several years, and this one was a perfect fit.

He said the mural will stay up for at least the length of the exhibit and hopefully longer. While no official plans have been made yet, there is a possibility of having an annual series of murals honoring veterans from different wars in the future, he said.

Its a really great deal, Felderman said. We have members of the community that support veterans but also support the museum and arts and culture.
Hundreds of world leaders, powerful politicians, billionaires, celebrities, religious leaders and drug dealers have been hiding their investments in mansions, exclusive beachfront property, yachts and other assets for the past quarter-century, according to a review of nearly 12 million files obtained from 14 firms located around the world.

The report released Sunday by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists involved 600 journalists from 150 media outlets in 117 countries. It's being dubbed the Pandora Papers" because the findings shed light on the previously hidden dealings of the elite and the corrupt, and how they have used offshore accounts to shield assets collectively worth trillions of dollars.

The more than 330 current and former politicians identified as beneficiaries of the secret accounts include Jordans King Abdullah II, former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair, Czech Republic Prime Minister Andrej Babis, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, Ecuador's President Guillermo Lasso, and associates of both Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The billionaires called out in the report include Turkish construction mogul Erman Ilicak and Robert T. Brockman, the former CEO of software maker Reynolds & Reynolds.

Many of the accounts were designed to evade taxes and conceal assets for other shady reasons, according to the report.

The new data leak must be a wake-up call, said Sven Giegold, a Green party lawmaker in the European Parliament. Global tax evasion fuels global inequality. We need to expand and sharpen the countermeasures now.

Oxfam International, a British consortium of charities, applauded the Pandora Papers for exposing brazen examples of greed that deprived countries of tax revenue that could be used to finance programs and projects for the greater good.

This is where our missing hospitals are," Oxfam said in a statement. This is where the pay-packets sit of all the extra teachers and firefighters and public servants we need. Whenever a politician or business leader claims there is no money to pay for climate damage and innovation, for more and better jobs, for a fair post-COVID recovery, for more overseas aid, they know where to look."

The Pandora Papers are a follow-up to a similar project released in 2016 called the Panama Papers" compiled by the same journalistic group.

The latest bombshell is even more expansive, porting through nearly 3 terabytes of data  the equivalent of roughly 750,000 photos on a smartphone  leaked from 14 different service providers doing business in 38 different jurisdictions in the world. The records date back to the 1970s, but most of the files span from 1996 to 2020.

In contrast, the Panama Papers culled through 2.6 terabytes of data leaked by one now-defunct law firm called Mossack Fonseca that was located in the country that inspired that project's nickname.

The latest investigation dug into accounts registered in familiar offshore havens, including the British Virgin Islands, Seychelles, Hong Kong and Belize. But some of the secret accounts were also scattered around in trusts set up in the U.S., including 81 in South Dakota and 37 in Florida.

Some of the initial findings released Sunday painted a sordid picture of the prominent people involved.

For instance, the investigation found advisers helped King Abdullah II of Jordan set up at least three dozen shell companies from 1995 to 2017, helping the monarch buy 14 homes worth more than $106 million in the U.S. and the U.K. One was a $23 million California ocean-view property bought in 2017 through a British Virgin Islands company. The advisers were identified as an English accountant in Switzerland and lawyers in the British Virgin Islands.

There was no immediate comment from Jordans Royal Palace.

The details are an embarrassing blow to Abdullah, whose government was engulfed in scandal this year when his half brother, former Crown Prince Hamzah, accused the ruling system of corruption and incompetence. The king claimed he was the victim of a malicious plot, placed his half brother under house arrest and put two former close aides on trial.

U.K attorneys for Abdullah said he isnt required to pay taxes under his countrys law and hasnt misused public funds, adding that there are security and privacy reasons for him to have holdings through offshore companies, according to the report. The attorneys also said most of the companies and properties are not connected to the king or no longer exist, though they declined to provide details.

Blair, U.K. prime minister from 1997 to 2007, became the owner of an $8.8 million Victorian building in 2017 by buying a British Virgin Islands company that held the property, and the building now hosts the law firm of his wife, Cherie Blair, according to the the investigation. The two bought the company from the family of Bahrains industry and tourism minister, Zayed bin Rashid al-Zayani. Buying the company shares instead of the London building saved the Blairs more than $400,000 in property taxes, the investigation found.

The Blairs and the al-Zayanis both said they didnt initially know the other party was involved in the deal, the probe found. Cherie Blair said her husband wasnt involved in the purchase, which she said was meant to bring the company and the building back into the U.K. tax and regulatory regime. She also said she did not want to own a British Virgin Islands company and that the seller for their own purposes only wanted to sell the company, which is now closed.

A lawyer for the al-Zayanis said they complied with U.K. laws.

Khan, the Pakistani prime minister, is not accused of any wrongdoing. But members of his inner circle, including Finance Minister Shaukat Fayaz Ahmed Tarin, are accused of hiding millions of dollars in wealth in secret companies or trusts, according to the journalists' findings.

In a tweet, Khan vowed to recover the ill-gotten gains and said his government will look into all citizens mentioned in the documents and take action, if needed.

The consortium of journalists revealed Putin's image-maker and chief executive of Russia's leading TV station, Konstantin Ernst, got a discount to buy and develop Soviet-era cinemas and surrounding property in Moscow after he directed the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Ernst told the organization the deal wasn't secret and denied suggestions he was given special treatment.

In 2009, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis put $22 million into shell companies to buy a chateau property in a hilltop village in Mougins, France, near Cannes, the investigation found. The shell companies and the chateau were not disclosed in Babis required asset declarations, according to documents obtained by the journalism groups Czech partner, Investigace.cz.

A real estate group owned indirectly by Babis bought the Monaco company that owned the chateau in 2018, the probe found.

I was waiting for them to bring something right before the election to harm me and influence the Czech election, Babis tweeted in his first reaction to the report.

The Czech Republic parliamentary election is being held on Friday and Saturday.

Ive never done anything illegal or wrong, Babis added.

___

Liedtke reported from San Ramon, California, and Mattise reported from Nashville, Tennessee. Associated Press writers Karel Janicek in the Czech Republic, Frank Jordans in Berlin, Josef Federman in Jerusalem, John Rice in Mexico City, Kathy Gannon in Islamabad, Pakistan, and Felicia Fonseca in Phoenix contributed to this report.

___

This story was first published on October 4, 2021. It was updated on October 5, 2021 to remove a photo with a caption that erroneously identified Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan as one of 330 current and former politicians who reportedly benefitted from secret accounts. The report identified Khans associates as beneficiaries, but not Khan himself.
The rapper 50 Cent may be an unlikely spokesman for low tax rates; like many in the entertainment industry his politics veer far to the left. But when he realized how his tax rates could change under President Bidens plan to pay for an ambitious social program, he sounded like a conservative banker in a family with roots going back to the Mayflower. Fifty calculated what his combined state and federal income taxes would be, and he didnt like the number.

(Under) his tax plan, I didnt realize I would be paying 62% of my income to the IRS, 50 Cent sputtered in a recent interview with Ari Melber. So that does change a lot (for me). New York City (where he lives now) will change dramatically.

Indeed. Like many successful entertainers, 50 Cent has piled up an impressive mountain of cash. His current net worth is estimated at $30 million. Just a few years ago, it was $150 million, but a bankruptcy filing and some nasty lawsuits chipped away at that total. Still, $30 million is nothing to sneeze at. And with a few more hit songs, he could add a lot of zeroes to his bottom line.

So what is 50 Cent (given name: Curtis Jackson) thinking about doing if Bidens higher taxes are passed by Congress, a change that would have a particularly hefty impact on the very rich like him? Well, he cant avoid the federal tax rate in any part of the country. But he could eliminate his state income tax bill entirely, and like more and more people in recent years, theres one particular location that attracts him.

Ill move, Ari, he told Melber. Im going to Texas. Ive got my cowboy hat and everything. Everything is bigger in Texas. Really beautiful people; its nice people in Texas.

Wow. Even some of his political opponents noted the irony. Donald Trumps senior advisor Katrina Pierson tweeted, I guess 50 Cent dont want to end up 20 Cent.

If 50 Cent follows through with his pledge, Texans would undoubtedly welcome him. Thousands of other people and businesses have moved to Texas from high-tax states in recent years, and most have settled in nicely. If the higher tax rates proposed by Democrats take effect, you can expect more of these economic migrants.

In some places the state income tax burden is significant for the wealthy. The three highest are Californian (13.3%), Hawaii (11%) and New Jersey (10.75%). Oregon and Minnesota are in the 9 percent range, while New York (current home of 50 Cent) and three others are in the 8 percent range.

More Information States with no income tax and their average tax burden Alaska - 5.16% Florida - 6.82% Nevada - 8.39% New Hampshire - 6.85% South Dakota - 7.86% Tennessee - 6.18% Texas - 8.2% Washington - 8.32% Wyoming - 6.47% Source: Investopedia.com See More Collapse

Some rich people really dont care about those numbers. Theyre so loaded that they just tell their accountant to write the check and forget about it. But others eye places with no state income tax, like Texas or Florida, and they realize they could save millions each year with just a change of address.

And if youre not rich but just well off, that extra 10 percent or so of your income can make a big difference in your lifestyle. Personally, I think youd have to really like California to pay that 13.3% state income tax.

Its not like this in other countries. Their tax rates vary little from one part of the nation to another, or not at all. But we have 50 states in this country, and that state income tax can be noticeable or nonexistent.

The outflow from high-tax states (generally run by Democrats) is not new, and it is a growing phenomenon.

In the 2020 census, seven states lost a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives because of proportional gains in other states or losses in theirs. Those seven were California, New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and West Virginia. All except the last three in that list are generally regarded as Democratic states.

In contrast, six states gained one or two U.S. House seats. They were Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Montana, Colorado and Oregon. Only those last two are Blue states.

The Democrats $3.5 trillion spending bill and any accompanying tax hikes are still wending their way through Congress and almost certainly will be trimmed if they get through. But Democrats have a slight majority in the House and a tie-breaking vote in the Senate, so they could push something through if they can get their two dissenting moderates on board (Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona).

If the final tax increase on the wealthy isnt so steep, many rich folks will just stay where they are. But others may echo 50 Cent this year and Davy Crockett in 1835, who famously said, You may all go to hell, and I will go to Texas.

TTaschinger@BeaumontEnterprise.com
While the Bible is often quoted, Jesus is often misquoted. Too often, Christians and other readers of the Bible will hear particular verses and passages in the Bible the way they want to hear them. Believers must be clear on the things that Jesus said and didnt say, so they truly understand the Word of God. Here are seven times Christians misquoted Jesus.

You will be saved. All you need to do is believe.

Many Christians think that Jesus says this, but He didnt. There is more to salvation than just believing. Yes, faith is essential, and salvation comes through faith. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. This isnt the only passage that speaks to the necessity of faith to be saved. However, we must be careful when it comes to verses like Romans 10:13, which says, For whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. This is one of the biggest mistakes that many who profess to be believers make. In Acts 22, Paul gives us the greatest example of what salvation looks like  to be baptized in water and immersed in new life with Christ. Read the entire New Testament to understand what Jesus really taught.

When you die as a good person, you will go to heaven.

Many believers think that their good works or simply doing the right thing will get them into heaven. Jesus never said this. The Bible tells us that getting into heaven isnt the result of our works. The Bible says, For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith  and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God  not by works so that one can boast. Yes, Jesus wants us to love our neighbors and do good deeds, but it doesnt mean all the good we do will get us in heaven. The truth is, not everyone will get into heaven. Its a reality many believers dont want to confront. Thankfully, we have the assurance that those who come into faith in Jesus Christ can receive the gift of eternal life.

The more you do great things, the richer you will become.

Some believe this is the gospel of Jesus, but this is more in line with the prosperity gospel. This distortion of the gospel traps Christians into believing that they will receive more if they give more to the church. It also teaches that if you are financially prosperous, you were a good Christian. If you arent, you didnt pray hard enough or do what you were called to do by God. Churches that preach the prosperity gospel usually equate church membership with service and tithing, with no formal commitment to God. This is not what Jesus preached. Jesus warned His disciples, Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed. A mans life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions (Luke 12:15). Jesus preached in great contrast to this belief system. Jesus also said, Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. We cant serve two masters and be believers.

Jesus went to Church every Sunday.

Some Christians dont realize that Jesus kept the Sabbath on the seventh day. The Sabbath day is Saturday. Luke 4:31 says, And [Jesus] went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the Sabbath. Observing the Sabbath created great conflict with religious leaders of Jesus time, more than anything, apart from Jesus claiming to be the Messiah. Jesus critics wanted to kill Him because he broke the Sabbath by breaking one of their rules.

I love Christians more than unbelievers.

Many Christians believe that God doesnt love those who arent saved, the unbelievers. We must remember that God loves everyone, even those who are lost or havent found them yet. Titus 3:3-5 says, We also were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various desires and pleasures, living in evil and envy, filled with hatred and hating each other. But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward mankind appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of rebirth and the renewal of the Holy Spirit. While Gods desire is for all to know and accept Jesus into their hearts, He doesnt love anyone any less.

Church isnt that important.

Never once did Jesus say going to church isnt important. In fact, it was Jesus custom. Going to church was a regular part of Jesus practice. The Bible says, He went to Nazareth, where He had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day, He went into the synagogue, as was His custom (Luke 4:16). There is a reason why Jesus wants us to go to church. When we become believers, we go to church not only because its a place to worship our Heavenly Father but also to grow in spiritual maturity. God calls us to be members of His body. We can go to church to be inspired to live our lives after Jesus. We should make church attendance a priority.

You dont have to do everything commanded in the Bible.

Jesus calls believers to be radically committed. This includes radical commitment in the way that we live. This means were all-in, including what we are commanded in the Bible. Too often, we water down the gospel, picking out the things we want to do and avoiding the things we think are difficult to do. Jesus never once said we dont have to follow Gods commands. First John 5:3 says, For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. Second John 1:6 says, And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning so that you should walk in it. Only when we take Gods Word and commandments seriously, the world will also take Him seriously. If we dont follow Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we cant expect others to.

When we hear the words of Jesus the way God intended, we can fully experience their power. Dont be afraid to open your Bible and immerse yourself in the gospel. God is ready to reveal something amazing to you there.
The Philippines Senate has approved the postponement of parliamentary elections in the autonomous Muslim region in the countrys south, currently governed by former separatist rebels, from 2022 to 2025, leaders of the regional bloc said Tuesday.

Top officials of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) welcomed passage of Senate Bill No. 2214, saying the Bangsamoro Transitional Authority (BTA) had not had enough time to complete foundational work amid the pandemic.

Ahod Balawag Ebrahim, the regions chief minister, said passage of the proposed law would give ample time for the former separatist group to finish the job and ensure that the next regional officials can work under a system that befits the realities of the Bangsamoro.

The extension for three more years gives us a better chance for healing, for rebuilding, and for setting the future of the Bangsamoro, said Ebrahim, the leader of the former Muslim separatist rebels Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), in a statement.

The Senate had passed the deferral bill on its third and final reading on Monday. The vote allowing BARMM residents to elect their own officials was supposed to take place alongside general elections in May 2022.

The House of Representatives now has to pass its version of the bill. Ebrahim expressed confidence it would go through in the Lower House, which is filled with allies of President Rodrigo Duterte.

Duterte had earlier promised the former rebel leader that he would sign the legislation once it passed both houses and the two versions were reconciled.

Naguib Sinarimbo, BARMMs minister of the interior and local government, called the bills approval a historic move. He said the transition authority could now iron out major issues like the management of mineral and natural resources.

Like, for example, the Lake Lanao - under the CAB, we are given a 50-50 percent share. The BTA can now institutionalize this, Sinarimbo said, referring to equal sharing of proceeds from natural wealth exploration.

The rebels signed a Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) with the government in 2014 after 17 years of conflict and negotiations in Mindanao.

The deal ended the MILFs rebellion, which began in the 1970s, to create a separate Muslim homeland in the southern Philippines. The group settled for expanded autonomy and agreed to turn in their weapons.

Ebrahim, also known by his nom de guerre, Murad Ebrahim, became the head of the transitional authority. He had been pushing to postpone elections to a later date, saying that many planned projects had been stalled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Ebrahim has also said he needed more time to implement socio-economic programs while defeating more radical militant groups. In the past, he had warned of violence from other Muslim armed groups dissatisfied with the peace deal or progress made since it was signed.

If enacted into law, the bill will authorize the next president to appoint the 80 members of the BTA, who are responsible for the autonomous region. The term of current members will end on June 30, 2022.

The Philippines is set to choose the countrys next leader in May, as Duterte completes his six-year term in office.

Workers walk through a construction site in Marawi City on Oct. 17, 2020, four years after President Rodrigo Duterte declared the city liberated from the terrorist influence. [Froilan Gallardo/BenarNews]

Not all rebels are rooting for an extension of the transitional government

At a small gathering in Marawi City last week, members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF), the armed wing of the MILF, aired their misgivings on the peace process and life under the BARMM.

Those who have benefited now are not genuine fighters of the MILF. They are technocrats, who have not dirtied their hands for the revolution, said a 55-year-old BIAF fighter, who goes by nom-de-guerre Tano.

Aisha, a 42-year-old veteran, said: I patiently brewed coffee for the fighters, so they have warm stomachs during the fighting. But now I am told I have no job under the BARMM.

There are worries that such frustrations may spill over into violence, and concerns that Islamic State-linked fighters pushed out of Marawi in 2017 could take advantage of the situation to lure former MILF fighters to join their ranks, analysts have said.

That year, much of Marawi, the Philippines only predominantly Muslim city, was destroyed in the battle between government forces and Islamic State militants. The fighting lasted for five months and left 1,200 militants, government forces, and civilians dead.

Ariel Hernandez, a co-chair of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Joint Normalization Division, said authorities were looking at the issue with growing concern.

This is a problem that should be addressed by the MILF leadership. We cannot intrude on this problem; otherwise, the MILF would accuse us of interfering, Hernandez said.

Sinarimbo said the normalization process had provided an economic package to assist fighters in returning to everyday lives

The skill sets and expertise needed are different from those of the fighters carrying rifles, he said. The MILF leaders have continuous meetings with the fighters to explain this, but these issues continue to crop up, he said.

Abel Moya, director of Pakigdait, a non-government organization in the south involved in peacebuilding, said his group had conducted meetings with former MILF fighters in Lanao del Sur province, near Marawi.

The group had also tried to explain to the fighters that not all of them will be entitled to the spoils of the peace dividend, Moya said.
A woman (center) walks with Thai soldiers and family members during the funeral ceremony for her son, a soldier killed during fighting with suspected separatists, at Narathiwat airport in southern Thailand, Oct. 3, 2021.

As many as six separatist insurgents and a Thai army lieutenant were killed in a gunbattle Sunday in Thailands Deep South, where government forces have surrounded suspected rebels in a local swamp during the past several days, military officials said.

The bodies of four suspected Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) rebels were retrieved from the site of the firefight, which broke out in the pre-dawn hours and lasted till before noon inside a wetland in and around Hutaelueyo, a village in the Bacho district of Narathiwat province, a military spokesman told BenarNews.

The insurgents opened fire at officials to break the encirclement and gunfire exchanges happened periodically, causing death to Lt. Krisana Petchchamrus, 38, said Col. Kiatisak Neewong, spokesman for ISOC-4, the militarys regional command.

As of late Sunday, at least three rebels were still holed up in the area and government forces had not yet retrieved the bodies of two of the six BRN suspects believed to have been killed in the fighting, he said.

We retrieved four insurgents corpses and sent them to a hospital at 6 p.m. There are about two more that we cannot take yet. They died in a thick forest and the area is not cleared yet, Kiatisak said.

After the army lieutenant was killed in fighting before dawn, the sporadic shooting dragged on into the late morning, Col. Kiatisak said. At about 10 a.m., security officials sent a delegation of religious leaders, local leaders and relatives of insurgents to try to persuade the rebels to surrender but to no avail, the ISOC-4 spokesman said.

There were other exchanges of fire and six of them died. We seized one AK assault rifle and two M-16 assault rifles, and captured one of them alive, Kiatisak said.

Elsewhere in the Deep South on Sunday morning, two soldiers were injured when a roadside bomb exploded as they and other soldiers were patrolling on foot in Bannang Sata, a district of neighboring Yala province. They were deployed there overnight to inspect CCTV that rebels had allegedly tampered with, officials said.

The wounded soldiers were taken to a hospital with non-life threatening conditions, officials said.

Soldiers load two comrades onto a pickup truck who were injured by a roadside bombing in Ngo-gabo, a village in Bannang Sata, a district of southern Thailands Yala province, Oct. 3, 2021. [BenarNews]

In Bacho, Lt. Krisana was killed when a bullet hit his hard plate and then deflected into his head, Kiatisak said.

He died on the way to a hospital. He is the second death on our side, Kiatisak told BenarNews.

Kiatisak was referring to a soldier who was killed during a clash with rebels in the same area on Sept. 28, when a joint force of soldiers and police first encircled the BRN suspects in the 35-acre wetland.

On Tuesday, police said that an insurgent was killed during fighting in Bacho that day. But on Wednesday, military officials could not confirm this information although, they said, soldiers had spotted the body of an insurgent believed to have died in the fighting on Sept. 28.

The joint operation to catch the other BRN suspects, who remained holed up in the peat swamp, was going on after dusk on Sunday, officials said.

Tonight, officials are manning the scene. We believe there are three more insurgents, Kiatisak said.

Their side might have run out of supplies.

Also on Sunday, a defiant message posted on a pro-BRN Facebook page paid homage to the six martyrs killed in the fighting that day in Narathiwat, one of the mainly Muslim and Malay-speaking provinces of the Deep South where the insurgency has simmered for decades.

We still have 5 people left, the message, written in Malay, claimed. We will continue to fight the infidel enemy of Siam.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha, Thailands former army chief, sent his condolences to the family of Lt. Krisana.

The PM also ordered security forces in the troubled far-southern border region to be proactive in intelligence gathering and step-up efforts to prevent more violence by BRN rebels, who have intensified their attacks in recent weeks, according to Thai defense officials.

In mid-September, to the dismay of human rights groups, Prayuths cabinet extended a state of emergency in the heavily militarized Deep South for another three months. It was the 65th time that the government had granted the military emergency powers to carry out warrantless arrests in the border region, among other measures.

The extension of emergency powers came after the BRN  the largest and most powerful of rebel groups in the Deep South  apparently renewed a call to arms in early September.

A message linked to BRN and posted on Facebook on Sept. 6 urged combatants to resume self-defense operations because, it alleged, Siams security forces set up raids and conducted summary executions despite COVID difficulties.

Nani Yusof contributed to this report from Washington.
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Hundreds of world leaders, powerful politicians, billionaires, celebrities, religious leaders and drug dealers have been hiding their investments in mansions, exclusive beachfront property, yachts and other assets for the past quarter-century
Out of the Darkness: Loved ones gather to grieve, honor those lost to suicide
Berkshire County has four representatives in the 160-member Massachusetts House of Representatives. But, redistricting likely will cut those four seats to three, given the county's population loss.
Today

Considerable cloudiness with occasional rain showers. High near 60F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. Low 39F. Winds light and variable.

Tomorrow

Except for a few afternoon clouds, mainly sunny. High around 65F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
Plus, Bill's Message of the Day, the truth about the harms of marijuana.

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Mainly Jem's Birding & Ringing Exploits in the Eastern Province & Ringing Trips to Bahrain
Among many surprising developments during this pandemic, the most stunning has been the questioning of naturally acquired immunity after a person has had the Covid disease.

We have understood natural immunity since at least the Athenian Plague in 430 BC. Here is Thucydides:

Yet it was with those who had recovered from the disease that the sick and the dying found most compassion. These knew what it was from experience and had no fear for themselves; for the same man was never attacked twicenever at least fatally.  Thucydides

We have lived with endemic coronaviruses for at least a hundred years, for which we have long-lasting natural immunity. As expected, we also have natural immunity after Covid-19 disease, as there have been exceedingly few reinfections with serious illness or death, despite a widely circulating virus.

For most viruses, natural immunity is better than vaccine-induced immunity, and that is also true for Covid. In the best study to date, the vaccinated were around 27 times more likely to have symptomatic disease than those with natural immunity, with an estimated range between 13 and 57. With no Covid deaths in either group, both natural and vaccine immunity protect well against death.

During the last decade, I have worked closely with hospital epidemiologists. While the role of physicians is to treat patients and make them well, the task of the hospital epidemiologist is to ensure that patients do not get sick while in the hospital, such as catching a deadly virus from another patient or a caretaker.

For that purpose, hospitals employ a variety of measures, from frequent hand washing to full infection control regalia when caring for an Ebola patient. Vaccinations are a key component of these control efforts. For example, two weeks before spleen surgery, patients are given the pneumococcal vaccine to minimize postoperative infections, and most clinical staff are immunized against influenza every year.

Infection control measures are especially critical for older frail hospital patients with a weakened immune system. They can become infected and die from a virus that most people would easily survive. A key rationale for immunizing nurses and physicians against influenza is to ensure that they do not infect such patients.

How can hospitals best protect their patients from Covid disease? It is an enormously important question, also relevant for nursing homes. There are some obvious standard solutions, such as separating Covid patients from other patients, minimizing staff rotation, and providing generous sick leave for staff with Covid-like symptoms.

Another goal should be to employ staff with the strongest possible immunity against Covid, as they are less likely to catch it and spread it to their patients. This means that hospitals and nursing homes should actively seek to hire staff that have natural immunity from prior Covid disease and use such staff for their most vulnerable patients.

Hence, we are now seeing a fierce competition where hospitals and nursing homes are desperately trying to hire people with natural immunity. Well, actually, not.

Instead, hospitals are firing nurses and other staff with superior natural immunity while retaining those with weaker vaccine-induced immunity. By doing so, they are betraying their patients, increasing their risk for hospital-acquired infections.

By pushing vaccine mandates, White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci is questioning the existence of natural immunity after Covid disease. In doing so, he is following the lead of CDC director Rochelle Walensky, who questioned natural immunity in a 2020 Memorandum published by The Lancet. By instituting vaccine mandates, university hospitals are now also questioning the existence of natural immunity after Covid disease.

This is astonishing.

I work at Brigham and Womens Hospital in Boston, which has announced that all nurses, doctors and other health care providers will be fired if they do not get a Covid vaccine. Last week I spoke with one of our nurses. She worked hard caring for Covid patients, even as some of her colleagues left in fear at the beginning of the pandemic.

Unsurprisingly, she got infected, but then recovered. Now she has stronger and longer-lasting immunity than the vaccinated work-from-home hospital administrators who are firing her for not being vaccinated.

If university hospitals cannot get the medical evidence right on the basic science of immunity, how can we trust them with any other aspects of our health?

Whats next? Universities questioning whether the earth is round or flat? That, at least, would do less harm.
A foreign ministry spokesmen told the major Israeli national Hebrew-language daily newspaper Maariv that "Israel has carried out attacks that were intended to destroy our nuclear program for peaceful purposes." Saeed Khatibzadeh declared "the war with Israel has already begun" - in an ominous message intended as a warning to the Israeli public and leadership.

Prior Israeli attacks inside Syria targeting 'Iranian assets', via Reuters

The spokesman added that Israel "has murdered nuclear scientists and harmed the Iranian people. Iran is blamed for terrorism, but there is no good or bad terrorist. The entire crisis in the region is the fault of Israel."

Rare or unlikely as it is for a top Iranian official to speak to Israeli publication, it's the closest Tehran has come in years to direct communication with Israeli entities. It's a sign that the two countries are truly on the brink of direct conflict.

"Israel severely harmed our civilian and research system," he described. "They speak about the Iranian nuclear threat, but Israel has hundreds of bombs, and it never signed the non-proliferation treaty for nuclear weapons."

He's no doubt referencing the prior Natanz nuclear facility sabotage attack - now widely believed an act of covert espionage by Israel (likely via cyberattack) - as well as the brazen assassination outside of Tehran of top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizade by a "remote controlled gun". There's also the near weekly Israeli attacks on Syria, which Tel Aviv says is part of campaign to disrupt Iranian and Hezbollah operations there.

In the interview Khatibzadeh also alleged that the United States too is still waging a campaign of "soft terror" through far-reaching sanctions. He said that the Iranian people are even prevented from obtaining crucial life-saving medicines through Washington sanctions. By design the US-led sanctions also pressure and punish any nation wishing to transfer goods into Iran, including European Union countries which have long taken are more sympathetic stance to the Iranians' plight.

Just in the past week there's been more possible attacks on Iranian military sites...

Before & after: An explosion occurred (27 September 2021) at an #IRGC secret missile base of Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group pic.twitter.com/OYnsijeXiq  ImageSat Intl. (@ImageSatIntl) September 30, 2021

The official also charged that Israel is actively seeking to subvert high level nuclear talks in Vienna, which have been stalled since last June, though US and Israeli officials have blamed the Iranian side for the stall.

"The region is tired of wars," Khatibzadeh added, while arguing Iran is honestly seeking a diplomatic and peaceful breakthrough with Western powers in Vienna. "We must find a new approach to solve the problems according to United Nations decisions. All of the sides must display a political desire to reach agreements."
No doubt concentration camps were a means, a menace used to keep order.Albert Speer, Nuremberg Trials

Its no longer a question of whether the government will lock up Americans for defying its mandates but when.

This is what we know: the government has the means, the muscle and the motivation to detain individuals who resist its orders and do not comply with its mandates in a vast array of prisons, detention centers, and FEMA concentration camps paid for with taxpayer dollars.

Its just a matter of time.

It no longer matters what the hot-button issue might be (vaccine mandates, immigration, gun rights, abortion, same-sex marriage, healthcare, criticizing the government, protesting election results, etc.) or which party is wielding its power like a hammer.

The groundwork has already been laid.

Under the indefinite detention provision of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the President and the military can detain and imprison American citizens with no access to friends, family or the courts if the government believes them to be a terrorist.

So it should come as no surprise that merely criticizing the government or objecting to a COVID-19 vaccine could get you labeled as a terrorist.

After all, it doesnt take much to be considered a terrorist anymore, especially given that the government likes to use the words anti-government, extremist and terrorist interchangeably.

For instance, the Department of Homeland Security broadly defines extremists as individuals, military veterans and groups that are mainly antigovernment, rejecting federal authority in favor of state or local authority, or rejecting government authority entirely.

Military veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan may also be characterized as extremists and potential domestic terrorist threats by the government because they may be disgruntled, disillusioned or suffering from the psychological effects of war.

Indeed, if you believe in and exercise your rights under the Constitution (namely, your right to speak freely, worship freely, associate with like-minded individuals who share your political views, criticize the government, own a weapon, demand a warrant before being questioned or searched, or any other activity viewed as potentially anti-government, racist, bigoted, anarchic or sovereign), you could be at the top of the governments terrorism watch list.

Moreover, as a New York Times editorial warns, you may be an anti-government extremist (a.k.a. domestic terrorist) in the eyes of the police if you are afraid that the government is plotting to confiscate your firearms, if you believe the economy is about to collapse and the government will soon declare martial law, or if you display an unusual number of political and/or ideological bumper stickers on your car.

According to the FBI, you might also be classified as a domestic terrorism threat if you espouse conspiracy theories or dare to subscribe to any views that are contrary to the governments.

The government also has a growing listshared with fusion centers and law enforcement agenciesof ideologies, behaviors, affiliations and other characteristics that could flag someone as suspicious and result in their being labeled potential enemies of the state.

This is what happens when you not only put the power to determine who is a potential danger in the hands of government agencies, the courts and the police but also give those agencies liberal authority to lock individuals up for perceived wrongs.

Its a system just begging to be abused by power-hungry bureaucrats desperate to retain their power at all costs.

Its happened before.

As history shows, the U.S. government is not averse to locking up its own citizens for its own purposes.

One need only go back to the 1940s, when the federal government proclaimed that Japanese-Americans, labeled potential dissidents, could be put in concentration (a.k.a. internment) camps based only upon their ethnic origin, to see the lengths the federal government will go to in order to maintain order in the homeland.

The U.S. Supreme Court validated the detention program in Korematsu v. US (1944), concluding that the governments need to ensure the safety of the country trumped personal liberties.

Although that Korematsu decision was never formally overturned, Chief Justice Roberts opined in Trump v. Hawaii (2018) that the forcible relocation of U. S. citizens to concentration camps, solely and explicitly on the basis of race, is objectively unlawful and outside the scope of Presidential authority.

Roberts statements provide little assurance of safety in light of the governments tendency to sidestep the rule of law when it suits its purposes. Pointing out that such blatantly illegal detentions could happen againwith the blessing of the courtsJustice Scalia once warned, In times of war, the laws fall silent.

In fact, the creation of detention camps domestically has long been part of the governments budget and operations, falling under the jurisdiction of FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

FEMAs murky history dates back to the 1970s, when President Carter created it by way of an executive order merging many of the governments disaster relief agencies into one large agency.

During the 1980s, however, reports began to surface of secret military-type training exercises carried out by FEMA and the Department of Defense. Code named Rex-84, 34 federal agencies, including the CIA and the Secret Service, were trained on how to deal with domestic civil unrest.

FEMAs role in creating top-secret American internment camps is well-documented.

But be careful who you share this information with: it turns out that voicing concerns about the existence of FEMA detention camps is among the growing list of opinions and activities which may make a federal agent or government official think youre an extremist (a.k.a. terrorist), or sympathetic to terrorist activities, and thus qualify you for indefinite detention under the NDAA. Also included in that list of dangerous viewpoints are advocating states rights, believing the state to be unnecessary or undesirable, conspiracy theorizing, concern about alleged FEMA camps, opposition to war, organizing for economic justice, frustration with mainstream ideologies, opposition to abortion, opposition to globalization, and ammunition stockpiling.

Now if youre going to have internment camps on American soil, someone has to build them.

Thus, in 2006, it was announced that Kellogg Brown and Root, a subsidiary of Halliburton, had been awarded a $385 million contract to build American detention facilities. Although the government and Halliburton were not forthcoming about where or when these domestic detention centers would be built, they rationalized the need for them in case of an emergency influx of immigrants, or to support the rapid development of new programs in the event of other emergencies such as natural disasters.

Of course, these detention camps will have to be used for anyone viewed as a threat to the government, and that includes political dissidents.

So its no coincidence that the U.S. government has, since the 1980s, acquired and maintained, without warrant or court order, a database of names and information on Americans considered to be threats to the nation.

As Salon reports, this database, reportedly dubbed Main Core, is to be used by the Army and FEMA in times of national emergency or under martial law to locate and round up Americans seen as threats to national security. There are at least 8 million Americans in the Main Core database.

Fast forward to 2009, when the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released two reports, one on Rightwing Extremism, which broadly defines rightwing extremists as individuals and groups that are mainly antigovernment, rejecting federal authority in favor of state or local authority, or rejecting government authority entirely, and one on Leftwing Extremism, which labeled environmental and animal rights activist groups as extremists.

Incredibly, both reports use the words terrorist and extremist interchangeably.

That same year, the DHS launched Operation Vigilant Eagle, which calls for surveillance of military veterans returning from Iraq, Afghanistan and other far-flung places, characterizing them as extremists and potential domestic terrorist threats because they may be disgruntled, disillusioned or suffering from the psychological effects of war.

These reports indicate that for the government, so-called extremism is not a partisan matter. Anyone seen as opposing the governmentwhether theyre Left, Right or somewhere in betweenis a target, which brings us back, full circle, to the question of whether the government will exercise the power it claims to possess to detain anyone perceived as a threat, i.e., anyone critical of the government.

The short answer is: yes.

The longer answer is more complicated.

Despite what some may think, the Constitution is no magical incantation against government wrongdoing. Indeed, its only as effective as those who abide by it.

However, without courts willing to uphold the Constitutions provisions when government officials disregard it and a citizenry knowledgeable enough to be outraged when those provisions are undermined, it provides little to no protection against SWAT team raids, domestic surveillance, police shootings of unarmed citizens, indefinite detentions, and the like.

Frankly, the courts and the police have meshed in their thinking to such an extent that anything goes when its done in the name of national security, crime fighting and terrorism.

Consequently, America no longer operates under a system of justice characterized by due process, an assumption of innocence, probable cause and clear prohibitions on government overreach and police abuse. Instead, our courts of justice have been transformed into courts of order, advocating for the governments interests, rather than championing the rights of the citizenry, as enshrined in the Constitution.

We seem to be coming full circle on many fronts.

Consider that two decades ago we were debating whether non-citizensfor example, so-called enemy combatants being held at Guantanamo Bay and Muslim-Americans rounded up in the wake of 9/11were entitled to protections under the Constitution, specifically as they relate to indefinite detention. Americans werent overly concerned about the rights of non-citizens then, and now were the ones in the unenviable position of being targeted for indefinite detention by our own government.

Similarly, most Americans werent unduly concerned when the U.S. Supreme Court gave Arizona police officers the green light to stop, search and question anyoneostensibly those fitting a particular racial profilethey suspect might be an illegal immigrant. A decade later, the cops largely have carte blanche authority to stop any individual, citizen and non-citizen alike, they suspect might be doing something illegal (mind you, in this age of overcriminalization, that could be anything from feeding the birds to growing exotic orchids).

Likewise, you still have a sizeable portion of the population today unconcerned about the governments practice of spying on Americans, having been brainwashed into believing that if youre not doing anything wrong, you have nothing to worry about.

It will only be a matter of time before they learn the hard way that in a police state, it doesnt matter who you are or how righteous you claim to be, because eventually, you will be lumped in with everyone else and everything you do will be wrong and suspect.

Indeed, its happening already, with police relying on surveillance software such as ShadowDragon to watch peoples social media and other website activity, whether or not they suspected of a crime, and potentially use it against them when the need arises.

It turns out that we are Soylent Green, being cannibalized by a government greedily looking to squeeze every last drop out of us.

The 1973 film Soylent Green, starring Charlton Heston and Edward G. Robinson, is set in 2022 in an overpopulated, polluted, starving New York City whose inhabitants depend on synthetic foods manufactured by the Soylent Corporation for survival.

Heston plays a policeman investigating a murder who discovers the grisly truth about the primary ingredient in the wafer, Soylent Green, which is the principal source of nourishment for a starved population. Its people. Soylent Green is made out of people, declares Hestons character. Theyre making our food out of people. Next thing theyll be breeding us like cattle for food.

Oh, how right he was.

Soylent Green is indeed people or, in our case, Soylent Green is our own personal data, repossessed, repackaged and used by corporations and the government to entrap us in prisons of our own making.

Without constitutional protections in place to guard against encroachments on our rights when power, technology and militaristic governance converge, it wont be long before we find ourselves, much like Edward G. Robinsons character in Soylent Green, looking back on the past with longing, back to an age where we could speak to whom we wanted, buy what we wanted, think what we wanted, and go where we wanted without those thoughts, words and movements being tracked, processed and stored by corporate giants such as Google, sold to government agencies such as the NSA and CIA, and used against us by militarized police with their army of futuristic technologies.

Were not quite there yet, but as I make clear in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People and in its fictional counterpart The Erik Blair Diaries, that moment of reckoning is getting closer by the minute.

WC: 2148
In an age of angst, animus and anomie, controversy still rages on all things Covid. Yet many scientists, researchers, health-care providers and medical professionalseven former pharmaceutical executives and senior staffersbravely stand fast against the toxic tide of this new tyranny.

This alone is clear evidence something is decidedly wrong with the official narrative. My feature length essay on the subject earlier this year  The Psychic Dangers of Infected Minds (With a Lie this Large)  posited in fact the notion the real virus was of a different, less tangible, yet far more insidious, perhaps even incurable, kind.

Since publishing it, the minds have become ever more infected, our responses more Pavlovian; the lies larger, more frequent, contradictory, absurd. And more widely spread. With the truth becoming more distorted, fragmented, censored. And soon to be perhaps punishable by law, a statement which is not by any stretch hyperbole. Oh that were the case.

That said, some of the natives are getting restless. Heres an update cum sit-rep on the unsettling settled science of the BigPharmafia-Medical papacy. Suit up, lock n load, secure the perimeters now. Prepare to engage the enemy!

THE PANDORAS OF THE PANDEMIC (OUR MALEVOLENT MALTHUSIANS)

In January 2020, I was invited to a small conference outside Edinburgh of independent political writers, activists, historians, and scribes of the dissident kind. There I was uniquely privileged to meet and greet with a broad range of kindreds.

Committed truth pilgrims and myriad political refuseniks one and all, if there was a single thing we all had in common it might be found amongst any of the following: A nose for official duplicity, cant and perfidy; an unerring disdain for propaganda and hype; a palpable sense of creeping democratic devolution; and an abiding resistance to the manipulative, insidious agendas being imposed upon us by the upper echelons of the global ruling class elites.

Such agendas are of course all too eagerly facilitated by the elites useful idiots and their craven commissars, who for the moment at least are a privileged, even protected species. Unlike the rest of us, as well see!

The events of the past eighteen months have revealed for those of us looking at least who these people are, and what that overarching agenda is all about. For our purposes herein one such conference participant stands out.

Helen Buyniski; a young, native New Yorker is as righteous as one might reasonably expect. Blogging under the wickedly seditious handle of Helen of Destroy, Ms Buyniski has an opinion or three about what is manifestly wrong with the Anglo-American-Zionist world in general, and is not shy about spreading the love.

In short, this is a political activist par excellence  who thankfully eschews the nominally disparate, yet decidedly tedious, dogmas and slogans that characterise the left v right political discourse  and one who sees little point in taking prisoners.

If you are, though, someone who can handle unvarnished revelations about the machinations of the elites and wish to get a handle on the chaos and calamity the Great Resetters seek to impose upon all of us, then Buyniski is your go-to (wo)man! We should be forever grateful shes on our side and not theirs, and more than a little disappointed we cant actually clone her!

After her 28 minute presentation, she left the stage with us all wanting for more. Which is not the same as saying what she had to say warmed the cockles of our respective hearts. Not by a long shot from the Grassy Knoll!

Having just revisited her presentation, it is now after eighteen months of Covid that the full import of her diatribe is coming home to roost, and that all things being equal (rare to be sure), the much-touted benefits of hindsight can scarcely be overstated.

Now space inhibits a blow by blow of the import of what she had to say, as she covered a lot of real estate. Below though is something of a thumbnail  essentially an expose of the intricate synergies of the globally systemic propaganda, censorship, power, and control dynamics as they then stood  all themes which I explored in this treatise from 2019. And all of which Ive touched on in most of my other outings, for the simple reason that such matters are key to understanding just about everything going on around us, and pretty much all thats led us to this point.

Well return to Buyniskis talk soon, but first, this. Whether we know it or not or like it or not, no matter how clever we think we are, or how mindful we might be of  and from that consciously resistant to  the pernicious effects of propaganda and censorship, were all susceptible to the enervating forces they unleash, with complacency, ignorance, and hubris being all but a few of them.

Like the rest of the Edinburgh conclave, Buyniski understands this reality indubitably. The regime under which well all be expected to live out our lives according to the dictates of the fatuously tagged new normal is not about public health, or our well-being and welfare: that is most assuredly not the case.

What is it all about then?

It is about old fashioned power and control, pure, simple, absolute.

This time on a scale that, whilst it may have been hitherto imagined  perhaps by James Bond movie villains  has not been attempted. The one singular difference is that 007 only ever had one bad-guy to contend with. We have a long conga-line of them, all dancing in lockstep. And theyre both real and dangerous! And preternaturally evil.

For those who truly believe the official narrative of Covid, what follows is not for you. To wit: If you do choose to buy that spiel though, a check-up from the neck-up is highly recommended. Rehab is beckoning!

COMING TO LOVE OUR SERVITUDE (THE END TIME PARADIGM)

Ms Buyniski began her conference session by name-checking the estimable Edward (More Doctors Smoke Camels) Bernays, nephew of none other than Sigmund Freud, and author of the seminal book Propaganda.

From that point she had our complete and undivided. Bernays is arguably one of the most influential people of the past century or more that most people have never heard of, which given the nature of the mans work is perhaps a fitting legacy. Its instructive to note that Adolf Hitlers go-to shill-meister Joseph Goebbels was a big fan!

Yet there can be no doubting the mans vicarious impact on our recent history, our political economy, our society, our education, our culture, our communities, our lives; its there but for all the most ill-informed, myopic or self-absorbed to see. His influence is as enduring and incalculable as it is iniquitous and ubiquitous. The aforesaidPropaganda became the go-to play-book for the nascent advertising, public relations and perception management industry, whilst he assumed the role of its reigning go-to guru, a roost he ruled for decades.

Heres what HB had to say by way of introduction [My emphasis].

Its been a century since Edward Bernays wrote his book Propaganda, unveiling a PR industry that had previously operated only behind the scenes and triggering its growth into an industrial behemoth that now reaches the far corners of the earth. Wars are fought on the level of hearts and minds as much as bombs and guns, and huge swathes of the population wont make a move unless they believe its approved by public opinion. In the past few decades, technology has allowed PR to consolidate its hold on the human mind in a way that was not previously possibleThe end goal is to divorce us from everything that makes us human, creating hollowed-out automata eager to receive their marching orders. Far from the days in which advertising was a resented intrusion, we now line up overnight to receive our personal propaganda-delivery devices, and for too many of us, received propaganda has supplanted the development of an individual self.

As she approached the denouement of her talk, Buyniski asked: Where is this headed, and can it be stopped? She does not leave the questions, or us, hanging! Readers are strongly encouraged  even before proceeding  to imbibe her message. But the gist of it is this: at around the 20m mark of her riveting, now eerily prescient disquisition, Ms Buyniski subtly laid a Claymore that exploded about four weeks after wed all returned to base-camp. Were talking here of course the pandemic du jour, Covid-19.

In short, Buyniski proposed only a few examples of the many possible global catastrophes  real, imagined, natural, concocted  whereby those in power might facilitate the end goal as set out above. We can all think of numerous such cataclysmic events and the prospect of their appearance: Everything from a financial meltdown, a major solar flare, super-volcano eruption, a dinosaur-destroying meteor strike, a cyber-terrorist attack, an economic collapse, and you guessed, last but not least, a world-wide pandemic!

Whilst Buyniski did not use the word Covid or suggest that said pandemic was around the corner, she was mos def on to something!

As I have noted before, in the wake of events which unfolded shortly thereafter and continue to do so as of this writing, it becomes increasingly apparent that the phrase never let a good crisis go to waste has rarely been more cogent. Certainly not since 9/11!

With crass opportunism, unbridled cupidity, and bloody cynicism hardly being concepts foreign to the political animal mind, this phrase not by chance shoehorned itself into the political lexicon in the wake of that memorable event. Though in both instances perhaps, we might add that the subtext of the meme was then and remains now: if we get tired of waiting for a crisis to show up out of the blue ether, go the extra mile and have one tailor-made, fit-for-purpose as it were

THE GREAT SWINE FLU SWINDLE OF 2009 (AND ASSORTED CAMPAIGNS OF PANIC)

In order to convey something of the monstrous fraud thats been perpetrated upon us these past eighteen months, the following trip down the Memory Hole is as good a place to start as any.

In a report from Britains Channel Four from 2010, Wolfgang Wodarg, the then Council of Europe health chief, accused Big Pharma of unduly influencing World Health Organisation (WHO) decisions and blueprinting a global campaign of panic in response to the so-called Swine Flu (H1N1) outbreak that made its inauspicious debut around twelve months before.

By the time the penny dropped that this much touted existential threat to humanity was far less than the sum of its overblown parts, major European countries (Britain, France, Germany etc.), were burdened with tens of millions of doses of useless vaccines for which theyd forked out hundreds of millions of dollars of the taxpayers hard-earned. A similar fiasco and furore played out in the US.

Now for those people still ensnared in the net of the official Covid narrative, the preceding alone should provide ample doubt as to its veracity and integrity.

Whether induced by enforced isolation, social distancing, and lockdown fatigue; travel, work, and social restrictions; media fuelled polarisation between anti-vaxxers and pro-vaxxers; workplace coercion and bullying; truncated and disrupted education for our kids; Stasi-state edicts from on high from leaders getting in touch with their respective inner tyrant; loss of income and business revenue; or fear of mandatory injection with substances that are at best experimental  or any other legitimate concerns which have arisen as this bespoke crisis has unfolded and whose twists and turns are increasingly improvised on the fly by self-serving politicians and health bureaucrats  for those predisposed to seeking a more enlightened insight into the agenda of the Great Resetters, I trust the rest provides something of an additional reality check on our collective predicament and the looming perils unleashed upon us by these Pandoras of the pandemic.

All the grim predictions about the Swine Flu from the hand-wringing hordes in Big Pharmathe Cartel from Hellin addition to their accomplices in the medical and scientific establishment itself and the ever-reliable wolf-criers in the corporate mediaproved to be a giant fizzer. Though it may not have been viewed that way at the time, in terms of furthering the longer-term agenda and prepping the ground for what was to come, it might now be seen as a roaring success. Thats that hindsight thing working overtime again.

Its notable moreover that the source of upwards of 70% of the corporate medias advertising revenue comes from the pharmaceutical industry, though there is perhaps nothing much to see here folks.

And there can be little doubt that far too many of our medical professionals and health care providers have made themselves far more secure and comfortable in their sinecures than they might otherwise have been had they not put their names on Big Pharmas dance-card. (My own doctor abruptly went into lockdown when I tried to discuss my concerns re: all matters Covid. And an old frienda now retired medical specialist of no small reputerefuses to have anything to do with me now after I questioned the gospel!)

With this in mind, some might be forgiven for suspecting that the pig-pox was a dress rehearsal of sorts, as already suggested, to soften us up for a more ambitious gambit.

To fully comprehend this as a real possibility (as distinct from conspiracy theories concocted by cognitively impaired, lizard-brain, loony-toons with too much time on their hands), the following should serve as another all-important reality check. (See this link for some Covid myth-busting analysis.)

THIS WAS NOT IN THE BROCHURE!

In a recent interview on RT, the high profile US trial attorney Mike Papantonio, host of the channels Americas Lawyer program, let rip on Johnson & Johnson (J&J). J&J are of course the health-care and pharmaceutical behemoth (indeed the biggest), at least one of whose self-styled (albeit ironically so) family of products are likely to be found in every home on the planet at any given time. They are also one of many such companies in the industry looking to cash in on Covid.

Before continuing, it is perhaps worth having a gander at the claims J&J make in their brochure (i.e. their website) [my emphasis].

At Johnson & Johnson, we are driven to improve the personal health of people everywhere. We deliver products that are rooted in science and endorsed by professionals. Our differentiated portfolio of iconic brandsdelivers life-enhancing, first-to-market innovation. By combining the power of science with meaningful human insights and digital-first thinking, we help more than 1.2 billion people live healthier lives every day, from their very first day..

Now not much therein other than the fact that the self-ascribed, feel-good corporate beneficence is ever so frequently at odds with our consumer reality, something which we all too often forget, or choose to ignore. Which many folks seem to be doing now by embracing the Covid vaccine gospel.

And though J&J may have cornered the market in many of product categories within the industry, their notional competitors are equally adept at inundating us with the same obsequious, mealy-mouthed, touchy-feely, we have you best interests at heart corporate hype.

What you wont find featured on their website is anything to do with the following. Again, like their competitors, J&J are no slouches when it comes to damage control, of which there have been countless case studies in this industry. That being the real damage inflicted on consumers by their products, the extent, criminality and tragedy of which is all too frequently only realised by the critical masses after the said damage is done and then publicly revealed. After which, their senior suits all begin a mad scramble for the exits, their lawyers all screaming at the top of their lungs, nothing to see here folks!

That is, any such damage control measures are all about ring-fencing the risk in order to protect the corporations brand image and to minimise any negative impact on its revenues and profit margins. Rarely are the concerns or welfare of those most affected by their poisonous fare factored into the risk minimisation calculus. Its all about shilling the next pill, shifting the units, and raking in the filthy lucre! And suppressing any and all adverse publicity.

Of course many people might say this is stating the bleeding obvious! Perhaps! But can anyone explain why so many ordinary folks seem to have forgotten this in the age of Covid?

Even for those disinclined toward such conspiratorial musing, one would have to at least wonder if indeed the Swine Flu was not one hell of a shell-game, a swindle in short. Its a pity that so many seem to have deep-sixed the sorry episodes of previous virus scares into the communal Memory Hole. An anamnesis of this sort might have stood us all in good stead in comprehending our current dire travails.

Which is to say, doesnt any of this ring any bells? It should do! Are we not experiencing a palpable sense of deja vuhere? We should be! Alas, the once bitten, twice shy refrain doesnt seem to cut it anymore for an increasing number of people! We have all but adopted a penny-wise, pound-foolish mindset when it comes to facing the existential challenges confronting us.

[Author Note: To underscore this conundrum, the following is worth noting: I posted recently a simple straw-poll on Twitter, which sought to ascertain from people the measure of trust they placed in BigPharma. The result from over 16,500 respondents? Ninety-two percent indicated they placed no trust in these companies at all, with many comments scathing in tenor! If only we could get 92% of our fellow citizens marching in the streets against this medical tyrannyIf only! We probably wouldnt be having this chinwag now!]

Part of this indoctrination process involves keeping everything from us we need to know for as long as possible, and overwhelming us with information that we dont need. Thats called shaping the narrative of course, a time honoured practice in public relations, moulding public opinion, and from there, the confection of consent. To paraphrase Marshall McLuhan, its massaging the message via every possible medium at their disposal. BigPharma are masters at this!

Moreover, to the best of this writers knowledge, no pharmaceutical company has ever voluntarily or unconditionally fessed up to the damaging impacts of any of their products when confronted with incontrovertible evidence to that effect, and done everything to make amends and repair such damagethat is, adequately compensate those affected or so damagedin a timely, ethical, responsible and satisfactory manner.

But another way, few companies that Im aware of did not have some knowledge of the damaging effects of their products and did not move heaven and earth to keep such information under-wraps for as long as it was legally and practically feasible to do so.

RING-FENCING RISK, MAXIMISING REWARD (OUR WAY OF DOING BUSINESS)

In June this year, the aforesaid J&J was saddled with a $5billion fine for its part in the opioid pandemic, and in keeping the research findings regarding the effects on people of these killer drugs under wraps. In this same segment, the feisty Papantonio raised the not insignificant matter of J&Js conduct over the carcinogenic effects of its ubiquitous J&J Baby Powder. Like its product stablemate BandAid, this product is one of the worlds most famous, enduring brands, the quintessential household name.

Such products have one defining feature: They are a licence to print money! Unlike BandAid (which for the sake of this discussion well assume contains nothing toxic which has heretofore not been publicly revealed), it is far from benign. As with the opioid products it was hawking, J&J had knownfor several decades in the case of its baby powder  that its iconic cash-cow was a dangerous product (it contained of all things asbestos, a highly toxic substance if ever there was one), and throughout they kept such information out of the public record.

One wonders for example how those women (and their families) who contracted ovarian cancer as a result of using this product for decades might react to J&Js insipid, ingratiating corporate gobbledygook as presented above.

This, to say little of the company knowingly and negligently exposing their customers to such debilitating, life-threatening products. Papantonio described these folks as criminal sociopaths. No hyperbole here to be sure! They be DSM-5 certified.

With over 33,000 lawsuits pending against J&J in the U.S. aloneand with many more expectedPapantonio reported that the company is looking at a new strategy to dump its Baby Powder-related liabilities in a new business (effectively a shell company) that would then be entitled to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

This arcane but very real corporate/legal avoidance manoeuvreis called a divisive merger. The Texas Two-step as Papantonio acerbically describes the divisive merger (it originated in the Lone Star State), is the equivalent of the Get out of Jail Free Card.

That is, it would be if indeed the prospect of doing time in the Big House for any of these real-life-Monopolyplaying misanthropes was the rule rather than the exception. Indeed, Papantonios palpable sense of injustice and outrage went as far as the following: Therell never be any change [to the status quo] until we throw a few of these people in jail.

When we think of the denizens of Wall Street after the GFC (many still laughing all the way home from the bank today), its hard to argue with that logic!

But the DMs purpose is to provide a financial (as distinct from a criminal) liability escape pod for J&J to substantially minimise its exposure to these lawsuits or preferably avoid paying any compensation at all. From the off, this latest revelation of corporate malfeasance and white collar criminal negligence raised any number of questions and concerns.

It also presents for us all any number of implications for our own individual and collective roles as consumers. Not least of these are the choices we make, less so of our own volition without some due diligence than those based on the quality, reliability, and credibility of information we are presented by these companies. And which they are compelledtheoreticallyby both civil and criminal law requirements and basic ethical standardsgood corporate governance anyone?to provide. Once again, the Covid phenomenon presents us all if were willing to see it, enormous implications going forward.

There are a number of factors common to these instances of companies eventually found guilty of malfeasance, negligence, and/or criminal behaviour. To stress: These commonalities are rendered all the more noteworthy with the emergence of the Covid crisis and the attendant controversy surrounding the use of experimental (pseudo) vaccines being evangelised as the panacea by Big Pharma, and all of us whove chosen to embrace the shill regarding their effectiveness, safety, even necessity.

It can takes yearseven decadesfor issues re: product dangers to come to light, with offenders often found to have hidden, distorted or otherwise prevented damaging findings being released; It can and often takes yearsagain decadesof lobbying and litigation for those seeking compensation to obtain it, with peoples very lives and those of their families frequently in the balance throughout; Companies will pull out every trick in the legaland not so legalplaybook to avoid or defer accepting moral, ethical, financial, and/or legal responsibility for their actions and decisions; Rarely are mainstream media organisations for many reason proactive in taking the fight up to the big corporates, not least of which is refusing to risk the advertising revenue stream upon which they depend; Rarely do politicians of any note regardless of their party affiliations enter the fray on behalf of victims as their own parties are so dependent upon corporate funding with themselves unwilling to place at risk future job prospects once outside public office; Rarely do any of the relevant regulatory bodies do likewise as many have been neutered, corrupted or at least compromised by regulatory capture and the revolving door syndrome; Rarely do the details of any finalinvariably belated as notednegotiated settlements become public as the agreements frequently bind successful litigants to non-disclosure; Rarely do any of the companies or their senior executives ever admit any serious liability for the decisions taken, apologise for, or demonstrate any genuine remorse for their past actions and decisions; Rarely is anyonepast or presentresponsible for such decisions in the companies concerned personally held accountable or for that matter prosecuted for their actions and the consequences thereof; And almost no-one, in the U.S. or elsewhereincluding here Down Underever does serious time in the Big House for their criminal recklessness, duplicity, or fraudulent behaviour and conduct.

SOME CONCLUSIONS TO GO

It is perhaps notable that the Swine Flu pandemic that wasnt arrived in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) and prevailed more or less throughout the peaks and troughs of its aftermath.

Was this just anothercoincidence? Or was the Swine Flu scare a distraction from the main game? Or was this the predecessors of the Covid Commissars running this up the flagpole whilst the rest of were more concerned with the stability of the global economy and getting on with our daily lives?

To answer these questions, its important to recall what occurred during this period: it was nothing less than the greatest transfer of wealth and property in history from the lower and middle classes to the already super rich and to the large multinational banks, financial institutions, and corporations. Who in themselves are more or less fully owned or controlled subsidiaries of three to four mega corporate entities with only slightly less than the total value of the US economy (20 trillion dollars) in assets under their management.

This includes Big Media, Big Tech, BigFood, BigAg, and numerous other Bigs of the global economy. (To see what just one trill actually looks like, click here. Its an eye-popper!)

It then should not come as any great surprise that the recent crisis has again similarly facilitated by stealth an even greater transfer of wealth to these same groups, making the 09 heist pale in comparison.

As Im fond of saying, we dont need the test results back from the lab to know there are rats in the gravy! Bill Gates himself, who has a long history of creating and selling viruses and then offering fixes for them that worked sporadically but still made lots of money off the back of these promises, now reportedly owns anything up to 65% of Americas prime farmland.

As one of the principal actors in our unfolding drama, one could write a door-stopper on the estimable Gates and his role therein along without making much mention of his input into writing its script. (Much less his involvement with the execrable, late Jeffrey Epstein). Yet that would appear to be only one of the more visible, questionable signs that something far biggerindeed far more insidious than most of us might like to thinkis afoot with the Covid agenda; more precisely, [something]..is rotten in the state of Denmark.

In any event, all of the above is rendered somewhat academic now that Big Pharma has finagled legal indemnity from prosecution (essentially suit-proofing them) for any and all ill-effects resulting from the use of these Covid vaccines.

But the key point here is that we continue to trust their earnest proclamations that the cure will not be worse than the disease. That they have been properly tested. That they are safe and will cause no harm or minimal side-effects. If Big Pharmas dodgy track record is any indication, the basis for such trust is shaky indeed.

To underscore this, consider the following. The prohibition on prescribing hydroxy-chloroquine or Ivermectin for COVID-19 as suitable alternatives to Big Pharmas experimental solutions should be of grave concern. Well over 120 peer reviewed scientific studies have shown either drug to be effective in treating and preventing the disease.

Yet here in Australia  where as I write nearly half of the population (of 26m) are under strict lockdown conditions with the Army at one point patrolling the streets of our biggest cities (Sydney & Melbourne), massive, unprecedented citizen unrest nationally, and no end in sightthe federal government has done a deal with AstraZeneca and we are told we cannot expect to go back to normal until a vaccine arrives.

All the while new variants are mysteriously appearing, which doubtless will require ever more testing, lockdowns, follow-up vaccinations, and which will engender more social disunity, economic chaos, psychological disfunction, financial detriment (though not for the political, bureaucratic, financial, and business classes) along with increasing uncertaintyand collective anxietyamongst ordinary people, about their futures and those of their families.

What we dont hear in the corporate media is this: Like J&J, AstraZeneca also has a long rap-sheet of corporate malfeasance, corruption and criminality. They have been found guilty of offences relating to off-label or unapproved promotion of medical products; making false claims; kickbacks and bribery; consumer protection violation; sundry healthcare offences; government-contracting violations, and more.

Since 2000 they have reportedly been fined over US$1.1 billion dollars for these offences and violations. All treated as a cost of doing business, all factored into operational expenses yet retrieved by excessive profiteering.

And to take our discussion full circle, we cannot leave the corporate media itself out of the big picture here. Their own malfeasance is well documented by myself, Helen Buyniski, and countless others, not simply in capriciously propagating and perpetuating their own brand of truth or creating their own bespoke, self-serving reality on all manner of issues and concerns.

This is especially so wherein accurate, unbiased, and timely information thats in the public interest is crucial for a well-ordered, stable, functioning, prosperous political economy and the democracy and freedom thats purportedly an integral part of the milieu of a modern, healthy nation.

You know what Im talking about here folks: One thats a better world to live in for our kids and theirs than the one weve enjoyed! Let me ask the question one more time. Why do we keep trusting these people? All donations in this regard gratefully accepted. But they better be big ones! If you gets my drift.

Greg Maybury is a freelance writer based in Australia. His main areas of interest are US history and politics in general, with a special focus on economic, financial, national security, military, and geopolitical affairs. For 6+ years he has regularly contributed to a diverse range of alternative, independent media (AIM), news and opinion sites, including OffGuardian, Dissident Voice, OpEd News, The Greanville Post, Consortium News, Information Clearing House (ICH), Dandelion Salad, Global Research, and others.
Very pleased to welcome Peter Papathanasiou to discuss the inspiration behind his brand new crime novel The Stoning.

Plus, thanks to Transit Lounge Publishing we have 2 ebook copies of The Stoning to giveaway  entry open to Australian & New Zealand residents.

Disclosure: If you click a link in this post and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission.

Peter Papathanasiou on writing The Stoning

The inspiration for writing my debut outback noir crime novel The Stoning was hatched in a one-bedroom flat in West Hampstead at about four in the afternoon on a wintry Tuesday in late 2014. It was already dark outside. For a writer from Australia whod never seen the sun go down that early and thought to write about a scorchingly hot outback town, it made for an interesting contrast. But perhaps that was precisely why the idea came to me  the mild feeling of homesickness and the need to escape congested Central London. Never underestimate the power of yearning.

I was working at Imperial College at the time and had been accepted into the Master of Arts (MA) program in Creative Writing at City, University of London. They had two streams: literary and crime thriller. Id had an idea for a thriller novel percolating for a while, had tried to map out the entire story and even written the first chapter. But for some reason, it wasnt quite working. So I ended up at home with my wife on a Tuesday afternoon brainstorming ideas. We both have law degrees: she worked in human rights and immigration, while my expertise was criminal law.

With this as background  the desire for space and isolation, for sun and heat, and with the backdrop of human rights and migrants and asylum seekers and crime  the idea for The Stoning began to crystallise. A small mythical town with no specific geographic location so that readers could potentially picture it in their own backyards. A largely white township, tensions with the Indigenous community, and an immigration detention centre plonked on the outskirts to stimulate the local economy.

As the child of migrants and grandchild of refugees, the treatment of new arrivals is a topic close to my heart. 

The book blossomed in my mind. And then, without thinking, I blurted out:

Well, what if someone was stoned to death?

The Stoning is actually the third book Ive written. The first was a memoir about my international adoption as a baby in 1974; it was published in 2019 by Salt in the UK and by Allen & Unwin in Australia and New Zealand (ANZ). The second was a fiction thriller about a road trip through the Australian outback; it is yet to see the light of day, but it did help hone my writing skills for The Stoning. I was awarded a Distinction grade for my MA when I submitted the manuscript in 2017.

In discussing Australias treatment of new arrivals, I knew I needed to be true to the nations original inhabitants. To do so, the book needed the voice of a First Nations character. So I created Constable Andrew Sparrow Smith, who became the main secondary character to Detective Sergeant George Manolis, the novels protagonist. Writing Manolis was relatively easy: he was Greek-Australian, like me. But I knew that writing Sparrow would be harder.

In order to properly research all aspects of Sparrows character, I read widely, both fiction and nonfiction. I consulted protocols for producing Indigenous writing, and also had my manuscript read by sensitivity readers representing the Indigenous writing community. They are acknowledged in The Stoning, along with representatives of the asylum seeker community who also read the manuscript. As another vulnerable and marginalised peoples, their insights into my characters and story were equally important to me.

As a crime writer, Im especially inspired by the late Peter Temple, who died in 2018. He was the first Australian crime writer to win the Gold Dagger in 2007 for The Broken Shore. In a first for a crime novel, Temples Truth then won Australias most prestigious literary prize, the Miles Franklin, in 2010. The name of my deuteragonist Sparrow is actually an intentional doff of the cap to Temple and his own Indigenous cop named Paul Dove.

The Stoning is more than a simple whodunit. A whodunit thread can help propel a plot, but mine is designed as a springboard to launch into an exploration of characters and their worlds. 

Im thrilled The Stoning is finding a global audience seven years after I first began the project in 2014. But I also know Im taking a bit of a risk with writing and publishing this book. It is designed as a book that speaks to the world from the island continent down under, and the depths of its vast and ruthless outback. It touches on many hot-button issues within society that can be both controversial and divisive. I credit the distance away from Australia as giving me the clarity and headspace to write boldly and without apology. This is not a story of which Australia will be proud, but which I feel must be told.

The Stoning Synopsis

A small outback town wakes to a savage murder.



Molly Abbott, a popular teacher at the local school, is found taped to a tree and stoned to death. Suspicion falls on the refugees at the new detention centre on Cobbs northern outskirts. Tensions are high between immigrants and some of the towns residents.



Detective Sergeant Georgios George Manolis is despatched to his childhood hometown to investigate. His late father immigrated to Australia in the 1950s, where he was first housed at the detention centres predecessor  a migrant camp. He later ran the towns only milk bar.

Within minutes of Georges arrival, it is clear that Cobb is not the same place he left as a child. The town once thrived, but now its disturbingly poor and derelict, with the local police chief it seemingly deserves. As Manolis negotiates his new colleagues antagonism and the simmering anger of a community destroyed by alcohol and drugs, the ghosts of his own past flicker to life. His work is his calling, his centre, but now he finds many of the certainties of his life are crumbling.



White skin, black skin, brown skin  everyone is a suspect in this tautly written novel that explores the nature of prejudice and keeps the reader guessing to the last. The Stoning is an atmospheric page-turner, a brilliant crime novel with superb characters, but also a nuanced and penetrating insight into the heart of a country intent on gambling with its soul.

A crime novel with a difference; gritty and menacing with a terrific sense of place. A highly relevant examination of racism in an outback town. Detective Sergeant George Manolis is a great new addition to the Australian crime scene.  Emma Viskic, author of the award-winning Caleb Zelic crime series

A struggling cop, long-buried secrets, a town gone awry  this is outback noir with the noir dialled right up. I loved it.  Chris Hammer, bestselling author of Scrublands, Silver and Trust

The Stoning repels and compels at the same time, laying bare the festering secrets of a small town one by one. A thoughtful and confident debut.  Sulari Gentill, award-winning Australian author of the Rowland Sinclair crime series

(Transit Lounge, October 2021)

Get your copy of The Stoning from:

Book Depository Amazon Booktopia AU

More thought-provoking crime fiction:

Doom Creek by Alan Carter / Rain Dogs by Adrian McKinty / Darkness for Light by Emma Viskic / The Night Whistler by Greg Woodland / Man at the Window by Robert Jeffreys

About the Author, Peter Papathanasiou

Peter Papathanasiou was born in northern Greece in 1974 and adopted as a baby to an Australian family. His debut book, a memoir, was published in 2019. Peters writing has otherwise been published by The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, The Seattle Times, The Guardian UK, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Good Weekend, ABC and SBS. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from City, University of London; a Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Sciences from The Australian National University (ANU); and a Bachelor of Laws from ANU specialising in criminal law.

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After a reprieve from the wildfire smoke that choked the air across much of Canada this summer, a haze returned to the skies of Western Manitoba over the weekend.

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After a reprieve from the wildfire smoke that choked the air across much of Canada this summer, a haze returned to the skies of Western Manitoba over the weekend.

The smoky skies prompted Environment Canada to issue a special air quality statement from Lynn Lake, north of The Pas, down south to the border with North Dakota in Westman.

The areas shaded in grey are experiencing reduced air quality due to smoke being blown in from a wildfire north of Hudson Bay, Sask. (Environment Canada)

According to Environment Canada's website, the smoke came from forest fires north of Hudson Bay, Sask. and is elevating pollution levels to the point where it could pose a health risk.

Children, seniors and people with lung problems are more susceptible to symptoms like coughing, irritated throats, headaches and shortness of breaths.

To limit risk, Environment Canada advises that people limit outdoor activity, stay indoors, turn off devices that bring in air from outside like furnaces or air conditioners and avoid smoking.

Shifting winds are expected to move the smoke out of the affected areas Sunday night.

 The Brandon Sun
EDMONTON - A Saskatchewan woman who is worried about losing her eyesight or possibly dying because her surgery for a rare cancer was cancelled in Alberta says the operation has been quickly rescheduled for next week.

Sharon Durham of Wynyard, Sask., is seen in an undated handout photo. Durham says she is worried she will lose her eyesight or possibly die after a surgery scheduled in Edmonton for a rare cancer in her face was cancelled because she's not a resident of the province where hospitals are overwhelmed by COVID-19. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Sharon Durham, *MANDATORY CREDIT*

EDMONTON - A Saskatchewan woman who is worried about losing her eyesight or possibly dying because her surgery for a rare cancer was cancelled in Alberta says the operation has been quickly rescheduled for next week.

Sharon Durham said she learned late Friday afternoon that the surgery is set for next Thursday in Edmonton. She had been told earlier in the week it was off, she said, because she's not an Alberta resident and the province's hospitals are overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients.

Durham said she was overwhelmed with joy and relief to learn the surgery will now happen.

This one is basically going to get rid of the cancer and reconstruct (my nose)," she said.

I still want my story out there just because Im not the only one going through this."

Durham, 54, said she was driving to the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton from her farm near Wynyard, Sask., on Monday when she received a call and found out the 18-hour surgery she was to have the next day for invasive cancer in her nose and under her eyes was cancelled.

"The cancer has already spread down to the corner of my left eye, so (the doctor is saying), 'You'll probably be losing your eyesight.' I can deal with that but, if it goes into my brain, I can't deal with that and neither can my family.

"That's game over."

Last month, Alberta Health Services announced non-essential surgeries were being cancelled as hospitals and intensive care capacity were filled beyond normal limits because of the provinces crippling fourth wave of COVID-19.

A spokesman for the health provider said Friday that it is postponing surgeries that dont need to be performed within a three-day window, which is about 75 per cent of all surgeries.

"We are still doing urgent, emergent and prioritized cancer surgeries. We are doing all we can to complete as many cancer surgeries as possible," said spokesman Kerry Williamson.

Alberta Health Minister Jason Copping said in a statement that his office received a message from Durham's family.

"The minister is deeply sorry to patients whose care is being disrupted by the extreme pressure on our ICUs, including Albertans and patients from other provinces," it said.

"We're doing everything we can to get through this crisis as soon as possible and get back to providing normal care."

Alberta's chief medical officer of health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, has said a majority of patients in intensive care units have COVID-19 and are unvaccinated.

Last week, Saskatchewan suspended its organ donation program due to a lack of staff and intensive care beds  also consequences of the pandemic.

Durham said she can't have the surgery in her home province because no one is specialized enough.

She's scared and angry that Alberta hospitals are prioritizing the health of unvaccinated individuals who are now sick.

"We're just so angry with people not getting vaccinated," she said in tears. "I have family who's not getting vaccinated. I told (them) right out: 'It's because of you and all the other unvaccinated why I'm in this position right now.'"

In April 2020, Durham had a 23-hour surgery to remove cancer in her nose. A surgeon then reconstructed her nose with the help of a screw. She had three more surgeries after that.

Last May, her doctor in Saskatchewan booked an appointment for her to see an Edmonton surgeon to have the screw removed, Durham said.

Three months passed without a call, but she wasn't too worried, she said.

"It looked like it was getting infected, so (the doctor) wanted to take that screw out ... but (he) was pretty sure there was no cancer."

She was finally able to book a consultation in August. When the surgeon saw her, he told her the cancer had returned.

Last Saturday, she was told to prepare for her next surgery. Then it was cancelled.

Durham said she called local members of the legislature every day to try to connect with someone who would listen. Her Edmonton doctor also sent emails arguing her case.

"Just from reading the lab reports ... it's growing quite fast," she said.

"My (mind's) been so busy that I really haven't had a chance to sit and really think about it, and I try not to because I don't want to die."

Durham said the surgeon's office is to contact her again on Monday to go over the plan for next week's operation and what to expect.

Doctors are to remove the cancer, remove the remainder of her nose and begin to reconstruct it.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 1, 2021.

___

This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
OTTAWA - The gravel strewn across the bike path was the first sign of trouble.

A train on Ottawa's Confederation LRT line, as shown in this handout image provided by Steven Grant, jumped the track on Sept. 19 with 12 people on board. The line has been shut down ever since while experts repair the damage and try to figure out the cause of the derailment. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Steven Grant*MANDATORY CREDIT*

OTTAWA - The gravel strewn across the bike path was the first sign of trouble.

Ottawa resident Steven Grant was out for a ride on Sept. 19 when he noticed an LRT train stopped in the middle of the tracks. Gravel from the bed under the rails had been scattered all over the nearby path.

The second and third cars of that train set were clearly off the rails, Grant said in an interview Thursday. You could see the side panel, the kind of cowling over the wheels, is totally, totally damaged.

Later investigations revealed the train was already in a state of derailment when it left the station with 12 people on board, and travelled that way across a rail bridge over a major six-lane roadway before hitting a signal mast and switch heater.

The driver hit the emergency brake and stopped just on the other side of the bridge.

In any other city, Grant said he would have been surprised to come across a sight like that, but this is Ottawas Confederation Line, and the derailment was the second one in as many months.

The $2-billion line, a major infrastructure project in Canada's capital city that had been more than a decade in the making, opened just two years ago. It's been plagued by calamities big and small.

A sinkhole swallowed a major downtown thoroughfare during construction. Door jams delayed the line for hours. Wheels developed flat spots. The stations smelled of raw sewage for some time. Salt spray from Ottawas roads gummed up the electrical works. Showers of sparks would occasionally cascade past the windows because the arm that connects the train to the power lines kept losing contact. These are just a few of the things.

A growing chorus of transit riders, advocates and local politicians are demanding answers.

My biggest fear is that there's an accident where there is injury or loss of life. You cannot help but feel that today, Ottawa Coun. Catherine McKenney said in an interview. "What else about this system do we not know that could render it unsafe?

The federal Transportation Safety Board says Ottawa's LRT system has derailed five times in the last two years. Three of those derailments happened off the main tracks, likely on their way to the maintenance yard.

McKenney has called for a judicial inquiry into how the city landed in this mess, and what else could be wrong with it.

"I believe that only if we're seen to be serious about getting to the root cause of all of the issues on this system will we be able to, in good faith, go to the federal government and ask for more funding to continue to expand our lines," McKenney said. "That's what I hope that a judicial inquiry will help to do."

Mayor Jim Watson opposes the idea of a judicial review, worrying it will slow progress on subsequent phases of the project.

Compared to the sprawling systems in other cities, Ottawas Confederation Line is pretty straightforward. Literally, it's a 12.5-kilometre straight, twinned track with 13 stops that runs partially underground.

It serves as the spine of Ottawa's entire transit system, having replaced the rapid-transit routes in and out of the city's core. Without it, the entire system stops until replacement buses can be marshalled to take passengers down busy streets not intended for heavy transit use.

Construction is already underway on Phase 2, which would extend the line to the east and west.

The federal Liberals' re-election campaign promised to accelerate major public transit projects, and newly elected Ottawa Liberal MP Jenna Sudds, who had served as a city councillor since 2018, promised that the party would make extending the troubled Confederation Line even further into the suburbs a top priority.

Meanwhile, there hasn't been a single train running for weeks, and there won't be until repairs are made and the system is deemed safe. There's no telling how long that will take.

"At this point, we don't know," Watson said Friday. "We're not going to open it until it's fully safe to our standards, and we have it signed off on by our independent safety monitor."

Back in 2019, shortly after the line first opened, the doors of the trains would get stuck, jamming up the system for long periods of time. The crowds would build up to the point that hordes of commuters opted to make the 3.5-kilometre trek downtown on foot instead.

That's when Matthew Roberts, a software developer who lives in Ottawa, created LRTdown.ca to track outages and delays. An automated Twitter account lets riders know how many days it's been since the last delay. The single-page website says: "Is the LRT down? YES."

"It seemed like there was constant problems happening, so I thought it would be funny," Roberts said in an interview.

Little did he know the joke would still be relevant two years later. The website isn't perfect, it simply scrapes OC Transpo's service tweets, so it will occasionally miss an outage if the transit service fails to tweet it out.

The longest streak of actual service on record according to the program? Thirty-two days.

"That tells me there are problems," Roberts said. "It's just been one issue after the next, and honestly, I think it's embarrassing."

David Jeanes has been advocating for better rail options as a member of Transport Action Canada since 1976, and he said he's never seen the kind of issues Ottawa is experiencing.

"Any of the problems that happened in Ottawa might happen occasionally somewhere else. But they don't have a new problem every week," he said.

One project isn't enough to break Canada's trust in light rail, Jeanes said, but other cities will be watching Ottawa's situation carefully to see if they can avoid the same mishaps.

It's too late to tear up the tracks, he said, so fixing it is now the only option.

"I still hope that Ottawa's system will work out because we can't do without it," he said.

Though no one is quite sure what it will take to get the project back on the rails.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 3, 2021.
Senator Yuen Pau Woo, facilitator of the Independent Senators Group (ISG) speaks with the media in the foyer of the Senate in Ottawa, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

OTTAWA - Last June, 33 Canadian senators voted to defeat a motion decrying China's treatment of Uyghur Muslims as a genocide.

While they all faced criticism from some quarters, only one  Sen. Yuen Pau Woo, leader of the Independent Senators Group  seems to have been singled out as an alleged stooge of China's communist regime, told to resign and "go home."

Last week, Woo got a similar reaction when he tweeted about the release of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, the two Canadians arbitrarily detained by China for nearly three years in retaliation for Canada's arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou at the behest of the United States.

Woo tweeted that it was a "happy day" for the families of the Canadian men who became known around the world as the "two Michaels" and for Meng, who was simultaneously released and allowed to return to China. He urged Canadians to ponder the lessons learned from the affair.

He attached a link to an op-ed published in the Toronto Star that cited a former U.S. ambassador, Chas Freeman, saying that the "U.S., assisted by Canada, took Meng hostage in the first place as part of its trade-and-technology war with China."

That earned Woo a scathing rebuke from Chris Alexander, a former diplomat and one-time immigration minister in Stephen Harper's Conservative government.

"By claiming Meng was 'taken hostage' @yuenpauwoo has violated his oath as a Canadian senator and should resign," Alexander tweeted.

"Mouthpieces for foreign propaganda  should have no place in Canada's Parliament," he added.

Alexander's tweet was shared by others who variously referred to Woo as "pond scum" and a "Chinese commie f---" who should be "sent back to China along with Meng."

China has maintained from the outset that Meng's arrest was politically motivated. Canada and the U.S. have strenuously denied it but plenty of American and Canadian experts nevertheless share Freeman's view that she was a political bargaining chip.

That view was fuelled by former U.S. president Donald Trump, who was attempting to negotiate a trade deal with China at the time of Meng's arrest and who said he'd intervene in her extradition case "if I think it's good for what will be the largest trade deal ever made."

John Manley, a former Liberal deputy prime minister and Canadian foreign affairs minister, said at the time that Trump's comments had "given Ms. Meng's lawyers quite a good reason to go to the court and say, 'This is not an extradition matter. This is actually leverage in a trade dispute and it's got nothing to do with Canada.'"

Woo notes that Manley and others who have echoed similar views have not been denounced as mouthpieces for China.

That's a specific kind of opprobrium, he believes, meant to stigmatize people of Chinese descent and he's worried about where the rising tide of anti-Asian sentiment in Canada could lead.

"I am Exhibit A, if you will, only because I have a bit of public profile," Woo said in an interview.

"But there are many others in the community who do not have my protections and are genuinely fearful of the increasing typecasting and stigmatization that's going on."

Woo was actually born in Malaysia and raised in Singapore before coming to Canada at age 16.

He has been accused of being unabashedly "Beijing friendly," a mouthpiece and lobbyist for the Communist Party of China, even though he points out he's "three generations removed from the mainland (China)."

He fears recent immigrants from China, who still have connections to family there, are considered even more suspect and are less able to defend themselves.

Woo points to reports suggesting that Chinese Canadians might have been influenced by or acting on the behest of China when they voted in last month's federal election, resulting in the defeat of several Conservative incumbents who had advocated a hardline stance against Beijing.

"This is really a slanderous and dangerous way of thinking because it makes assumptions about Chinese Canadians  who have views that may not be mainstream (and) it presumes that they are not able to think for themselves," he said.

"The accusation that they are foreign agents or stooges of the Chinese government is a very, very serious allegation and, of course, hearkens back to the days of McCarthyism when careers were ruined and lives were lost and we have to be very careful not to go back to that place."

One of those defeated Conservative MPs, Kenny Chiu, who lost his B.C. riding to a Liberal in the Sept. 20 election, told The Canadian Press that during the campaign there were WeChat posts he says contained false information about the Conservatives and allegations a private member's bill he tabled would discriminate against Chinese Canadians. But he also said his party could have done a better job speaking directly to members of that community.

When Woo spoke against the motion labelling China's treatment of Uyghurs a genocide last June, he argued that Canada, given its history of forcing Indigenous children to attend residential schools, should not try to lecture China from a position of moral superiority on human rights.

Rather, he said, Canada should appeal to its Chinese "friends" not to make the same morally wrong and societally damaging mistake of trying to repress and forcibly assimilate a minority group.

Sen. Peter Harder, the former government representative in the Senate who now sits with the Progressive Senate Group, made a similar argument.

Sen. Peter Boehm, a former senior Global Affairs bureaucrat and Sherpa for prime ministers at G7 summits, argued that the motion's "few paragraphs of what passes for megaphone diplomacy" would accomplish nothing, other than to anger China and possibly hurt attempts to win the release of Kovrig and Spavor.

Boehm, a member of the Independent Senators Group, said in an interview that both he and Harder got "a few brickbats" for their speeches, including from his former colleague, Alexander.

Alexander could not be reached for comment in time for publication.

"What I was getting was 'You're an experienced diplomat, you should know better, shame on you.' That was basically what I was getting from Chris Alexander and from others who consider themselves experts," Boehm said.

But unlike Woo, he said: "No one has tweeted or commented that I should go back to China."

Boehm agrees with Woo that "there's a correlation here with anti-Asian racism on the rise in Canada  and some of this is permeating into the utterances or what various Canadians who should know better are putting on their social media feeds.

"I think it's unfair and demeaning."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 3, 2021.
Ebadi pointed to the role that offshore accounts and asset-shielding trusts play in drug trafficking, ransomware attacks, arms trading and other crimes. These systems dont just allow tax cheats to avoid paying their fair share. They undermine the fabric of a good society, said Ebadi, now an associate managing director at Kroll, a corporate investigations and consulting firm. The files detail more than 29,000 offshore accounts, more than double the number identified in the Panama Papers. Among the account owners are more than 130 people listed as billionaires by Forbes magazine and more than 330 public officials in more than 90 countries and territories, twice the number found in the Panama documents. The papers include revelations about Abdullah and Putin, the looting of Asian artefacts, the impact of US sanctions on Russian oligarchs and new details about foreign donors contributing millions to British Prime Minister Boris Johnsons Conservative Party. The Panama Papers stories five years ago led to the resignations of the leaders of Iceland and Pakistan. There could be political stakes for some of those named in the Pandora documents.

Andrej Babis, the Czech Prime Minister, who is up for reelection this week, is a billionaire politician who has cast himself as a populist adversary of Europes elite. But the documents show that in 2009 he purchased a $US22 million chateau near Cannes, France, with a cinema and two swimming pools, using shell companies that hid the identity of its new owner. In Kenya, President Uhuru Kenyatta has cultivated the persona of a determined foe of corruption, saying in 2018 that every public servants assets must be declared publicly. But Pandora documents show that he and several close relatives set up at least seven entities offshore that hold money and real estate worth more than $US30 million. The details about offshore assets held by King Abdullah of Jordan, a long-standing US ally, are particularly striking. Documents show that he used a constellation of shell companies to conceal purchases of luxury properties in California, London and the Georgetown neighbourhood of Washington, DC. Credit:AP Other world leaders linked to offshore accounts found in the Pandora trove include President Milo Djukanovic of Montenegro, President Sebastian Pinera of Chile and President Luis Abinader of the Dominican Republic. There are revelations about the offshore holdings of Sri Lankan power couple Thirukumar Nadesan and Nirupama Rajapaksa; and Dubai ruler Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum. The details about offshore assets held by King Abdullah of Jordan, a long-standing US ally, are particularly striking. Documents show that he used a constellation of shell companies to conceal purchases of luxury properties in California, London and the Georgetown neighbourhood of Washington, DC.

The disclosures come as Abdullah is facing political turmoil, including an alleged coup plot this year, in a kingdom that depends on billions of dollars in aid from the United States and other countries. DLA Piper, a law firm representing Abdullah, said that any implication that there is something improper about (his) ownership of property through companies in offshore jurisdictions is categorically denied. The Panama Papers leak was particularly revelatory about Russians use of the offshore system. One story reported that a Russian cellist, who had been friends with Putin since childhood, was secretly linked to offshore accounts holding up to $US2 billion. This time, although Russians account for a disproportionately large share of those exposed in the Pandora files, the records are more wide-ranging, laying bare the hidden riches of US adversaries and allies alike. Those named in the trove are as varied as former British prime minister Tony Blair, Colombian pop star Shakira, members of Chinas elite and figures in Saudi Arabias royal family. The United States wealthiest citizens  including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who owns The Washington Post; Tesla founder Elon Musk; Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates; and billionaire investor Warren Buffett  do not appear in the documents.

Financial experts said the uber-rich in the United States tend to pay such low tax rates that they have less incentive to seek offshore havens. But their absence from the files also may mean that very wealthy Americans turn to different offshore jurisdictions - including the Cayman Islands - and different companies than those represented in the Pandora documents. There are files pertaining to former president Donald Trumps involvement in a Panama hotel project. But the Pandora documents do not appear to reveal significant new information about his finances. Despite the scandals and reforms triggered by previous revelations like those in the Panama Papers - which led to new transparency laws in the British Virgin Islands and other tax havens - the Pandora trove highlights the enduring demand for mechanisms to hide money and the continuing abundance of firms to provide them. Robert Smith, who is often described as the United States richest Black person, is perhaps the wealthiest American whose offshore holdings are detailed extensively. Smith agreed last year to pay a fine of $US139 million and admitted hiding funds offshore and submitting false tax records as part of a non-prosecution agreement with the Justice Department. The agreement calls for Smith to cooperate in a separate case against Robert Brockman, a Texas billionaire who backed Smith financially and has been charged with hiding $US2 billion in income. Smith declined to comment for this story. The files also help to illustrate how even respected US institutions can become entangled in allegedly tainted transactions. The documents trace how an art trader accused by the Justice Department of trafficking in looted Cambodian antiquities used an offshore trust in transactions involving those items. The trader, Douglas Latchford, died last year, but relics that he or his associates moved remain on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and other museums.

Perhaps the most troubling revelations for the United States, however, centre on its expanding complicity in the offshore economy. South Dakota, Nevada and other states have adopted financial secrecy laws that rival those of offshore jurisdictions. Records show leaders of foreign governments, their relatives and companies moving their private fortunes into US-based trusts. In 2019, for example, family members of the former vice president of the Dominican Republic, who once led one of the largest sugar producers in the country, finalised several trusts in South Dakota. The trusts held personal wealth and shares of the company, which has stood accused of human rights and labor abuses, including illegally bulldozing houses of impoverished families to expand plantations. Despite the scandals and reforms triggered by previous revelations like those in the Panama Papers - which led to new transparency laws in the British Virgin Islands and other tax havens - the Pandora trove highlights the enduring demand for mechanisms to hide money and the continuing abundance of firms to provide them. Trident Trust, a firm that operates in more than a dozen offshore jurisdictions, mounted an effort in 2016 to recruit account holders fleeing Mossack Fonseca, the Panama City law firm that collapsed after its internal records and client lists were exposed in the Panama Papers case, according to Pandora documents. In a statement, Trident said it does not discuss its clients with the media but is fully committed to compliance with all applicable regulations.

Alcogal touts itself online as a top tier practice with high ethical standards. It was founded in 1985 by Jaime Aleman, who attended private high school and universities in the United States, served as Panamas ambassador in Washington, and wrote a book titled Honesty Is Priceless. Those named in the trove are as varied as former British prime minister Tony Blair, Colombian pop star Shakira, members of Chinas elite and figures in Saudi Arabias royal family. Credit:Getty Images The firm has become a major purveyor of services that help elite clients hide wealth offshore. Nearly half of the politicians whose names surfaced in the Pandora trove were clients of Alcogal, the documents show. Among them are former Panamanian presidents, the president of Ecuador, a leading candidate in next months Honduran election and Abdullah. Despite international standards calling on firms to apply extra scrutiny when they take on politicians, government officials or those close to them as clients, intake forms show that Alcogal at times did not mark even country leaders as politically exposed persons, or PEPs. In its statement, Alcogal said it was inaccurate to imply that we have not classified certain individuals as PEPs, where in fact we have. The firm declined to address specific cases. Overall, the company said, We have always acted according to the law, and have cooperated in all respects with competent authorities.

At times, financial advisers pushed Alcogal to do even more to protect the identities of their clients. Jurg Wissmann, a Swiss lawyer who has represented Putin associates and used Alcogal to set up at least 150 companies in Belize and other tax havens, warned officers at Alcogal never to store any of his clients names on computer systems, according to documents. You are obliged to keep secrecy for our clients, he wrote, and to not make feasible at all a second Panama Papers story. Wissman did not respond to requests for comment. Only a few of Wissmanns clients are named in the Pandora documents. The Washington Post
The ASX rebounded from a sharp fall on Friday and to close 1.3 per cent higher on Monday despite low volumes due to public holidays here and overseas.

The S&P/ASX 200 jumped 1.7 per cent at the open and held on to gains all day, closing 93 points higher at 7278.5 points.

Commonwealth Banks highly popular off-market share buy buoyed the financial sector and set a positive tone for the day. Its stock price gained as much as 5.6 per cent to $105.63, before closing at $105.16. Westpac gained 2.1 per cent, NAB was up 1.9 per cent and ANZ gained 2.2 per cent.

The market is nervous about Evergrande defaulting, given the size of its debts, but so far, the impact has been minimal. Credit:Bloomberg

However, news that Evergrande Group - which has been teetering on the edge of defaulting on hundreds of billions of dollars worth of loans - had suspended trading in Hong Kong saw US futures move lower. But a five-day public holiday in China cushioned the impact. Unconfirmed reports suggested another Hong Kong-listed property developer was preparing to pay $7 billion for a partial stake in the company.

OANDAs senior market analyst for Asia Pacific, Jeffrey Halley, noted holidays in Australia, China and South Korea reduced trading volumes.

The data calendar is empty in Asia today, literally, leaving markets at the mercy of headline-driven volatility in a low-liquidity environment, he wrote in a note to clients.

There still remains very little visibility from the Chinese Government over Evergrandes fate, although a slow and steady dismantling of the company appears to be the favoured course right now. Mainland China is away until Friday, which is rather unfortunate timing, especially if Evergrande misses that note redemption today.

He added iron ore and natural gas futures were rising, but local iron ore producers were subdued.

Fortescue dropped 1.2 per cent, while Rio Tinto and BHP gained 0.2 per cent. Iron ore prices would likely remain flat until Chinese traders re-opened this Friday. Alumina gained 6.2 per cent on analyst upgrades.

Hopes for open borders saw sharp gains in the travel sector with Flight Centre rising 9.6 per cent to a new 19-month high of $23.95 while IDP Education up 8.6 per cent. Corporate Travel gained 3.3 per cent while Qantas closed at $5.81, the highest since 25 February 2020.

Boral gained 4.5 per cent after announcing the sale of timber divisions in the US and Australia, leaving it with about $3 billion to return to shareholders.

The Reserve Bank of Australia board was due to meet on Tuesday, but was unlikely to change the target cash rate.
What is it that always pushes markets back to equilibrium? Market forces. This refers to the interaction between the demand from consumers for some product on one side and the willingness to supply that product on the other. What brings demand and supply into balance is the price mechanism  the price keeps changing until demand and supply are equal and the price is stable. Say theres some shock that causes the quantity demanded to exceed the supply available. This will cause the market price to rise, and the rise will send a price signal to both buyers and sellers. The signal to buyers is: buy less. Be less wasteful in your use of the product, or look for similar products that are cheaper. The signal to sellers is the reverse: sell more. Now the product has become more profitable, produce more of it. So, the price mechanism has caused a fall in the demand for the product and a rise in its supply. This will push the price back down until demand and supply are equal again. The market will have cleared, leaving nothing unsold, and the price will be back to about where it was before the shock. Equilibrium will have been restored.

Simple, eh? Neat, eh? And thats a big part of the reason the economists way of thinking about how markets and market-based economies work hasnt changed much in 150 years. You see, too, why economists believe that prices  particularly changes in them  are the great incentive for people to change their behaviour. You want to decarbonise the economy? Put a price on carbon emissions. Wait for market forces to stop global warming, and youll wait forever, decimating the economy in the process. Another instance of the equilibrating effect of prices is the existence of arbitrage, particularly in the markets for shares and other securities. Any difference in the price of the same security in different markets wont last because the actions of people seeking to profit by buying in the cheaper market and then selling in the dearer market will soon eliminate the discrepancy. Economists call this the law of one price. Putting all this another way, economists have long understood that markets and market economies are, in the modern idiom, interactive. Any new action always leads to a reaction, as the people affected change their behaviour to cope with the new development.

This understanding is why economists dont worry about some developments as much as normal people do. Normal people say: look whats just happened - its terrible. Economists say: yes, but then what happens? They call this the second-round effect and their model is supposed to predict what it will be. For example, economists have never been impressed by all those reports warning that, by 2030, therell be a massive national shortage of teachers/nurses/other skilled occupation as all the baby boomers retire. No, there wont. Why not? Because employers will take evasive action and other employees will take advantage of the opportunities presented. Despite panic buying at the start of lockdowns, AMP Capital chief economist Shane Oliver says the economy has already taken a $17 billion hit. Credit:Tertius Pickard But the notion of equilibrium can be taken too far. The doctrine of laissez-faire (leave it alone)  which lurks just below the surface of what lefty academics call neo-liberalism, but I prefer to call market fundamentalism  says that, since market economies have an inherent ability to return themselves to equilibrium after any shock, government intervention to correct the problem will only make things worse. This is the old case of taking an element of truth and raising it to the status of a magic answer. The economists theory of how markets work is grossly oversimplified. In the real world there are lots of problems that cant be solved just by leaving it to market forces.

Wait for market forces to stop global warming, and youll wait forever, decimating the economy in the process. Or cases where waiting for the market to solve the problem would take too long or extract an unacceptable price in human suffering. Do nothing about the pandemic and waiting for all of us to get the virus and thus achieve herd immunity would cost too many lives. The econometric models that economists use to forecast the macroeconomy or predict the effects of some policy proposal rely heavily on the assumption that, over the (unspecified) long term, the economy always returns to where it would otherwise have been. Yeah, sure. The opposing theory to certain return to equilibrium  which comes from the physical sciences - is path dependence. That where you end up after equilibrium is disturbed depends on what else happens to the economy while its supposed to be on its way back to where it was. It could be knocked off course and never return to the previous path it was following. The notion of equilibrium contains a lot of truth. Trouble is, so does the notion of path dependence. As always, the whole truth is somewhere in the middle.
Nick Parsons remembers the mounting piles of books on the kitchen table. They were new-minted Australian plays published by Currency Press  the new-minted company of his parents, Katharine Brisbane and Philip Parsons.

Setting up a business selling local plays might sound like one of those jokes about how to turn a large fortune into a small one, yet last week Currency clocked up 50 years: not just of publishing, but of championing the health of Australias performing arts more generally.

A scene from the original 1992 Belvoir production of Louis Nowras Cosi. Credit:Stuart Spence

Wind the clock back to 1971, and suddenly audiences were baying for Australian plays and voices on our stages. If the new wave of local drama was the chicken, establishing Currency Press to publish the likes of Alex Buzo and David Williamson was the perfectly timed egg.

Katharine Brisbanes first inkling that genuinely Australian plays were hatching came much earlier, when she saw Summer of the Seventeenth Doll in London in 1957. She hurried home, became theatre critic for The West Australian and married Philip Parsons. Soon after they moved to Sydney where he lectured in drama at UNSW and she, in 1967, became The Australians first national theatre critic.
CHRISTOPHER THOMAS June 29, 1950-July 14, 2021

Dr Christopher (Chris) Thomas BSc (Ed), B Pharm, MPH and PhD, one of Australias most distinguished scientists and a respected research fellow into the psycho-social aspects of disease, has died in Melbourne following a six-year battle with brain cancer.

One of Thomas most important academic papers extended title points to its profound relevance to 21st century society  The impact of sexual orientation on body image, self-esteem, urinary and sexual functions in the experience of prostate cancer.

Thomas was born in Sacred Heart Hospital, Coburg, in June 1950, the second son of Pat, a Myer customer consultant, and Jack Thomas, a manager of PMG catering services, then living in Oak Park.

From his early days as a primary student at Corpus Christi school, Glenroy, and later at St Bernards secondary school, Essendon, it soon became clear Thomas was gifted student. He would eventually go on to study science at Melbourne University and later obtain a PhD at La Trobe University with a masters degree in public health.
According to Blair the blame lies with the far-left and its voter-repellent approach to culture, gender, race and identity. While left-leaning moderates, without a clear position of their own, get forced into rhetoric and causes that socially conservative voters find abhorrent. In a blistering critique of British Labours poor performance in recent local government elections Blair wrote: people like common sense, proportion and reason. They do not like their country, their flag or their history being disrespected. They dislike prejudice, but they dislike extremism in combating prejudice. And they support the police and the armed forces. Former British PM Tony Blair blames the far left for splitting the vote. Credit:Getty Legendary US Democrat political strategist James Carville says: Wokeness is a problem and everyone knows it. The Ragin Cajun warns: You cant say Republicans are going to call us socialists no matter what, so lets just run as out-and-out socialists. Thats not the smartest thing to do. And maybe tweeting that we should abolish the police isnt the smartest thing to do either because almost f---ing no one wants to do that. While there are some searing truths in these critiques, there is also a need to keep some perspective.

In Australia the major party of the centre-left, the ALP, is enjoying one of the more electorally successful periods in its long history. The ALP is in government in five of the nine federal, state and territory jurisdictions that make up the Commonwealth of Australia. It is a considerable improvement on where it was in 2014 when the party held office in just one state. The ALP currently holds 408 seats in Australian parliaments while the Coalition parties (Liberal, National, Liberal National, Country Liberal) hold just 329. US President Joe Biden. Credit:AP While political parties of the centre-left have struggled in recent UK and European elections, they have enjoyed renewed success in the new-world democracies of the United States, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. So how are left-wing parties enjoying electoral success when their vote is declining?

The explanation lies in the fact that major parties on the right are also beset by problems, which are splitting their voter base and causing their overall vote to decline in a similar way to their counterparts on the left. This in turn, is also being driven by deeper forces at work in the political system. A major political party is like a big tent that tries to bring into its fold a broad range of different constituencies and communities of interest. In an increasingly complex and fragmented society, it is getting harder for mainstream parties of both the left and the right to bring these groups together. Major parties on the right are also beset by similar problems experienced by their counterparts on the left. Credit:File image. The Labor party might be losing its progressive supporters to the Greens and its working-class conservative supporters to the Liberals and One Nation-types. But the Liberals are losing progressive supporters to Labor and the Greens, and more conservative supporters to the One Nation-types. If Labor is split on climate change policy between woke progressives and working-class conservatives then the Liberals are just as split between modern Liberals and conservative Liberals.

The federal Nationals are so bitterly divided between agricultural interests and coal interests that they are barely functional. While the Coalition between Liberal and National parties has bigger cracks in it than an Antarctic ice shelf. Perhaps more worrying for the non-Labor side of politics is that even when they are winning elections they are losing the big social and economic debates of our times. Time and again, you find conservative governments adopting policy positions that a few short years ago they denounced as lefty lunacy. Prime Minister Scott Morrison and deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Treasurer Josh Frydenberg counts neo-liberal grand dame Margaret Thatcher as a political hero, but nowadays hes the king of Keynesian economic orthodoxy with a $1 trillion debt to prove it. Conservative British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has committed his country to a world-leading 68 per cent cut in carbon emissions by 2030 and says climate change is about jobs not bunny hugging.
NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance has quit State Parliament for a tilt at federal politics but is distancing himself from the support of Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

The veteran Bega MP had been considering a bid to replace Gladys Berejiklian after she resigned as NSW premier on Friday. But he announced on Sunday he would nominate for the federal seat of Gilmore ahead of the 2022 election.

NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance will resign from state politics to contest a federal seat. Credit:Peter Braig

Mr Constance said he had been on the fence about his future, but decided to walk away from Macquarie Street on Saturday evening.

Her demise, I honestly just felt sick when I saw that. I wasnt willing to continue in the cabinet, he told the Herald on Sunday.
Senior Constable Neil Glen Punchard, who leaked a domestic violence victims address to her former partner, has resigned from the Queensland Police Service after a court battle of almost three years.

Punchard was sentenced in October 2019 to two months jail, wholly suspended with a conviction recorded, after pleading guilty to nine counts of computer hacking.

Senior Constable Neil Punchard pleaded guilty to nine counts of computer hacking. Credit:Nine News Queensland

A police officer since September 2002, Punchard was aged 47 and 48 at the time of the offending and had no prior criminal history.

He appealed against the harshness of the penalty in the District Court and his original punishment was set aside last year. He was instead ordered to complete 140 hours of community service.
At least 30,985 Victorians rolled up their sleeves for a COVID-19 jab on Sunday, while, from Monday, the dosage interval for the Pfizer vaccine has been reduced from six weeks back to three. The number of test results processed on Sunday was 67,789  a record number for a weekend  and Victoria now has 12,711 active cases of COVID-19. Return to school to be as safe as possible The staggered return of students to classrooms will be as safe as possible, health authorities say, with measures like air purifiers and mandatory vaccination for teachers in place.

Mr Merlino said the first of 51,000 air purifiers would be rolled out into schools this week, with a focus on hotspot local government areas. There would also be a more targeted and risk-based approach to students and staff isolating if and when COVID-19 exposure was reported in schools from Monday, the government said. The class [exposed] will be the most at-risk contacts, obviously, but other classes wont necessarily need to quarantine at home. We certainly wont have the entire school quarantining for a full 14-day period, Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said. Therell be assessments based on vaccination status noting that kids 12 and above may be partially or fully vaccinated, whether theyre wearing masks, and whether theyve been in very short-term or longer term, face-to-face contact with a positive case. So all those elements will inform a matrix in terms of advice on quarantine, but that will minimise the disruption for kids.

Testing staff and students with rapid antigen tests is also under consideration. Another $230m for Victorian schools tutoring program The Victorian government will pour another $230 million into the states Tutor Learning Initiative. Loading

The program is designed to support students whose learning was disrupted by of COVID-19. Mr Merlino said schools would receive the same amount of money for 2022 as they did for 2021. This year weve had more than 6400 tutors employed in government, and low-fee non-government schools right across Victoria, Mr Merlino said. The head of Langwarrin Park Primary Schools tutoring program, Sue Anderson, said teachers worked with students up to three days a week. She said students who took part in the program were thriving.

The biggest impact has been in wellbeing and self-esteem of these young kids who didnt see themselves as learners and had become disengaged, and are now thriving, so the announcement that you made ... is incredible. Merlino confident vast majority of teachers will be vaccinated Mr Merlino said he was confident most Victorian teachers would roll up their sleeves for a COVID-19 vaccination, as mandated. Teachers and other school staff in Victoria must receive a first jab by October 18, and a second by November 29 to continue working, unless they have an exemption. Mr Merlino said a survey of about 40,000 school staff found 98 per cent were vaccinated.

Loading Ive got great confidence that the vast, vast majority of teachers and staff will get vaccinated in adherence to the requirements set down by the public health direction, Mr Merlino said. This is a critical intervention, and teachers and staff know it. They are there to protect themselves, and to protect the kids in the school. There will be a small minority, of course ... who do not want to get vaccinated, and if thats the case in schools, they will not be attending school.

Dental vans repurposed as mobile vaccination vans Dedicated COVID-19 vaccination vans will be sent to some of Victorias Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Mr Merlino said three of Victorias Smile Squad dental vans were repurposed as vaccination vans, and would be sent straight to the regional city of Shepparton. Shepparton has the largest Aboriginal population in Victoria outside of Melbourne, and is currently in lockdown, Mr Merlino said. We do know that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are at a higher risk of COVID-19 due to a number of factors including pre-existing medical conditions and large households.

So this is a really important initiative, which will bring the vaccine directly to some of our most at-risk communities. Melbourne marks dubious lockdown milestone By some counts, Melbourne has now been locked down for 245 days, surpassing Buenos Aires for the most days in lockdown of any city in the world. Mr Sutton said while it has been an awful sacrifice for Melbourne to become the most locked-down city in the world, it was a necessity to avoid potentially catastrophic numbers of deaths and coronavirus cases. Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief Paul Guerra said it was a sad day and its not a title that we wanted.

This was a once-vibrant state, a once-vibrant city, Mr Guerra said on Radio Nationals breakfast program. Loading You only have to walk through the CBD of Melbourne over the past couple of months and sad is the overriding emotion. Weve been able to bounce back out of this previously. Lets see if we can come back out of this one, but we need to get to the 70 per cent and the 80 per cent double-vaccinated status to even give us a chance to be able to do that. Mr Guerra said while the city was slated for a soft opening on October 26, the easing of restrictions then would probably be of very little help to the economy.

Most of the activity will be outdoors, there will be limited ability to trade indoors, and thats not what businesses want to hear, Mr Guerra said. We look north to NSW, and they actually get quite a good easing at 70 per cent of double-vaccinated people, and thats the model that, ideally, we were advocating for. Its almost impossible for business to trade viably with people just outdoors ... so it means that businesses are going to hang on for another couple of weeks before we get to that 80 per cent level. Mr Guerra said the business sector had shown its willingness to do whatever it needs to open up again, and would adhere to any reasonable requirements to ensure customers were double-vaccinated in line with new restrictions. But there will be circumstances where we expect some customers will just completely refuse either the QR-coding in or the double-vaccination status, he said.

Theyre the questions that we need answered in terms of, if you get a patron that refuses and still comes in, what does that mean ... (for) the business owner? Bus disruptions as 100 drivers forced to isolate About 100 Transdev drivers were forced into isolation after two bus drivers  one based at the North Fitzroy depot, the other in Doncaster  tested positive for COVID-19. The North Fitzroy and Doncaster depots were deep-cleaned, along with the buses driven by the infected drivers. There is expected to be major disruptions across 13 metropolitan bus routes for days.
Melbournes schools are preparing for a rough term four as exhausted teachers try to introduce a graduated mix of onsite and at-home learning from this week, new rules govern ventilation and staff are told they must make vaccine bookings.

Schools will begin the slow switch from remote learning back to classrooms with the return of year 12 students. Ventilation audits will be conducted and air purifiers will be installed in all government, low-fee Catholic and independent schools, with the COVID-19 hotspot City of Hume first in line.

Melissa and James Thyer (centre) with their children, Ella, Alexandra and Ted. Credit:Simon Schluter

Wesley College principal Nick Evans captured the mood of many Victorians when he described term three as the most draining in recent memory.

Many teachers have commented on this term just concluding as being the most draining they have experienced, Mr Evans told his school community. I am not sure how many more extended lockdowns this city can endure. That said, there is light at the end of the tunnel. We just need to get there.
A City of Perth council candidate has received planning approval for a two-storey CBD nightclub that would feature a robotic cocktail machine on a rooftop bar.

But the idea for the Hay Street venue, dubbed 11:45, has left some Perth residents concerned about anti-social behaviour, though the owners will consider chartering patrons via buses to nearby train and bus stations if granted a closing time extension of 6am on Sundays.

The proposed 11:45 nightclub with His Majestys Theatre just nearby.

The nightclub licence application at 853 Hay Street was given planning approval on August 5 under the City of Perths preferred use zoning criteria. It did not require consultation with residents and business owners, nor approval from the Perth City Council or CEO.

CBD resident Rob Philbrick, who lives directly across from the proposed nightclub, supported a vibrant Perth but believed nightclubs open until 6am went against the councils strategy to fix anti-social behaviour.
Inspiration can be a fickle thing for artists, unreliable as a politicians promises.

The solution is to get on with it.

Because the muse rewards the working class of artist  a notion that likely would receive a nod from Australias wartime Prime Minister John Curtin, a Labor legend whose historic Perth home I recently stayed at as a writer in residence.

Former Prime Minister John Curtin. Credit:Staff photographer

I arrived at the humble bungalow intending to finish a draft of a new book, set in Fremantle during the second world war, seeking inspiration from the history of the area.
Indias coal power giant Ltd. expects to raise 150 billion rupees ($2 billion) through initial public offerings in three units including its renewables business, and the paring of a joint venture stake, according to a company official familiar with the plans.



The state-run generator plans to sell shares in Renewable Energy Ltd. within a year, the official said, asking not to be named as the plans are still not public. A listing of hydropower unit North Eastern Electric Power Corp., which it bought last year, and power trading arm, Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Ltd., are planned for early 2024, the person said.

The New Delhi-based company is also looking to sell its stake in NTPC-SAIL Power Co., a joint venture with Steel Authority of India Ltd. for supplying electricity to the steelmakers mills and townships.

NTPC, Indias largest electricity producer, has pivoted toward green energy as pressure mounts to reduce coal usage because of the fuels role in global warming and its harmful impact on environment and human health. Rising climate change concerns have restricted funding to fossil fuel projects and funneled investments into green energy.

Indias fossil fuel tycoons including Mukesh Ambani, Gautam Adani and Sajjan Jindal have acknowledged the shift, and announced plans for a record expansion in green energy.

By the time its listed, NTPC Renewable Energy will aim to have at least 10 gigawatts of generation capacity, according to the official. The company may merge its 800-megawatt Koldam hydropower project in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh with the renewables subsidiary, the person said.

NTPC has won bids for 2,765 megawatts of renewables projects since the start of the fiscal year in April, 77% more than the whole prior fiscal year.

The company, which runs nearly 90% of its generation capacity on coal, raised the scale of its green ambitions earlier this year, saying it would help build 60 gigawatts of renewable energy projects by 2032, almost double the earlier plan.

The company has also been looking to expand its hydropower fleet, buying two government producers, including North Eastern Electric, last year for $1.5 billion. Its power trading unit NTPC Vidyut Vyapar has started to tap energy transition projects, including electric mobility.
and are recalling multiple products in the market due to various reasons like deviation from standard manufacturing protocols and presence of foreign substance in one of the affected lots.

As per the latest enforcement report issued by the Food and Drug Administration (USFDA), Glenmark's US-based unit is recalling various products in the market.

The company is recalling 28,658 cartons of Fulvestrant injection (250 mg/5 ml), a medicine used to treat breast cancer, due to "lack of assurance of sterility", the US health regulator noted in the report.

Inc, USA is also recalling 9,552 bottles of Naproxen Sodium Tablets (275 mg), a pain relieving medicine, due to "CGMP (Current Good Manufacturing Practice) deviations".

The company is also recalling around 31,500 bottles of the product in 550 mg strength.

Besides, Glenmark is recalling 6,552 bottles of Chlorzoxazone tablets (in strengths of USP 375 mg and 750 mg) due to CGMP deviations.

Chlorzoxazone tablets are used for muscle relaxation. The USFDA stated that the company is also recalling around 2.34 lakh bottles (multiple strengths) of Zonisamide capsules, an anti-epilepsy drug, due to CGMP deviations.

The drug firm is also recalling close to 11,000 units of Arformoterol Tartrate Inhalation Solution, indicated for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, for "lack of assurance of sterility".

Inc, USA, initiated the Class II recall of all the affected lots on August 27, 2021.

New Jersey-based USA Inc, a unit of Aurobindo Pharma, is recalling 2,820 bottles of Metoprolol tartrate tablets "due to presence of foreign substance: product complaints received for the presence of metal wire in one tablet".

Metoprolol tartrate tablets are used to treat high blood pressure. The company initiated the Class II recall on September 9 this year.

As per USFDA, a Class-II recall is initiated in a situation "in which use of or exposure to a violative product may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote".

(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.)
State-owned thermal power behemoth would list on exchanges its three subsidiary companies, in order to meet the government stipulated target of Rs 15,000 crore worth of The three are Vidyut Vyapar Nigam (NVVN), North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO), and one-year-old NTPC-Renewable Energy (NREL).

would also exit its joint venture with steel major SAIL -- NTPC-SAIL Power Company -- as part of the monetisation plan. Senior NTPC executives said NREL would be listed before October 2022. NTPC incorporated the wholly-owned subsidiary for its renewable energy projects in October 2020.

Gurdeep Singh, chairman and managing director of NTPC, at a public event in June this year, had announced that NREL would be listed soon. We should not focus on one way of raising funds. We want to soon go public for raising funds, he said. The company looks to add 7-8 Gw renewable energy every year.

Apart from solar and wind power projects, NTPC is looking at investing in green hydrogen and green methanol -- cleaner fuels that are manufactured at units powered by renewable energy.

Sources said the company would start a pilot of producing green hydrogen at its Vindhaychal thermal power unit in Madhya Pradesh.

NTPC builds renewable projects under two heads  the EPC (engineering, procurement, and construction) model, under which it participates in tenders floated by the Centre and states and constructs on its own. It has constructed 1.2 Gw of solar and wind projects. The other is the developer mode through which it awards renewable projects to private and procures power to sell to states. Under the developer mode, 4 Gw projects are operational and tenders for close to 3 Gw will be finalised soon.

ALSO READ: Coal giant NTPC said to plan IPOs of three units, could raise $2 billion

The other subsidiary is NVVN -- established as the power trading arm of the company. Over the years, it has morphed into the environment arm for NTPC with projects in fly ash trading and usage, renewable energy, electric and hydrogen mobility, and waste to energy. NVVN is also planning projects procuring green, agro-based fuels for blending at thermal units. Recently, NVVN floated a tender to procure 20 million tonne of bio-pellets made from farm stubble.

Senior executives said NVVN is being redesigned to become the energy transition company for NTPC and take up projects that can add to NTPCs ESG (environment, social and governance) targets. Upon listing, NVVN would be a standalone example of technology development for energy transition in the country, said an executive.

NVVN traded over 18 billion units (BUs) of power in 2020-21, which was the highest volume since its inception, said the annual report of NTPC. It also started plying 40 e-buses in Port Blair and won tender for supplying and operating 90 e-buses for Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC). It has installed 1,000 EV charging stations in eight cities, so far.

NVVN is also at various stages of implementation of ground-mounted/roof-top solar projects, along with charging infrastructure development at various airports and public buildings, said the annual report. It paid a dividend of Rs 30 crore during 2020-21.

NTPC acquired a 100 per cent stake in NEEPCO in March last year, earlier owned by the Union government. NEEPCO operates seven hydro, three thermal and one solar power stations with a combined installed capacity of 2,057 Mw. Last financial year, NEEPCO commissioned its largest 600 Mw hydro project at Kameng, Arunachal Pradesh.

NTPC-SAIL Power Company is a 50:50 joint venture between the two CPSUs. It owns and operates captive power plants of SAIL in Durgapur, Rourkela and Bhilai, and has a total installed capacity of 814 Mw.

The NITI Aayog in its recently published National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP) has identified 6 Gw worth of power generation assets for monetisation over FY2022-25. This comprised 3.5 Gw hydel assets and about 2.5 Gw renewable (solar and wind energy) assets. The Centre expects to fetch around Rs 39,832 crore from these power generation assets.

Together, 6 Gw asset base considered for monetisation constitutes about 6 per cent of total generation capacity under central PSUs. Key entities whose assets have been considered are NHPC, NTPC & SJVNL, which own the bulk of the hydel assets, and NTPC (under Ministry of Power) and NLC (under Ministry of Coal) which own renewable assets, NITI said in the NMP.
Senior Congress leader on Sunday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of promoting multinational at the cost of the country's small businesses and demanded a probe by a judge into a report of what he claimed was involving e-commerce giant

Singh was reacting to a recent report that spent about Rs 8,546 crore or USD 1.2 billion in legal and professional expenses in the country between 2018 and 2020.

However, in a letter to Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, had called the reports inaccurate that "appears to stem from a misunderstanding" of some filings.

"Now, legal fees are either court fees or fees to the advocates. Even the annual budget of the Law Ministry is only Rs 1,100 crore, and advocates' fees cannot be that high. We demand an investigation into the allegations by a judge of the A probe would reveal as to which political party, officials and politicians accept bribes," Singh told reporters here.

He also asked if Amazon paid bribes for a change in the (Union) government's FDI policy that directly benefited e-commerce giants like the former at the cost of India's small and medium retailers.

Singh also sought an investigation into the inter-corporate relationship between the sister of Amazon, which, as per reports, together with paid the fees.

Talking to reporters at the Congress headquarters here, Singh said RSS-inclined magazine 'Panchjanya' recently compared Amazon to today's East India Company "because Modi's approach is now focused on large corporate sectors."



The Rajya Sabha MP claimed PM Modi, on coming to power, had said his government will continue with the e-commerce policy framed by the Congress-led UPA, but a major policy shift was seen in 2016.

The Modi government allowed 100 per cent FDI in retail, "which was a direct attack on neighbourhood shops, and from then till today, small and medium retailers are the worst affected due to this", he said.

BJP leaders, who were against Aadhaar card, GST, MNREGA and FDI in retail (when in the opposition), changed their stand after coming to power to mislead people, he said, adding that "they (BJP) are now totally anti-farmer, anti-consumer, anti-small and medium trader and industry".

Due to demonetisation, the ill-conceived GST and the COVID-19 pandemic, four lakh small and medium industries were destroyed, he said.

"Modi announced a package of Rs 20 lakh crore, but there was nothing in it for small and medium industries. It was meant to clear the balance sheet of large corporations," Singh claimed.

The former Madhya Pradesh chief minister went on to add that the three new farm laws passed by the Centre in September last year were meant to help large corporations in the agriculture sector at the cost of small and medium traders operating in APMCs.

He also sought a probe into the Mundra port drug haul case, saying e did not trust the National Investigation Agency because several accused in blast cases were acquitted after the Modi government came to power.

How can one trust if the prosecution starts speaking on behalf of the defendants, Singh asked.

On his recent acknowledgement of Union Home Minister Amit Shah's help to him during the Gujarat leg of Narmada Parikrama undertaken by him in 2017, Singh said he will make arrangements for Shah in Madhya Pradesh if he undertakes the circumambulation of the holy river.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
At a time when has seen the closure of the Ford India unit, state Industries Minister Thangam Thennarasu said the state was expected to see worth around Rs 35 trillion by 2030 and had got projects of about Rs 20,000 crore since the new government took charge in May.

Soon after the closure of the Ford plant, the state government had assured all it would take steps to ensure that around 2,600 employees were not affected by the companys move. Stating that a suitable decision in this regard will come from Stalin, Thennarasu said: The matter is now under consideration at the chief ministers level. He is monitoring it.

The minister said the state was keen on in the electric vehicle segment.

We have lined up a long-term e-mobility plan. This is going to be the future of the country. However, we should develop the ecosystem like the charging station, Thennarasu said. The states doors are wide open for manufacturers like Tesla to set up their units, he said. In the two-wheeler space, the major commitments that the state got include Ola Electric (Rs 2,354 crore), TVS Electric (Rs 1,000 crore), Ather Energy (Rs 635 crore), Srivaru Motors (Rs 1,000 crore), Ampere Vehicles (Rs 700 crore), and Simple Energy (Rs 350 crore).

Chennai is a base of 30 per cent of the countrys automobile industry and 35 per cent of the automobile component segment. The state is also in the process of setting up a dedicated EV park at Manalur near Chennai.

He said to ensure that the industrial sector and exports were not affected by a third wave, vaccination was given to the sectors on priority. We had given focus to industry for vaccination and is now covered. Because of this, industrial activity is insulated from the pandemic, he said.

The state has a long-term road map of becoming a $1-trillion economy by quadrupling its exports in the next nine years.

By 2030, the state may generate around 2.5 million jobs. The sectors we are focusing on include the states traditional strongholds like textiles, general manufacturing, and leather. In addition to this, priority is being given to food processing, renewable energy, fintech, data centres, e-mobility, aerospace components, defence production, and semiconductors, Thennarasu said.

In August, the state signed agreements with 35 That may see investments of around Rs 17,141 crore, creating jobs for about 55,000 people. In late September, deals were signed with another 24 for projects worth around Rs 2,121 crore. We have seen around Rs 20,000-crore in five months. This is despite being hit by the second wave of the pandemic, he added.

Targeting exports of $100 billion by 2030, the state last month rolled out an export promotion policy.
The Centre has got constructive cooperation from Punjab, Haryana, and governments on the issue of stubble burning, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said on Sunday.

Yadav had held a key meeting last month with the governments of and its neighbouring states Haryana, Punjab, and Rajasthan on the action plan to mitigate air pollution caused by

Yadav, who is also the minister for Forest and Climate Change and Labour and Employment, said on the issue of pollution caused by stubble burning, the Centre has got constructive cooperation from these northern states.

He said discussions were held last month over the implementation of action plans by states to mitigate pollution due to agriculture stubble burning, dust, construction and demolition waste, and vehicular pollution.

The minister, while interacting with reporters here, said with technologies available now, there was economic viability of stubble nowadays.

The state-run NTPC had earlier floated a tender to buy farm stubble for use as fuel at power plants, he said.

Some private companies too have come up with good experiments under which stubble or crop residue is turned into manure, said the minister.

Touching upon the issue of machines needed to deal with stubble, Yadav said the Union Agriculture Ministry has given nearly Rs 7,000 crore to these northern states.

Notably, farmers in Punjab, Haryana and some other states set their fields on fire to quickly clear off the crop residue left after harvesting and before cultivating wheat and potato.

Experts have claimed it is one of the main reasons for the spike in pollution in Delhi-NCR at the onset of winters.

The paddy harvesting season is between October 15 and November 15.

In the country's 132 cities, equipment to monitor air quality has been set up, he said.

Replying to a question on climate change, Yadav said it is a global challenge.

India recognises the urgency of strong climate action to stay within the temperature goal of the Paris Agreement, he said.

Yadav also said India has taken many steps on clean energy, energy efficiency and biodiversity.

He said the country has set an ambitious renewable energy target of 450 Gigawatts by 2030.

Earlier, addressing an event at the Shram Bureau (Labour Bureau) Bhavan here, Yadav said following the motto of Mehnat Ko Samman, Adhikar Ek Saman, the Government is focused on the welfare of workers through evidence-based policymaking.

During the event, he mentioned that data on all aspects of labour is crucial and scientifically collected data is the bedrock for any evidence-based policymaking.

With the increasing importance of data in the time to come, coupled with the fact that India is a labour abundant nation, a dedicated organisation for labour and price statistics like the Labour Bureau merits strengthening and full support, said the minister.

The Union Minister further said over the years, the Labour Bureau mandate has increased exponentially which now includes the collection and compilation of data on all possible aspects of labour.

On the occasion, certificates of appreciation were also given to many of the Bureau officials.

The minister also held discussions with the state labour ministers, labour secretaries & commissioners of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh & UTs of Chandigarh, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh on progress in the registration of unorganised workers on the e-Shram portal and preparedness of the states and UTs on the implementation of various schemes and reforms, an official statement said.

The Minister also visited a special camp for the registration of unorganised workers under e-Shram portal organised by the office of chief labour commissioner (Central) under the Union Ministry of Labour & Employment.

The minister distributed e-Shram cards to unorganised workers and had an interaction with trade union leaders, employers and unorganised workers.

The e-Shram portal was inaugurated on August 26. The portal is the first-ever database of unorganised workers including migrant workers and construction workers.

An estimated 38 crore workers are engaged in the unorganized sector and employment (Economic Survey, 2019-20), Yadav said.

As of October 2, 2021, a total of 2,46,57,524 workers have registered on the portal.

Of these almost 55 per cent of the workers are engaged in the agriculture sector followed by almost 15 per cent registration from the workers in the construction sector and six per cent in the apparel industry.

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for classes VIII to XII will start in physical mode from Monday for the first time in 18 months in city, and those running these institutions said all COVID-19 guidelines issued by the Maharashtra government will be adhered to strictly.

Physical distancing norms in the classrooms, mask usage, vaccination of teachers, thermal and oximeter screening of students, getting written consent from parents, and ensuring cleanliness, hand hygiene of students etc will be followed completely, Mahendra Ganpule, state spokesperson, Maharashtra Headmaster Association, told PTI..

"There will be three-clock hours working in the school. The students will come to the school after taking meals at home. Almost all teachers have been fully vaccinated. There are 1600 in the district and we expect over 90 to open on Monday," he said.

Devyani Mungali, founder-director at Sanskriti Group of Schools, said they have made the student's attendance optional for Classes VII to XII till the end of this year, adding that staff were being checked on a daily basis.

"Students and staff will be immediately sent home if they exhibit any symptom of the virus. We are also thinking to follow a procedure called classroom suspension. If one or more students or staff in a class is detected with COVID-19, that class will be suspended for 14 days. In such a scenario, classes will be held online," Mungali said.

She said the response from PTA representatives and parents was encouraging and students would also understand the need to follow protocols in the current situation.

Anagha Mande, principal of Ahilyadevi High School For Girls, said all preparations to welcome students by adhering to SOPs laid down by the state government have been completed.

Vikas Garad, Deputy Director, State Council of Educational Research and Training, said a webinar was organized where education department officials and COVID-19 task force members sensitized principals, teachers and parent about the current situation.

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Eight people were killed as erupted here during a farmers' protest over Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya's visit, according to an official.

Two SUVs were set on fire by angry farmers, reports said, after they hit a group of protesters.

Four of the dead were travelling in the vehicles, an UP government official in Lucknow said.

Lakhimpur Kheri District Magistrate Arvind Kumar Chaurasia said four farmers and four others were killed.

The farmers had assembled there to oppose Maurya's visit to Banbirpur, the native village of Union Minister of State for Home and MP Ajay Kumar Mishra.

Maurya's visit to Banbirpur village was cancelled in view of the

The broke out after two SUVs allegedly ran over a group of anti-farm law protesters, who were demonstrating at the Tikonia-Banbirpur road.

Farmers alleged that the Union minister's son was in one of the vehicles, a charge denied by Mishra.

Mishra told PTI over the phone that three BJP workers and a driver were beaten to death by "some elements" in the protesting farmers after a car in which they were travelling turned turtle following pelting of stones.

Mishra said neither his son nor he was present at the site when the incident occurred.

He said the incident happened when some BJP workers were going to receive Maurya, who had come to attend an event at Lakhimpur Kheri.

Earlier a UP government official in Lucknow said six people, including two farmers, were killed.

"A cavalcade was going, which was shown black flags (by farmers). The cavalcade was moving as per routine. When two to three vehicles of the cavalcade were left, a vehicle of it started turning upside down, and two farmers came under it, and they died," the official added.

"After this, the vehicle which was behind it was damaged. Passengers and the drivers were brought out of the vehicles and they were beaten to death," the UP government official added.

Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar has reached the spot and the situation is now under control, he added.

Meanwhile, the incident drew a sharp reaction from the opposition parties and farmer bodies.

In a Hindi tweet, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav sought Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's resignation.

"Had a talk with Tejinder Singh Virk ji, a farmer leader who was seriously injured in the incident," said Akhilesh, blaming BJP workers for the incident.

"In view of his critical condition, the government should immediately provide him with the best treatment. There is only one demand, the chief minister should resign," he said.

In an another tweet, he said the "trampling of farmers by the son of the Union Minister of State for Home" is an inhuman and cruel act.

"UP will not tolerate the oppression of the BJP. If this situation continues, the BJP people will not be able to move in a vehicle, nor will they be able to de-board it," he said.

Akhilesh Yadav is likely to visit Lakhimpur Kheri on Monday.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will visit Lakhimpur Kheri on Monday, UP Congress spokesperson Ashok Singh said.

Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Jayant Chaudhary in a Hindi tweet alleged that the cavalcade of the Union minister ran over the protesting farmers.

When the heinous act of suppressing the protest is "hatched" by the minister, who could be safe, he said.

The Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) also alleged that the son of the Union minister ran over the protesting farmers.

"Three farmers have died. Tejendra Singh Virk has been injured. Rakesh Tikait is leaving from Ghazipur," the BKU said.

Meanwhile, Tikait in a video message on Twitter said, "Farmers in Lakhimpur were returning after the protest when they were attacked. Some of them were run over, while the fire was also opened on them. According to information we have so far, several people have died in the incident."



The president of the Rashtriya Kisan Manch, Shekhar Dixit, termed the incident "shameful".

He demanded that the Union minister tender his resignation immediately. Ajay Mishra and his son must be arrested immediately, he demanded.

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In a first for the DMRC, an integrated "flyover-cum-metro viaduct structure" along with a vehicle underpass is being built in Delhi on the Majlis Park-Maujpur corridor under the Phase-IV work, officials said on Sunday.

The project near Soorghat in northeast Delhi is being executed in association with the city Public Works Department (PWD), they said.

This will be the first-ever integrated "flyover-cum-metro viaduct structure" in the history of the mass rapid transit system, where the and metro viaduct will run parallel to each other, the said.

This PWD and vehicle underpass are part of a proposed elevated road along the Yamuna River, parallel to the Ring Road between the Wazirabad (Signature Bridge) and Ring Road near DND (Delhi Noida Delhi) Flyway, the said in a statement.

"In this first-of-its-kind engineering marvel, integrated portals will be erected on which a road flyover as well as a metro viaduct will be placed. While on one side of the portal, the metro viaduct will be placed, a PWD flyover used for vehicular movement will be constructed on the other side," it said.

On these portals, the road flyover and the metro viaduct will rest and run parallel to each other for a length of nearly 450 m. A total of 21 portals with an average width of 26 m and height of 10 m, will be erected. In addition, a vehicle underpass shall also be constructed below these portals, which will cater for movement of vehicles coming from Outer Ring Road, the said.

This structure is coming up on the Majlis Park-Maujpur corridor at the upcoming Soorghat metro station, being built as part of Phase-IV. This 12.098 km-long corridor will comprise eight stations, and will be completely elevated. This extension of the Pink Line will complete the ring of the Majlis ParkShiv Vihar corridor, and will be the first-ever ring corridor in the country with a length of about 70 km, officials said.

While the width of the metro viaduct will be 10.5 m, the road flyover moving adjacent and parallel to it will be a three-lane road of approximately 10 m width. This proposed PWD flyover shall run adjacent to the existing flyover, which is currently operational from Wazirabad to ISBT near Soorghat, the statement said.

The will construct the portals and the metro viaduct over it, and the PWD will erect the superstructure for the flyover on the already constructed portals in future. In addition, the underpass will be constructed by the for traffic movement from Outer Ring Road towards Signature bridge. This underpass shall merge with the road on the other side of Najafgarh Drain, it added.

The work, mandated to be conducted by the DMRC, is expected to be completed by the end of 2023. However, given the uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the completion targets may be reviewed in the future, the DMRC said.

As part of Phase-IV work, the DMRC is already building two integrated double-decker flyovers on which a metro viaduct and a road flyover will be placed one over the other.

However, this Pink Line stretch is unique since the proposed flyover and the metro viaduct will be parallel to each other, officials said.

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Foreign Secretary on Sunday will visit the capital of Sri Lanka's northern province, Jaffna dominated by the Tamil minority and will also travel to the historic Temple of the Tooth, the foremost shrine of the island's Buddhist majority, officials said.

Shringla on Saturday began his four-day visit to Sri Lanka during which he will meet the top leadership, including President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa., and review the bilateral ties between and the island nation.

He would travel to the central provincial capital of Kandy where he will be received at the historic Temple of the Tooth, the foremost shrine of the island's Buddhist majority, they said.

He will then proceed to the eastern port district of Trincomalee and the northern capital of Jaffna dominated by the Tamil minority.

At all three provincial visits, Shringla would be visiting the Indian funded projects supervised by the Indian mission in the country.

Officials said his high-level engagements in Colombo are scheduled for tomorrow.

He would be calling on the three Rajapaksa brothers who are the President, Prime Minister and the Finance Minister of the country.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who was in the US for the UN General assembly sessions, will return today.

In addition to the Rajapaksa trio, Shringla would receive a delegation of the main Tamil party, Tamil Alliance for discussions.

has been consistently calling upon Sri Lanka to fulfil its commitments to protect the interests of the Tamil community and preserve the island nation's character as a multi-ethnic and multi-religious society.

The Tamil community in Sri Lanka has been demanding the implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution that provides for devolution of power to it. The 13th amendment was brought in after the Indo-Sri Lankan agreement of 1987.

He would also call on the Foreign Minister GL Peiris.

The Indian foreign secretary who is in his first visit to Sri Lanka was received at the airport by his counterpart Jayanath Colombage last night.

The visit will contribute towards the long-standing multifaceted relations and enhance bilateral partnership between the two countries, the foreign ministry said.

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Union Commerce and Industry on Saturday said he was gratified to see the confidence the authorities and investors have in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's approach to problem-solving and his approach to the systemic and policy-driven resolution of issues.

Addressing a press briefing here on Saturday, said investors in had conveyed that they do not have to worry about extraneous considerations while doing business in India.

"I am gratified to see the confidence that the government and investors have in the political leadership in India, the confidence they have in PM Modi's approach to problem-solving, approach to promoting country and approach to systemic resolution and policy-driven resolution of issues that come up in a very transparent and honest manner," he said.

The minister said investors in India have a lot of positivity about the country's future."I would like to express my gratitude to the investors in India who have let bygones be bygones but have a lot of positivity about the future. They have appreciated the role of bureaucracy in India, whose mindset has also changed significantly," he said.

"Many investors spoke about at dinner last night and during my bilaterals. This new India that they are seeing, I think, is a source of inspiration for them to look at engaging with India in a much bigger way," he added.

The minister said at every meeting he had in the UAE, everyone appreciated India's efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"They appreciated that India proactively supported the UAE. They said India has earned our goodwill for life," he said.

"India's Vaccine Maitri initiative has earned us the trust of the world. It is the visionary thinking of PM that we are reaping the benefits today," he added.

The ninth meeting of the UAE-India High-Level Joint Task Force on Investments on Saturday discussed ongoing efforts to amend the longstanding Bilateral Investment Treaty and noted the importance of concluding the negotiation process as soon as possible.

The meeting was co-chaired by Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Member of the Executive Council of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

Senior officials representing government authorities and various investment entities from both countries took part in the meeting.

on Friday inaugurated the Indian Pavilion at Dubai Expo 2020.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The city government has informed the High Court that authorities plan to demolish an illegally constructed in South Delhi's Defence Colony.

The government's submission was made when a plea seeking removal of encroachment in front of a property came up for hearing before the court.

Justice Rekha Palli issued notice and sought response of the government, DCP (South), Hauz Khas on the petition filed by the property's owner .

The court asked the authorities to file a status report and listed the matter for further hearing on October 8.

Advocate Anupam Srivastava, representing the city government and DCP (South), submitted that the authorities are conscious of their duty and have already planned to demolish the illegal encroachment at the site on October 4.

He said it would be necessary to have requisite police assistance to carry out the demolition and assured the court that police will render the necessary assistance to the Delhi government's PWD Department to carry out the proposed demolition drive on Monday.

The court also issued notice to the person who has carried out the alleged unauthorised construction and whom the petitioners have not been able to identify.

The plea said that during the COVID-19 pandemic, somebody trespassed and illegally constructed a on public land, that is a footpath, at Bhishma Pitamah Marg, right in front of the petitioners' property.

The petition claimed that taking advantage and shelter of the illegal construction, people gather there and indulge in rowdiness and gambling and the encroached structure impedes full access to the petitioners' building.

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US Defence Secretary Lloyd J Austin on Sunday that it was an honour to meet India's Chief of Defense Staff General Bipin Rawat during his recent US visit, during which they reaffirmed India-US enduring commitment to a free and open

Taking to Twitter, Austin termed Rawat's visit to the US as "historic".

"It was an honour to meet Indian Chief of Defense Staff Gen. Rawat during his historic visit to the Pentagon last week. We reaffirmed our enduring commitment to a #FreeandOpenIndoPacific and discussed ways to drive greater interoperability between the U.S. and Indian armed forces," he tweeted.

Rawat on Thursday met Austin during which both exchanged views on advancing defence partnership, as per the Pentagon statement.

Austin and Rawat exchanged views on priorities for advancing the US-India defence partnership, including through enhanced cooperation in new defence domains such as space, cyber, and emerging technologies, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said in a readout of the conversation on Thursday.

Earlier on Thursday, General Rawat had met the US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark A Milley in Washington and both discussed a range of issues, including ways to ensure regional security.

The top officials agreed to continued cooperation in training exercises and creating more opportunities to increase interoperability between the two militaries, Office of the US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Public Affairs said in a statement.

Milley had welcomed General Rawat during an Armed Forces full honour arrival ceremony on Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall. General Rawat laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier as part of his official visit.

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More than 2.5 crore unorganised workers have registered on the e-Shram portal, the labour ministry said.

The e-Shram portal was inaugurated on August 26, 2021.

In a statement, the labour ministry stated, "More than 2.5 crore registrations have been done so far on the portal."



The portal is the first-ever database of unorganised workers including migrant workers, construction workers, gig and platform workers.

Labour and Employment Minister Bhupender Yadav also informed that the fourth week was marked by a galloping registration of unorganized workers, crossing over 1.71 crore, this (5th) week more than 2.51 crore workers in total are registered on this portal as on date.

An estimated 38 crore workers are engaged in the unorganized sector and employment (Economic Survey, 2019-20).

Earlier in the day, the union minister flagged off the field work of the Area Frame Establishment Survey (AFES) at Shram Bureau Bhawan, Chandigarh on the occasion of 101st Foundation Day of Labour Bureau.

Yadav said that following the motto of Mehnat Ko Samman, Adhikar Ek Saman, the Government is focused on the welfare of workers through evidence-based policy making.

During the event, he mentioned that data on all aspects of labour is crucial and scientifically collected data is bedrock for any evidence-based policy making.

With the increasing importance of data in the time to come coupled with the fact that India is a labour abundant nation, a dedicated organization for labour and price statistics like the Labour Bureau merits strengthening and full support, said the minister.

The minister also held discussions with the State Labour Ministers, Labour Secretaries & Commissioners of States of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh & UTs of Chandigarh, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh regarding progress with respect to registration of unorganized workers under e-Shram portal and preparedness of States/UTs on implementation of various schemes and reforms.

The minister also distributed e-Shram cards to unorganised workers and presented approval letters under ESIC Covid Relief Scheme to the dependents of the people who lost their lives due to the pandemic.

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Commerce and Industry Minister on Saturday said that he expects Prime Minister would accept the invitation to visit the Expo 2020, a six-month long event which started on October 1.

"I do hope the Honorable Prime Minister will accept the invitation to visit Dubai, during this six-month period when the Expo will be held and take forward the relations between the two countries," he told reporters here.

The India Pavilion in Expo 2020 is showcasing a resurgent India's march to becoming a USD 5 trillion economy in the post-Covid world.

The pavilion is not only capturing the vibrant Indian culture and its past but also the capabilities and opportunities that it presents as a global economic hub to the domestic as well as the foreign investors.

It is witnessing participation from a number of Indian states who will be displaying their culture, tradition and tremendous business opportunities along with the top corporate groups from India, and the public sector companies.

It is also exhibiting the country's cultural diversity, ancient treasures, achievements, and leading opportunities with cutting-edge technologies. One of the largest pavilions at the Expo 2020 Dubai, India Pavilion is featuring an innovative kinetic faade made up of 600 individual colourful blocks.

It is developed as a mosaic of rotating panels that will depict different themes as they rotate on their axis. It represents the theme of India on the move' and is a unique amalgam of the rich heritage and technological advances of the nation.

The entire four-storey structure is divided into two parts. The zones are identified based on 11 primary themes - Climate and Biodiversity, Space, Urban and Rural Development, Tolerance and Inclusivity, Golden Jubilee, Knowledge and Learning, Travel and Connectivity, Global Goals, Health and Wellness, Food Agriculture and Livelihoods and Water.

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Noting that companies in the UAE now feel that the process to invest in India has become seamless and clean, Union Commerce and Industry Minister on Saturday said that they appreciate the mindset of the political leadership and are looking to engage in a much bigger way.

The minister, who earlier in the day co-chaired a meeting of UAE-India High-Level Joint Task Force, said investors in UAE had conveyed that they do not have to worry about extraneous considerations while doing business in India.

"I am gratified to see the confidence that the UAE government and investors have in the political leadership in India, the confidence they have in PM Modi's approach to problem-solving, approach to promoting country and approach to systemic resolution and policy-driven resolution of issues that come up in a very transparent and honest manner," he said.

"Two-three big investors whom I met deeply appreciated the fact that now doing business in India is clean and honest. They said that now they don't have to worry about extraneous considerations. That is the biggest attraction, they said. One company said I want to invest in 25 locations in India to set up operations. I asked how do you find it when you are working in India. He said that the best part of working it is absolutely clean," the minister said.

Goyal said the investor told him that he had set up a big project in Lucknow and "had no problem at all, seamless implementation".

The minister said investors in India have a lot of positivity about the country's future.

"I would like to express my gratitude to the investors in India who have let bygone be bygones but have a lot of positivity about the future. They have appreciated the role of bureaucracy in India, whose mindset has also changed significantly," he said.

"Many investors spoke about at dinner last night and during my bilaterals. This new India that they are seeing I think is a source of inspiration for them to look at engaging with India in a much bigger way," he added.

The ninth meeting of the UAE-India High-Level Joint Task Force on Investments on Saturday discussed ongoing efforts to amend the longstanding Bilateral Investment Treaty and noted the importance of concluding the negotiation process as soon as possible.

The meeting was co-chaired by Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Member of the Executive Council of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

Senior officials representing government authorities and various investment entities from both countries took part in the meeting.

on Friday inaugurated the Indian Pavilion at Dubai Expo 2020.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Union minister on Sunday assured that every stakeholder's interest will be taken into consideration while framing the which would be robust and in the interest of every Indian.

Goyal, who heads commerce and industry as well as consumer affairs ministries, also said that he welcomes all the feedback on the draft e-commerce rules but comments about inter-departmental issues on the draft rules are totally unwarranted.

The minister's comments has come following reports that the Department for Promotion of Internal Industry and Trade (DPIIT), the Corporate Affairs Ministry and the Niti Aayog have objected to some provisions of the draft e-commerce rules.

The report citing an RTI reply has claimed that Niti Aayog has expressed apprehensions that the draft rules may harm ease of doing business.

Goyal, who was here to inaugurate India pavilion at Dubai Expo 2020, said that the whole purpose of an inter-ministerial consultation was to get views and comments from different quarters.

"I do believe that I welcome all the feedback and look forward to a very robust and healthy consultations with all the stakeholders...We are trying to balance everybody's interest and come up with a robust framework in which this (policy) can be implemented in the interest of all Indians," Goyal told PTI.

The very purpose of releasing draft rules is to elicit public opinion, ideas from other departments, from stakeholders, encourage feedback, he said, adding the government has always believed in engaging with all the stakeholders before taking a final decision on any policy.

Citing example of data privacy law, national education policy and jewellery hallmarking norms, he said the government conducts stakeholders consultation to arrive at a good decision.

Domestic jewellers are now appreciating the hallmarking norms, which they were opposing earlier tooth and nail, he said.

"The consumer rules around the e-commerce are under public consultation. I warmly welcome feedback from various stakeholders but I have to protect everybody's interest and balance consumers interest, ecommerce interests, retailers interests," he said, adding that "everybody's interest will be taken into consideration and a balanced and a very robust policy will be finalized."



When asked if there is any move to link all the policies together, he said every department has to protect its own stakeholders.

The DPIIT under the commerce and industry ministry is also framing a national

"Consumer department has to protect the interest of consumers. Ecommerce policy is a matter for industry department to focus on, because they have to protect the interest of industry and internal trade ...so we have an orderly behaviour in the industry and at the same time ensure that internal trade is also protected," he said.

He said that they are trying to balance everybody's interest and come up with a robust framework in which this policy can be implemented in the interest of all Indians.

On June 21, the consumer affairs ministry released draft e-commerce rules under which it banned fraudulent flash sale and mis-selling of goods and services on e-commerce platforms.

Appointment of chief compliance officer/grievance redressal officer are among other key amendments proposed to the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020.

The government also proposed registration of every e-commerce entity which intends to operate in India with the DPIIT. The proposed amendments also included e-commerce entities requiring to provide information not later than 72 hours of the receipt of an order from a government agency for prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of offences under any law.

According to research firm CUTS International, many consumer organisations have felt that draft e-commerce rules should stick to only consumer-facing issues.

The Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 were first notified in July last year. Their violation attracts penal action under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

On free trade agreement with the US, he said that the US has not yet decided about what kind of policies they would like to follow about such pacts with India.

On the ongoing talks at the WTO about fisheries subsidy agreement, he said that it should happen successfully, but "on fair and equitable terms".

India has given its own proposal, which if the other countries accept, then "we will be happy to conclude negotiations and we will make every effort to conclude negotiations".

When asked whether the issue of Indian Covid vaccine with the UK would have any impact on FTA talks, he said the international trade does not happen like that.

"The vaccine issue will be sorted out by concerned officials of both sides, but it is not going to something that change the way our relationship is blossoming..We do believe that they should have accepted our vaccine..we have one of the best vaccine manufacturing (facilities)," he added.

Later, addressing Indian People's Forum (IPF) Business Conclave here, Goyal called upon the diaspora in the UAE to encourage others to Invest in India. He said this is the right time for India's vast expatriate community to invest in India.

He said the government has taken many steps to create conducive business environment.

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With the nine districts of Tamil Nadu going for rural local body polls in two phases on October 6 and October 9, the state is witnessing a tough political battle between the led front and the led front.

The polls are wide open and both the fronts have a point to prove. While the front which is in the saddle in Tamil Nadu wants to establish that the 2021 victory was not a fluke, the wants to regain lost ground and establish its supremacy in these rural local body elections and hence prove its presence with a bang.

The has however received a jolt even before the polls in the northern parts of Tamil Nadu as the powerful Vanniyar political party, the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) which was part of the AIADMK front suddenly announced that it would go it alone in the ensuing polls. While the PMK has openly announced that lack of time to decide on seat-sharing led to its decision to contest the polls alone, sources in the party told IANS that the party was miffed at the AIADMK not pushing the case of its leader, Dr Anbumani Ramadoss for getting a cabinet berth in the recent expansion at the Centre.

The PMK contesting alone in the northern districts will affect the prospects of the AIADMK.

In the southern districts of Tamil Nadu, the recent beheading of four people as part of a caste war has affected the ruling dispensation and the people's ire is directed at the failure of the state police and its intelligence wing as the major reason for the rise in brutal killings. The fact that these killings are mainly done on caste lines has also affected the prospects of the ruling front, especially in Tirunelveli district. The fight is mostly between the Dalits and the Thevar community and has led to a polarization of the social fabric in almost all the southern districts of Tamil Nadu.

Director-General of Police C. Saylendra Babu called a meeting of senior officers in Tirunelveli and Madurai to take strict action against the perpetrators of the violence and killings. He directed the district police superintendents to be on alert and closely monitor the shops where weapons like knives and machetes are sold. The police have directed all the shopkeepers to keep a record of those who have bought these weapons.

While the police are undertaking strict monitoring, the local people are worried that either before the polls or immediately after them, there could be violence in the region on caste lines.

M. Rajendran, Retired Professor of Social Sciences, Madurai Kamaraj University, told IANS that "The police have to be tough with these thugs. They should not be given a hero's welcome in their native villages for killing someone and the police should put it down with an iron hand. The steps taken by the DGP to get information about those who buy knives and machetes is a good idea and constant intelligence inputs and arrest of those involved in reprisal killings are a must as the immediate solution. Caste differences have to go and the government should conduct massive awareness programmes right from school children to adults to overcome this."

The nine districts of the state that are going to the polls in two phases are Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu, Tenkasi, Vellore, Ranipet, Tiruppatur, Tirunelveli, Villupuram, and Kallakuruchi. Political parties are busy connecting with the people.

While Chief Minister M.K. Stalin is leading the campaign, the AIADMK is being led by former Chief Ministers, O. Panneerselvam and Edappadi. K. Palaniswami.

With the results of the elections coming out on October 12, it remains to be seen who will have the last laugh even as political observers are of the opinion that the DMK led front has an edge.

R. Padmanabhan, Director, Socio-Economic Development Foundation, a think tank based out of Madurai, told IANS that "The DMK led front has a slight edge in the rural local body polls, as generally in panchayat elections the party which is in power has an edge. Moreover, the Stalin government has done well in the past few months since it assumed office and this will also work in favour of the DMK led front. In the AIADMK, there are certain issues within the party and the PMK announcing it will contest the elections alone is a setback for the AIADMK front in northern Tamil Nadu."

--IANS

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Counting of votes for the Bhabanipur bypoll as well as Jangipur and Samserganj assembly in began at 8 am on Sunday amid tight security, an official said.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who had lost the assembly from Nandigram earlier this year, is up against BJP's Priyanka Tibrewal and CPI(M)'s Srijib Biswas in Bhabanipur in south Kolkata.

She will have to get elected to the assembly to retain the CM's chair.

The Election Commission has made arrangements for a three-tier security at the counting centre set up at Sakhawat Memorial Girls High School in Bhabanipur, where 24 companies of central forces have also been deployed.

Eight CCTV cameras have been fitted at the EVM strong room and the results will be declared after 21 rounds of counting.

Prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC have been imposed within 200 metre radius of the counting centres at all three constituencies that went to the polls on September 30.

Candidates and their agents, who have received both the doses of COVID-19 vaccine or have tested negative for the infection, will be allowed to enter the counting venues, the Election Commission official said.

All officials and agents have been asked to abide by COVID-19 protocols, he said.

State minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, who won the assembly election from Bhabanipur in south Kolkata, vacated it shortly after results were declared in May, paving the way for the by-election so that Banerjee could fight it.

Polls were countermanded in Jangipur and Samserganj in the Murshidabad district, following the death of one candidate each.

Over 57 per cent polling was registered in Bhabanipur.

A high voting rate at 79.92 per cent and 77.63 per cent was recorded in Samserganj and Jangipur, respectively.

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Early trends coming in showed that the Trinamool Congress was leading in all the three constituencies, including Bhabanipur where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who had lost the Assembly polls from Nandigram earlier this year, is up against BJP's Priyanka Tibrewal and CPI(M)'s Srijib Biswas.

Mamata will have to get elected to the Assembly to retain the Chief Minister's chair.

According to initial reports was leading by a margin of 2,800 votes after the completion of the counting of the postal ballots.

In two other constituencies -- Jangipur and Samserganj -- both in Murshidabad district, the Trinamool Congress candidates have maintained their lead. Jakir Hossain, who is contesting from Jangipur Assembly constituency was also leading by a margin of 1,300 votes after the first round of counting. Trinamool Congress candidate from Samserganj, Amirul Islam was also leading.

Speaking to the media, state Transport Minister Firhad Hakim, who was in charge of the Bhabanipur Assembly constituency, told the media that the chief minister is going to win by a margin of 70,000 to 80,000 votes. "She will win by a record margin," Hakim said.

On the other hand, BJP candidate Priyanka Tibrewal said, "The people have given their votes and now if everything continues in a fair way then there is no doubt I am going to win".

The CPI(M) candidate pitted against Banerjee, Srijib Biswas said, "Election results don't make any difference to us. We don't do politics for a day. We stay with the people all the year round".

Tight security arrangements have been made in all the counting centres of the state. Altogether 24 companies of the central forces have been deployed at the counting centres, and the entire area put under CCTV surveillance. Officials have only been allowed pen and paper and only the returning officer and observer are allowed to use phones, officials informed.

Eight CCTV cameras have been fitted at the EVM strong room and the results will be declared after 21 rounds of counting.

Prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC have been imposed within 200-metre radius of the counting centres at all three constituencies that went to the polls on September 30.

Candidates and their agents, who have received both the doses of Covid-19 vaccine or have tested negative for the infection, will be allowed to enter the counting venues, the Election Commission official said.

All officials and agents have been asked to abide by Covid-19 protocols, he said.

Over 57 per cent polling was registered in Bhabanipur.

A high voting rate at 79.92 per cent and 77.63 per cent was recorded in Samserganj and Jangipur, respectively.

--IANS

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The on Sunday said the results of the three Assembly by-polls in state are not in line with their expectations, and they are accepting the outcome gracefully.

Sukanta Majumdar, the Bengal unit chief of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said: "We need to understand that a large number of people couldn't come to vote or they were not allowed to come to vote. But one thing we should keep in mind that the chief minister Mamata Banerjee thought that she would wipe out from Bhabanipur but that has not happened."

"We are overwhelmed by the support of the people who despite all the odds, have come out and voted for us. This will inspire us to fight with a new spirit in future. There are four by-elections in October and we hope that we will do better in these elections," Majumdar said.

In a statement, the said: "The outcome of the three Assembly by-polls in are not in line with our expectation but we accept it gracefully."

"After being demolished in Nandigram, Mamata Banerjee may have survived in Bhabanipur for now, but it has never happened that a losing candidate chose to thrust herself as the Chief Minister, in violation of all democratic norms and proprietary," the statement said.

The BJP alleged that the elections were held under an overbearing state administration, with dark shadow of fear, intimidation and gloom of the post poll violence hanging over the electorate.

Echoing the sentiment of state unit, senior leaders said the victory margin of Banerjee has surprised them a little.

"While contesting the by-polls, we tried our best and everyone had worked hard to ensure the Chief Minister's defeat in Bhabanipur. In reality, we are sure that her victory margin would be narrow. But the huge victory margins also came a surprise to us," a party leader said.

Another leader said that the party will draw plans for future to further expand its presence in the state with eye on 2024 Lok Sabha polls and next assembly polls in 2026.

"A long term plan will be finalised to strengthen and expand the party in West Bengal. The BJP workers will continue to fight for the people of West Bengal and uproot the Banerjee government in the next polls," another senior leader said.

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A court here on Sunday remanded Aryan Khan, son of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, and two others to NCB custody till October 4 in connection with the seizure of banned drugs onboard a cruise ship off the Mumbai coast.

Aryan Khan and the two others Munmun Dhamecha and Arbaaz Merchant- were arrested this evening and were produced before a special holiday court of additional metropolitan magistrate R K Rajebhosale.

Advait Sethna, the advocate for the (NCB), sought custody of the accused for two days on the ground that the investigation is at a nascent stage and more raids were being carried out to apprehend the supplier of drugs.

Aryan Khan's advocate Satish Maneshinde argued that his client was invited to the event being held on the cruise by the organisers.

No incriminating material has been recovered from him (Aryan). There is no possession or evidence of consumption, he said.

Maneshinde said he would file an application seeking bail for Aryan Khan on Monday.

"Although the sections under which he (Aryan) has been booked are all bailable offences. I am willing to settle for a one-day NCB custody so that we can file for bail before the regular court," he said.

Aryan Khan has been booked under sections 27 (punishment for consumption of any narcotic drug or psychotropic substance), 8C (produce, manufacture, possess, sell or purchase of drugs) and other relevant provisions of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS).

He and seven others were detained late Saturday night by NCB sleuths after they raided the cruise ship on its way from Mumbai to Goa.

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Inc. executives believe a former employee whistle-blower will accuse the company of relaxing its election-related safeguards too soon following last Novembers vote, and will suggest on 60 Minutes that the companys products contributed to the Capitol riots in Washington in January.



The whistle-blower, who already shared a trove of internal documents with the Wall Street Journal, will appear in an interview on 60 Minutes Sunday evening. The person, whose identity is not yet known, is also set to testify before a Senate subcommittee on Tuesday.

Nick Clegg, Facebooks head of global policy, braced employees for the expected charges in a memo on Friday evening.

I know some of you  especially those of you in the US  are going to get questions from friends and family about these things, Clegg wrote in the memo, seen by Bloomberg. So I wanted to take a moment as we head into the weekend to provide what I hope is some useful context on our work in these crucial areas. The New York Times first reported on Cleggs memo.

Clegg said those responsible for the Jan. 6 riots are the perpetrators of the violence, and those in politics and elsewhere who actively encouraged them.

Mature democracies in which social media use is widespread hold all the time  for instance Germanys election last week  without the disfiguring presence of violence, he added.





The company has more than 40,000 people working on safety and security, and removed more than 5 billion fake accounts in 2020, he said. Between March 2020 and Election Day, the company removed over 265,000 pieces of and content in the US which violated voter interference policies, he said.

only rolled back on pre-election emergency measures  based on careful data-driven analysis  when we saw a return to more normal conditions, Clegg wrote. We left some of them on for a longer period of time through February this year and others, like not recommending civic, political or new Groups, we have decided to retain permanently.





Clegg also said he expects the whistle-blower will also accuse the company of increasing polarization through the companys News Feed algorithm, an allegation he believes is unfair.

The increase in political polarization in the US pre-dates social media by several decades, he wrote. If it were true that Facebook is the chief cause of polarization, we would expect to see it going up wherever Facebook is popular. It isnt.

Cleggs memo followed a series of stories in the Wall Street Journal last month that found Facebook struggles in a number of key content areas, including Covid-19 misinformation. One story also highlighted research from Facebook-owned that found the app makes mental health issues worse for some users, particularly teens.

Those documents spurred a Senate subcommittee hearing on Thursday that focused on childrens safety online. The whistle-blower will appear before the same committee next week as part of a hearing with a similar theme.

Clegg ended his memo by telling employees that they should hold our heads up high and be proud of the work that the company does. A Facebook spokesman declined to comment.
executive Nick Clegg, in a defiant internal memo, said that a former employee will accuse the company of contributing to the US Capitol riot, the New York Times reported on Saturday.

appears to be launching a pre-emptive strike against the whistleblower with the memo, also shared with Axios, ahead of her CBS "60 Minutes" interview airing on Sunday and her scheduled appearance at a Senate hearing on Tuesday.

In the memo, Facebook's Vice President of Global Affairs Clegg wrote that she will accuse the tech giant on "60 Minutes" of contributing to polarisation in the US, citing NYT, Axios reported.

Clegg stated that the programme will "suggest that the extraordinary steps we took for the 2020 elections were relaxed too soon and contributed to the horrific events of January 6 in the Capitol".

According to CBS, the whistleblower will reveal her identity on "60 Minutes" and outline allegations based on thousands of pages of internal research she provided the Securities and Exchange Commission.

She claims she can "prove is lying to the public and investors about the effectiveness of its campaigns to eradicate hate, violence and misinformation from its platforms," as per CBS.

Facebook has been fielding criticism over its internal research into Instagram's negative impact on teenage girls after the whistleblower leaked a trove of documents to the Wall Street Journal.

"What evidence there is simply does not support the idea that Facebook, or social media more generally, is the primary cause of polarisation," Clegg stated in the memo, sent on Friday.

"(P)olarising content and misinformation are also present on platforms that have no algorithmic ranking whatsoever, including private messaging apps like iMessage and WhatsApp," he added.

--IANS

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Egypt's national carrier Sunday made its first official direct flight to since the two countries signed an historic 1979 peace treaty as an EgyptAir jet landed at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport.

The airline's affiliate, AirSinai, has for decades operated flights to without the company logo, out of fear of public backlash. The national carrier will now run three weekly flights between Cairo and Tel Aviv with the EgyptAir markings.

The Israeli Embassy in Cairo tweeted that direct flights are an important and welcome sign of strengthening bilateral ties between the two countries, especially economic relations.

Last week, Bahrain's GulfAir made its first direct flight to Israel, further cementing commercial ties established with the signing of the Abraham Accords between and four Arab states last year.

Sunday's flight came two weeks after Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett made the first public visit to by an Israeli leader in over a decade. He met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi in the Sinai resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh in a sign of warming ties between the two countries.

In August, Israel removed a longstanding advisory for its citizens about travel to Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, a move seen as a gesture to its strategic partner.

(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 Monetary Fund's executive board will intensify its probe of Managing Director this week by separately interviewing her and investigators who said she pressured staff to alter data to favor China, people with knowledge of the meetings said.

The board will question lawyers from the WilmerHale firm on Monday about their investigation report, three people familiar with the plans said. The report alleged that Georgieva, as the bank's CEO in 2017, applied undue pressure on staff to alter data in the flagship "Doing Business" report to benefit China.

Georgieva, who has strongly denied the accusations, will appear in person before the board on Tuesday, the day she is to deliver a virtual speech about the and annual meetings Oct. 11-17, two of the sources said.

The interviews could prove pivotal in either building or eroding shareholder support for Georgieva.

Thus far, the fund's most influential member governments, including top shareholder the United States, have withheld public comment, preferring to let the review process play out. Britain last week said in a statement to Reuters that it supports transparency in the matter.



The World Bank tasked WilmerHale with investigating the "Doing Business" data irregularities identified in 2020, issuing its findings implicating Georgieva just over two weeks ago. The probe has been led by former U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Ron Machen, who is co-chair of WilmerHale's white collar defense and investigations practice.

The investigation's report contends Georgieva and former World Bank President Jim Yong Kim's office pressured staff to manipulate data so China's global ranking in the "Doing Business 2018" study of investment climates rose to 78th from 85th.

The motive was allegedly to help win Beijing's support for a major capital increase that the bank's management was seeking at the time.

An spokesman declined to confirm the planned meetings. Spokespersons for WilmerHale in Boston and Washington did not respond to requests for comment.

A spokesperson for Georgieva also declined to confirm the meetings but said in an emailed statement that Georgieva "will not be deterred by these false allegations and remains committed to fulfilling the vital mission of the IMF."

Process, evidence questions

One person familiar with the plan said the board was expected to question the WilmerHale team about its investigatory process - the scope of its assignment, how it conducted the probe and how the decision was made to publish the results, which came with little prior notification to Georgieva.



Other questions will seek details on the links drawn in the report between the changes to the "Doing Business" data inputs for China and the capital-raising campaign, which resulted in a $13 billion increase to the World Bank's paid-in capital in 2018 that boosted China's shareholding.

Another source said there also will likely be questions over discrepancies between witness interviews, the report's conclusions and later public statements from at least one person interviewed. Shanta Devarajan, the former World Bank economist who oversaw the "Doing Business" 2018 report released in October 2017, said he never felt pressure from Georgieva, and that the WilmerHale team used only half of his statements.

Machen did not respond to a request for comment.
External Affairs Minister on Friday met with his counterparts from Iran, Armenia and Uzbekistan and exchanged views on the recent developments in Afghanistan, confronting regional challenges and the ways to boost bilateral ties.

Jaishankar, who is in the Tajik capital to attend a key meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on the situation in Afghanistan after its takeover by the Taliban last month, in a tweet said he was glad to meet Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian on the sidelines of the SCO meet in Dushanbe.

"Discussed strengthening our bilateral relations and working together on regional challenges, he said.

In his meeting with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, Jaishankar said the two leaders positively reviewed the bilateral cooperation and agreed to work together to expand it further.

Good to meet FM Abdulaziz Kamilov of Uzbekistan. Our conversation focused on the Afghanistan situation. As countries combating terrorism and fundamentalism, our close cooperation is in mutual interest, he tweeted after his meeting with the foreign minister of Uzbekistan.

Actor Prachee Panday and her group enthralled the audience with their exquisite performance in the gala concert at the SCO Summit.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to virtually participate in the annual SCO summit on September 17 that is expected to deliberate extensively on the developments in Afghanistan as well as the overall regional security scenario.

Jaishankar will attend a meeting on Afghanistan with the heads of state of SCO and the Collective Security Treaty Organisation.

The SCO, seen as a counterweight to NATO, is an eight-member economic and security bloc and has emerged as one of the largest transregional organisations. India and Pakistan became its permanent members in 2017.

The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

India has shown keen interest in deepening its security-related cooperation with the SCO and its Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS), which specifically deals with issues relating to security and defence.

India was made an observer at the SCO in 2005 and has generally participated in the ministerial-level meetings of the grouping which focus mainly on security and economic cooperation in the Eurasian region.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A bomb exploded in the entrance of a mosque in the Afghan capital on Sunday leaving a number of civilians dead, a spokesperson said.

The bomb targeted the sprawling Eidgah Mosque, the second-largest mosque in Kabul, where a memorial service was being held for the mother of spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid, who later tweeted the attack had claimed civilian lives.

fighters were not harmed in the attack, Taliban spokesperson Bilal Karimi told the Associated Press. Those killed in the attack were civilians outside the mosque gate. He did not provide a figure for the number killed and said an investigation was ongoing.

Emergency NGO, an Italian-funded hospital in Kabul, tweeted it had received four people wounded in the blast.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. However, since the Taliban takeover of in mid-August, attacks by (IS) group militants against them have increased.

IS maintains a strong presence in the eastern province of Nangarhar and considers the Taliban an enemy. IS has claimed several attacks against the Taliban, including several killings in the provincial capital of Jalalabad.

Attacks in Kabul have so far been rare, but in recent weeks IS has shown signs it is expanding its footprint beyond the east and closer toward the capital. On Friday, Taliban fighters raided an IS hideout just north of Kabul in Parwan province. The raid came after an IS roadside bomb wounded four Taliban fighters in the area.
Pakistan and China have been collaborating in the field of technology for some time now. The progress made thus far by Pakistan in building its infrastructure has been mainly a result of constant assistance from China, even though Pakistan had taken the initiative of setting up its and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) as early as in 1961 with a promising dream of building its own space architecture under the guidance and supervision of Abdus Salam -- a Pakistani physicist and Nobel Laureate, who is also the founder of the Pakistani space programme.

However, over the years, the Pakistani space programme did not witness as much growth as was expected and planned due to increased focus by the government on the nuclear programme. This led to shifting of scientific talent and resources towards Pakistan's nuclear programme.

Moreover, the years of governance by the military led to a lack of freedom and independence for scientists in Pakistan. Realization of prioritized objectives became the mainstay of the scientific community. Subsequently, with the signing of an agreement between the Chinese Ministry of Aerospace Industry and SUPARCO in 1991, the Pakistani space programme got more attention.

Over the years, one saw considerable exchanges between the two sides as the Pakistani space program saw progress and growth. China and Pakistan also signed a 2012-2020 roadmap for space cooperation between SUPARCO and the China National Space Administration (CNSA) in 2012. This agreement sets the pace for more intensive cooperation between the two sides.

Besides, the fact that China and Pakistan have signed an agreement on space exploration, China has also successfully launched two remote sensing satellites for Pakistan. There are also plans for Pakistan to send an astronaut to space with the help of China. The Chinese have also been assisting Pakistan in its Remote Sensing Satellite project.

According to reliable inputs, SUPARCO is in the process of acquiring Satellite Image Telemetry Service and Associated Ground Station for High-Resolution Optical Satellite Constellation. In this regard, a Chinese entity M/s China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC), has come forward in cooperating with SUPARCO. The technical proposal submitted by the company is presently under consideration before being finalized. Earlier, in August 2020, SUPARCO was in the process of procuring High-Resolution Optical Satellite imagery data and its telemetry services, and the Chinese company M/s China Volant Industries Co. Ltd. (VOLINCO) had come forward with assistance.

Pakistan has also been exploring the possibility of cooperation with other countries in the space sector with the aim of modernizing and advancing its space programme. In this connection, a three-member delegation from SUPARCO was scheduled to visit (September 5) Bucharest to meet officials of M/s Airbus Defence and Space. The delegation, led by Zafar Iqbal, Member, Space Application Research Wing, was also to discuss possible areas of bilateral cooperation with Romania in the field of Space Sciences,Technology & Applications. M/s Airbus Defence and Space, Romania, established in 2005, is a subsidiary of M/s Airbus that provides a full spectrum of defence & space products and related services.

Space programmes are of enormous value for a developing nation especially in the context of peaceful uses of space technology which can contribute towards climate monitoring, agriculture science, socio-economic sector, urban planning etc. However, Pakistan has always been seeking a competitive edge over India in every sphere and the high degree of insecurity that prevails in the Pakistani establishment vis-a-vis India has undoubtedly led to a strong defence centric focus of its space programme.

With China's assistance, Pakistan would have been inevitably working towards proactively building the framework of a defence oriented space programme. This is an area that will warrant close watch by the community as behind the scene cooperation between China and Pakistan can lead to damaging outcomes, especially since Pakistan's core objective in expanding its space and nuclear programmes has been to remain a step ahead, if not at par, of India.

--IANS

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Cash-strapped is set to resume talks with the Monetary Fund (IMF) next week for the revival of a USD 6 billion loan package, according to a media report on Sunday.

The five-day round of technical discussions will virtually begin on October 4, with the team joining from Doha, Qatar, The Express Tribune reported.

The successful conclusion of the talks would facilitate immediate disbursement of USD 1 billion by the

and the had signed the USD 6 billion deal in July 2019 but the programme was derailed in January 2020 and restored briefly in March this year before again going off the track in June.

From June to August there were no serious discussions between the two sides.

Sources said that Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin was keen to conclude the parleys on a positive note during face-to-face meetings with the top IMF management in Washington on October 15, the newspaper reported.

The IMF has not yet shown its willingness for face-to-face meetings and instead proposed virtual meetings for October 13 to 15. Therefore, the schedule of the policy-level talks remains tentative and it will be finalised next week, according to finance ministry sources.

The policy level talks are coinciding with the annual IMF-WB meetings that will take place from October 11 to 17.

Pakistan's embassy in Washington and the State Bank of (SBP) governor are trying to get dates from the IMF top management for a physical meeting.

The finance ministry did not respond to a question whether the October 13-15 round in Washington would also be held virtually.

The ministry also did not respond to another question regarding Pakistan's request for a meeting with the IMF managing director.

Finance Minister Tarin has already announced that he would visit Washington from October 12 to 17 to hold talks with the top IMF management on the sidelines of the annual meetings.

The sources said that during recent interaction, the finance ministry showed some leniency in accepting the IMF's demands, as the four-month deadlock in talks was proving costly for the government, which is heavily dependent on the foreign loans to remain afloat.

During the talks, the two sides would try to find a middle ground on the contentious issue of an increase in electricity prices.

During recent interactions, the IMF conveyed that Pakistan would have to increase power tariffs, as the staff could not budge from its position taken before the management and the IMF board.

Another crucial question that will be decided in the coming two weeks is whether Pakistan wants to exit from the IMF programme at its original schedule of September 2022 or it needs an extension to get the remaining USD 4 billion loan.

According to the report, the government wants the IMF to advance the disbursement calendar and increase the size of the loan tranches.

Pakistan has budgeted over Rs 400 billion or USD 3.1 billion from the IMF in this fiscal year and its disbursement is only possible with the completion of the remaining reviews.

The assessment of Pakistan's gross financing needs was another critical area amid a 373 per cent increase in current account deficit during July-August this year as compared to the same period of the last year.

The IMF wants to see fiscal and monetary tightening policies to be adopted by Pakistan to reverse the increase in public debt and external sector stability.

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Apple, known among its Silicon Valley peers for a secretive corporate culture in which workers are expected to be in lock step with management, is suddenly facing an issue that would have been unthinkable a few years ago: employee unrest.

On Friday, Tim Cook, Apples chief executive, answered questions from workers in an all-staff meeting for the first time since the public surfacing of employee concerns over topics ranging from pay equity to whether the company should assert itself more on political matters like Texas restrictive abortion law.

Mr. Cook answered only two of what activist employees said were a number of questions they had wanted to ask in a meeting broadcast to employees around the world, according to a recording obtained by The New York Times. But his response was a notable acknowledgment that the workplace and social issues that have been roiling Silicon Valley for several years have taken root at

Over the past month, more than 500 people who said they were current and former employees have submitted accounts of verbal abuse, sexual harassment, retaliation and discrimination at work, among other issues, to an employee-activist group that calls itself #AppleToo, said Cher Scarlett and Janneke Parrish, two employees who help lead the group.





ALSO READ: Navalny app removed from Apple, Google stores as Russian polls open

The group has begun posting some of the anonymous stories online and has been encouraging colleagues to contact state and federal labor officials with their complaints. Their issues, as well as those of eight current and former employees who spoke to The Times, vary; among them are workplace conditions, unequal pay and the companys business practices.

A common theme is that Apples secrecy has created a culture that discourages employees from speaking out about their workplace concerns  not with co-workers, not with the press and not on social media. Complaints about problematic managers or colleagues are frequently dismissed, and workers are afraid to criticize how the company does business, the employees who spoke to The Times said.

Apple has this culture of secrecy that is toxic, said Christine Dehus, who worked at Apple for five years and left in August. On one hand, yes, I understand the secrecy piece is important for product security, to surprise and delight customers. But it bleeds into other areas of the culture where it is prohibitive and damaging.

Mr. Cook and Deirdre OBrien, Apples human resources chief, said in response to a question about pay equity on Friday that Apple regularly scrutinized its compensation practices to ensure it paid employees fairly.

When we find any gaps at all, which sometimes we do, we close them, Ms. OBrien said.

Asked what Apple was doing to protect its employees from Texas abortion restrictions, Mr. Cook said that the company was looking into whether it could aid the legal fight against the new law and that its medical insurance would help pay for Apple workers in Texas if they needed to travel to other states for an abortion.



ALSO READ: Apple touts iPhone 13 filmmaking prowess with Twitter 'hashflag'

Mr. Cooks comments received a mixed reception from Apple employees on Slack, the workplace message board, Ms. Parrish said. Some employees cheered for Mr. Cook, while others, including her, were disappointed.

Ms. Parrish said she had submitted a question about what concrete steps Apple had taken to ensure that pay gaps were resolved and that more women and people of color were being promoted to leadership roles. With the answers Tim gave today, we werent heard, she said.

Apple has about 160,000 employees around the world, and it was unclear if the newly public complaints reflected systemic problems or isolated issues that happen at many larger corporations.

We are and have always been deeply committed to creating and maintaining a positive and inclusive workplace, the company said in a statement. We take all concerns seriously and we thoroughly investigate whenever a concern is raised and, out of respect for the privacy of any individuals involved, we do not discuss specific employee matters.

While the airing of Apples workplace issues is remarkable to many people who have followed the company over the years, employee activism has become commonplace in Silicon Valley.

Three years ago, Google employees marched out of their offices around the world to protest sexual harassment policies. Last year, Facebook employees protested their companys handling of posts by President Donald J. Trump. And some have explicitly banned discussions that arent work-related.

But at Apple, the rank and file had until recently appeared to be doing their jobs with little fuss. Secrecy was a trait pushed by the companys late co-founder, Steve Jobs, who was obsessed with preventing leaks about Apples new products to maximize the publics surprise when he unveiled them onstage. The employees who spoke to The Times said that, over time, that culture had extended to the broader workplace.

Never have I met people more terrified to speak out against their employer, said Ms. Scarlett, who joined Apple as a software engineer in April and has worked at eight other





ALSO READ: Four space tourists end their trailblazing trip with Atlantic splashdown

An Apple spokesman pointed to a company policy that said employees could speak freely about your wages, hours or working conditions.

Slack has been a key organizing tool for workers, several current and former employees told The Times. Apples siloed culture kept different teams of employees separate from one another, another result of efforts to prevent leaks. There was no wide-scale, popular internal message board for employees to communicate with one another, until Apple began using Slack in 2019.

When employees were told to work from home at the beginning of the pandemic, Slack became particularly popular. For a lot of us, this was the first chance to interact with people outside our own silo, Ms. Parrish said. Previously, none of us were aware that anybody else was going through this.

The complaints seem to be making an impact. When Apple this year hired Antonio Garcia Martinez, a former Facebook manager, more than 2,000 employees signed a protest letter to management because of what they called overtly racist and sexist remarks in a book he had written, based in part on his time at Facebook. Within days, Apple fired him. Mr. Garcia Martinez declined to comment on the specifics of his case.

In May, hundreds of employees signed a letter urging Apple to publicly support Palestinians during a recent conflict with Israel. And a corporate Slack channel that was set up to organize efforts to push Apple to be more flexible about remote-work arrangements once the pandemic ended now has about 7,500 employees on it.

Beyond the group activism, Apple is dealing with individual fights that are slipping into public view.

Ashley Gjovik, a former engineering program manager at Apple for six years, said she had complained to Apple for months about what she believed was inadequate testing for toxic chemicals at her office, as well as sexist comments from a manager.

After taking her complaints public this year, Ms. Gjovik was placed on leave and later fired. She said Apple had told her that she was fired for leaking product information and not cooperating with its investigation. She has filed complaints with the National Labor Relations Board, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Justice Department, she said.





ALSO READ: Four space tourists end their trailblazing trip with Atlantic splashdown

Apple declined to comment on specific employees cases.

Ms. Dehus, who worked at Apple to mitigate the impact of mining valuable minerals in conflict zones, said she had left Apple after spending several years fighting a decision to reassign her to a role that she said had involved more work for less pay. She said Apple had begun trying to reassign her after she complained that the companys work on the minerals was not, in some cases, leading to meaningful change in some war-torn countries.

Richard Dahan, who is deaf, said he had struggled at his former job at an Apple Store in Maryland for six years because his manager refused to provide a sign-language interpreter for him to communicate with customers, which federal law requires under some circumstances. He said that he had communicated with customers by typing on an iPad, and that some customers had refused to work with him as a result. When he told his manager, the manager said it was the customers right, he said.

Would it be OK if they said they didnt want to work with a person of color? Mr. Dahan asked in an interview via a sign-language interpreter.

He was eventually assigned an interpreter. But by that time, he said, upper management viewed him as a complainer and refused to promote him.

Their culture is: Drink our Kool-Aid, buy into what were telling you, and well promote you, he said. But if youre asking for anything or making noise, then they wont.




Photo: Bloomberg

Former US president has filed a complaint with a federal court, asking to temporarily restore his account while he pushes forward with efforts toward permanent reinstatement.

Trump filed the request for a preliminary injunction against late on Friday, in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

The filing says, as quoted by ABC News, that "exercises a degree of power and control over political discourse in this country that is immeasurable, historically unprecedented, and profoundly dangerous to open democratic debate."

Trump argues that Twitter was "coerced" by members of Congress to suspend his account.

In July, Trump announced a class-action lawsuit against Facebook, Twitter, Google subsidiary YouTube and their CEOs.

The lawsuit said that the status of the three tech giants "rises beyond that of a private company to that of a state actor" and is constrained by the First Amendment right to free speech in the censorship decisions it makes regarding its users.

Facebook and Twitter have insisted that their bans on Trump are not censorship but were set up for public safety in response to the January 6 unrest at the US Capitol.

At the time Twitter permanently banned Trump in January, the former president had 88 million followers.

(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.)
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Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, has won the prestige battle at Bhabanipur beating her previous record.

Banerjee won the high stakes by-poll, allowing her to continue in office, by a margin of more than 58,000 votes. We have won Bhabanipur by a margin of 58,835 votes registered victory in every ward of the constituency, said Banerjee after the poll result was announced Sunday afternoon.

Around 46 per cent of the people in the constituency are non-Bengalis and they have all voted for me, she added.

Her nearest rival, Priyanka Tibrewal, from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), got 26,428 votes while Shrijeeb Biswas from the Communist Party of India (Marxist) managed to get just 4,226 votes.

Tibrewal tweeted: I am overwhelmed by the affection of people and commitment of my party leadership and workers who put in many times more effort than myself. I express my deep sense of gratitude I rededicate with greater vigour to be in service of people.

In the recently concluded Assembly elections in West Bengal, Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay from the Trinamool Congress had won from Bhabanipur by 28,719 votes.

Chattopadhyay resigned from his seat to make way for Banerjee, who lost narrowly from Nandigram, even as she led the party to a landslide victory in To remain Chief Minister, she had to be elected within six months.

The results, however, show that Banerjee not only ensured her stay in office, but managed to beat her own margin of 54,213 votes in the by-poll of 2011  a historic year that brought the curtains down on a 34-year Left rule in the state. In 2016, she had won by a margin of 25,301 votes.

In the assembly polls  Samserganj and Jangipur  the Trinamool Congress won by 26,379 votes and 92,480 votes, resepectively. In 2016, it had won Samserganj by a margin of 1780 votes and Jangipur by 20,633 votes.

However, all eyes were on the high-profile Bhabanipur constituency even though Banerjees win was almost certain. A cosmopolitan constituency with Marwaris, Gujaratis, Punjabis and other non-Bengalis accounting for more than 40 per cent, it had given the BJP a slender lead of 185 votes in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP was trailing by 2,868 votes and could take a lead in Banerjees own ward by 476 votes.

However, political analyst Sabyasachi Basu Ray Chaudhury, pointed out that it was a convincing victory for Banerjee in the by-poll as even the non-Bengali population wards of 70 and 77 voted in her favour.

Though just a by-poll, the Trinamool is looking to strengthen the partys fight for the general elections of 2024 with this win. Ahead of the by-poll, Banerjee had told party workers that it was the next step for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

On Sunday, Firhad Hakim, one of the cabinet ministers in charge of the campaign in Bhabanipur, tweeted, people of Bhabanipur have chosen the leader of this nation, come 2024!

After the thumping victory in the Assembly elections with 213 seats in the 294- assembly, the Trinamool Congress had made it clear that it would reach out to other states.

Since then, it has made strides in Tripura and recently welcomed former Goa chief minister and veteran Congress leader, Luizinho Faleiro, into its fold. The party is said to have set eyes on Meghalaya, too.
leader on Sunday hit out at the government over alleged Chinese incursions in and

He also took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi using his 56-inch chest remark that he made at rallies in the run up to the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

"China plus Pakistan plus 'Mr 56 inch' is equal to Increasing Chinese occupation of India's land," he said in a tweet in Hindi, while referring to and

Close to 100 soldiers of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) transgressed the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Barahoti sector in on August 30. The Chinese troops returned from the area after spending few hours, people familiar with the development had said.

There was no official comment on the Chinese transgression.

The incident came amid a continuing standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in a number of areas in eastern though both sides completed disengagement in two sensitive locations.

The Chinese side has also significantly ramped up infrastructure development along the LAC in the sector.

India has been maintaining a strict vigil along the nearly 3,500-km LAC following the eastern Ladakh standoff.

The border standoff between the Indian and Chinese militaries erupted on May 5 last year in eastern Ladakh following a violent clash in the Pangong lake area. Both sides gradually enhanced their deployment by rushing in tens of thousands of soldiers as well as heavy weaponry.

In February, the two sides completed the withdrawal of troops and weapons from the north and south banks of the Pangong lake in line with an agreement on disengagement.

Each side currently has around 50,000 to 60,000 troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the sensitive sector.

Gandhi and his party have been attacking the government over alleged Chinese incursions in Ladakh.

(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.)
Around 250 have started a dharna in Sriganganagar district of demanding release of water from the Indira Gandhi canal, an official said on Sunday.

Hundreds of gathered outside the SDM office in Ghadsana and laid a seige to the premises on Saturday evening. They blocked the entry to the office following which additional police force was deployed in the area.

Some officials and police personnel posted there were briefly locked up inside the office by the farmers, police sources said.

Sriganganagar Collector Zakir Hussain said, "The situation is peaceful and around 250 are sitting on dharna in Ghadsana at present demanding water from the canal."



He said a delegation of the farmers is scheduled to meet Public Health and Engineering Department (PHED) Minister B D Kalla in Jaipur. "Efforts are being made to resolve the matter through dialogue," the collector said.

Superintendent of Police Rajan Dushyant said police personnel have been deployed inside and outside the SDM office.

He said one battalion of the Armed Constabulary (RAC) has also been deployed to maintain law and order in the area.

(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 short jury, made up of Jodie Mack (United States), Anne Koizumi (Canada), and Kangmin Kim (United States), offered this statement on why they selected Yanos film for the top prize: This film was made on top of traditional techniques. But it has the power to lead us in a new direction. In an image composed of dots, we freely cross places and memories as if we are all small dots. After looking at the work, we can see why the director used these techniques. And it leaves a long lingering impression.

On the feature side, the Brazilian stop-motion effort Bob Spit  We Do Not Like People, directed be Cesar Cabral, took home the top prize, marking the first time that a feature from Latin America has walked away with Ottawas feature prize. Incidentally, the honorable mention in the category also went to a Latin American feature: Gabriel Verdugo Sotos Elulu from Chile.

Based on the work of Brazilian cartoonist Angeli, the meta-film Bob Spit flips between an animated version of the cartoonist and his creations. The feature jury, comprised of Mike Maryniuk (Canada), Nadja Andrasev (Hungary), and Mariusz Wilczynski (Poland), said that it chose Cabrals feature for its melange of mainstream and DIY, documentary and fiction, ingenious and visually attractive story of an artist and his universe.

This years most celebrated Canadian short was Zacharias Kunuks 21-minute stop-motion entry The Shamans Apprentice, which came out of the event with two awards: the Canadian Film Institute Award for Best Canadian Animation along with the prize for narrative short. The film was also awarded at Annecy earlier this year and was part of the official selection at the Toronto Intl Film Festival.

Produced in the Inuktitut language, Shamans Apprentice is about the traditional Inuit role of the shaman and follows a grandmother and granddaughter who travel to the underworld in an effort to heal an ill young hunter.

The festival received 2,528 entries from 38 different countries for its 2021 edition. Winners were chosen from the 107 animated works selected for official competition.

Here is the complete list of winners from the 2021 edition:

GRAND PRIZE FOR SHORT ANIMATION

Honekami (A Bite of Bone) by Honami Yano, Japan

GRAND PRIZE FOR FEATURE ANIMATION

Bob Spit  We Do Not Like People by Cesar Cabral, Brazil

Honorable Mention: Elulu by Gabriel Verdugo Soto, Chile

PUBLIC PRIZE

Night Bus by Joe Hsieh, Taiwan

CANADIAN FILM INSTITUTE AWARD FOR CANADIAN ANIMATION

Winner: The Shamans Apprentice by Zacharias Kunuk, Canada

Honorable mention: Meneath: The Island of Hidden Ethics by Terril Calder, Canada

VIMEO STAFF PICK AWARD

Un kilometre a pied (Ten, Twenty, Thirty, Forty, Fifty Miles a Day) by Mathieu Georis, Belgium

Animated Short Competition  Category Prizes

NON-NARRATIVE ANIMATION

Anxious Body, Yoriko Mizushiri, France/Japan

Jury Comment: Without visual texture, the film touches our bodies through its visceral fusion of the subconscious, unconscious, and conscious states of the mind and body.

NARRATIVE SHORT

The Shamans Apprentice by Zacharias Kunuk, Canada

Jury Comment: The Shamans Apprentice is a masterful work of storytelling and the sharing of traditional Inuit knowledge utilizing impeccably detailed sets, costumes, props and puppets and told beautifully with precision and care. Using the Arctic landscape as a metaphor to the spiritual world, Zacharias Kunuk invites us to learn about Inuit shamanism and spirituality, a part of Inuit culture that was hidden for so long by colonialism. Like the Shaman, Kunuk transmits his knowledge and teachings through this film, and it is as if he is turning to us at the end and asking, What have we learned?

BENTO BOX AWARD FOR STUDENT ANIMATION

Space by Zhong Xian, United Kingdom

Jury Comment: Space moves us through the cyclical nature of falling in and out of love with swooping shots, original and playful transitions, a simple yet bold and expressive style, and shows us that love, like animation, can be a cycle that repeats itself.

ANIMATION FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES COMPETITION: PRESCHOOL (Note: The Kids Jury, comprised of North American children between the ages of 8-12, judged the Young Audiences: Preschool and Ages 6-12 Competitions.)

Winner: Bemol by Oana Lacroix, Switzerland

Special mention 1: Konigiri-Kun Concert by Mari Miyazawa, Japan

Special mention 2: S is for Spiders by Warren Brown, Canada

Special mention 3: Ink by Erik Verkerk & Joost van den Bosch, The Netherlands

ANIMATION FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES COMPETITION AGES 6 TO 12

Winner: Tas vendu mes rollers (You Sold My Rollerskates?) by Margaux Cazal, Jeanne Hammel, Louis Holmes, Sandy Lachkar, Agathe Leroux & Lea Rey-Mauzaize, France

Special mention: Only A Child by Simone Giampaolo, Switzerland

ANIMATED SERIES

One Day At A Time The Politics Episode by M.R. Horhager & Phill Lewis, United States/Canada

VIRTUAL REALITY COMPETITION

Strands of Mind by Adrian Meyer, Germany

CANADIAN STUDENT COMPETITION

Winner: Dont Think About Her by Liza Desya, Sheridan College

Special Mention 1: Fleeting: Here and There by Gilnaz Arzpeyma, Concordia University

Special Mention 2: The GOAT by Alexandra Ouchev, Dawson College

Animated Short Competition  Craft Awards

BEST SCRIPT

All Those Sensations in My Belly by Marko Djeska, Croatia/Portugal

BEST DESIGN

Abandoned Village by Mariam Kapanadze, Georgia

BEST TECHNIQUE

Steakhouse by Spela Cadez, Slovenia/Germany/France

BEST SOUND

A Family That Steals Dogs by John C. Kelley, United States
John Kerry, career office-holder for a half century, was appointed Climate Czar by Joe Biden. A czar historically was a Russian emperor. So in his role of Climate Emperor, Lord Kerry visited 14 nations over the last nine months. His jaunt was described as a sales pitch to save the planet (Lisa Freidman, NY Times, Sept 21, 2021).

So what impressive message did Kerry share guaranteeing a future for posterity? What hidden wisdom did he reveal to stop climate change in its tracks? According to Ms. Friedman of the Times, Kerry said, do what the science tells us!

Thats it? With a law degree from Yale University and 50 years in government and thats the sum total of his message? Could he not have done something more impressive?

Maybe he could have worn a Wizard suit while Greta Thunberg sang  Let it Snow, Let it Snow. Perhaps someone in a polar bear costume could have joined her in a rendition of Buster Poindexters Hot! Hot! Hot! Even the medicine shows offered more than do what the science tells us.

Before his investiture, Kerry used his Gulfstream GIVSP. In 2019, he jetted up to Iceland to receive the coveted Arctic Circle Award for leadership against Climate Change. When questioned about his private jet, he said it was the only choice for people like me (NY Post, Feb 3, 2021). People like Kerry couldnt be expected to have delays or canceled flights like ordinary folk now could they?

Apparently wishing to avoid controversy, Kerry now flies commercial according to the Times story. Imagine seeing the Climate Emperor descending from a private jet to then lecture the rest of us on the evils of fossil fuels, CO2 and melting ice caps.

What sacrifices the great man must now make, but alas, thats the life of a Climate Czar or rather Climate Emperor.

Ralph Miller

* * *

Ralph Miller, John Kerry, the climate Czar, did exactly what his job called for him to do; nothing. The Obama administration is the first in my lifetime to use Czars as a loyalty award system for supporting the Democrat Party. Im surprised Biden hasnt appointed a paper towel and toilet paper Czar who could travel around the world and expound on the virtues of only using one square a day.

Honestly, I would apply for that job and I would even be willing to make you my Concierge Czar and you could arrange for our sightseeing adventures. We could even give lavish gifts to the leaders of these countries and get rich with their thank you gifts to us.

Lets not despair too much as help for Tennessee and Hamilton County is on the way. Greg Vital was absolutely the best choice to fill the position Mike Carter handled so well. Mike will be missed as a friend to many and a champion for all. Greg is cut from the same cloth. Coty Wamp should be our next district attorney general. Talk about a rock star, this lady is dynamite and in my many years I have yet to see anyone as sharp and dedicated as Coty is. The antics of our current general speak for themselves. As it gets closer to election time it will all be fleshed out as well as flushed out. She will work wisely with the Hamilton County Sheriffs Office and if we are wise citizens, it will be with Sheriff Austin Garrett. Sheriff Jim Hammond will be hard to replace but Chief Deputy Garrett is up for that task.

On the national front, the Democrats in Washington have done all they could to insure that 2022 elections will give control back to the Republican Party. Communism will be forced to wait for a few more election cycles for we the people to get over the stupidity they have foist on us. Happy days will be here again.

J. Pat Williams

* * *

Now don't you two, Ralp and J Pat, go gettin' all knotted up over the word czar. The term has been used by presidents dating far back. Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, Johnson, Nixon, Ford on up to and including Trump have used the term. It's a term often used for high level officials appointed to oversee particular policies, both foreign and domestic, and has nothing to do with Russia.





There's been an AIDS czar dating back to Clinton, Bush and Obama. And anti-poverty czar dating back to President Johnson. There's been everything from the auto czar to the bank bailout czar. There's even been a bird flu czar and birth control czar appointments under President Bush.





So stop spreading the childish, immature, misleading, misinformation and start acting like responsible adults.





Good Day

Brenda Washington
The Covenant volleyball team did not drop a set and dominated its two matches on Saturday en route to 3-0 wins over Huntingdon and Agnes Scott in USA South play inside Roland Arena in Montgomery.The wins extend the win streak to five for Covenant (10-6, 4-1 USA South).MATCH ONE: Covenant 3, Huntingdon 0Covenant trailed just once the entire match as the Scots coasted to a 3-0 (25-17, 25-11, 25-15) win over the host Huntingdon Hawks.The balanced attack for the Scots saw Grace Logterman lead the way with seven kills on nine attempts (.778 hitting percentage) to go with four blocks in the win.Rachel Bartlett had 22 assists, five kills, nine digs, and two blocks while Emma Kalbfleisch, Kelsey Carman, and Riley Howe each had four kills. Anna Baldwin added a team-best 10 digs with Savannah Savage tallying eight.The Scots hit .375 in the opening set with 13 kills and used an 8-1 run to open up a comfortable lead. The Scots would lead by as many as nine in the frame and took a 1-0 match lead.Covenant scored the first six points in the second set and never looked back. Kalbfleisch had an ace during the run, while Logterman and Meriel Chupp combined for two assisted blocks to aid the Scots' run. Covenant had a second 6-0 spurt later in the set, capped by a Kyla Bailey kill, and an ace from Savage ended the set to make it 2-0.Huntingdon (5-11, 2-2 USA South) took the opening point of the third before Covenant stormed to the sweep. The Scots used a 7-0 run, highlighted by an ace from Bartlett and a kill from Kalbfleisch, to take a 15-6 lead and cruise to the victory.Kennedy Chambers had nine kills and Morgan Ilsley had 21 assists to lead the Hawks.MATCH TWO: Covenant 3, Agnes Scott 0Covenant completed the day with a 3-0 (25-13, 25-6, 25-9) win over Agnes Scott.Bailey had nine kills to lead the Scots while Bartlett tallied 19 assists and eight digs. Reagan Keener added six kills and four blocks with Carman totaling a team-best 11 digs. Logterman had five kills and two blocks and Kayla Youell had four kills with a block. Ana Vereen contributed eight assists, two aces, and seven digs. Baldwin led Covenant with three aces to go along with four digs and two assists.The Scots hit .279 in the match with 33 kills as Covenant hit .345 (12 kills) in the second set and had 11 kills and a .357 percentage in the third.Covenant found little resistance in each of the three sets. A 9-0 run in the first opened up a 17-5 lead for the Scots and the second set saw Covenant surge ahead 22-3. It was another 9-0 run in the third that sealed the sweep for the Scots.Daisy Hooper led Agnes Scott (1-12, 1-3 USA South) with four kills, Taylor Carnley had 11 assists and 11 digs.Covenant returns to Barnes PE Center on Tuesday to face Berea in a USA South contest. Match time is set for 7 p.m.
A suspicious person was reported at McDonald's, 5440 Hwy 153. Police spoke with a man who called himself "Pastor Mike." He said he had his phone plugged in at the McDonald's and

someone must have taken it. He said this is the sixth time someone has taken that same phone, but the Lord always brings it back to him. He said he is certain the phone will be returned to him once again, and thanked police.

* * *

A woman on Fagan Street told police she heard sounds coming from her back door, as if someone were trying to enter her residence. Police searched the exterior of the property, with negative results. The woman had "Ring" cameras on the exterior of the residence, and she said there were no images of anyone outside her home.



* * *



Staff at the Motel 6, 5505 Brainerd Road, wanted police to check on one of their residents. The man told police that he thought he was hearing voices, but otherwise insisted he was okay. Police gave him their contact number and he said he would call if he needed police or help.

* * *

A man on 15th Avenue told police that his two friends were in a verbal disorder. He also said

that he believed that one of the guys, known only as "Monty," may have damaged a broken down vehicle. He did not know who the vehicle belonged to or what type of damage was done. The vehicle the man pointed out to police was very run down and had all of the windows broken out of it, but it appeared to be very old damage. Without a victim or other individual who witnessed the event, there was no further police action that could be taken. Police told the man that if he knows who the vehicle belongs to, then he should have that person contact law enforcement for further information.

* * *

A man on Sharp Street called police because he was upset with a woman there. The woman was not there when police arrived. The woman is not on the lease at this address, so police told the man that next time she is on the property he should call the police and they would address the issue with her.



* * *

A disorder was reported at Whiteside's Faith Manor, 735 E 10th St. Residents told police that a man was being disorderly. Police noted the man was talking in an elevated manner. He told police that he did nothing, and the other residents were harassing him. The other residents stated the opposite. The man went to his room to avoid further conflict.

* * *

An employee at Big Lots, 2020 Gunbarrel Road, told police that someone broke into one of their storage containers. Police observed a lock with a drilled out core. The employee said nothing was stolen.

* * *

A woman on E. 19th Street told police that someone stole her purse out of her vehicle while the lawn was being mowed. She said the vehicle was unlocked at the time it occurred, between 4-4:30 p.m.

* * *

A dispute was reported at Patten Towers, E. 11th St. A man said a woman approached him and

started "talking crazy." He said he told her to back away. The woman had then called police. No criminal activity occurred. The woman set an alarm for her clothes in the washing machine. She then went to her room.

* * *

A woman on Morris Hill Road told police that her glass door got shattered. Police observed the glass door broken. Police did not see any projectiles that could have broken the glass. Police viewed video footage, but it did not show the door breaking.

* * *

Police noticed an open trunk on a Volkswagon Jetta at the Mai Bell Apartments, 1728 Bailey Ave., on the Hawthorne side of the building. The vehicle was unoccupied and no one came to or from

it in the 15 minutes that police were there. Police closed the trunk and the vehicle automatically locked. The registered owner did not have a current address in the area. The vehicle was not listed as stolen, and police were not able to contact the owner.

* * *

A woman told police she parked her vehicle on the side of the road at approximately the 800 block of Birmingham Highway at approximately 11 p.m. She said she returned to where she left the vehicle and discovered it was no longer there the next day at approximately 11 a.m. She said the keys were not in the vehicle. The tow/repo logs were checked with negative results. The vehicle was entered into NCIC as stolen.

* * *

While on patrol at Buffalo Wild Wings, 120 Market St., police observed a white female, later identified, who appeared to be emotionally distressed and slightly intoxicated. She said she was from out of town and did not know how to get back to the Doubletree on Chestnut Street.

Police assisted her back to her hotel, where she was a guest.

* * *

A woman at North Shore Apartments, 328 Cherokee Blvd., told police that sometime stole her Trek Touring bike. She said there was a lock on the bike that must have been cut off in order to steal it. She had no suspect information. Police will get with the management team and try to review the camera footage in the garage.

* * *

A theft was reported at the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel, 407 Chestnut St. A man told police that overnight someone stole two mountain bikes from his bike rack, which was attached and locked to the rear of his SUV, while located in the gated parking lot of the hotel. He said the suspect(s) used some sort of cutter instrument to break through the cable locks that were attached to the bike rack. There was no suspect information. Police responded and spoke with the Doubletree management, who said they would check the CCTV cameras when able to do so and call police if they found the incident taking place. The bicycles' description are as follows: a blue Trek mountain bike approximate value of $600. And a black, red and white (primarily black) Gary Fisher mountain bike, approximate value of $600. Two bike rack security cables were broken, value of approximately $100. Total loss of approximately $1,300.

* * *



A man on Mountain Creek Road told police that someone got into his vehicle and stole $5 in cash and $5 in coins, as well as an Apple charger. He said there were no signs of forced entry.

* * *



A woman told police she lost her purse at the Mapco, 201 Browns Ferry Road. She said she left her purse hanging on the door handle of the bathroom stall.

* * *

A man on Maria Street told police that his truck was left there last Wednesday around 3 or 4

p.m. He said he left to go out of town the next day around 1:30 p.m. and was gone

through Saturday. He said when he got back, he cranked the truck up on Monday around noon and noticed a loud noise, but he said he didnt check it out thoroughly at that time because he wasnt sure what was wrong. This morning, he got under the vehicle and discovered two cuts where the catalytic converter had been, and it was gone. There have been no estimates yet of what it will cost to replace the converter.

* * *

An employee at the Mapco, 4711 Brainerd Road, told police that a person was in the bathroom for over an hour. Police made contact with the person in the bathroom, and identified him. The employee told police that she did not want him back on the premises, since he occupied the bathroom for so long without a reasonable cause. Police notified the man of this and he told police that he would not return.
Local attorney Neal Thompson has an historic photo marking the signing that sealed the right for women to vote.

It features his great-grandfather, Frank M. Thompson, who was the attorney general for Tennessee for 11 years (from 1915-1926.)

The photo shows Tennessee Gov. Albert H. Roberts signing the document in which Tennessee narrowly ratified the 19th Amendment. Tennessee was the 36th state to approve giving women the right to vote - the number needed for it to become law.

Following his election, Governor Roberts had called a special session of the General Assembly to consider ratification of the 19th Amendment. The state Senate approved the amendment by a 25 to 4 margin, and it narrowly passed in the state House by a 50 to 46 vote.

The Roberts signing came on Aug. 24, 1920, after anti-suffragists sought to block it in court. Their attempt was blocked by the Tennessee Supreme Court.

Neal Thompson, like his great-grandfather, had a career in the law.
Dwayne Johnson is arguably one of the most successful ex-pro wrestlers-turned-actors in Hollywood. Given his notoriety, its no small wonder that he has entertained the notion of running for president. He recently shared that he would consider a presidential bid if the opportunity presented itself.

Dwayne Johnson | Axelle Bauer-Griffin/Getty Images

Heres the rundown on Johnsons presidential aspirations and what it takes to hold the highest office in the land.

The Rock for president

Johnson, who is 49, is one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood at the moment. He has been hinting at a possible White House bid for a while now.

I do have that goal to unite our country and I also feel that if this is what the people want, then I will do that, Johnson said when asked about his presidential ambitions in an interview broadcast on the Today show.

Johnson didnt specify which party he would run for or when he might begin the campaign. His remarks follow an online public opinion poll that shows that 46% of Americans would consider voting for him.

What would it take to become president

Running for president is certainly not a task to be taken lightly. But what does it take to become president? According to the USA.gov website, you must be a natural-born citizen of the United States, you must be at least 35 years old, and you must have been a resident of the U.S. for at least 14 years.

Anyone who meets these requirements can declare their candidacy for president. Once a candidate raises or spends more than $5,000 for their campaign, they must register with the Federal Election Commission. That includes naming a principal campaign committee to raise and spend campaign funds.

Would he be able to gain enough votes to win?

It seems relatively easy to be eligible to run, but would Johnson be able to garner enough votes to win? A recent survey found that fully 46% of Americans would support Johnson if he ran for president.

When he learned of the results of the poll, Johnson took to Instagram to share his thoughts:

I dont think our Founding Fathers EVER envisioned a six-four, bald, tattooed, half-Black, half-Samoan, tequila drinking, pick up truck driving, fanny pack-wearing guy joining their club  but if it ever happens itd be my honor to serve you, the people .

Hollywood royalty has been in the White House before. Ronald Reagan, who was an actor by trade, ran for president and won in 1981. He served two terms. Arnold Schwarzenegger also served as governor of California from 2003 until 2011. Fellow wrestling alum Jesse Ventura was Minnesotas governor from 1999 until 2003.

The beauty of our democracy is that you dont have to be super-rich to run for president, although it does help to be well-connected. Johnson also has the charm and charisma to pull off a run for the presidency. Would the former wrestler be successful? It would certainly be fun to watch.

The office of the President of the United States is a tough job. One only has to look at photos of former President Obama when he first took office until he left to see that it certainly aged him. No doubt the pressures of running the country are immense. In todays heated political climate, the task has become even greater given the opposition from both sides.

However, if Johnson could muster the support for such a run, he would undoubtedly give the opposing candidate a run for his money.

RELATED: Dwayne Johnson Pays Emotional Tribute to His Late Father
Vicki Gunvalson from The Real Housewives of Orange County wont be receiving that casserole she desperately craves during hard times from the Donn Gunvalson parody account. News that Gunvalson and fiance Steve Lodge broke up became ripe fodder for fake Donn and he declared he is still not bringing her a casserole after the breakup.

Why did fake Donn think Vicki Gunavlson and Steve Lodge broke up?

Podcaster Jordan Ross Meyers is the mind behind the wildly popular Donn Gunvalson and Lee Radziwill parody Twitter accounts. So he couldnt help but lean into some of Gunvalsons recent headlines. Meyers first noticed that Lodge actually blocked Gunvalson on social media. Figured I join the festivities, he tweeted along with a screenshot.

Vicki Gunvalson from The Real Housewives of Orange County and Steve Lodge likely arent thrilled with fake Donns tweets | Amy Graves/Getty Images

He then added, Vickis breakup is a diversionary stunt for the Covid meltdown she had, he wrote, referring to the remarks she made that her Housewives cast members could die if they received the coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccine. Still not bringing her a casserole.

How did Vicki Gunvalson react to her castmates getting the Covid vaccine?

Meyers also couldnt help himself when Gunvalson reportedly told her Housewives castmates they could die if they received the Covid vaccine. Im not taking (anti)vax advice from someone who still believes that Brooks cancer was real, he tweeted along with an article.

He then added, The last person Id turn to for medical knowledge. Meyers accompanied the tweet with a photo of Gunvalson with her ex-boyfriend Brooks Ayers. Ayers claimed he had cancer on the show. The cast and later Gunvalson voiced their suspicions and thought he played them.

When Vicki was screaming that everyone with the vaccine was going to die, do you picture:



1. Family Van

2. Bunco Night

3. Final Reunion #rhoc pic.twitter.com/SUu6CXgUeI  Donn Gunvalson (@DonnGunvalson) September 28, 2021

Meyers ticked off some of Gunvalsons wildest reactions on the show and then applied them to how she addressed the cast about the vaccine. When Vicki was screaming that everyone with the vaccine was going to die, do you picture: 1. Family Van, 2. Bunco Night, 3. Final Reunion.

Now that Gunvalson is back on the market, Meyers shared a shady comment about some of Gunvalsons dubious boyfriend choices. My love tank is full. And so is my wallet.

How does Vicki Gunvalson feel about the fake Donn account?

Meyers recently told Showbiz Cheat Sheet he knows his parody account gets under Gunvalsons skin. Vicki is a whole issue, Meyers said about how shes reacted to the account. Not issue, but she knows about it, and she did an interview maybe a month or two ago on Access Hollywood where they talked about my account. She said like Donn himself has tried to take it down a few times. Twitter wont do it.

I clearly state Im a parody and Im within the rules, he continued. And she still hates it. But hes grown to find it funny. I dont think hes on social media, so when people approach him about it, like at this point he just finds it funny.

Why did Jordan Ross Meyers create the fake Donn account?

Meyers said he chose Donn Gunvalson because of his mild-mannered demeanor. Plus the account name was available on social media. He began with the Lee Radziwill account but wanted to spice up his presence.

But Lee is a bit classy he laughed. And I wanted something where I could be a bit edgier. A little bit more offensive or crass. And so I was thinking of other random names people wouldnt think to register in the Bravo community.

And Donn was available, he continued. He was perfect because he was always quiet on screen. Nice guy. And I think thats why people are always so shocked [when they see Meyers tweets as Donn].

RELATED: Bethenny Frankel From RHONY Wars With Donn Gunvalson RHOC Parody Account Over Wine Brand Joke
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Nigerian pastor murdered in machete attack was known for Christian charity, working to foster peace with Muslims

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A Muslim mob in northern Nigerias Kano state hacked to death a church leader and burned down his home, church and a Christian school to avenge the murder of a woman allegedly committed by a young man falsely believed to be a Christian convert, according to reports.

The Rev. Yohanna Shuaibu of New Life Church, who was the chair of the Christian Association of Nigeria in the Sumaila Local Government Area and lived in Massu village, succumbed to multiple machete wounds last Friday, Morning Star News reported.

The Muslims felt the young man who killed the woman in a fight is a Christian, and they likely targeted the pastor for attack because it was through the ministry of Pastor Shuaibu that many Muslims were converted to the Christian faith, Hosle Tongnan Michael, a friend and colleague of Shuaibu, was quoted as saying.

Shuaibu helped raise funds for the school where local children study and also for boreholes for Christian communities that were denied access to government-provided water sources, according to the U.K.-based group Christian Solidarity Worldwide, which said the pastor also fixed a broken water source at a local mosque in an attempt to foster peace and unity.

The pastor was attacked two days after the young man who had left Islam murdered his sister-in-law by hitting her with a piston, CSW said, adding that the man subsequently turned himself in. Shuaibu, however, was advised to leave the area because area Muslims believed the suspect had converted to Christianity because he's stopped going to the mosque.

The night before he was attacked, the pastor had taken refuge in neighboring Biri village and then returned to Massu to evacuate pupils from his school, Michael said. Pastor Shuaibu believed that the tension generated by the ugly incident [had subsided] and thought he could stay with his family and other people in Massu. However, the Muslims gathered their mob and descended on him, cut him badly with machetes and burned down his house, the church and the school.

In separate attacks Tuesday night, four other Christians, including a Catholic priest, were murdered by Fulani militants, the U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern reported.

At around 6:50 p.m. Nigerian time, three persons on a motorcycle were  on their way from Jebbu Miango to Miango community (Plateau state), when the Fulani terrorists laid ambush and attacked them, Davidson Malison, the national spokesman of Irigwe Development Association, was quoted as saying. Their motorcycle was also burnt to ashes by the terrorists. Two were killed instantly and one sustained gunshot injuries.

The survivor told ICC: The attackers came with guns shouting Allahu Akbar (Allah is greatest). I did nothing to them  the [Fulani militants] wanted to kill me because I am a Christian. My friends and our catechist were killed because they were Christians.

Malison added, In a separate attack same Tuesday evening, two persons were killed while working on their farm at Nzhwerenvi community in Jebbu Miango.

The Global Terrorism Index ranks Nigeria as the third country most affected by terrorism in the world. It reports that from 2001 to 2019, over 22,000 were killed by acts of terror.

Mark Jacob, a Nigerian barrister and former Attorney General of Kaduna state, said last month that selected killings of Christians, particularly in the Middle Belt region of Nigeria had been going on, and he has been part of several mass burials of Christians.
Over 700 Afghans leave US military bases without completing resettlement process, report says

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More than 700 Afghans have left the U.S. Army bases where they were temporarily housed to receive services for their transition to the United States, even before completing their resettlement, according to a report.

The number of independent departures could be higher than 700, Reuters reported Saturday, quoting two sources familiar with the data who also said the number includes more than 300 Afghans who walked out of Fort Bliss in Texas.

While its not illegal for the Afghans who fled the Taliban on U.S. evacuation flights in August to leave the U.S. bases, their departure might cost other Afghan evacuees expedited work permits, apart from creating some other legal problems, a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services official was quoted as saying anonymously.

U.S. officials claim that the Afghans who left the military bases went through security screenings and likely have friends and relatives or resources to manage on their own.

About 2,600 Afghans have been resettled off base while 53,000 more are being housed on eight U.S. bases and another 14,000 are expected to arrive from Europe this week, according to Military News.

Reuters said it viewed a document called Departee Information, which warns Afghans they would forfeit some advantages, including cash to help pay for travel to their destination in the U.S., and might not be able to return if they leave the base where they have been brought.

Last month, two Afghan men staying at the Fort McCoy U.S. Army base in Wisconsin were indicted by a federal grand jury on separate criminal charges of forcibly engaging in a sexual act with children and assaulting a spouse by strangling and suffocating her.

U.S. officials have also found that Afghan girls have been presented to authorities as the wives of much older men. Some girls have alleged they were raped and forced to marry older men who used them as a ruse to get on evacuation flights out of Afghanistan.

The State Department recently sought urgent guidance from other government agencies after child brides were brought to Fort McCoy.

Federal authorities are also investigating a recent assault on a female service member by three to four Afghan men at a Fort Bliss shelter complex, according to Gen. Glen VanHerck, head of U.S. Northern Command.

"In a population of 53,000, there have been eight reported cases of robbery and theft," which is below-average crime rates in the U.S., VanHerck responded, downplaying the incidents of reported criminal activity, Military News said.

The investigation is currently with the FBI and have since provided acknowledgement that they received the case from Fort Bliss, Military Times quoted Lt. Col. Allie Payne, 1st Armored Division spokeswoman, as saying.

Among the thousands of Afghans whove arrived in the U.S., some 10,000 were flagged for additional security screening, and of those 100 were flagged for possible ties to the Taliban or terror groups, sources with knowledge of the evacuation process previously told NBC News.

Two of those 100 were sent out of the country to Kosovo for an additional security review.

Republican Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Kevin Cramer of North Dakota recently sent a letter to President Joe Biden, saying they were deeply concerned that your withdrawal has imported an acute human rights crisis to our country.

Following the withdrawal of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, the Taliban quickly seized control of much of the country, eventually taking the capital Kabul in August and forcing the government to flee. In response to the unexpected speed at which they retook the nation, tens of thousands of Americans, Afghan allies, and others desperately left the country. It's been reported that as many as 100 U.S. green card holders are still waiting to be evacuated.

Last week, the Department of Homeland Security banned a charter flight carrying U.S. citizens evacuated from Afghanistan from landing in the U.S., The Hill reported.

Bryan Stern, the founder of Project Dynamo, which has been evacuating people from Afghanistan, told Reuters that a flight carrying 117 people, including 28 Americans and 83 green card holders, was denied entry into the U.S. after initially obtaining permission to land at the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City and Dulles International airport near Washington, D.C.

For its part, the Biden administration said all passengers had to be vetted before entering the U.S.

All U.S.-bound flights must follow the established safety, security, and health protocols before they are cleared for departure," a DHS spokesperson said in a statement to Reuters. "This process requires flight manifests to be verified before departure to the U.S. to ensure all passengers are screened appropriately.

The U.S. withdrawal marked the end of the war in Afghanistan, which spanned nearly two decades.
SBC leaders delay decision on waiving privilege for sex abuse investigation a second time

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Members of the Southern Baptist Convention's Executive Committee have again delayed a decision to waive attorney-client privilege in an investigation into alleged sexual abuse in the denomination, calling for another week of deliberations.

In a special-called virtual meeting Tuesday, the executive committee failed for a second time to resolve a debate with the SBC's Sexual Abuse Task Force over whether to allow Guidepost, the firm investigating the committee's handling of sexual abuse claims within SBC churches, to review materials involving the executive committee and its attorney.

After five hours of deliberation, executive committee members voted 51-15 to once again take seven days to try to find a solution to their disagreements with the task force appointed by SBC President Ed Litton this summer.

Tuesday's meeting followed a motion passed at the Sept. 21 executive committee meeting in Nashville allocating up to $1.6 million for Guidepost's investigation. It also gave trustees until Sept. 28 to negotiate a final agreement with Guidepost and the Sexual Abuse Task Force.

In a statement Wednesday, executive committee members asked "all Southern Baptists to join us in praying that seven days from now we will finally have a Task Force and Executive Committee Board of Trustees united not only in its commitment to address concerns related to sexual abuse (through the independent review) but also confident in a process that complies with the will of the messengers and is attentive to all other fiduciary and legal considerations."

"We pray Southern Baptists will see this grueling and deliberative process as necessary, and in accordance with the Convention's bylaws, as the Board of Trustees, Task Force and Executive Committee leadership all work diligently, prayerfully and as expeditiously as possible to do the right thing in the right way," the statement added. "We are all in this together."

Ahead of the Sept. 28 meeting, members of the task force and executive committee officers held a private session regarding the issue. In a letter, task force Chairman Bruce Frank revealed that those talks had been unproductive.

"We are disappointed that the majority of the officers still will not follow the will of the messengers and waive privilege," he wrote. "The Task Force believes this is still the best route to take both morally and legally."

The investigation was prompted by a 2019 report from the Houston Chronicle that documented hundreds of abuse cases in Southern Baptist churches over decades.

At the SBC's annual meeting in June, messengers overwhelmingly voted to create a task force to oversee a third-party investigation of allegations SBC Executive Committee leaders mishandled a "crisis of sexual abuse" in the denomination.

Frank and Guidepost CEO Julie Myers Wood previously stressed that the waiver of privilege was necessary for conducting a thorough investigation and establishing transparency within the SBC.

On Twitter, former SBC President J.D. Greear, pastor of The Summit Church in Durham, North Carolina, said he was "confused and disappointed" by what he said was the executive committee's decision to ignore the will of SBC messengers.

"Confused and disappointed by reports out of the @sbcexeccomm meeting tonight. Let me be clear From where I stood when the vote was taken, the will of the messengers was clearThey wanted a fully independent, fully transparent investigation," he tweeted.

"The Executive Committee should be discussing how they can best fulfill the messengers' wishes, not if they will. Furthermore, survivors deserve a clear and honest account."

In a statement, Litton said he was "grieved" by Tuesday's impasse.

He said there is "no question about whether the investigation will take place" and said the only question that remains is whether or not the executive committee will "pledge its full support and cooperation to this process by adhering to the messengers' direction."

Litton said he is praying the executive committee will ultimately choose to take the "necessary step" of waiving attorney-client privilege and "demonstrate that its commitment to full cooperation is more than mere words."

Georgia Pastor Griffen Gulledge expressed dismay that a motion from Executive Committee member Jared Wellman to waive privilege failed.

"A historic moment in the SBC as the EC has chosen to defy the messengers in an investigation concerning themselves," he tweeted.

In an op-ed for the Alabama Baptist published on Saturday, Melissa Golden, an executive committee trustee from Alabama, offered a reminder that interpretations of what is going on within the SBC come with a bias and a brokenness.

She reasoned that expectations of signing an agreement, including the waiving of attorney-client privilege for the executive committee over the past 21 years, were astronomical.

In our haste, some of us have overlooked some other important parts of this discussion, she said, specifically citing funding and the intricacy of the legal details surrounding the issue.

There appear to be many pieces to this significant legal jigsaw puzzle which require much prayer, counsel, patience and multi-professional expertise in order to provide an acceptable and honest investigation, she said. It is my understanding and hope that the group will make a good faith effort to solve this daunting jigsaw puzzle.



She reminded Southern Baptists that the legal process will be a long and gut-wrenching one, while the issues at hand will have significant present and future ramifications possible for every cooperating entity and every autonomous local church in cooperation with the SBC.

These matters cannot be taken lightly nor can decisions be made quickly, she said. She urged Southern Baptists to not operate out of emotion, but to continually surrender your fears, grief, anger, confusion and doubt to God.

She added that "many of the legal details of the investigation agreement, including the intricate details of how, when and if to waive attorney-client privilege, depending on the legal ramifications of several available options, are currently under collaborative review with the Executive Committee officers, the Sex Abuse Task Force and GuidePost, LLC, the organization selected to conduct the review."

"The intricate legal details being negotiated are more complex than the question of 'Will they do what they were told to do or not?'" she added.
Andy Mineo shares where he's at with his faith in Christ amid 'Never Land II' release

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Rapper Andy Mineo, who's gained popularity for his Christian message and music as a Reach Records artist, shared where he's at in his faith walk as he's matured as a hip-hop artist, husband and follower of Jesus Christ.

In recent years Christians have watched the ups, downs and transformations of several famous mainstream artists, from Justin Bieber and Kanye West, who've used their platforms to share their faith in Jesus, to the downfall of prominent ministers, including Ravi Zacharias and Carl Lentz. For Mineo, whose viral hit "Coming In Hot" featuring Lecrae was recently certified Gold, selling over 500,000 by the RIAA, his deconstruction of faith has since enhanced his Christian walk.

The artist, who just released the follow-up album to his 2014 installment of Never Land, told The Christian Post in a video interview that he initially came into the faith after having a real experience with Jesus.

I was like, 'I want to follow Jesus. I'm a Christian; He's real.' Then I think, once you become a Christian, then there are opportunities to be a part of camps or little philosophies within Christianity, he said.

A native of New York, Mineo grew up watching his late mother attend a Pentecostal Assemblies of God church.

"She's swinging from the rafters, he illustrated, describing his mother's charismatic expression of her faith. Later on, he came to learn more about other denominations. Baptist, there's the black church  all these different expressions of Christianity. I got caught up in a particular group of Christians. It was considered the Reformed theology group of people.

The Reformed tradition is derived from Calvinism, which Mineo said began to shape his theological beliefs. Ultimately, he decided it no longer worked for him. At the same time, the 33 year old said he started seeing people he looked up to and admired having terrible fallouts, and that began to impact his ideas of what Christianity looks like.

"I know people are flawed and broken. But it starts to make you wonder like, well, they gave me information. So I'm wondering, was the information that they gave me wrong? Sometimes you can turn people's hurt into God hurt, Mineo added. "Over the years of seeing and getting behind the curtain a little bit, being in the Christian world to a degree, you start to see things like, this doesn't add up.

I think that sent me into a bit of a deconstruction. I'm not just in my early 20s now, just listening to what people say and taking it all in. I think I have to actually really filter this stuff out, rethink and re-understand who I am as a man and also as a Christian, and what parts am I going to keep and let go of and what parts are helpful, what parts are not, he told CP.

Mineo's new album, Never Land II,is inspired by the 1991 film "Hook" starring Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman and Julia Roberts. It focuses on the concept that Peter Pan recovers his childlike sense of imagination while on a rescue mission. The artist has been on his own journey with his faith since 2016.

It's still a journey; I don't feel like I've arrived. I think that's an OK place to be. I have my opinions about things, but I think this is the difference: I have my opinions, I don't feel like everyone else has to share my opinions or my thoughts, Mineo said.

"Younger Andy would probably look at this Andy and be like, he's a clown. And I'm looking at younger Andy like, you're a clown. I'm a different person and I view things differently, he said of his own transformation.

"I think the American Church has a lot of great things that it does. It sets up incredible systems for people  daycare and trying to share the Word of God and missions trips around the world and fund people. It does a lot of good. Then on the flip side, I think it's really hard when something is such a big entity and generates so much money and creates so much celebrity. It's hard not to see some of that turned sour at times, he said.

While Mineo doesn't describe himself as a "Christian rapper," he keeps his music clean and often talks about his faith. He told CP that he also doesn't want to tear anybody down or shun the American Church.

I just think there's a lot of questions that need to be asked and things that need to be reconsidered. I don't think there's any one right way; I think everything needs to have some sort of reformation. Even as humans, How do I do life? Maybe I should change some of that and tweak it so that it's healthier. Those are good questions to ask, he asserted.

Mineo, whose latest record carries the same vulnerability the emcee has always had on his albums, said it's important that people find out how they connect with God because not everyone connects with God in the same way.

The husband said his wife can look at nature and can connect with God. He, on the other hand, connects with God via music, the Bible and his small church community.

I think you got to figure out how you connect with God, and I think that's important for people to know how to grow. I think there are probably basic core principles that we can all learn from. [It's important to have a] community of people who love you, care about God, have each other's back, read Scripture and pray. For me, we have a group of people that gather at a house here in Atlanta, it's like six of us. We've just been reading the Bible and hanging out.

For now, Mineo said the small church setting is where he feels led to fellowship.

"Those are decisions me and my wife and my family have made to try to stay connected to other Christians, to try to read the Bible. We had to get away from the big, huge church world. I needed a little break from that, Mineo revealed.

Since Mineo released Never Land (part 1) seven years ago, the artist said a lot has changed.

"[My] love life has changed and evolved. My taste in music, the way I create. I think I've just gotten better over the years. I would have retired, but I just keep getting better  that's the problem, he quipped.

"I think its the best music I've ever made. I think I got a different perspective on things now that more life has taught me things, Mineo continued. I always just try to put what we call survival information into the music. I've lived through some things. Here's what I learned, here's what I'm gonna put in the music. It seems to help people, and people keep asking for it. So I keep making it and it's the best job in the world, honestly.

Mineo said he is now buying cabinets and countertops. At one point, I was buying Jordans and Fitteds.

The one thing that has remained in his music over the years is his vulnerability.

Every time I approach music, I try to create from that heart, and I think that's something that people always gravitate to. They know that they're going to get vulnerability and honesty from me," Mineo maintained. Everything else, for the most part, changes and evolves with age and time. I think still having a passion to create music that is not just stylish but also has substance, that's still a calling card for me. I try to create wholesome art that isn't preachy or corny. My relationship with God is a continual theme that continues to run through my art, my music, because you talk about things that are important to you.

Throughout his interview with CP, Mineo discussed therapy and counseling and how they can be a beneficial outlet, especially for men who are often encouraged to suppress their feelings.

"I think just for men, in general, it's hard because we've been told our whole life that to have feelings is pretty much off-limits. Like, that's not manly to have feelings. But it's also stupidity because, as human beings, we all have feelings. It's just a certain few of us choose to try to figure out how to process whats happening inside our chest, our heart.

"The rest of us just push it down, and it's like burying toxic waste in your front yard and then thinking nothing's gonna happen to your house or your vegetables. It's all still there, you got to deal with it, throw stuff out, work with it.

"It's hard for people to get vulnerable because it means people don't feel safe. Like, what if someone sees me and they reject me or they don't like me or there's stuff I got to work on. I'd rather just act like it doesn't exist and try to just bury things and move through life, he added. "But what I found, somebody told me, 'We bury emotions alive.' They're not dead. They come out at some point unless you deal with them and work through them and have community or therapists or people around you to feel safe to share those things.

As for his hopes for the album Never Land II, Mineo wants people to relate to his honestly while focusing on their own well-being.

He said at the moment, his favorite song on the album is Trying.

I think the vulnerability and the songwriting are some of my best, Mineo added. It's one of those moments I lay myself bare. I've just been trying my whole life to do and be all these things. I don't think I've done a good job at it in life.

Never Land II is now available to stream everywhere.
Christians in Afghanistan facing 'new phase' of crisis, have lost contact with US ministries

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Christian ministries have lost contact with numerous partners in Afghanistan as the embattled country enters a new phase of the crisis sparked by the Taliban takeover, the head of a U.S.-based ministry has said.

William Stark, International Christian Concerns regional manager for South Asia, told The Christian Post that when the Taliban took control of much of Afghanistan following the drawing down of U.S. troops in August, many ministries working with the countrys underground church worked tirelessly to evacuate at-risk Christians.

Now, as Christians trapped in the country face an uncertain future, many have gone silent, desperately seeking to avoid the probing eyes of the Taliban.

Christians are now in hiding because of active threats against their community, Stark said.

He shared stories of how Christians continue to face threats from members of the Taliban. In one situation, an Islamic extremist threatened to kidnap a Christian mans daughters and marry them off to members of the Taliban. In another, a Christian man received a letter from the Taliban saying his house belonged to them. Christians have also been warned to refrain from gathering.

Even within the networks that we have, a number of people have changed their phone numbers because its simply not safe anymore, Stark said. Their work to lie low in the country makes it hard for someone on the outside to stay in contact.

Many estimate the Christian population in Afghanistan to be as many as 12,000, making it one of the countrys largest religious minorities. Afghanistan is over 99% Muslim.

Though all religious minorities in Afghanistan are at risk under Taliban rule, Christians are particularly vulnerable, Stark said, because the vast majority of them have converted to Christianity from Islam. Under Sharia law, leaving Islam is a crime punishable by death.

We talk about Christians as a religious minority, but to the Taliban, theyre seen as apostates, criminals and people that deserve to be punished, Stark explained.

As persecution continues to increase, Afghan Christians need help from the outside to escape their circumstances, he said.

It's going to take a diplomatic process by the U.S., the U.K. and other countries that are going to allow them to leave that country, he said. Essentially, what they need is some sort of special status that would allow them to travel outside of Afghanistan.

Many Aghan Christians are rural, uneducated and don't have a passport, he added, so many of them are unable to acquire the documents needed to leave the country.

Because they don't have passports, and they can't work with the government in order to issue them a passport, it makes it very challenging for them to be able to leave the country, Stark said.

ICC has been advocating for the U.S., the U.K. and other governments to create a special status for Afghan Christians to give them a legal avenue to leave Afghanistan and seek refugee status elsewhere in the world.

As some voices are calling on the government to limit the number of refugees entering from Afghanistan to the U.S., Stark called for nuance. He posited that only allowing Afghans who might be targets of Taliban violence due to their U.S. affiliations into the country leaves little room for Christians.

Vulnerable populations, like the Christian community, often don't fall within that the group of people that work with the military, he said. If we draw a hard line and say only people that did that can be allowed to leave and come to the United States, we're essentially putting a line through most Christians being able to get out of the country.

We have to make sure were not casting out vulnerable populations who are very deserving of resettlement, he added.

ICC is not the only persecution watchdog to share reports of missing Christian contacts in Afghanistan. Nehemiah, from Forgotten Missionaries International, recently shared with Mission Network News the story of a man named Abdar who disappeared after traveling to Afghanistan for evangelism purposes.

He was with us for the last few months, Nehemiah said. He is from Afghanistan, studying in Pakistan, and he said last month that he was going to Afghanistan for evangelism purposes. Its been more than a week since we have been unable to hear from him. We have lost contact.

Nehemiah said: Christians in Afghanistan will be bracing themselves. Will they be forced to convert back to Islam? Will they be killed if they refuse?

In late August, human rights group ADF International urged the international community to address the dire plight of religious minority communities in Afghanistan.

As disturbing accounts of killings, harassment and intimidation against them are rapidly emerging, we urge States and the international community to give utmost attention to these persecuted minorities and guarantee the conditions for their prompt and safe exit from the country, irrespective of whether they have valid travel documents, ADF said.
Evangelical church in Nigeria demands action to stop Fulani jihadists slaughter of Christians

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A church leader in Nigeria has called for urgent action to stop mass killings that many have described as a genocide being committed by Islamic Fulani herdsmen. At least 70 people have been killed in an area of Plateau state in two weeks.

Apart from the 70 killed, at least 15 villages were destroyed, more than 400 houses were burned down, including churches and an orphanage, nearly 20,000 people were displaced and thousands of hectares of farm crops were destroyed in a series of attacks targeting Christians between July 23 and Aug. 2 in Irigwe area in central Nigeria, says the president of the Evangelical Church Winning All, the Rev. Stephen Baba Panya.

Authorities must stop the genocide taking place in Irigwe land, he said in a statement, adding that the continual violence has become a nightmare for the Christian Irigwe ethnic group, who are indigenous to Bassa Local Government Area in Plateau State, and to Kaura LGA in neighboring Southern Kaduna.

Many of the villages, where these killings and burnings are taking place, are basically located behind the 3rd Armoured Division Barrack of the Nigerian Army, yet, these militias are allowed to continue their heinous murders and carnage without any intervention by the Nigerian Army and other security agencies ..., eroding the confidence of the populace in the military and security agencies, as unbiased protectors of all, devoid of tribe, ethnicity or religion, he added.

Baba Panya points out that no single AK-47 wielding militia has been arrested, and the indigenous youth who tried to defend themselves with crude instruments are paraded as aggressors.

The U.K.-based group Christian Solidarity Worldwide reports that the assailants also attacked Ungwan Magaji, Kishicho, Kigam and Kikoba Irigwe villages in Kaura LGA, southern Kaduna, where at least 48 people were killed, over 100 homes were razed to the ground and at least 68 farmlands were destroyed.

It is time for the international community to put aside debates about the origins and nature of this violence and to focus instead on pressing and assisting Nigeria to address this network of organized armed non-state actors, CSWs Press and Public Affairs Team Leader Kiri Kankhwende said.

It is a tragic indication of failing or failed governance that groups with ready access to small arms, which reportedly include foreign elements, can continue to unleash the most appalling violence across the country, with minority ethnic and religious groups bearing an alarming burden of death and loss.

The U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern designates Fulani radicals as the fourth-deadliest terror group globally, which has surpassed the Boko Haram terrorist group as the greatest threat to Nigerian Christians.

Many believe that the attacks are motivated by jihadist Fulanis' desire to take over farmland and impose Islam on the population and are frustrated with the Muslim-dominated government that is believed to be enabling such atrocities, ICC warned in May.

The Anambra-based International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law estimated in May that as many as 1,470 Christians were killed in Nigeria during the first four months of 2021, the highest estimate in the first four months of any year since 2014. The number also surpasses the estimated number of Christians killed in 2019. The report estimated that as many as 300 people had been killed in Kaduna in the first four months of 2021.

In the first four months of this year, the organization estimates that at least 2,200 Christians were abducted. Kaduna state recorded the highest number of abductions at 800.

The Global Terrorism Index ranked Nigeria as the third-most affected country by terrorism and reported over 22,000 deaths by acts of terror from 2001 to 2019.
'Love your enemies' is a command, not a suggestion

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Lets say that you believe that the future of your society is imminently threatened by the beliefs and activities of a significantly large group of people, i.e., your cultural and political opponents. Youd like to do something to counteract their influence and keep society from going completely off the tracks.



Lets also say that you are a Christian seeking to obey Christs unequivocal command to lovethose very same people. Profound disagreement does not naturally mesh very well with love, but that is what the Christian is called to navigate. What does this look like in practical terms?

Part of what it means to love a person with terrible ideas is to hope that they eventually come to discard those ideas and to believe the truth, both for their own good and for the good of others  and, when possible, to help influence them in the right direction. In other words, sincere attempts at persuasionare an important aspect of loving your enemies, whenever you interact with them on the internet or, with increasing rarity, in the real world.

Of necessity, persuasion requires foregoing the very real pleasures of sarcasm, one-upping, finger-wagging, name-calling, etc. Even if you can think up theological justifications for being a jerk, they just arent going to help you get defections from the other side. In other words, persuasion demands emotional discipline, a willingness to play the long game instead of indulging in quick, meaningless rhetorical victories.

The task of persuasion also involves finding a point of mutual agreement and then working outwards from there. If, for instance, youre trying to convincea pro-choice advocate that abortion is wrong (as opposed to just shouting them down), you could start with a concept you both find obviously true: that unplanned pregnancies leave a lot of women in truly awful situations. From there, you can try to show that abortion is a bad long-term solution to this social crisis. Even if you fail to persuade your opponent on the spot, (which you probably will) you will have at least proven that some pro-lifers, at least, try to take all aspects of the abortion problem seriously. This could go a surprisingly long way.

Of course, finding consensus with ones opponents has never been exactly easy. Our contemporary cultural climate makes it feel next to impossible. We live, apparently, in parallel universes that share only a handful of basic facts in common, and even these are given vastly different interpretations.

But even and especially if your opponents prove intractable, Christs command to love them is still in full force. He elaborates: Pray for those who persecute you (Mt 5:44). Some Christians have suggested that this command can be fulfilled by prayers in the style of the imprecatory psalms: praying for Gods wrath and judgment upon the wicked.

This interpretation clearly violates the spirit of what Jesus was saying here (see also Lk 9:54-55). He is telling his followers to pray that their enemies would find the truth, that good things would happen to them, and that they would be ultimately saved. Its not terribly difficult to pray all of this for faceless enemies in the abstract. Its very hard indeed to pray all of this when you start thinking of particular individuals. But here, as always, its best to make your prayers as concrete as possible.

Is there ever a place for speaking sternly or even harshly to your opponents? Jesus did (You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? (Mt 12:34)), so the answer must be, Yes. But its very risky to take episodes of Jesus anger in the Gospels as blanket approvals for the vehement airing of our grievances. We are just not as adept as the Lord at acting from a pure desire for justice and truth, unmixed with various personal vendettas and petty hatreds. In other words, calling someone a snake canbewithin the bounds of Christlike behavior  but not very often at all.

This brings us to a final question: in trying to love their enemies, is it inevitable that Christians will be crushed by their more pragmatic cultural opponents? I honestly dont know, but I do know that if believers behave like just another faction in the ongoing culture wars, then any victory they achieve will be hollow indeed. We had to destroy the village to save it, an American commander in Vietnam once allegedly remarked. Destroying our Christian witness in order to save our culture creates an even worse paradox.

To be sure, praying for the good of those who do and say reprehensible things; refusing to engage in slander; trying to speak reasonably and gently with people who are not necessarily treating you with the same respect  none of these things seem to make much sense in a world such as ours that generously rewards the put-down, the well-crafted insult, the whipping up of violent emotions. Love for enemies is just another aspect of the foolishness of the Gospel. But the foolishness of God is stronger than man.
Pastors son shot dead by Nigerias civilian joint task force for attempting to stop church demolition

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Christians in Nigerias Borno State are protesting the killing of a pastors son as he was trying to stop his churchs demolition by a government agency.

The victim, identified as Ezekiel Bitrus Tumba, was shot and killed last week allegedly by security men from the civilian joint task force, or CJTF, a local group formed in 2013 to support the Nigerian security forces in the fight against the Boko Haram terrorist group in northeast Nigeria, according to the local online newspaper Vanguard.

The 29-year-old man was killed last Thursday when he, along with other youth, attempted to stop the demolition of the Church of Brethren in Nigeria, or EYN, in the Hausa area in Borno States capital city of Maiduguri by a government agency called the Borno Geographic Information Service, or BOGIS, which maintains land.

Officials of Borno Geographic Information System, led by its executive secretary, Engr Adams Bababa, brought CJTF to the church not only for demolition but also ended up killing our brother and son, said Bishop Williams Naga, the chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, in a statement, according to the U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern.

The entire Christian community has been thrown into mourning mood as a brother, who was a breadwinner of his family, was sent to his early grave, Naga added.

On Sunday, congregants gathered around the ruins of the church to hold their weekly service.

They demolished the building, thinking it is the Church. (But) the Church is forever unstoppable and indestructible, Hausa Christians Foundation wrote on Facebook.

Authorities have demolished four other churches in the area, alleging a failure to formalize land titles and property tax, ICC said, adding that state governments in northern Nigeria prohibit the construction of church buildings and often tear down existing structures without warning.

The other demolished churches include Jubilee Sanctuary Church, Total Gospel Mission International, Sanctuary Church and Christ Forever Land, according to CAN.

If you want to build a church, they will not give you a permit, because the government will (fire) anyone who proposes/signs a document to build a church, a church leader in northern Nigeria was quoted as saying.

Christians in Nigeria face severe persecution also on the hands of Islamic non-state actors, including Boko Haram and Fulani herdsmen.

The Anambra-based International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law estimated in May that as many as 1,470 Christians were killed in Nigeria during the first four months of 2021, the highest estimate in the first four months of any year since 2014. The number also surpasses the estimated number of Christians killed in 2019. The report estimated that as many as 300 people had been killed in Kaduna in the first four months of 2021.

In the first four months of this year, the organization estimates that at least 2,200 Christians were abducted. Kaduna state recorded the highest number of abductions at 800.

The Global Terrorism Index ranked Nigeria as the third-most affected country by terrorism and reported over 22,000 deaths by acts of terror from 2001 to 2019.
PCUSA pastoral letter to Cuban churches blames US for problems in communist nation

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A letter by an official with the Presbyterian Church (USA) to Christians living in Cuba declared their support for the nations people, but blamed United States' foreign policy for its poverty and instability while lacking any mention of communism or government repression.

Recently, due to factors including medical supply issues and an economic depression, there have been widespread protests in Cuba against the communist government, which has been in power since 1959.

The Rev. Jimmie Hawkins, director of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Advocacy Offices, penned a letter that was published last Friday in response to the protests in Cuba.

In the letter, addressed to Cuban Siblings in Christ, Hawkins wrote that PCUSA expressed its solidarity to the Synod of the Presbyterian Reformed Church of Cuba, to your local congregations, presbyteries, and especially to each one of your members and their families.

Hawkins went on to say that he and his denomination recognize and confess the part our country plays in the suffering of the Cuban people.

The imposition of a blockade has restricted the Cuban economy for decades. Generations of Cuban men and women have been suffering from a lack of material resources, medicines, food, etc. U.S. policy has hindered the ability for Cuban families to maintain contacts between those who live on the island and the Cuban community abroad, he continued.

In the case of our Churches, U.S. policy has caused difficulties in normal relations with our partners. But we continue to be committed to fostering a new momentum of hope for both countries.

The official letter made no reference to communism or the abuses of the current regime, other than to note that they believe in Gods sovereignty and Gods ability to work through leaders and nations with different beliefs and that we should not absolutize or demonize our political antagonists.

May the God of peace and reconciliation shed light upon your lives during these times of trouble and give you wisdom for working towards the much-needed reconciliation process, Hawkins concluded.

The Christian Post reached out to PCUSA for an explanation, with a spokesperson emailing a joint statement by Catherine Gordon, representative for International Issues in the Office of Public Witness and Valdir Franca, area coordinator for Latin America & the Caribbean in Presbyterian World Mission.

The statement explained that the letter was specifically centered on our siblings in Christ in the Presbyterian Reformed Church of Cuba who have requested prayers and solidarity during this difficult time.

The PCUSA's statement also explained that the progressive mainline denominations General Assembly has, in the past, denounced all limitations on human rights in Cuba.

Mark Tooley, president of the theologically conservative Institute on Religion & Democracy, told CP that he believed that the letter was in sync with a long tradition of PCUSA responding to anti-regime protests in Cuba by blaming America for Cubas problems.

For decades the PCUSA and other mainline denominations have been mostly silent on communist totalitarian repression in Cuba. Some church officials have even praised it, said Tooley.

In contrast, the Methodist Church in Cuba recently and courageously declared the Cuban people have a right to free speech. Churches should stand for freedom and human dignity.

For their part, the PCUSA's National Hispanic Latin Presbyterian Caucus released its own statement on the Cuban crisis on Tuesday.

They also called for the U.S. to end its economic measures against the island nation, but also denounced the acts of repression by government authorities against those who demonstrate peacefully.
Queen Elizabeth praises BBC TV series for presenting Christianity as a living faith

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Queen Elizabeth II, head of the Church of England, thanked BBCs long-running TV series Songs of Praise, which celebrated nearly 3,000 episodes on its 60th anniversary Sunday, for presenting Christianity as a living faith.

For 60 years, Songs of Praise has drawn together congregations and BBC viewers throughout the United Kingdom in collective worship, the queen said in a message for a special episode of the show Sunday, The Telegraph reported.

During that time, the program has shown Christianity as a living faith not only through hymns and worship songs, but also by featuring the many people who have put their faith at the center of their lives, the 95-year-old queen continued.

I congratulate 'Songs of Praise' and all those involved in the program on its 60th anniversary, she added.

Aled Jones, who has been a "Songs of Praise" presenter for over 20 years, called it one of the biggest joys of my life.

It is an honor to be able to share uplifting stories of faith with our dear audience and to gladden hearts with music that means the world to me. Heres to a future filled with wonderful 'Songs of Praise!' Jones was quoted as saying.

On Saturday morning, while opening the new session of the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood, the queen spoke publicly about the Duke of Edinburgh for the first time since his death in April, The Sunday Times reported.

I have spoken before of my deep and abiding affection for this wonderful country, and of the many happy memories Prince Philip and I always held of our time here, she was quoted as saying. It is often said that it is the people that make a place, and there are few places where this is truer than in Scotland, as we have seen in recent times.

A church leader close to the late Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, revealed in a media interview back in April that he had persuaded the queen, his wife, to talk more about her Christian faith ahead of her Christmas broadcast in 2000.

[Prince Philip] was the person really who encouraged the queen to talk about her own faith in her Christmas broadcasts, the Rev. Ian Bradley, the author of God Save the Queen, told Premier Christian News at the time.

He recalled that in the old days, they really used to be more like travelogues, and they would just say where the royal family had been.

Bradley, who preached for the duke and the queen as a visiting preacher at the Parish of Braemar and Crathie, said that in her 2000 broadcast, the queen spoke very movingly and powerfully about her own Christian faith and the impact it had on her.

And there was a very positive response from viewers, he said. And ... it was Philip who really persuaded the queen to make more of her own Christian faith. And he said, You should be talking about this.

Bradley also shared that Prince Philip was interested in theology.

He would note down all the details of the sermon. He was extremely interested  in theology. He had a wonderful knowledge of the Bible, and then he would sort of quiz you at lunchtime, ask you about your sermon and really put you on your mettle. And I was amazed at his biblical knowledge.

In her 2016 book ahead of her 90th birthday, the queen reflected on Jesus central role in her life.

I have been  and remain  very grateful to you for your prayers and to God for His steadfast love, the British monarch wrote in the foreword to The Servant Queen and the King She Serves. I have indeed seen His faithfulness.
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.
Federal judge blocks Arizona's genetic-abnormality abortion ban

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A federal judge has struck down a crucial part of an Arizona law banning abortions based on genetic abnormalities, accusing the state of providing women seeking abortions with "misinformation."

U.S. District Court Judge Douglas Rayes, appointed to the bench by former President Barack Obama, struck down a portion of a pro-life Arizona law that criminalizes the performance of an abortion "knowing that the abortion is sought because of a genetic abnormality of the child."

In his ruling Tuesday obtained by The Arizona Republic, Rayes alleged that the provision of Senate Bill 1457 "essentially requires providers to mislead their patients into believing that their constitutionally protected choice is unlawful."

Additionally, he concluded that the law was designed to "make it less likely that a woman, though desiring to terminate her pregnancy because of a fetal genetic abnormality, will successfully exercise her right to do so" and accused the measure of perpetuating "state-mandated misinformation."

In response to Rayes' ruling, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich vowed to appeal the decision.

"Our job is to defend the law, and we will continue to do so," he said in a statement. "Whether it's pushing back against unconstitutional mandates or defending our laws against pro-abortion activists, we will continue to lead the charge and stand up for Arizonans."

While Rayes struck down a portion of Senate Bill 1457 that bans abortions based on genetic abnormalities, he left other parts of the law in place.

He declined to invalidate the provision of the law awarding unborn children at every stage of development "all rights, privileges and immunities available to other persons, citizens and residents of this state."

Provisions of the law requiring the cremation or burial of aborted babies and banning the distribution of abortion pills by mail were also left untouched by Rayes.

Arizona is one of several states that have enacted bans on abortions performed based on genetic abnormalities.

Other states that have banned abortions based on Down syndrome diagnosis or other congenital abnormalities include North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Utah, Tennessee and Indiana. The laws have received a mixed reception from the courts, with appellate courts upholding the measures in Ohio and Tennessee while the U.S. 8th Circuit Court of Appeals struck down Arkansas' abortion ban.

As courts in the United States continue to debate the constitutionality of laws prohibiting the abortion of babies based on genetic abnormalities, Poland's Constitutional Tribunal, the country's equivalent of a Supreme Court, found that a law permitting such abortions to take place violated the Polish constitution. Meanwhile, last week, the United Kingdom's High Court of Justice upheld a law allowing abortions based on fetal abnormalities after 24 weeks gestation.

Supporters of the bans on abortions based on genetic abnormalities argue that terminating pregnancies because of a prenatal diagnosis constitutes eugenics. They point to the near-extinction of babies born with Down syndrome in Denmark and other European countries as a cause for concern.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas warned in 2019 concurring opinion of the "potential for abortion to become a tool of eugenic manipulation."

"With today's prenatal screening tests and other technologies, abortion can easily be used to eliminate children with unwanted characteristics," Thomas wrote.

"In Iceland, the abortion rate for children diagnosed with Down syndrome in utero approaches 100%," he added. "Other European countries have similarly high rates, and the rate in the United States is approximately two-thirds."

A group of children with Down syndrome appeared in a 2018 video asking to be put on the international endangered species list.

Public opinion polling has indicated that most Americans support bans on abortions based on genetic abnormalities. A poll conducted by Marist on behalf of the Catholic fraternal organization Knights of Columbus released earlier this year found that 70% of Americans, including 59% of Democrats and 56% of those who self-identify as pro-choice, oppose or strongly oppose "abortion because the child will be born with Down syndrome."
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf slammed for calling March for Life 'anti-woman rally'

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The governor of Pennsylvania is facing intense criticism from pro-life activists after referring to the Pennsylvania March for Life as an "anti-woman rally."

Pennsylvania's Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf took to Twitter Monday after the Pennsylvania March for Life took place on the steps of the State Capitol in Harrisburg.

"Today's 'March for Life' in Harrisburg is just an anti-woman rally by a different name," Wolf argued. "They want to remove health care options during pregnancy  a time when so many already can't access life-saving care. I've vetoed 3 anti-choice bills. I'll veto any others that come to me."

Todays March for Life in Harrisburg is just an anti-woman rally by a different name.



They want to remove health care options during pregnancy  a time when so many already can't access life-saving care.



I've vetoed 3 anti-choice bills. I'll veto any others that come to me.  Governor Tom Wolf (@GovernorTomWolf) September 27, 2021

Wolf received swift backlash for his comments from the speakers who addressed the pro-life advocates gathered at the event.

Abby Johnson, the former Planned Parenthood director who has become an outspoken pro-life advocate, replied to Wolf's tweet by categorically rejecting his characterization of the rally as "anti-woman."

"'Anti-woman' rally where the majority of [attendees] and speakers were women," Johnson tweeted. "Lol. You are a joke."

Anti-woman rally where the majority of attendee and speakers were women. Lol. You are a joke.  Abby Johnson (@AbbyJohnson) September 27, 2021

Jeanne Mancini, president of the March for Life, tweeted that the "women who marched today on behalf of innocent human life would disagree" with the governor's assessment.

"We need more politicians who understand their first responsibility is to protect their own citizens, including the most vulnerable - the unborn," Mancini asserted.

@GovernorTomWolf the women who marched today on behalf of innocent human life would disagree. We need more politicians who understand their first responsibility is to protect their own citizens, including the most vulnerable - the unborn. https://t.co/955TpWtO0O  Jeanne F. Mancini (@jeannemfl) September 27, 2021

Speakers at the rally criticized Wolf's stance on the abortion issue.

Michael Geer of the Pennsylvania Family Institute lamented that "some in that building behind you, including our governor  have chosen to ignore the silent scream of the innocents, the more than 2 million preborn babies who have lost their lives to abortion here in Pennsylvania alone since the Roe v. Wade decision."

When Geer mentioned the governor, the crowd began to boo.

Other speakers at the march included the top Republicans in the state legislature, Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward and State House Speaker Bryan Cutler.

College student Elena Liguori, Bishop Ronald Gainer of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg, Rev. Herb Lusk III of Greater Exodus Baptist Church and Toni McFadden of the pro-life group Relationship Matters also spoke.

Ryan Bomberger of the pro-life group the Radiance Foundation, a Christian Post columnist, served as the master of ceremonies for the event.

As he indicated in his tweet, Wolf has vetoed multiple pro-life bills passed by the Republican-controlled legislature, including a bill that would ban dismemberment abortions. Wolf is term-limited and cannot run for a third term in office. He is scheduled to leave office when his term expires in 2023.

Mancini elaborated on the rationale for holding a march in Pennsylvania in an op-ed published in Townhall over the weekend.

She warned that a case currently before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has the potential to "strike down Pennsylvania's law prohibiting taxpayer funding of abortion via Medicaid."

"It gets worse," she added. "A win for the abortion industry in this case would not only force state funding of abortion, but would likely enshrine abortion as a right in Pennsylvania's constitution."

In the past, there have been tense encounters between pro-life activists and public officials in Pennsylvania.

In 2019, Democratic State Rep. Brian Sims sparked outrage after harassing an elderly pro-life protester stationed outside a Planned Parenthood in Philadelphia and offering $100 to anyone who identified a woman and her two daughters praying outside the clinic. Sims, who later apologized for his behavior, is now running for lieutenant governor.

In 2017, as pro-life teenagers demonstrated on a sidewalk outside Downingtown STEM Academy in the Philadelphia suburb of Downington, the school's assistant principal at the time, Zach Ruff, angrily confronted them. He told the pro-life protesters to "go to Hell where they are too" and asserted preborn babies "are not children" but "cells." Ruff was placed on administrative leave shortly after the encounter and later resigned.
Planned Parenthood: Texas law turned call centers into hotlines for people pregnant 'against their will'

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The head of the largest abortion provider in the United States is alleging that Texas' heartbeat abortion ban has turned her organization's call centers into "crisis hotlines" for people who have become pregnant "against their will."

Planned Parenthood President Alexis McGill Johnson slammed Texas Senate Bill 8, which prohibits abortions once a fetal heartbeat can be detected, in a statement after filing a petition last Thursday to the U.S. Supreme Court asking the justices to invalidate the law.

On Sept. 1, the bill took effect after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to grant an emergency injunction to block it from taking effect.

"Planned Parenthood call centers have become crisis hotlines and health center staff have become crisis counselors," McGill Johnson said in the statement. "For three weeks, Texans have been without access to basic health care that is their constitutional right  forced to travel out of state to get care or carry pregnancies against their will."

Signed into law in May, Texas' Senate Bill 8 bans most abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected, usually around six weeks gestation. Additionally, it 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."

The petition to the Supreme Court was endorsed by other abortion advocates, including the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project, the Center for Reproductive Rights and Whole Woman's Health. It alleged that "Texans are in crisis" due to S.B. 8.

"Faced with the threat of unlimited lawsuits from the general populace and the prospect of ruinous liability if they violate the ban, abortion providers have been forced to comply. As a result, Texans with means must now travel hundreds of miles each way to other States during a pandemic, just to exercise a clearly established federal right," the petition reads. "The surge of Texans seeking out-of-state appointments for this time-sensitive medical care is causing backlogs in those States, delaying abortions by weeks for Texans and non-Texans alike."

Employees of abortion clinics shared the impact that S.B. 8 has had on their day-to-day operations with The New York Times. Jennifer Reince, who works at Trust Women Oklahoma City, recalled that as soon as S.B. 8 became effective in Texas, "We had every line lit up for eight hours straight."

Marva Sadler works at Whole Woman's Health, which operates four clinics in Texas. She told the publication that "I think a majority of women are being sentenced to being parents."

Pro-life groups, meanwhile, are rejecting the idea that Planned Parenthood and abortions are the only reprieves for women experiencing unplanned pregnancies. Jeff Bradford, president of the pro-life non-profit Human Coalition, told The Christian Post in a statement Wednesday that Planned Parenthood is "not equipped" to offer the kind of solutions women need.

"Human Coalition offers counseling for which Planned Parenthood is obviously not equipped. We have discovered through our clinical work that 76% of women would choose to parent if their circumstances were different. The average client interacts with Human Coalition within 24-48 hours of planning to obtain an abortion," Bradford said.

"We meet a woman wherever she is and offer her immediate long-lasting support ranging from financial assistance and housing to education and job training. Planned Parenthood has never offered real solutions to the challenges women are facing."

As litigation against Senate Bill 8 continues, the House of Representatives has approved the Women's Health Protection Act. Passed with the support of all but one House Democrat and no Republicans, the bill would codify the right to abortion found in the 1973 Supreme Court ruling Roe v. Wade into federal law and overrule many pro-life laws passed at the state level.
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Responding to a headquarters request for a situation report, famed Marine Corps General Chesty Puller was reported to have said: We are surrounded. We have [them] exactly where we want them. When asked if they were retreating, Puller was also reported to have said: No. We are rapidly advancing in a rearward direction.

You just cant beat a positive attitude.

Yet a positive attitude in the face of overwhelming odds may seem more like a denial of the reality around you. But thats not true if you have confidence in the ultimate outcome. The immediate circumstances, as unfavorable as they may seem, are just that  circumstances not outcomes.

I was reminded of this recently when I received notification that the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals had denied D. James Kennedy Ministries appeal in our defamation and discrimination suit against the Southern Poverty Law Center and Amazon. The SPLC had defamed the ministry by putting us on its infamous "hate map" simply because of our biblical views on marriage. And because of that SPLC action, Amazon excluded the ministry from participating in Amazon's "Smile" charity program. Like General Pullers possibly apocryphal statement, I can say we have them exactly where we want them.

I say this with a straight face because this is exactly where we expected to be at this point in our case. When we first filed suit against the SPLC and Amazon 4 years ago (2017), we knew our case was a long-shot defense of freedom and religious liberty. We knew the judge assigned to our case in Federal District Court would likely rule against us. Candidly, we had higher hopes at the Eleventh Circuit but knew this would be the most likely result.

Two reasons for optimism

So whence cometh my optimism? How can I say we have them exactly where we want them?

Our next step is an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, which we have already initiated, and that is the longest of long shots. Historically, the High Court only agrees to hear 4.7% of the petitions for writ of certiorari that it receives. Slim odds at best.

However, let me give you two reasons for optimism based on the Eleventh Circuit decision. First, while we lost our appeal on the Amazon portion of the case, the courts opinion was astonishingly beneficial to Christians generally. This court ruled for Amazon on First Amendment grounds affirming in its opinion the bedrock principle that no person in this country may be compelled to subsidize speech by a third party that he or she does not wish to support. That bedrock principle applies to the worlds largest online retailer in this case and against us.

However, the constitutional logic of it must be universal. Therefore, it also applies to the many sole proprietor Christian bakers, photographers, and floristssome of whom have been denied justice thus far. So here at the Eleventh Circuit a high bar has been established that effectively protects religious free speech. It remains to be seen how much this important precedent will mean.

The second reason for optimism comes from the SPLC portion of the casespecifically the defamation rule as applied by the Eleventh Circuit. As you may know, the standard for proving defamation against public figures (of which DJKM is one) is higher, requiring proof of actual malice.

This comes from a Supreme Court case New York Times v. Sullivan from the 1960s. This standard has been decried across the political spectrum as having no constitutional basis. Why should some not have equal protection under the law simply because they are public figures?

Two justices agree



Our appeal to the United States Supreme Court is based solely on the unconstitutionality of Times v. Sullivan, and as it turns out, both Justices Thomas and Gorsuch agree with us. Both have written in recent opinions that the actual malice standard is constitutionally suspect and should be revisited by the Court. It does take four justices to grant a petition for writ of certiorari, but perhaps Justices Thomas and Gorsuch can persuade two more of their colleagues.

So here we are, four years into our quest to receive relief against the false and defamatory accusations made by the SPLC against DJKM and many other Christian and conservative groups. It has been a latter-day David v. Goliath battle from the beginning. The SPLC has half a billion dollars at its disposal. When last I checked, our financial resources are somewhat less than that.

Goliath must have been seen as a sure thing by the Philistines (and many Israelites). Yet, as David said: the battle is the Lords. That is so in this present case. Please join us in prayer that God would glorify Himself in our victory.

Whatever the outcome, if we remember that the ultimate outcome for all things will be decided before the throne of God, we have the victory already. This truth led John Quincy Adams to say: Duty is ours; results are Gods.

And our duty? It is to stand for truth and bear witness to Him who called us from out of darkness to walk in His marvelous light.
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Not long ago, the concept of certain social media accounts and content being shadow banned was ridiculed as a hoax. But those days are over for good.

In the name of insightful transparency, Facebook on September 23 unveiled its Content Distribution Guidelines, a partial listing of the types of content it limits from visibility on its platform or demotes in users news feeds. To be clear, these arent new protocolsFacebook is just revealing to the public some of the standards governing its content suppression practices.

In a blog post, Anna Stepanov, Director of Product Management at Facebook, connected these protocols to three of Facebooks corporate values: responding to direct feedback, incentivizing investment in high-quality content, and fostering an environment where users feel safer from problematic content.

Some content may be problematic for our community, regardless of the intent, Stepanov wrote. Well make this content more difficult for people to encounter.

Types Of Content We Demote includes such things as:

Comments that Facebook predicts will be reported because comments like them have been reported before.

Content that Facebooks third-party fact-checkers have debunked as "False, Altered, or Partly False.

Content from news publishers that Facebook users broadly rate as untrusted in on-platform surveys.

Unoriginal news articles lacking additional facts and analysis.

Content borderline to or likely violating Facebooks community standards.

Besides violent and sexual imagery, this bucket includes content that could discourage COVID-19 vaccinations, or content posted by groups and pages associated with (but not representing) certain conspiracy networks.

What if your organization has sound editorial standards, wholesome audience engagement, and isnt associated with any conspiracy networks, but social media analytics suggest your reach has been diminished nonetheless? Based on September 23s big reveal, simply playing by the rulesas much as any group speaking about religious beliefs can, given the broad and ideologically-informed nature of Facebook content standardswont protect your ministry or media company from content suppression on Facebook.

Instead, youre at the mercy of the users, but not just those who Like your page and appreciate your messages. If hostile users flag and report your content because of religious or ideological viewpoint objections, this recent update confirms that Facebooks stated corporate value of responding to peoples direct feedback may just win out, resulting in demoted posts and limited visibility.

Furthermore, if your organization posts any information about COVID-19 recovery or treatments, even from the perspective of a personal experience or testimony, you may run afoul of the new guidelines if Facebook deems the information sensationalized. (The White House revealed in July 2021 that the federal government was assisting Facebook in identifying COVID-19 misinformation.)

And thats just the part we know. The true extent of Facebooks content distribution policies remains cloaked in secrecy. However, the platforms history of suppressing Christian views on sexual orientation and gender identity, abortion, and religious liberty may provide clues.

Enforcing safe conversation through algorithmic ideological judgments is a step toward a less humane world with less critical thought. The elevation of safety as a principle governing public expression will degrade the quality of public discourse, preclude countless challenging and worthwhile conversations, and silence messages with the power to transform hearts and minds.

NRB opposes religious viewpoint discrimination in every form, including content moderation policies that limit the ability to teach the Bible, preach the Gospel, and promote Christian values in the public square. We are wary that Facebooks commitment to a safe experience may amount to an open season on religious viewpoints while doing nothing to improve the quality of online discourse. And we believe that mob rule and guilt by association are two very bad ways to improve the conversation.

Its key that organizations proactively defend against these threats as well. One of the most important steps for a ministry or media company to take right now is to back up your content like videos, content lists, and more away from the distribution platforms themselves. Dont risk losing access to your content and messages by storing them solely on user accounts that can be suspended, locked, or removed. Ensure that your audience can access your digital media on more than one platform. Evaluate threats to your organizations digital infrastructure before they happen. Finally, develop a plan to get the word out if Big Tech de-platforming strikes you. If this happens, communicate with us at NRB about any de-platforming actions taken against your organization.

NRB has monitored threats to religious freedom on new media platforms for over a decade. Today, as since its founding in 1944, NRB is committed to representing Christian broadcasting wherever threats to religious free speech emerge.
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The same journalism organization that leaked the Panama Papers has uncovered a new trove of 11.9 million documents, dubbed the Pandora Papers, that contain explosive details about how global elites and billionaires hide their assets. Revelations from the leak included that a woman who gave birth to a child reportedly fathered by Russian President Vladimir Putin came to own a $4.1 million Monaco apartment and that Jordans King Abdullah II has bought $106 million worth of luxury properties around the world held by shell companies.

The document leak contains confidential memos, emails, stock certificates, compliance reports and more. It was obtained by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, and the organization described the leak as unprecedented. The trove of documents was so large that ICIJ partnered with media outlets  The Washington Post, BBC, and The Guardian  to help comb through it all. The leak contained confidential information on more than 100 billionaires in addition to celebrities, 35 current and former world leaders and 300 public officials.

According to the Post, Svetlana Krivonogikh, who was reported at the time to be in a secret long-term relationship with Putin according to Russian media outlet Proekt, was named as the beneficial owner of a luxury apartment in Monaco worth millions via an offshore company. That company was formed soon after she gave birth to a girl. The Kremlin denied the relationship when Proekt reported it, and the media outlet is now banned in Russia, but the documents raise questions about how Krivonogikh became the propertys beneficial owner, meaning even if her name is not on official registration documents, she controls or benefits from the asset. The documents further reveal how Russian oligarchs fuel corruption and hide their assets in offshore accounts.

The leak also showed that King Abdullah II of Jordan bought luxury properties in Malibu, Calif., Washington, D.C., and the United Kingdom, over the course of approximately 10 years. During that time the Arab Spring took place, and Jordanians took to the streets in 2011 to protest for a more democratic government and reduced powers for the monarchy. Abdullah ultimately spent $106 million on real estate, the Post reported, and the properties are all held by shell companies registered to himself. Abdullahs representatives have denied that he used any funds improperly, the Post said.

The papers also included offshore dealings by the presidents of Ukraine, Kenya and Ecuador, the prime minister of the Czech Republic and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. In addition to politicians and global leaders, some celebrities were caught up in the leak, including pop star Shakira and supermodel Claudia Schiffer. In statements their representatives sent to ICIJ, both denied any wrongdoing.
Former president Donald Trump has asked a court to mandate that Twitter restore his social media account, in a Florida court filing made late Friday.

In the court document, Trump asked a District Court judge for the Southern District of Florida for a preliminary injunction enabling his online return, while his lawsuit against the social media giant continues.

"Plaintiff Donald J. Trump respectfully moves for a preliminary injunction directing, inter alia, Defendant Twitter, Inc. and all persons acting in concert with Defendant, to reinstate Plaintiff's access to Defendant's social media platform(s)," the filing said.

It argued that Twitter was "censoring" Trump by indefinitely banning him from the platform, adding that the company "exercises a degree of power and control over political discourse in this country that is immeasurable, historically unprecedented, and profoundly dangerous to open democratic debate."

The filing also argued that the social media giant had suspended Trump's account after being "coerced" by his political rivals in Congress.

Twitter banned Trump from its platform on Jan. 8, stating that two of his tweets violated their policies, and cited "the risk of further incitement of violence." The unprecedented move came after the riot on Jan. 6 that saw hundreds of his supporters storm the Capitol, in an attack that resulted in five deaths, and some 140 police officers being injured.

Trump's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment by The Washington Post early Saturday. Twitter declined to comment.

Known for firing-off unfiltered and often CAPSLOCK late night tweets, Trump's account had 88 million followers and became a key communication tool during his presidency. Though Trump remains free to speak to press or make public remarks, his ability to attract attention and media coverage has diminished dramatically following the ban.

In July, Trump sued Twitter, Facebook and Alphabet Inc's Google, as well as their chief executives, alleging they unlawfully silenced conservative viewpoints and violated his First Amendment rights by suspending his accounts. Legal experts and business associations predicted the lawsuits would have little chance of succeeding in court, given that the First Amendment protects people from censorship by the U.S. government, not private companies.

Nonetheless, Twitter's Trump ban, which was followed by many other social media giants including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and Twitch, has also drawn critical attention to the power wielded by a handful of tech companies and their ability to shape the broader national public debate.

Even as he announced the ban earlier this year, Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey expressed unease about depriving the president of his online platform. "Having to take these actions fragment the public conversation . . . And sets a precedent I feel is dangerous: the power an individual or corporation has over a part of the global public conversation," Dorsey said in one tweet.

However, he also defended the ban as "the right decision for Twitter. We faced an extraordinary and untenable circumstance, forcing us to focus all of our actions on public safety. Offline harm as a result of online speech is demonstrably real, and what drives our policy and enforcement above all."

Twitter has been testing a host of new features that it says will boost user-safety on the platform, including a "safety mode" tool, which when enabled can automatically detect and temporarily block accounts deemed insulting to users.

Earlier this year Trump told Fox News: "Twitter now is very boring."
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)  At least five civilians were killed in a bomb blast outside a Kabul mosque Sunday, a Taliban official said. It was the deadliest attack in the Afghan capital since U.S. forces left at the end of August.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but suspicion fell on Islamic State extremists who have stepped up attacks on the Taliban in recent weeks, particularly in an IS stronghold in eastern Afghanistan.

An apparent roadside bomb went off at the gate of the sprawling Eid Gah Mosque in Kabul at a time when a memorial service was being held for the mother of chief Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. Five people were killed, said Qari Saeed Khosti, the spokesman of the Interior Ministry.

The explosion underscored the growing challenges the Taliban face just weeks after they took control of Afghanistan in a blitz campaign, culminating in their takeover of Kabul on Aug. 15.

During their 20-year insurgency, the Taliban themselves had frequently carried out bombing and shooting attacks, but are now faced with trying to contain rival militants using the same methods. The growing security challenges come at a time of an economic meltdown, as the Taliban struggle to run the country without the massive foreign aid given to U.S.-backed government they toppled.

Three suspects were arrested in Sunday's explosion in Kabul, said Bilal Karimi, a Taliban spokesman. He said Taliban fighters were not harmed.

Mohammad Israil, a Kabul resident, said he heard a loud sound and saw people running away.

An Italian-funded emergency hospital in Kabul tweeted it had received four people wounded in the blast.

The area around the mosque was cordoned off by the Taliban, who maintained a heavy security presence. Later in the afternoon the site was cleaned. The only signs of the blast was slight damage to the ornamental arch by the entrance gate.

IS militants have stepped up attacks against the Taliban since their mid-August takeover, signaling a widening conflict between them.

IS maintains a strong presence in the eastern province of Nangarhar, where it has claimed responsibility for several killings in the provincial capital of Jalalabad.

In late August, an IS suicide bomber targeted American evacuation efforts at Kabul's international airport. The blast killed 169 Afghans and 13 U.S. service members and was one of the deadliest attacks in the country in years.

Attacks in Kabul have so far been rare, but in recent weeks IS has shown signs it is expanding its footprint beyond the east and closer toward the capital.

On Friday, Taliban fighters raided an IS hideout just north of Kabul in Parwan province. The raid came after an IS roadside bomb wounded four Taliban fighters in the area.
AP

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP)  China flew more than 30 military planes toward Taiwan on Saturday, the second large display of force in as many days.

Taiwan's Defense Ministry said 39 aircraft entered Taiwan's air defense identification zone in two sorties, one during the day and one at night. That followed a similar pattern on Friday, when 38 planes flew into the area south of the self-governing island.
NEW ORLEANS (AP)  It was early September. The streets of New Orleans were lined with fallen limbs after Hurricane Ida, utility workers from across the South labored to restore power, and the tail of a large dead alligator protruded from a pink dumpster parked at the curb of an Uptown street. The fly-clouded creature had been partly wrapped in blue plastic tarp, the same stuff being nailed to innumerable wind-torn roofs around town.

Where the once-mighty reptile had come from, how it had died and why the carcass had been cast off was a mystery. For reasons that defy rationality, the dead alligator became a minor pop sensation.

Dog walkers, parents with strollers, cocktail-sipping pedestrians and roving motorists made pilgrimages to the once-ominous swamp dweller. Photos of the enigma popped onto social media posts shared among the air conditioning-deprived population. Someone placed a scarlet hibiscus flower on the tarp-wrapped reptile, the way people place bouquets on graves.

Kaylene Torregrossa spotted a compelling photo of the deceased Uptown alligator on Instagram and was touched by the scenes macabre magic. It was so perfectly weird and reflective, so New Orleans, she said. The hibiscus, she said, added beauty onto death.

The Crescent City streets were peppered with roofing nails at the time, and Torregrossa had a flat tire that prevented her from personally visiting the dumpster gator. Nonetheless, she planned to make the surrealistic sight hers forever.

I wanted a tattoo immediately, she said. Torregrossa, a wedding and event producer whod moved to New Orleans from Florida five years before, felt the mysterious monster somehow symbolized the Category 4 storm that had befallen her adopted city.

It was a real intense thing we went through, she said, and I wanted to have it on my body.

Tattoo artist Stacey Colangelo was up to the challenge. Colangelo, a former Chicagoan whos worked at the Treasure Tattoo parlor on St. Claude Avenue since 2016, has applied plenty of fleurs-de-lis, crawfish and more predictable New Orleans identity tats over the years. She was delighted to design something as unexpected as the dumpster alligator. Its by far one of the most unique New Orleans tattoos, she said.

Working from online photos, Colangelo simplified the details, heightened the colors and emphasized the lush flower and the lifeless gator tail. Since the tat was intended for Torregrossas upper thigh, Colangelo rounded the edges of the composition into an oval to flow with the body. On Saturday, Sept. 18, it took two endurably painful hours to ink the drawing into Torregrossas flesh.

Colangelo said she understood Torregrossas tattoo concept instantly. I said, What a cool Ida commemorative tattoo, she recalled. The essential yin and yang of the design has to do with decay contrasting with the bold, cheery colors around it, she said.

To me, she said, its kind of a testament of love and devotion to the city, celebrating the beauty in the decay. You see something very morbid and out of place. Thats what draws people. They love the same things they hate.
BERLIN (AP)  Germans must keep working for democracy, Chancellor Angela Merkel said Sunday as the country celebrated the 31st anniversary of the merger of East and West.

In what is expected to be one of her last major speeches, the outgoing chancellor said that reunification happened because there were people in East Germany who risked everything for their rights, their freedom and a different society.

Even today, Merkel said, the achievement of democracy should not be taken for granted.

Democracy isn't simply there, she told an audience in the eastern city of Halle, warning of the disinformation and incitement observed in current public debates. Rather, we must work for it together, again and again, every day.

Merkel cited the killing of one of her party's regional politicians, the assault on Halle's synagogue, and the recent fatal shooting of a gas station clerk who asked someone to wear a mask as examples of verbal attacks leading to radicalization in German society.

She also cautioned that German reunification isn't a finished process, noting that many former East Germans, like her, have experienced a sense of having to continually justify that they, too, are part of the country.

Three decades on, there remains a political and economic divide between Germanys formerly communist east and the west. The difference was illustrated in last months national election, where the far-right Alternative for Germany party captured 16 constituencies in the east even as its overall share of the vote dropped across the country.

Drawing on very personal anecdotes, Merkel urged Germans to learn lessons from each others' past struggles to help tackle future challenges, such as climate change.

Referring to the pandemic restrictions of the past 18 months, Merkel said it had been incredibly difficult to temporarily curb personal liberties 30 years after reunification.

To view something as politically necessary and at the same time an unbearable imposition on democracy is something I consider to be among the hardest experiences during my time as chancellor, she said.
GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP)  On his 100th birthday, crossing guard Thomas Faucette woke up at 3 a.m.

The World War II veteran had already celebrated with family and friends over the weekend. He didnt know about the plans in motion.

A premonition  just had a feeling, he says  got him up early.

Some five hours later, Faucette grinned and doffed his cap to hundreds of Peck Elementary students in hand-decorated Happy Birthday hats.

They gathered outside with school and police department staff to show appreciation for Faucette, who has helped children cross the street for more than three decades and served the public for more years than many people live.

Hes just a fantastic man, said Cathy Robbins, a colleague with the police department, which oversees crossing guards stationed at local schools. Sense of humor you would not believe.

When school is in session Faucette monitors morning arrival and afternoon departure from a lawn chair at the corner of Florida and Vanstory streets.

He waits, stop sign at the ready, for children or other pedestrians who want to cross the street.

Before the pandemic, Faucette would cross about 10 students on a typical day.

Now, its more like one to six, his wife, Elizabeth Faucette, said.

Still, the students are his favorite part of being a crossing guard. He loves it when they holler to him or mess with him in a friendly way.

Its fun, he said.

His wife of 51 years is a retired Peck Elementary teacher, who has also substituted at the school.

She sometimes comes along for her husbands shifts, and gets to see him in action with the students.

Usually, in the morning, he will tell them, do good, have a good day, when they are crossing, she said.

When the couple married in 1970, it marked a halfway point in his life.

Before marrying Elizabeth he grew up in Greensboro, played half-back at Dudley High School, moved to Washington, D.C., served in France and Germany in the U.S. Army in World War II, took a job with the Federal Trade Commission and moved back to Greensboro to care for his ailing mother while working for the U.S. Postal Service.

At age 72, Elizabeth Faucette is 28 years his junior.

She met him as a friend of her uncles and later got to know him better as a neighbor.

It was more me pursuing him than him pursuing me, she said.

The second half of Thomas Faucettes life involved raising two children with Elizabeth and, after retiring from the post office in 1986, embracing a part-time career as a crossing guard in Greensboro.

He joined in 1988, according to the Greensboro Police Department. His first post was outside Bluford Elementary. He later switched to the streets near Peck, possibly around 2000 or so, Elizabeth Faucette said.

Peck principal Ashley Triplett said Faucette has been a steadfast presence.

Rain, sleet, snow, ice, anything at all, he is out there, she said. Mr. Faucette is as consistent as the ringing of our school bells.

When community members and other crossing guards let her know his 100th birthday was coming up, she knew she had to plan a celebration.

On Sept. 29, 100 of the children held two-dimensional candles made from brightly-colored construction paper that were nearly as big as some of the students.

A speaker blared pop tunes as the students waited for Faucette to walk from his corner to the front of the school.

Minutes earlier Faucette had accepted a plaque from Greensboro Police Chief Brian James in appreciation for his service with the department.

He was greeted at the school with a banner, balloons, $100, and a giant card that everyone signed.

Faucette even boogied to the music as the children watched.

I was so happy, said second grader Erick Foote, because its his birthday.
STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP)  Starkville High School student Peyton Willoughby sat in his 10th grade English class on Sept. 23 not worried about struggling to hear his teacher because of new technology installed in the classroom.

As his teacher discussed poems and literary elements, information flowed throughout speakers across the entire room, giving Willoughby the assurance that he was obtaining all of the necessary material.

For me, I really love (this new technology), Willoughby said. I think its absolutely amazing because the teacher can be up and vocal and moving around while still maintaining that audibility  it makes the teaching much more engaging and more enjoyable.

Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District recently installed audio enhancement electronics, an innovative technology to strengthen the learning experience, throughout 12 classrooms and the library at SHS, as well as 12 classrooms at Armstrong Junior High. This technology allows teachers to clearly project through masks, offering all students a learning environment free of miscommunication.

SOCSD received a $100,000 grant from the Governors Emergency Education Relief Fund to pay for the technology. The relief fund was established in 2020 to help schools negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The technology works with speakers installed in the ceilings evenly dispersed throughout the classroom. A teacher wears a microphone fob around their neck, and their voice comes out of the speakers.

SOCSD finished installation on the technology at the beginning of this school year, Director of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning Leanne Long said, and teachers completed training soon after to know how to properly use the equipment.

I think all students being able to learn and all students being able to hear what is being presented no matter where the teacher is in the room helps not only with retention of content but also with the teachers management in the classroom, Long said.

Along with the speakers, Audio Enhancement also contains a video aspect. The district is installing the cameras this week, which will then allow the teachers the ability to livestream or record themselves using the microphone and camera. The teacher can not only record slide presentations but themselves teaching the material as well.

Director of Educational Enhancement and Innovative Research Brandi Burton said this recording capability will give students who may be virtual due to quarantine the opportunity to engage in learning just like in-person students.

When we decided to go with this software, we saw it was more of an immersive experience for virtual students than just logging on to a Zoom because you do feel like youre in the class with your peers and you can not only see your teacher talking but the screen as well, Burton said.

The district discovered Audio Enhancement after Superintendent Eddie Peasant and Assistant Superintendent Anna Guntharp attended a conference where the technology was being used in fall 2020.

Burton said administrators of SHS and AJH decided which classrooms the cameras would be installed in.

We let them choose which classrooms they thought would touch the most students and be most impactful, Burton said. Both administrators had different strategies, but we let them make that decision. Whats common between both schools is that there are multiple teachers for every English, math, science, social studies  those core topics  and special subjects like Spanish.

Students and teachers alike have positively responded to the technology, Burton said.

Spanish teacher Doug Houston said he has enjoyed the equipment being in his classroom. Teaching a foreign language in a mask can be difficult at times, but with Audio Enhancement, he said he does not have to worry about the students misunderstanding him.

With wearing masks and teaching foreign language, they need to be able to hear all of the intricacies of how you pronounce things, Houston said.  This really helps because you can hear the enunciation of each word.
CROWN POINT, Ind. (AP)  A northwest Indiana man has been sentenced to 150 years in prison for the slayings of a Gary woman and her 13-year-old son, who were fatally shot in their home during a 2019 robbery.

Darren Duke Taylor was sentenced Friday, about a month after a Lake County jury convicted him of two counts each of murder, murder in perpetration of a robbery and robbery.
PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. - The Prince Albert Raiders pulled their alternate jerseys just a day after they were unveiled, due to a logo the Western Hockey League called "insensitive and offensive."

The image on the jerseys appeared to be based on a previous team logo introduced in 1982, which depicts an Arabian raider character holding a sword and a hockey stick.
DETROIT (AP)  Years later, the Michigan Supreme Court this week is revisiting the case of a young woman who was killed while pounding on a door before dawn in suburban Detroit.

The result could lead to a new sentencing hearing for Ted Wafer, who has been in prison since his conviction in 2014.

Wafer, now 62, was sentenced to at least 17 years in prison for second-degree murder, manslaughter and a gun crime.

The Supreme Court will hear arguments Thursday about whether it was improper for Wafer to be convicted of murder and manslaughter for the same death. His lawyers want the manslaughter conviction thrown out.

It's a key issue for Wafer because his sentencing guidelines for murder were enhanced by the manslaughter conviction. If given a new hearing in Wayne County court, it's possible a judge could order a shorter sentence.

In 2013, Wafer opened his front door in Dearborn Heights and shot Renisha McBride, 19, through a screen door. He said he was awakened by pounding and feared for his life, though he didn't call 911 first. A jury rejected his self-defense claim.

Prosecutors speculated that McBride had crashed her car hours earlier and might have been confused when she arrived on Wafer's porch.

In a court filing, prosecutors said murder and manslaughter with a gun still fit because each crime has different elements.

Each offense requires proof of an element the other does not, the prosecutor's office said. No clear legislative intent to the contrary exists. Multiple convictions are thus permitted."

Wafer is white and McBride was Black, and some people wondered in the aftermath of the shooting whether race was a factor, likening it to the 2012 shooting of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin. But race was hardly mentioned at trial.

___

Follow Ed White at http://twitter.com/edwritez
TUNIS, Tunisia (AP)  Thousands of Tunisians attended demonstrations in Tunis and other cities this weekend in a show of support for President Kais Saieds recent consolidation of power  a move that his critics have dubbed a coup.

Thousands stood on Tunis central thoroughfare Sunday waving the nations crimson flag demanding tough action against corruption, and chanting The people want the dissolution of parliament! One demonstrator wore a T-shirt emblazoned with We are Kais Saied." Another held a sign that read You are not alone Mr. President, we are with you."

On July 25, following nationwide anti-government protests, Saied abruptly dismissed his prime minister, assumed all executive powers and froze parliament in the North African nation.

While constitutional lawyers and political opponents including the influential Islamist party say his actions are unlawful, the decision has proven widely popular with the Tunisian public. It followed a long period of political and economic crisis for Tunisia that was exacerbated by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Sept. 22, Saied followed up on his "exceptional measures" with the announcement of a new constitutional order, effectively suspending part of the countrys 2014 constitution and transferring sweeping legislative powers to the president, giving him the right to rule by decree.

Thousands gathered for protests last weekend against that decision, notably from Islamist party Ennahdha, which has been sidelined by the president's moves. Human rights advocates and civil society organizations have openly condemned his actions, calling them a threat to Tunisias democratic transition.

On Sunday, Tunisias state agency TAP reported that a lawmaker and a television host had been arrested over TV remarks critical to Saied, quoting lawyer Samir Ben Amor.

But the crowd at Sundays demonstration was a satisfied and hopeful one.

I came here to support the dissolution of the parliament, because we are tired of these corrupt politicians, these thieves, demonstrator Intissar Slits, 45, told The Associated Press. We are here to support our president, this is the will of the people. The people are tired of being poor, tired of being hungry, we are tired of everything.

Another demonstrator said the countrys 2014 constitution was a failure and did not represent the wishes of the Tunisian people, only those of a small group of politicians.

Despite concerns about the legitimacy of Saied's moves, demonstrator Sonia Belnasser said a return to authoritarian rule is impossible for the Tunisian people.

The Tunisian people are now on the street supporting Kais Saied, the professor Kais Saied, the president Kais Saied, because he said no to corruption. If one day he becomes part of the bad system, then all the people will turn against him she said, adding that she was happy with Saieds appointment of Najla Bouden as head of government last week, the Arab worlds first female prime minister.

Protests were also held in several cities, from the coastal town of Sfax to Sidi Bouzid in the impoverished interior  the birthplace of Arab Spring uprisings. Tunisia was the only country to emerge from that tumultuous time with a democratic government.

___

Bouazza ben Bouazza in Tunis contributed.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP)  A Wichita police officer fatally shot a man Sunday who pointed a gun at officers after refusing to follow their commands.

Wichita police Capt. Jason Stephens said officers were called to the 41-year-old man's home after a woman told a local convenience store clerk that the man was threatening to harm her and himself and that the man was wanted by police.

Stephens said Jess Jackson died after an officer fired four shots at him after he pointed the gun.

When six officers went to the Jackson's home to check on him, three went inside and found the man lying on a bed holding a metallic object under the blanket.

Stephens said that at one point Jackson dropped the metallic object on the floor, which made a loud thud sound. Then he ignored several commands to put his hands up and not touch the object under the blanket.

Then when Jackson stood up, Stephens said he displayed a handgun and began to point it at officers, prompting the office to fire.

Stephens said Jackson was wanted on several warrants for failing to appear in court on two domestic violence cases and several traffic violations.

When police interviewed Jacksons ex girlfriend later, she said he had made irrational statements and threats after their break up. In the hours before the fatal confrontation, he threatened to harm himself or engage in a shootout with police.

The shooting will be investigated by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.
MILLINOCKET, Maine (AP)  The remains of a World War II pilot whose body was lost in Europes Adriatic Sea have been returned to his hometown in Maine, according to state officials.

The remains of U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Ernest N. Vienneau were transferred from Massachusetts to Millinocket, Maine, on Saturday by the Maine State Police Honor Guard, according to the state's Department of Public Safety.
WASHINGTON - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., raised eyebrows with a specific a phrase she uttered during a leadership team meeting.

The massive agenda that Democrats were pushing, Pelosi told her colleagues, "was a culmination of my service in Congress."

She repeated the phrase publicly later Thursday at her weekly news conference, leaving some Democrats with the impression that she was making a personal plea to deliver for their leader of the last 19 years as she ponders the end of her political career.

Whether she retires next year or not, the next few weeks and months will serve as a major inflection point for Pelosi's legacy. If she can usher President Joe Biden's ambitious agenda into law, Pelosi will cement her place as one of the most powerful members of Congress in history of the country.

But Pelosi could also oversee the implosion of the party's attempt to achieve long sought goals on education, heath care and climate if she cannot smooth over the bitter ideological divide among congressional Democrats. Such an outcome would leave Democrats reeling heading into next year's midterm elections and likely ending her career on a sour note, denting her reputation as a master legislator who always finds a way to deliver.

After 19 years leading House Democrats, she is also facing the invetiable questions over whether she has lost a step or maintains the legislative acumen and determination that has defined her career.

Pelosi, 81, is now trying to prove her doubters wrong by resetting her caucus in pursuit of twin goals that have been linked, then separated and are now back together: a $1.2 trillion infrastructure plan that was bipartisan when it passed the Senate, and a partisan proposal to reshape social policy, with a price tag possibly around $2 trillion.

On June 24, just before Biden appeared with a bipartisan group of senators claiming an initial deal on infrastructure, Pelosi publicly declared she would not move the Senate's legislation until the more ambitious bill had also cleared the Senate.

"There ain't gonna be no bipartisan bill, unless we have a reconciliation bill," she told reporters, using the parliamentary term for the party-line proposal that cannot be filibustered in the Senate.

On Monday evening, when a deadline hit for a promise she made to her moderate flank, Pelosi shifted to separate the two bills because Senate centrist Democrats opposed the $3.5 trillion price tag for a package that would rewrite laws governing Medicare, Medicaid, corporate taxes, early childhood eduction and climate change.

"It all changed, so our approach had to change," she told Democrats.

For four days, however, members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus held their ground and refused to support the infrastructure bill, while the two most conservative Senate Democrats, Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, held firm in refusing to support the $3.5 trillion House proposal.

By Friday morning Pelosi realized that Biden needed to deliver the bitter political medicine to centrists and liberals, summoning the president to talk to her caucus in a basement meeting room in the Capitol.

She even made security take cellphones from lawmakers and staff entering the room to prevent leaks, but that didn't matter. Lawmakers heard the message.

"He sent two practical realities," Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Wash., a leader of the moderate New Democratic Coalition, said afterward. "One is that we have to get to an agreement on reconciliation and it's not going to be 3.5, and two, that that's going to be necessary to get an infrastructure bill across the finish line."

With the two bills back together again, the House speaker is dug in on her pursuit of passing what could be the last major legislation with her stamp on it. Upon winning back the speaker's gavel in January 2019, Pelosi suggested she would likely serve just four more years.

She has made clear she will not announce her retirement months before her departure, becoming a lame duck. "Get out of here," Pelosi told reporters who asked if "culmination" meant she was close to stepping down.

But once the calender turns to 2022, major legislation is likely to take a back seat to campaigning and Republicans could easily win the handful of seats they need to claim the House majority in the midterm elections.

Her closest allies don't question her power to deliver in the near term.

"When has Speaker Pelosi ever failed on a legislative initiative that she and a Democratic President strongly support? She didn't even fail when she had Republican presidents, including George Bush, and most recently Donald Trump," Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., a lieutenant in her leadership team, told reporters.

The question is whether she retains the same strong hand over a caucus where her legislative lore is a thing of the past to some - 60 percent of the 220 Democrats arrived after her first run as speaker ended in 2010 with a brutal 63-seat loss.

This new political era allows younger ideologues gain prominent followings without anything near Pelosi's reservoir of experience and relationships, including an unlikely bond between the coal-loving Manchin and the San Franciso clean energy advocate.

A daily consumer of the New York Times crossword puzzle, Pelosi approaches every major negotiation like a real-life puzzle, viewing Manchin - a fellow Italian Catholic - as a key piece to resolving this dispute.

For several years she worked with him on saving pensions for miners, during which time Manchin noticed a small statue in her office of coal miner: a gift from a West Virginian, Jennings Randolph, to her father, Thomas D'Alessandro Jr., when the future senator and future Baltimore mayor served together in the House in the 1940s.

After the pension law passed, in December 2019, Manchin gave her a new statue of a miner that sits in her office, with a personal inscription to her: "Thank you for keeping the promise to the coal miners who helped build this country."

Pelosi acknowledged this week that she gets a certain amount of joy and fulfillment out of the chaos surrounding such protracted negotiations, shuttling one collection of liberals into her office followed by a group of moderates and then White House officials.

She's always been strategic about when to deploy food, and some who've sat in her office believe she manipulates the room temperature to make negotiators comfortable or uncomfortable, depending on her motive.

"Let me just tell you about negotiating," she told reporters Thursday. "At the end, that's when you really have to weigh in. You cannot tire. You cannot concede. It's this is - this is the fun part."

Her tenacity now is reminiscent of how she kept Democrats focused on passing the Affordable Care Act in 2010, despite several rocky moments including a special election defeat that cost Senate Democrats a filibuster-proof 60-seat caucus.

"The Affordable Care Act was remarkable, and I take some proprietary interest on that," she said, noting that this latest proposal ties together so many separate issues she has focused on since first winning election in 1987. "Each one of those is something we fought over the years for and now is coming together in a way that is transformative, not incremental."

Her sharpest critics are nevertheless impressed by the audacity of her approach, particularly with just 220 seats on her side of the aisle, just a three-vote margin for victory.

"You could argue she's been the strongest speaker in history," Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., the former speaker from 1995 through 1998, said during a Thursday visit to the Capitol. "She has shown more capacity to organize and muscle, with really narrow margins."

Two newer Democrats, Reps. Pramila Jayapal of Washington and Stephanie Murphy of Florida, both elected in 2016, reflect the ideological battle of the past few weeks. Jayapal leads the progressive caucus, while Murphy leads the Blue Dog Coalition, a more conservative group that was decimated in 2010.

Jayapal led the liberal wing in rejecting Pelosi's push the last few days to pass the infrastructure bill, holding the speaker to the initial pledge in June that it would not pass until the bigger legislation was ready. "We held the line," she told reporters walking down the House steps Friday evening, claiming victory.

And Murphy fought to make Pelosi live up to an August pledge to move the infrastructure plan by the end of September. While that didn't happen, Pelosi did issue a letter to Democrats Saturday that set a new deadline, Oct. 31, for passing the infrastructure bill, at which point the more ambitious reconciliation plan might not be complete.

Despite all this zigzagging, veteran Democrats remain calm.

"There's a lot of hand-wringing and recrimination and gnashing of teeth, particularly among the people who haven't seen this play out, the people of the shorter tenure here. The ones who have been here a long time, you can see it. They're the calm ones," Rep. Matthew Cartwright, D-Pa.,, first elected in 2012, said Friday. "They've seen it play out. They know something good is going to come out of this."
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Here is what you need to know before applying for PR with a criminal record.

Applying for Canadian permanent residence with a criminal record Here is what you need to know before applying for PR with a criminal record.

Applying for Canadian permanent residence with a criminal record Here is what you need to know before applying for PR with a criminal record.

Applying for Canadian permanent residence with a criminal record Here is what you need to know before applying for PR with a criminal record. Michael Schwartz Matt Hendler Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif

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Canada wants new permanent residents (PRs)  in fact, more than a million of them. 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.

Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) released its most recent Immigration Levels Plan on October 30, 2020. This plan calls for over:

400,000 new PRs in 2020;

410,000 in 2021; and

420,000 in 2022.

Click here to get a free consultation with the Law Firm of Campbell Cohen

There are several ways to become a Canadian PR. You might be living abroad, or already be in Canada. You may go from having no status in Canada straight to PR. Or, if you are an international student or temporary foreign worker, you might convert temporary status to permanent residence. You might qualify as an economic immigrant, family member, or refugee. As well, you may be a federal selection or a provincial nominee.

It is important to note that a criminal record can exclude you from applying for permanent residence. Fortunately, there is a way to overcome this obstacle if you believe you may be criminally inadmissible to Canada.

If you want to apply for Canadian permanent residence but have a prior conviction, you must be considered rehabilitated in order to receive PR status. Applicants with a criminal record wishing to stay in Canada may have the option to pursue a Temporary Resident Permit (TRP) instead of Criminal Rehabilitation (CR). However, a TRP must be renewed, whereas successful rehabilitation permanently resolves the problem of criminal inadmissibility for future stays in Canada.

The Canadian government offers the CR application for those who can show a major, positive, change since being convicted of a crime. This is a process that clears your record for the purpose of entering Canada, whether as a visitor or permanent resident. Once approved, CR is permanent, as long as you do not commit another offence. Being criminally rehabilitated can ease any worry about being turned away at the border or being denied permanent residence because of a criminal record. Many offences, including theft, driving under the influence (DUI), and assault can pose issues and result in a person being considered inadmissible to Canada.

Criminal Rehabilitation is only available for convictions outside of Canada. If you were convicted of an offence in Canada, depending on the circumstances, you may have to seek a pardon from the Parole Board of Canada.

In order to be eligible for CR, at least five years must have passed since you completed your sentence. A sentence can include prison or probation time, payment of fines and any required community service or classes. If you have an unresolved case, or a warrant, you are not eligible to apply.

When someone is interested in applying for Criminal Rehabilitation, the translation of the persons criminal history into the Canadian equivalent has significant importance. This process requires a close reading of Canadas Criminal Code in relation to the laws of the country in which the person was convicted. The Canadian government charges a processing fee for CR. The amount of this charge depends on if the criminal record is based on non-serious or serious criminality. The cost is $200 CAD for non-serious criminality and $1,000 CAD for serious criminality.

Criminal inadmissibility is a serious matter, especially when a person is interested in immigrating to Canada. It can prevent you from realizing your Canadian dream. However, there is a pathway to becoming admissible. Your eligibility and conditions will depend on a variety of factors.

If you think you may be eligible for criminal rehabilitation, a good first step to take is to read more about criminality issues in Canada to learn how to address your unique situation the right way.

Click here to get a free consultation with the Law Firm of Campbell Cohen

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 2)  A delivery of 889,200 doses of COVID-19 vaccines made by US pharmaceutical firm Pfizer donated by the COVAX facility arrived in the country on Saturday.

The shipment brought the total number of COVAX-delivered vaccines to 17,840,230, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez, Jr. said. He thanked UNICEF, the Gavi Alliance and the US government for their generosity.

The National Task Force Against COVID-19's vaccine tracker noted that a total of 75,597,140 shots have arrived in the country as of Saturday.

Apart from the over 17 million from COVAX, more than 48 million were procured by the national government, over five million were bought by the private sector and local government units, and more than three million were donated by other countries.

From the tally, 45,950,752 doses have been administered to the public with an average of 355,22 inoculations per day.

The total number of fully vaccinated individuals stands at 21,560,795, which is 27.95% of the target 70% of the population.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 3)  Manila Mayor Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso is set to file on Monday his certificate of candidacy for president, along with that of his running mate, physician Willie Ong, the tandem's camp has disclosed.

"It was Mayor Isko's decision to time his filing of COC with the feast day of St. Francis after whom he was named by his mother, the late Rosario "Nanay Chayong" Moreno," said a statement from the group on Sunday.

Moreno announced in September his bid to run for president, and Ong for vice president. Both said they identified with neither the administration nor the opposition.

"I can work with anybody, opposition, administrasyon. If we're going to define ourselves based on political colors, ang makikinabang ay ang politiko lang," he said in September.

[Translation: I can work with anybody, opposition, administrationn. If we're going to define ourselves based on political colors, only politicians will benefit.]
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 3)  The Department of Health on Sunday said 13,273 more people tested positive for COVID-19, raising the country's tally to 2,593,399.

Of the total, it said 4.3% or 112,008 are active cases, including 85.8% tagged as mild, 6.1% as asymptomatic, 4.6% as moderate, 2.5% as severe, and 1.1% as critical.

The latest positivity rate is at 20.2%, DOH figures show. This means 1 in 5 of the 64,747 coronavirus tests reported on Oct. 1 turned out positive. The World Health Organization recommends the positivity rate to be kept below 5%.

Meanwhile, the department announced 45,249 new recoveries for a total of 2,442,623, which is 94.2% of all infected.

This is third biggest single-day increase in the number of survivors, and it came a day after the DOH added only 894 to the recovery count  the lowest in more than five months.

The viral illness also killed 112 more people, bringing the death toll to 38,768. This accounts for 1.49% of the case tally. The department said the newly confirmed fatalities include 47 cases erroneously reported as cleared of COVID-19 in previous updates.

Three testing laboratories did not submit their results on time. According to the DOH, these facilities account for around 0.6% of all samples tested and 0.7% of positive cases.

After final validation, 47 duplicate entries were removed from the official data, including 35 recoveries.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 3)  Senator Manny Pacquiao has been ejected from Partido Demokratiko Pilipino Lakas ng Bayan (PDP Laban) after he filed his certificate of candidacy under another party.

"Senator Emmanuel Pacquiao has been automatically expelled from the party for filing his certificate of candidacy (COC) under the Progressive Movement for the Devolution of Initiatives (PROMDI), a relatively unknown party based in Cebu," said a statement Sunday from the faction led by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi.

Separately, PDP Laban secretary general Melvin Matibag said that under the party's constitution a member who files their COC under another party is automatically expelled.

Pacquiao filed his COC for president along with his running mate, Buhay Party-list Rep. Lito Atienza on Oct. 1. <<>>

"A resolution was approved automatically expelling Senator Pacquiao from PDP Laban in accordance with the party constitution," said Matibag.

He said Pacquiao's action, after claiming he was the legitimate president of PDP Laban, was disloyal and showed "betrayal and abandonment" of the party, adding it proved the "illegitimacy" of the faction led by Senators Pacquiao and Koko Pimentel.

"Bakit nya iiwanan ang PDP Laban kung tunay na libo-libo ang kanyang mga taga-suporta sa partido?" he said.

[Translation: Why would he leave PDP Laban if it's true that he has thousands of supporters in the party.

Because of what happened, Matibag said he was confident the Commission on Elections (Comelec) would rule to declare the Pacquiao faction as illegitimate.

In a separate statement, Pimentel, the chairman of the Pacquiao faction, responded with a charge that Cusi and Matibag "did not know the facts."

"There is a PDP Laban, Promdi, PCM (People's Champ Movement) alliance agreement called 'MP3 Alliance' where the alliance partners also proclaimed Sen. Manny Pacquiao as their presidential candidate," said Pimentel.

"PDP Laban National Executive Committee in a resolution (No. 12) allowed Sen. Manny Pacquiao to use Promdi CONA (certificate of nomination and acceptance) in order to consolidate his support base and alliance partners because Sen. Manny Pacquiao is already known and identified with PDP Laban. He was officially nominated and proclaimed as presidential candidate also by Promdi n their National Assembly."

Pimentel added "everything is normal" and it was Cusi and Matibag making up issues.

READ: Comelec: No need yet to intervene in PDP-Laban rift

In July, the Pacquiao-led faction expelled Cusi, Matibag and membership committee head Astra Naik for supposedly showing "allegiance to another political party," the same rule invoked against Pacquiao.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 3)  Vice President Leni Robredos camp has appealed to the public to patiently wait for her announcement on plans for the 2022 elections, reiterating that she will decide before October 8, the deadline for the filling of certificates of candidacy.

Robredos spokesperson lawyer Barry Gutierrez on Sunday addressed reports that the vice president has allegedly accepted 1Sambayans nomination as its standard bearer.

Naiintindahin naman namin. Malinaw naman na maraming excited, madami nang nag-aabang. Kaunting hintay na lang. Sabi naman ni VP, Oct. 8 ang huling araw ng filing at bago mag-Oct. 8 ipapaalam niya na ang kanyang desisyon, he said during Robredos weekly radio show.

[Translation: We understand. Its clear that many are excited and many are waiting. Just wait a little more. The VP already said that Oct. 8 would be the last day of filling and before that date, she would come up with a decision.]

Ang klaro talaga dito si VP Leni mismo ang magsasabi ng kanyang desisyon. Hindi kailangan manghula, hindi natin kailangan gumawa ng kung anong kuro kuro, Gutierrez added.

[Translation: What is clear here is that VP Leni will be the one to announce her decision. So, we dont need to guess or make any speculations.]

Earlier, Robredo thanked the opposition coalitions endorsement. However, she still did not say whether she was accepting the endorsement, instead, she asked the public to pray with her in making a decision.

Once Robredo makes her decision, she will remain firm with it, her camp assured.

Kaya naman si VP Leni talagang pinag-iisipan. Hindi yung parang, hindi ako tatakbo, tapos biglang magbabago ang isip. O kaya, tatakbo ako, tapos aatras. Walang ganun. Klaro sa kanya, said Gutierrez.

[Translation: VP Leni really thinks about her plans. She will not say, I will not run, then she will suddenly change her mind. Or, I will run, then she will back out. That will not happen. Shes very clear with her plans.]

The filing of COCs has started on Oct. 1. Among the popular names who have expressed intent to run for president, it was boxer-turned-senator Manny Pacquiao who has so far filed his candidacy.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 3)  For not being forthright regarding her political intentions, despite the President's pronouncement that she will seek the highest post, voters may "lose interest" if Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte continues to keep them in suspense, according to a political analyst.

"Ang problema diyan alam na ng tao 'yung ganyang klaseng laro. Ang delikado diyan baka mawalan ng interest ang mamamayan sa kandidatura ni Mayor Sara kung hindi pa siya magde-desisyon agad," Julio Teehankee told CNN Philippines' Newsroom Weekend.

"'Yung dating mataas na numero niya, mapupunta sa ibang kandidato," he added.

[Translation: The problem there is that people already know that kind of game. The danger is that the people may lose interest in Mayor Sara's candidacy if she does not make a decision immediately. Her high survey response may shift to other candidates.]

On Saturday, the Davao City mayor filed her candidacy for reelection despite being a frontrunner in most national presidential pre-election surveys.

READ: Sara Duterte seeks reelection as Davao City mayor

While Sara topped the latest survey of Pulse Asia for 2022 national elections, which was conducted on from Sept. 6 to 11, it showed an eight percent drop from the 28% rating she obtained in a June survey.

Teehankee said former senator Bongbong Marcos and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno have solid followers in Luzon, including the capital region, while Senator Manny Pacquiao is gaining ground in both the Visayas and Mindanao.

"Kahit ang boto niya sa Mindanao ay bumaba, at lumalakas si Manny Pacquiao," Teehankee said.

[Translation: Even the number of her votes (in the survey) from Mindanao has dropped, and Manny Pacquiao is gaining ground.]

Almost a month ago, Sara said she would not run for the country's top post, after her father formally accepted the endorsement of a faction within the ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) to be its vice-presidential candidate.

On Saturday, Duterte said he would no longer pursue his plan to run for the second highest government position, as he wanted to bow out of politics. His long-time aide Sen. Bong Go replaced him as the vice-presidential bet of the Cusi-led wing of the PDP-Laban party.

READ: Duterte announces retirement from politics

READ: Sara-Go tandem for 2022 polls, according to President Duterte

However, Teehankee said many observers remain skeptical about the recent developments, adding that they are familiar with Duterte's game, having done the same thing in 2015.

Teehankee cited several potential pairings within the administration and allied politicians, including the tandems of Sara-Bong Go, Sara-Bongbong Marcos, and Bongbong Marcos-Bong Go.

"In the end, baka maging Duterte-Duterte pa ang lumabas," he said.

[Translation: In the end, maybe we'll even see a Duterte-Duterte tandem.]

Commission on Elections spokesperson James Jimenez earlier said substitution due to withdrawal of a candidate will be allowed until Nov. 15. Voluntary substitution is only allowed involving party mates.
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!
Aszen.com scored 40 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 2/5.0 Stars by Social Team

This CoolSocial report was updated on 5 May 2016, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want.

This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the aszen homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if aszen has a Facebook fan page). This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the aszen homepage on Twitter + the total number of aszen followers (if aszen has a Twitter account). The total number of people who shared the aszen homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button. The total number of people who shared the aszen homepage on Delicious. The total number of people who shared the aszen homepage on StumbleUpon.

Basic Information

PAGE TITLE Akshaya Solutions DESCRIPTION KEYWORDS OTHER KEYWORDS solutions, read more, services, akshaya solutions, akshaya, website, design



The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of the site. The keywords meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. CoolSocial advanced keyword analysis tool is able to detect and analyze every keyword on each page of a site. The description meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. The title found in the head section of the homepage.

Domain and Server

DOCTYPE XHTML 1.0 Strict CHARSET AND LANGUAGE English (United States) UTF-8English (United States) DETECTED LANGUAGE English English SERVER Apache OPERATIVE SYSTEM Linux Linux

Represents HTML declared type (e.g.: XHTML 1.1, HTML 4.0, the new HTML 5.0) Operative System running on the server. The language of aszen.com as detected by CoolSocial algorithms. Type of server and offered services. Character set and language of the site.

Site Traffic trend during the last year. Only available for sites ranked <= 100000 in the world.

Referring domains for aszen.com by MajesticSeo. High values are a sign of site importance over the web and on web engines.

Facebook link

FACEBOOK PAGE LINK NOT FOUND

A Facebook page link can be found in the homepage or in the robots.txt file. The total number of people who tagged or talked about website Facebook page in the last 7-10 days. Facebook Timeline is the new layout of Facebook pages. The type of Facebook page. The total number of people who like website Facebook page. The description of the Facebook page describes website and its services to the social media users. The URL of the found Facebook page.

Twitter account link

TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND
Congratulations, tharunews.com got a very good Social Media Impact Score! Show it by adding this HTML code on your site:

Tharunews.com scored 60 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 3/5.0 Stars by Social Team

This CoolSocial report was updated on 9 Apr 2014, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want.

The total number of people who shared the tharunews homepage on StumbleUpon. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the tharunews homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if tharunews has a Facebook fan page). The total number of people who shared the tharunews homepage on Delicious. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the tharunews homepage on Twitter + the total number of tharunews followers (if tharunews has a Twitter account). The total number of people who shared the tharunews homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button.

Basic Information

PAGE TITLE Tharunews | News from Tharu community DESCRIPTION KEYWORDS OTHER KEYWORDS april, april, april, august, april, august, april



The title found in the head section of the homepage. The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of the site. The description meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. The keywords meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. CoolSocial advanced keyword analysis tool is able to detect and analyze every keyword on each page of a site.

Domain and Server

DOCTYPE XHTML 1.0 Transitional CHARSET AND LANGUAGE UTF-8 SERVER Apache OPERATIVE SYSTEM Linux Linux

Character set and language of the site. Represents HTML declared type (e.g.: XHTML 1.1, HTML 4.0, the new HTML 5.0) Type of server and offered services. Operative System running on the server. The language of tharunews.com as detected by CoolSocial algorithms.

Site Traffic trend during the last year. Only available for sites ranked <= 100000 in the world.

Referring domains for tharunews.com by MajesticSeo. High values are a sign of site importance over the web and on web engines.

Facebook link

FACEBOOK PAGE LINK NOT FOUND

The description of the Facebook page describes website and its services to the social media users. The URL of the found Facebook page. The total number of people who like website Facebook page. The total number of people who tagged or talked about website Facebook page in the last 7-10 days. Facebook Timeline is the new layout of Facebook pages. A Facebook page link can be found in the homepage or in the robots.txt file. The type of Facebook page.

Twitter account link

TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND
In general, companies are evil and do all kinds of antisocial nonsense. But some tactics don't fill us with rage. They leave us wanting to clap the company on the back, saying, "You son of a gun, I wish I thought of that." That's especially true when, as in the following examples, the tactics are from decades ago. What's the harm in delighting in these stories of deception? We're not the ones being fooled.

5 Nathan's Hot Dogs Dressed Customers As Fake Doctors To Make The Food Look Healthy

No one buys hot dogs because they're good for you. We buy them because fat and salt are delicious, as though ground lips and anuses are the tastiest pasts of the animal. Still, all else being equal, people will steer away from a dog that's clearly even worse for you than the one right next door. That's why, when they started out, Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs had a problem.

Nathan's was started in 1916 by Nahum Handwerker, a man whose name destined him to do something great with his hands, possibly to sausages. The Polish immigrant knew a lot about sausages, but his hot dog stand needed something a little extra to set it apart. So while every other stand charged a dime for each dog, Nathan charged a nickel. It should have been enough to get all the customers flocking to him, but the lower price suggested that maybe his meat was worse than competitors'.

Kidfly182/Wiki Commons "Who scared the customers away? We're all trying to find the guy who did this."

In the end, the cheaper dogs did win out, and this was helped by Nathan's scheme to make the meat look safe. He planted some customers at the stand wearing white coats, and also photographed some of these very scientific-looking men for promotional photos. He never actually said these were doctors, so he didn't commit fraud. But customers assumed these were staff from the nearby Coney Island Hospital, and if the dogs were good enough for the doctors, they couldn't be that bad after all.
One of the students in my 1L Contracts class pointed me to this delightful article from the New York Times -- delightful because this is going to be so fun for us to discuss in class (here)

Here is the story as I understand it. A Danish artist, Jens Haaning, was commissioned by a Danish museum (the Kunsten Museum of Modern Art) to reproduce a couple of his prior works, where he had framed piles of real euros and kroner to symbolize wages and work in Austria and Denmark. To do the reproduction work, the artist was paid 10,000 kroner and then also given a bunch of cash (532, 549 kroner) to put in the installation pieces.

The cheeky artist sent in a couple of blank canvases titled "Take the Money and Run", which seem to describe exactly what he did. (The Times article literally has multiple photos of guests to the museum admiring the blank canvases -- or at least looking at them with interest).

The artist says that he gave them art -- symbolizing taking the money and running, (a modern critique of capitalism?). The museum director, Mr. Lasse Anderson (representing the capitalist museum?), appears neither amused nor pleased. He says: breach of contract.

It is simply not possible to make this stuff up. Maybe Tess and Dave will do an episode about this case for their brilliant Promises, Promises podcast?

I very much want the artist to win the contract suit. But if the museum director is right that the contract was for a reproduction of the prior piles of cash pieces (which seems likely from what the Times piece tells us), Jens will probably have to give the moolah back. But not until after having gotten international notoriety as the cheekiest artist of modern times. And maybe that's all he was going for after all. Win win.

I can only begin to imagine the kind of fun opinion someone like Richard Posner might have written on a case like this.

Many thanks to Maggie Rosenberg, 1L at U Virginia.
Property-related scams are rising in Australia, the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) recently warned. Cybercriminals are targeting all parties in the real estate sector, particularly during the settlement phase. With transactions involving large sums of money, potentially running into millions of dollars from house sale transactions, theres a lot at risk.

Paul Haskell-Dowland, associate dean for computing and security at Edith Cowan University, has investigated invoice fraud for ABC News and is also the Australian country representative on the security and privacy committee with the International Federation for Information Processing. He says when it comes to a property settlement, people have an inherent belief in payment instructions and just act upon it. What we need to do is change that practice and have an independent verification of every single transaction, he tells CSO Australia.

Its cybersecurity issue with a human face to it. We see an email and believe it and the processes, Haskell-Dowland says. Even if the settlement agent can be shown to be culpableand in those cases maybe there is a financial case and that will probably come out of their insurance policiesthe fact is theres still a cost to all of this. And it will ultimately be borne by increased settlement costs to sellers and buyers. It will always be the individuals who will suffer because these costs have to be passed on, he says.

The ACSC advises settlement agents and lawyers to be wary of updating bank account details, particularly before updating Property Exchange Australia (PEXA), the online platform for property transactions. Cybercriminals impersonate a property seller and request their bank details to be updated, leading settlement agents to introduce these fraudulent details into the PEXA system. PEXA remains secure, yet the new bank account details are fraudulent, resulting in the buyer sending funds to the cybercriminals bank account, the ACSC says in its advisory.

How people become the fault in the system
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal said Facebook security chief Antigone Davis knew exactly what he was talking about when he asked about fake Instagram accounts, known by the slang term finstas.

She deflected the majority of serious questions posed to her, Blumenthal said of Davis in a Friday interview with Hearst Connecticut Media.

During a Thursday Senate subcommittee meeting, Blumenthal asked Davis if she would commit to ending finstas, which he said was one of Facebooks products or services.

Davis replied by explaining to Blumenthal that a finsta is a fake Instagram account set up by a user, not something created by Facebook, which owns the photo-sharing phone application Instagram.

What finsta refers to is young people setting up accounts where they may want to have more privacy, she told Blumenthal. You refer to it as privacy from their parents. In my interaction with teens, what Ive found is that they sometimes like to have an account where they can interact just with a smaller group of friends.

Clips of the exchange were watched millions of times on Twitter and TikTok, many posters and news sites suggesting that Blumenthal did not know what a finsta was.

Many memes and posts mocked Blumenthal, one Twitter user even created images of hats that read, Will you commit to ending finsta?

The internet had a laugh, my kids had a laugh, I had a laugh, Blumenthal said Friday. But the serious point is that Facebook knows that parents have no idea whether their kids have these fake, secret accounts.

Blumenthal, however, had explained at the start of the meeting exactly what finsta means.

I want to talk about one major source of concern for parents, the senator said in his opening remarks. They are finstas. Finstas are fake Instagram accounts. Finstas are kids secret, second accounts. Finstas often are intended to avoid parents oversight.

Davis was invited Thursday to address the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, of which Blumenthal is chairman.

During a Friday interview with Hearst Connecticut Media, Blumenthal said he would expect parents to be worried if their young children had fake, hidden social media accounts.

Most parents would be concerned by their 13-year-old having a secret, double life online and would be deeply anguished and outraged by their young teenager, at the most vulnerable time of their lives, trapped in a secret life, threatening serious illness, he said.

Blumenthal said his office set up a fake account, pretending to be a 13-year-old girl, expressing interest in weight loss. He said the account was inundated by predatory accounts that promote self-injury and eating disorders.

It almost immediately attracted a myriad of eating disorder accounts, simply because the individual expressed interest in weight loss and eating disorders, Blumenthal said. Were talking about kids who are 13 or 14 years old. Many of them very vulnerable to eating disorders or even suicide.

According to Blumenthal, Facebook has a vested interest in fake accounts, and therefore has no interest in stopping the practice.

In this instance, Facebook profits from kids having these secret fake accounts, he said. Its part of a growth strategy. They can show more users and impress the markets and boost their stock price.

The goal, Blumenthal said, is to encourage Facebook and other social media platforms to stop exploiting children for profit and growth.
Currently Reading

Alert: The United Nations tells Ethiopia it has no legal right to expel 7 UN officials it accuses of `meddling' in its affairs
MACON, Ga. (AP)  A Marine who took the stage at a Georgia rally for former President Donald Trump was not among the service members shown lifting children over an airport wall in Afghanistan in a photo that began circulating in August, a spokesperson tells The Telegraph of Macon.

The newspaper reports that Kelton Cochran, a spokesperson for the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, said Lance Cpl. Hunter Clark was not in the picture showing multiple Marines lifting children over an airport wall in Kabul during an airlift after the U.S.-backed government fell to the Taliban. Cochran didnt say whether Clark could have been in a different photo or video.
WESTPORT  Adam Kaplan wonders what the neighbors think.

As part of his role on the new FOX series The Big Leap, the Staples High School grad needed training for the dance-themed show. But, in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of the classes Kaplan, 31, took were virtual via Zoom.

So he rolled up the rug in his New York apartment and leaped, spun and swayed as if no one was watching. However, Kaplan said, people were probably watching.

Im sure my neighbors saw me and thought, What is this guy doing?  Kaplan said in an interview with Hearst Connecticut Media.

Little did they know that the one-man dance routine was part of the training for his role on The Big Leap as Simon Lovewell, a young man who auditions for a dance reality show with his twin sister.

Kaplan is a Broadway veteran, having made his debut in 2013 in the lead role of Jack Kelly in the stage version of Newsies! He recently starred as Calogero opposite Chazz Palminteri in the hit musical A Bronx Tale.

The Big Leapis Kaplans first stint as a regular on a television series. He said he first learned about the project about a year ago and almost immediately became obsessed with being part of it.

I read the script and found myself laughing out loud and tearing up, he said.

In the pandemic age, a lot of the audition process was virtual, but, eventually, Kaplan landed the part. The show is packed with TV veterans, including Scott Foley, Piper Perabo, Teri Polo and Nora Dunn. Kaplan said one of the best things about the series is being part of such a large ensemble.

I think that being on stage and my dance background and everything kind of prepared me for this, he said.

Kaplan also credited his upbringing in Westport and his time at Staples for at least some of his success. He was a member of the Staples Players  the high schools student-run theater organization  and said that helped give him the skills and confidence he needed as an aspiring entertainer.

I think what the Staples Players and Westport school system instilled in me was the sense of hard work and commitment it takes to make something happen, Kaplan said. What (they) did for me is really nurture me as an artist and encourage me to pursue that beyond high school.

He said hes excited for this next phase of his career, and for people to watch his new project. His character is only briefly appears in the pilot  mainly in a pair of mostly comedic scenes involving him interacting with his sister. But, Kaplan said, the character develops as the show goes on.

You learn more about Simon and his twin sister and their backstory, Kaplan said. Its so much fun to play and pull those layers back. The show is about second chances. Its a feel good show at a time that can be so heavy.

The Big Leap airs at 9 p.m. Mondays on FOX.
Ed Pilkington in Philadelphia



The Guardian

September 25 2021Three of the most prominent members of Move, one of the oldest Black liberation groups in the US, have grown so disenchanted with the alleged abuses and cult-like behavior of the leadership that they have broken ties with the organization.In a three-hour interview with the Guardian, Mike and Debbie Davis and their son Mike Africa Jr spoke publicly for the first time about their long-held concerns about the groups direction. They said they had grown increasingly disturbed by the way children had been treated within Move in the 1980s and 90s, with some kids kept out of school and girls as young as 12 allegedly cajoled into child marriages.They also objected to the way that Move members who fell sick with cancer were instructed to forgo medication on grounds that their illness was all in the mind.Mike Davis, 65, issued a statement to the Guardian in which he said he had completely disassociated from the Move organization. He added that the decision was one that had been decades in the making.Asked by the Guardian whether she had decided to leave the Move organization, Debbie Davis, 64, replied: Yes, its been coming a long time.Mike and Debbie Davis were part of the Move 9, the members who were imprisoned for decades and became the public face of the organization. They served 40 years for the shooting death of a police officer during the 1978 siege of Moves Philadelphia headquarters before they were paroled in 2018.Their son, Mike Africa Jr, 43, has also been a leading public figure in Move. He was born in a cell days after his mothers arrest, and it was not until he was 40 years old that he was reunited with his parents out of prison.Mike Africa Jr told the Guardian that he too had broken ties with the leadership of Move, though he stressed that he still adhered to core values such as the fight against racial discrimination and combatting environmental degradation. Most people in Move are good people, but they were led into other things by bad people, he said.The malaise of the group should be seen as a cautionary tale, Mike Africa Jr added. You can be an activist, but its important to be consistent in your values  you cant fight for whats right externally while doing the opposite internally.The departure of three top Move members poses the most serious threat yet to the organization, which was founded in 1972 in Philadelphia. Its founder, Vincent Leaphart, changed his name to John Africa and encouraged all Move members to take the last name Africa in homage to their African roots.In its almost 50 years of existence Move has regularly generated national headlines. The 1978 siege was one of the most dramatic events of the 1970s Black liberation struggle.In 1985, the Philadelphia police force shocked the country when it dropped a bomb on to the roof of the Move headquarters, igniting a fire that killed 11 people, including five children. Earlier this year further shock waves erupted when it was disclosed that the bones of some of the children who died in the inferno had been kept without permission by Pennsylvania and Princeton Universities and used as case studies in anthropology classes.John Africa was among the victims of the 1985 bombing. About three years after his death, control of the group passed to John Africas wife, Alberta Africa, and her deputy Sue Africa, and the pair have been in charge ever since.The first defections from Move began earlier this summer when 13 former members and supporters, including Mike and Debbie Daviss daughter Whit Sims, declared they had quit.The 13 have set up a website, Leaving Move, in which they allege that there has been a pattern of children as young as 12 being pressured into sexual relations going back decades. They also allege that they and others in the movement were subjected to intimidation and manipulation.We listened to all this bullshit. We didnt have a chance to develop and before we knew it, we were stuckMike DavisThe website, first reported by Billy Penn and the Philadelphia Inquirer, alleges that several teenage girls were pushed into marriage and pregnancy by Move leaders. Some were as young as 14, and one was 12 when she became pregnant.Some of the former members have also spoken to a podcast, Murder at Ryans Run, which explored the 2002 death of Alberta Africas former husband, John Gilbride. His homicide remains unsolved.Whit Sims married when she was 16 and had a child the following year. Debbie Davis told the Guardian that she herself had been party to the pressure that had been placed on her daughter.She said that Alberta Africa, Moves leader, had wanted Whit married and encouraged Debbie to talk to her daughter. Alberta said to me that Whit is getting older, shes built, shes really pretty, I dont want the responsibility to be on us if anything happened.Debbie said she went on to have that talk with Whit. I got scared for my daughter. I felt very uncomfortable with the conversation, but I did carry it out, she said.She added that she now feels deep regret and shame. I should have fought more, told Whit that if you dont want to do this, dont do it.Debbie Davis said that the main reason she was speaking out now and announcing her separation from Move was to support her daughter. I wouldnt be doing this were it not for my daughter. I am speaking out now to support her and her healing.In his statement, Mike Davis said he supported his daughters right to heal, to choose her own path, as I do for anyone, especially those who are being oppressed and subjugated as they were in Move.Of all the three Davis family members, Mike Sr has harbored doubts about Move the longest. He said he was contemplating getting out of the organization even before the 1978 siege which sent him to prison for the next 40 years.I was worried about how things would turn out, but I chose to stay in because my family was there and I didnt think I could leave and take them with me, he said. Whit was two years old at the time of the siege.Mike Sr said that he has been racked with regret that he didnt quit before it was too late. I regret I didnt push harder. I was weak. I put most responsibility upon myself for not leaving when I should have.The Guardian reached out to Alberta Africa and Sue Africa, and asked them about the allegations that girls were pressed into marriage as young as 12, along with all the other allegations of abuse and misconduct raised by the Davis family. They did not immediately respond.Over his many years in prison, Mike Sr said he had regular disagreements with the leadership of Move. He objected to the efforts to keep children out of school, which left several Move kids unable to read and write.I said its ridiculous to have kids out there who would not be able to get home if they were separated from the adults because they couldnt read road signs. How could they take care of themselves?Mike Sr insisted that his own son went to school. He also educated himself while in prison, completing three degrees.When members did protest against the leaderships policies, they often faced retribution, the Davis family said. A third member of the Move 9, Debbies brother Chuck Sims, was expelled from the group by Alberta Africa in 2011 while he was still imprisoned.The expulsion, which has never before been reported, was meted out as punishment after Sims questioned the leaders judgment. Sims, who was the last of the Move 9 to be released last year after almost 42 years behind bars, had been a member of the group since the age of 12.Several of the Move 9 were diagnosed with cancer. Phil Africa and Merle Africa both died in prison from the disease, and Delbert Africa died months after he was let out on parole.In each case, the Davis family alleged, the Move leadership told the members to reject medical treatment, saying that they could heal themselves through right thinking.Mike Africa Jr said that he personally witnessed the leadership discouraging Move members from seeking medical treatment: They said: This is just mental, nothings wrong with them. As long as they think right theyll be fine.Debbie Davis recalled how she advised Merle Africa to get checked out in the prison hospital. She said, Oh no, I dont want to be disloyal. I said, Merle, youre not being disloyal.The Davises said they were also dismayed by the behavior of the leadership towards the campaign to free the Move 9, which attracted nationwide and international attention. The leaders consistently refused to help the prisoners by providing them with legal counsel.Mike Africa Jr, who spearheaded the campaign to free his parents and the other Move 9 members, said he battled for years against the leaders intransigence. I could never get any support from the leadership to get the Move 9 out. Every time we raised the need for legal counsel it was, No, we dont believe in that, thats not Move belief.In the end, Mike Africa Jr said, he concluded that the leaders didnt actually want the Move 9 to come home.The Davises all said they had come to the conclusion that Move under John Africa and then Alberta and Sue Africa was imbued with qualities of a cult. Debbie and Mike Sr said that there were elements that fit the definition of a cult.Mike Africa Jr went further, saying that all the classic elements of a cult were present in Move, including the way John Africa was revered. He was put on a pedestal in an unhealthy way. I think it was very unhealthy to praise someone so much they lose sight of themselves.Mike Africa Jr, who has laid out his reflections in a podcast called My Life in Move: The Good, The Bad and the Ugly, added that he still believed that much of what John Africa taught about racial discrimination, the environment and healthy eating was true. But absolute power corrupts absolutely.The challenge now, he said, was to face up to the mistakes of the past in order to move on. We have experienced a lot of harm and devastating trauma and it is far past time to move on to the healing process.Debbie and Mike Sr in particular said they carry bitter regrets over what happened to them and to their children. Mike Sr said he was 18 when he joined the organization and by 22 we were doing 100 years in jail. We listened to all this bullshit. Thats my biggest regret. We didnt have a chance to develop and before we knew it, we were stuck.Debbie Davis said that for years she had been committed wholeheartedly to Move beliefs. In turn, Ive hurt myself and hurt a lot of people, including those I love. In the name of loyalty I pushed aside even my own instincts. Im ashamed of it, Im embarrassed by it, and Im going to try and heal it.
A tea expert has revealed how to avoid ending up with a soggy disaster when dunking your favourite biscuit in a cuppa.

Yorkshire Tea's leading tea taster, Suzy Garraghan, told FEMAIL it is important to think about the angle, type of tea and temperature when dunking your biscuit and says it should never be submerged for more than five seconds.

She said that TimTams, Ginger Nut and digestive biscuits keep their shape best while also soaking up the perfect amount of tea.

Yorkshire tea's leading tea taster, Suzy Garraghan, has revealed the best biscuits for dunking in tea

Digestive biscuits and TimTams are some of the best for dunking, according to Suzy

'I love a good biscuit dunk - nothing goes better with a proper cup of tea than the perfect biscuit accompaniment,' Suzy said.

'But like most people, I've had my share of soggy disasters, fishing around in the bottom of a mug for the remains of a biscuit after letting it steep for that little bit too long.'

Suzy believes everyone has the right to enjoy tea on their own terms - but is happy to share tips for those who want them.

WHAT ARE SUZY'S FIVE TIPS FOR DUNKING BISCUITS IN TEA? It's all about the angle The trick to the perfect dunk starts even before the tea is poured. Whether you opt for a teacup or a mug, make sure it's wide-brimmed. This will allow you to dunk your biscuit at the right angle. If you're a 'down-dunker', you might be surprised to hear you've been dunking your biscuit wrong all these years. Ideally you want to dunk at an almost horizontal angle, so only one side of the biscuit gets soaked. The biscuit will stay stronger, allowing for repetitive dunks. Choose your tea wisely When you dunk a biscuit, it absorbs the quality and strength of the tea's flavour, making it taste better. So, choose wisely! It ultimately comes down to personal preference, but for me, proper dunking teas are top class, peak season Assam-rich teas like Yorkshire Gold which is full-bodied and rich in 'gutty' strength and malty notes. Check the temperature Monitoring the temperature of your tea is a gamechanger for perfecting your dunking technique. The warmth of the tea dissolves the biscuit's sugar, fat and starch, so the biscuit will eventually collapse under its own weight. Temperature, therefore, is often responsible for our drowned dunking pursuits. The hotter the tea, the quicker the biscuit will dissolve. While I can recommend 85 degrees as the optimum temperature for drinking your proper brew, a perfect temperature for dunking will depend on your bikkie of choice. Tea temperature will affect each biscuit differently depending on its ingredients. Watch the clock The optimum dunking time shares a similar predicament to the ideal dunking temperature  it depends heavily on the biscuit variety. As a general rule, I'd say never dunk for less than two seconds or more than five seconds  and don't forget to monitor for signs of the biscuit collapse. For a Ginger Nut, I recommend around 3 to 5 seconds. This is one of my favourites as it can be dipped multiple times. For a Tim Tam or a Digestive, no more than 2 to 3 seconds as these varieties are less solid and will dissolve and make a mess faster. Pick your partner Now the moment we have all been waiting for which biscuits reign supreme? While it comes down to personal preference, I do have some favourites: Ginger Nut: The gingernut is a funny one as I feel like it is entirely reserved for dunking in tea. Who eats a dry gingernut? Without tea, they are dry and hard, but with tea, they become beautifully chewy. The flavour means they're not universally liked, but they are excellent value for the keen dunker due to being solid enough to be dipped, bitten and dipped again. Digestives: A classic digestive makes the perfect tea partner with its semi-sweet flavour and crumbly texture that lets you appreciate the taste of the tea in all its glory. For those with a sweet tooth, chocolate digestives are perfectly dunkable as well. Tim Tam: The chocolate covered Tim Tam will leave the dunker with the delicious mix of tea, chocolate and biscuit all at once. There are two ways to dunk the Tim Tam  the original dunking method or the rather more fun, Tim Tam slam. Advertisement

'When it comes to dunking, everyone has their own way of doing it. A successful dunk usually comes down to the type of biscuit or liquid you choose. You might also want to consider angling your biscuit horizontally into the cup or adjusting the temperature of your tea,' she said.

The tea expert usually goes for a 'classic' digestive biscuit because they hold up well in the tea and she likes the sweet and savoury combination.

Suzy who lives and works out of Yorkshire in the UK previously told FEMAIL how to make the perfect brew.

The veteran tea drinker has been tasting brews professionally for over 12 years spoke about the do's and don'ts of a proper brew.

The veteran tea taster likes hers served the colour of a Werther's original

Yorkshire Tea's experts say you should always use freshly boiled water when making a cuppa

The biggest no, no is using pre-boiled water, according to Suzy who admits she is 'quite liberal when it comes to tea making'.

She likes to boil fresh water each time and says if you boil the same water more than once the oxygen becomes depleted which can leave the tea tasting flat.

The next thing most people do wrong is rush the brew.

'I hope you're not just brewing it for 30 seconds at home,' she said.

Before revealing the optimum amount of time needed to brew a good cup of tea is four minutes, if you drink it with milk and two minutes if you enjoy it black.

'Milk really compliments Yorkshire tea,' she said, whether it be cow's milk or a plant-based alternative.

She said the longer it is left the more likely the malty flavours developed on the bush in East Africa will come through.

The expert says dunking a biscuit into a cup of tea is perfectly acceptable

Suzy, pictured in the tea tasting room, tastes one thousand brews every day

Suzy also doesn't believe in 'bashing around the teabag' when the tea is brewing, preferring to give it a light twirl with her spoon before removing the bag from the cup.

This is when you should add the milk to the tea.

Milk is added last because water needs to be 100C for the tea to brew properly and adding milk to the cup first would bring the temperature down too far.

Suzy tastes a thousand teas each day, slurping the warm liquid from her tasting spoon before swirling it around her mouth and over her tongue.

Poll Where do you sit on the Yorkshire tea colour scale? Why bother The whole cow Nan's house Werther's original Just peachy No! That's coffee Where do you sit on the Yorkshire tea colour scale? Why bother 5 votes

The whole cow 3 votes

Nan's house 17 votes

Werther's original 55 votes

Just peachy 36 votes

No! That's coffee 15 votes Now share your opinion





'You can feel you like tea long before you can put an attribute to it,' she said.

'It is very much a sensory experience, drinking tea.'

The core rules about milk, fresh water and brew time are the only three Suzy is really set on - she loves when people make tea the way they like it.

The idea of reusing a teabag and keeping it on a saucer for later didn't phase the veteran tea taster.

Neither did the idea of dunking a biscuit into a steaming cup of her favourite brew.

'Unless it is a chocolate biscuit, but that is because I don't take sugar in my tea,' she clarified.

Adding ice to cool it down, or waiting for the temperature to drop on its own are both valid options as is adding cool water.

'You might want to make it a bit stronger if you are going to add ice or cold water,' she said - because more liquid means weaker tea.

Each teabag can properly service 330mls of water, she said, so if you have a bigger cup more is needed.

She has been a taster for 12 years and travelled all over the world with her job

They have three varieties available in Australia including Yorkshire Tea, Proper Strong and Yorkshire Gold which is their special edition brew

Suzy doesn't just taste tea, she also travels the world, mostly to East Africa and India to buy tea and build relationships with producers.

She overseas the farmers picking the crops and checks in on the oxidisation process which transforms the tea leaves into the drinkable beverage loved by most of the world.

'Tea is the second-most commonly drunken beverage in the world after water,' she revealed.

Yorkshire Tea is the number one brand in the UK. They have three varieties available in Australia including Yorkshire Tea, Proper Strong and Yorkshire Gold which is their special edition brew.
The brother of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse had recalled how he only had 'ten seconds to talk to his sister' in a heartbreaking phone call before she died from a severe allergic reaction on a flight to France.

The 15-year-old, from Fulham, west London, died in July 2016 after eating a baguette she was unaware contained hidden sesame seeds, and her parents Tanya and Nadim have since successfully campaigned for a new law in their daughter's name.

Natashas Law, which comes into force on Friday, requires all food retailers to display full ingredient and allergen labelling on every food item made on the premises and pre-packed for direct sale.

Writing for the Sunday Telegraph, her brother Alex remembered the moment he was told his sister was going to die and the few seconds he spoke to her to tell her he 'loved her very much'.

The brother of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse has recalled how he only had 'ten seconds to talk to his sister' in a heartbreaking phone call before she died from a severe allergic reaction on a flight to France. Pictured, Alex with parents Nadim and Tanya

The 15-year-old (pictured), from Fulham, west London, died in July 2016 after eating a baguette she was unaware contained hidden sesame seeds

'Tash was unconscious but I thanked her for being such a great sister to me and told her I loved her very much', wrote Alex. 'I only spoke to her for 10 to 15 seconds and then the phone call ended.'

Natasha went into anaphylactic shock within minutes of take off on a British Airways flight to France after buying a sandwich at a Pret-A-Manger branch in Heathrow airport.

Alex, who was 13 at the time, had remained in the UK while Natasha and her friend flew to the south of France as a summer holiday treat.

Three hours after dropping them off at Heathrow, Natasha's mum Tanya got a call saying that her daughter was severely unwell on the plane and was unconscious.

Natasha (L-R) went into anaphylactic shock within minutes of take off on a British Airways flight to France after buying a sandwich at a Pret-A-Manger branch in Heathrow airport

As the mother tried frantically to get a ticket to France, a friend drove Alex to their grandmother's home. At his point, Alex believed 'with all his heart' that his older sister was going to survive.

'Later that day I got a phone call from my dad saying that Tash was going to die in a few minutes and I had to say goodbye', penned Alex. 'My mum was still at Stansted airport because her flight had been delayed so she had to say goodbye over the phone too.'

The 15-year-old knew she was allergic to milk, eggs, banana, nuts and sesame seeds so along with her dad, Nadim, had checked the label carefully.

But the artichoke, olive and tapenade baguette contained sesame seeds that were baked into the dough and were not visible or listed in the ingredients.

She fell ill while in the air and despite efforts to give her adrenaline shots, she was unable to breathe and suffered a heart attack and later died in a French hospital on July 17, 2016.

Nadim, 56, administered two Epi-pens - which delivered potentially lifesaving adrenaline to his daughter as she struggled to breathe - but they did not work and she suffered multiple cardiac arrests.

Since her death Natashas parents - Nadim and mum Tanya - have waged a tireless campaign to strengthen food labelling rules and better protect the estimated two million food allergy sufferers in Britain.

A loophole in the law meant Pret - and other firms like it - were not obliged to provide a full list of allergens on products made in their stores.

Her parents Tanya and Nadim (pictured) have successfully campaigned for a new law in their daughter's name. Natashas Law, which comes into force on Friday, requires all food retailers to display full ingredient and allergen labelling on every food item made on the premises and pre-packed for direct sale

As of last Friday, more pre-packaged food like takeaway sandwiches, cakes and salads will be required to have their full ingredients and allergy details listed on the item.

Changes ushered in by the law apply to businesses selling their own pre-packaged food at other outlets they run - which will include market stalls and mobile food vans.

Under current legislation, food prepared on the premises in which it is sold is not required to display allergen information in writing.

As a result, there was no specific allergen information on the packaging of the baguette that caused Natashas fatal reaction.

'Natashas Law is vital to protect the 2 to 3 million people in the UK living with food allergies from life-threatening allergic reactions', said Nadim on Friday.

'This change in the law brings greater transparency about the foods people are buying and eating; it will give people with food allergies confidence when they are buying pre-packaged food for direct sale such as sandwiches and salads.

'Everyone should be able to consume food safely.'
A couple whose adorable dogs weigh eleven stone each have revealed that strangers have mistaken their pups for lions while out on their daily walk.

Shaun Kingsnorth, 42, and Katrina Springs, 40, live at home in Corby, Northamptonshire, with their children and two Chinese Tibetan Mastiffs, two-year-old male Bear, and one-year-old female Amira.

The huge dogs already weigh in at a whopping 11st and the male dogs can reach as large as 15st when fully grown - the same as the average adult man.

On all fours, Bear is the same height as their youngest son, Ryan, six, and stands as tall as Shaun - who is 6ft - when up on his back legs.

Despite their mammoth size, the two dogs are often stopped for photos by strangers and Shaun insisted the animals are 'gentle giants' who love squeezing up on the sofa like 'tiny lapdogs'.

A couple whose adorable dogs weigh eleven stone each have revealed that strangers have mistaken their pups (pictured) for lions while out on their daily walk

Shaun Kingsnorth, 42, and Katrina Springs, 40, live at home in Corby, Northamptonshire, with their children and two Chinese Tibetan Mastiffs, two-year-old male Bear, and one-year-old female Amira (pictured)

'They're honestly the most loving, loyal dogs', said Shaun. 'They are a bit of a handful because of their size - but both just gentle giant.

'Everyone loves seeing them when we take them out for walks. We've had people double take and think we're out walking lions because of their huge frame and golden manes.'

Shaun first spotted Bear on Facebook in 2019 when he was six-months-old after his previous owner had to sadly give him up due to his mammoth size.

'I just fell in love with him I saw him', said Shaun. 'We knew it was going to be a challenge because of his size. He was very protective at first, but it didn't take long to train him.

The huge dogs (pictured with Shaun) already weigh in at a whopping 11st and the male dogs can reach as large as 15st when fully grown - the same as the average adult man

Shaun (pictured holding one of the pups) first spotted Bear on Facebook in 2019 when he was six-months-old after his previous owner had to sadly give him up due to his mammoth size

'Now he's so well behaved but still playful - he's the gentlest dog.'

After having Bear for six months and getting a handle on the breed, Shaun was contacted by a rescue charity in Romania.

They saw how well he did with Bear on Facebook and told him about a female Chinese Tibetan Mastiffs they had called Amira who was looking for a home.

Once again, the couple couldn't resist, and flew her over to join their family in the UK.

The couple raise the dogs at the family home which they share with their kids Kyle, 19, Bradley, 16, Shakira, 14 and six-year-old Ryan.

Shaun said: 'The kids absolutely love them. Both dogs have grown so big and they're still not fully-grown. They take up the whole sofa or bed by themselves.

On all fours, Bear is the same height as their youngest son, Ryan, six, and stands as tall as Shaun - who is 6ft - when up on his back legs

Despite their mammoth size, Shaun insisted the animals are 'gentle giants' who love squeezing up on the sofa like 'tiny lapdogs'

Amira, who is one, weighs around 9st 4lb, and Bear, who is nearly two, weighs 11st 8lbs. The dogs are fully-grown around aged five when they can reach a weight of 15 stone

'Even if we're sat on them, they'll hop up and try and sit on your lap. I swear they think they're tiny.'

Amira, who is one, weighs around 9st 4lb, and Bear, who is nearly two, weighs 11st 8lbs. The dogs are fully-grown around aged five when they can reach a weight of 15 stone.

The family are often stopped on their daily walks by passers-by who are fascinated by the dogs' huge, fluffy manes.

Shaun said: 'We live in quite a small village, so they're the talk of the town. They're not often found in the UK, so I think it's quite a novelty.

Pictured L-R: Kyle 19, Bradley 17, Shaun 42, Ryan 6, Katrina 40, Shakira 15, of Northampton with their two Chinese Tibetan Mastiffs

The family are often stopped on their daily walks by passers-by who are fascinated by the dogs' huge, fluffy manes. Pictured L-R; Shaun with his dog at home and on a walk

'We can't go out for a walk without people stopping to stroke them or take photos.

'The vet once said: 'I've never seen dogs like that, are you sure they don't belong in the zoo?'

'We've even had people stop and think we're walking lions. Sometimes I feel like they actually are lions.'

The dogs need to go out several times a day and Shaun, who works as a builder on a local farm, often takes the pair of pups to work with him.

He said: 'I'm very lucky to work where I do. While I'm working, I can let them run around the fields or go into the paddocks.

Pictured, the family posing with their giant Chinese Tibetan Mastiffs while out for a walk in Northampton

The dogs need to go out several times a day and Shaun, who works as a builder on a local farm, often takes the pair of pups to work with him

'I often see kids flocking to them at the bottom of the field - they love the attention. They're the best dogs and we feel very lucky to have them.'

Shaun's girlfriend Katrina also fell in love with the dogs when she first spotted them on Facebook and has loved watching them grow.

She said: 'It was Shaun's idea to get the dogs and I'm so pleased we went for it.

'I fell in love with them as soon as we saw them online. It's the gorgeous colour of their fur - they're so beautiful. They take up a bit of room but we barely notice anymore.

'They're brilliant with the kids - our daughter is obsessed with brushing their fur. Both of them are a big part of the family and I couldn't imagine not having them.'
Trading secondhand garbs in online luxury fashion resale business with a portion of proceeds going to charity

Daughter of Bernie Ecclestone setting up a pop-up shop, with some items worth more than cost of a small car

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Who among us did not enjoy a lockdown clear-out? Stuck in our homes 24/7, our attention drawn to all that accumulated clutter, it's little wonder charity shops have since been inundated with the nation's unwanted jumble.

For the richest one per cent, however, a declutter of your walk-in wardrobe can be an altogether different affair.

Certainly, at least, it is for Petra Ecclestone, the 32-year-old daughter of the billionaire Formula One tycoon Bernie Ecclestone.

Second-hand they may be, but some of Petra's cast-offs are still worth more than the price of a small car.

And so, instead of hauling a few bin bags down to Oxfam, Petra has decided to try her hand at selling it herself, setting up a pop-up shop and online luxury fashion resale business trading her own no-longer-wanted designer garb, with a portion of the proceeds going to charity.

And what garb it is! From high heels to fur coats, via leather jackets and high-end leisurewear, every designer label is here.

'Chanel, Gucci, Balenciaga, Hermes  there's basically every name you can think of,' says Petra.

Some of the stuff has never been worn and still has the price tag to prove it, while other items are imbued with glamorous memories, like the 1,500 over-the-knee Balenciaga boots Petra wore to a Beyonce and Jay-Z concert in Los Angeles, and the 1,000 RtA red leather dress she was wearing when her fiance Sam Palmer proposed three years ago.

Petra Ecclestone (pictured), the 32-year-old daughter of the billionaire Formula One tycoon Bernie Ecclestone, decluttered her walk-in wardrobe during lockdown

There's menswear, too, as 38-year-old Sam has cleared out his wardrobe, too, and kids' stuff courtesy of Petra's three children  Lavinia, eight, and twins James and Robert, six, by her ex-husband James Stunt, as well as 18-month-old Minnie, her daughter with Sam.

'There's Montcler jackets, Baby Dior, Fendi  there are some really nice clothes for kids,' interjects Sam.

I'm desperate for a rifle through. Who wouldn't want a chance to breathe in the exquisite scent of wealth that must ooze from every leather and suede designer bag tassel?

Alas, with frenzied last-minute preparations still ongoing at the pop-up shop  a month-long lease on a dinky three-storey house not far from Harrods  Petra and Sam are talking to me via Zoom from their London base, an 18th-century manor house in the heart of Chelsea estimated to be worth between 100 million and 130 million.

They've been here a few weeks, having decamped from their main home in L.A., formerly a 56,000 sq ft luxury estate built for the late American film and TV producer Aaron Spelling, which Petra bought last summer for 95 million.

Apparently, it's a more bijou affair now, although these things are relative. Petra is an heiress, after all, and hers is a different world  something underscored by the fact that she and Sam are talking to me from a bed that appears to be the size of a boating lake.

Some of the stuff is imbued with glamorous memories, like the 1,000 RtA red leather dress she was wearing when her fiance Sam Palmer (pictured) proposed three years ago

Some of the stuff has never been worn and still has the price tag to prove it, while other items are imbued with glamorous memories, like the 1,500 over-the-knee Balenciaga boots Petra wore to a Beyonce and Jay-Z concert in Los Angeles

There's also children's items for sale courtesy of Petra's three children  Lavinia, eight, and twins James and Robert, six, by her ex-husband James Stunt, as well as 18-month-old Minnie, her daughter with Sam

It's 4.15 in the afternoon and Petra is in her PJs, as I discover when I ask the make of her glamorous black floral top.

'It's actually my pyjamas,' she tells me. 'I had been dressed earlier, but I've got this thing where, when I get home, I literally need to just put my pyjamas on. I honestly don't understand people who sit there in their house dressed for the rest of the day. It's really strange to me.'

Petra and her older sister Tamara, 37, are Bernie's daughters by second wife and former model Slavica Radic.

The couple divorced in 2009, and today Bernie is married to 44-year-old Brazilian Fabiana Flossi, by whom he has a son, Ace. He lives largely in Switzerland.

Ace came along in July last year, just four months after the arrival of Minnie. Three months later, Tamara gave birth to daughter Serena  meaning Bernie now has a son and two grandchildren who are only months apart in age.

Just 5 will buy you a good-as-new pink padded jacket for a 12-month-old baby from children's clothing brand Mayoral (usual cost 40). And if you double that amount you can get a pale pink one with a furry hood

Are you keeping up at the back? It's a bit eye-popping, although if Petra finds it discombobulating, she's not letting on.

Lockdown, which she largely spent in LA, meant long periods apart from her family. But she has met Ace a couple of times and seems to have a decent relationship with Fabiana.

'We saw Ace when we were in Switzerland last year,' she says. 'It was really cute. Ace, Serena and Minnie, they're all basically around the same age. We were saying we should open a nursery.'

She sees more of Tamara, who lives in London with her husband Jay Rutland, baby Serena and their elder daughter, Sophia, seven. The sisters are close.

'Tamara's been to America, so she was with us there as well,' she says. 'I spend a considerable amount of time with Tamara, because, due to lockdown, I haven't really seen my dad or my mum.'

It was in lockdown that the idea for her resale website sprang into being.

At the punchier end of the items for sale in the store, there's a hoodie by high-end leisurewear brand Palm Angels (an American inspired label by an Italian designer where hoodies retail around the 600 mark) on sale for 200 (pictured Petra and Sam outside the store in London)

There is also menswear for sale in the London store as well because 38-year-old Sam has also cleared out his wardrobe during lockdown (pictured together)

'Previously, we'd always sold stuff with resellers, and then, during lockdown, I said: 'Why don't we do it for ourselves?' ' explains Sam.

'It's a great idea to raise funds for Petra's Place.'

This is a specialist centre in South-West London, founded and funded by Ecclestone, which supports young children with learning and development issues, including autism, and their families.

Some families pay privately, but local councils have started referring and funding children for specialist therapies and treatment.

Petra decided to set up the centre after realising that Lavinia has some learning difficulties that, while promptly diagnosed and treated in the U.S., she felt they might have struggled to find help for here in the UK. 'It was something I could do to give back,' she explains.

It clearly means a lot to her, and her eyes light up when she talks about it. 'It was hard when we were in lockdown and it was all on Zoom, so it's been nice to be able to go back,' says Petra. 'I am really hands-on. It's not just a case of: 'Here, just take the money and run with that.' I really do enjoy being part of it.'

Not a hoarder, Petra said she enjoyed the mass declutter of her home, and said she doesn't attach too much sentimental value to things

Among the hardest items for Petra to part with were a couple of Hermes bags, part of a collection that Petra has built up over the years (pictured, in the store)

FROM 5, A TOUCH OF PETRA'S STYLE... It's a rare boutique where prices range from 5 to many multiples of that sum, but Petra's pop-up does at least offer something for those of us whose wardrobes owe more to Primark than Prada. Just 5 will buy you a good-as-new pink padded jacket for a 12-month-old baby from children's clothing brand Mayoral (usual cost 40). And if you double that amount you can get a pale pink one with a furry hood. There's some grown-up stuff that needn't break the bank either, with a 'Shorty's market' T-shirt from an American bar chain of the same name on sale for 35 (54 new). Hermes bags don't come cheap, and even second-hand, Petra's limited-edition affairs are likely to cost many thousands of pounds. Pictured: 9,500 Electric blue Hermes Birkin bag At the punchier end, there's a hoodie by high-end leisurewear brand Palm Angels (an American inspired label by an Italian designer where hoodies retail around the 600 mark) on sale for 200. If you have a few more noughts in your bank account, then you might be able to stretch to the billowing fuchsia off-the-shoulder, slit-to-the-thigh dress in the window display. Made by Ralph and Russo, the British couture fashion brand which designed the Duchess of Sussex's 56,000 engagement dress, it cost 2,700 off the peg and is now on sale for 2,000. As for accessories, you'll find Balenciaga boots for 700 and Gucci fur-lined slippers for 400 (they originally cost 630). An electric blue Hermes handbag is 9,500, and a navy blue Hermes bag is 14,000. Advertisement

It's one of a number of misconceptions about Petra and her heiress life, says Sam, a genial Essex boy who is the more outgoing and chattier of the pair.

The couple met four years ago through Tamara's husband, Jay, with whom Sam was friends. 'He came on holiday to meet Jay in Los Angeles and we met that way, basically,' says Petra.

Sam started out as an electrician before founding a staffing agency for the global super-rich, so wasn't without money when they met.

Nonetheless, being catapulted into the stratosphere of the mega-wealthy must have a been an eye-opener. In one interview he revealed that the chefs at their previous L.A. home stood to attention when they walked into the vast kitchen; in another, that they take a private jet from L.A. to Las Vegas.

Even though Sam grew up in what was a 'very nice' home in Harlow, his new life is a long way from that.

'The first question everyone asks me is: 'What's it like?' And I say: 'Well, you can only sit on one sofa and watch one TV.' It doesn't matter how big the room is, so that's kind of my outlook on it.

'It is great, but if we had to move to a two-bedroom apartment, I would also be equally happy,' he says. 'I've always lived a good life.

'People say to me: 'Ah, you must be with celebrities every day, you must be doing this ' But actually, I've just been to work all day and I come home and we'll bath the kids, put them to bed, and then we're asleep at 8 o'clock. We do a lot of normal things.'

The point is made when, the day after we speak, it emerges that Sam was confronted by a man wielding a knife as he took Minnie for a stroll in her pushchair.

The knifeman had previously terrorised shoppers on London's King's Road, and the confrontation is understood not to have been targeted. But it left Sam understandably shaken, despite the presence of a security team.

So you can't be completely insulated from real life, it seems, no matter how many noughts on your bank account.

'People forget I've got four kids,' adds Petra. 'Obviously it's nice not to worry about money, and I really get that, but it doesn't mean I don't have any worries at all.'

'Petra's got the kids strapped to her pretty much 24/7,' interjects Sam. 'They are her priority.'

It must help to have 24/7 hot and cold running staff, of course. But, in fairness, Petra and Sam do seem incredibly hands-on.

'I feel like my parents did their best to keep us grounded  my dad was dropping me at school and mum would pick me up, there was never a chauffeur driving us around London  and we are the same,' says Petra. 'We're never away from our kids, to be honest.'

She raises a hand to sweep away a lock of her blonde hair, and I can't help noticing the enormous diamond winking away on the third finger of her left hand.

Sam proposed three years ago, but while Petra has bought a wedding dress  it's Vera Wang the planning has never got past the talking stage.

One thing is for certain: it's unlikely to be as lavish as the 4 million Italian affair that marked Petra's 2011 marriage to businessman James Stunt  'I don't think you could do bigger than that,' Petra says wryly  and is likely to be more of 'a fun party, a celebration of some sort'.

When, though, is proving to be a sticking point.

'I'm really indecisive, I just change from week to week, and it's hard with Covid and my mum and my dad not being in the UK,' Petra says.

'We even had the conversation yesterday, 'Oh, why don't we do it while we're in London, have we got enough time until we go back?' We decided no.'

And not least because Tamara, the meticulous party planner, was aghast at the thought of a spontaneous celebration. 'She's given up on it, basically,' says Petra.

'I told her yesterday that we might get married while we're here and she told me to get back to L.A. because she's very much a planner and a methodical thinker and I'm the opposite.'

In time, she plans to raid her sister's wardrobe for her Luxe a Vendre enterprise, as well as flogging the wardrobes of other high net-worth individuals. 'We could have celebrity collections,' adds Sam. 'There's all sorts we can do with it. There's jewellery, interiors, all sorts of stuff.'

What does the entrepreneurial Bernie make of it? 'I actually haven't got round to telling him,' says Petra. 'I feel like we've been so busy, and it hasn't come up, but he'll definitely be happy about it.'

'It's more money going towards the school, which he really supports,' interjects Sam.

Not a hoarder, Petra enjoyed a mass declutter, and says she doesn't attach too much sentimental value to things.

The hardest things to part with were a couple of Hermes bags, part of a collection that Petra has built up. 'They could have gone to Lavinia or Minnie,' she says.

Hermes bags don't come cheap, and even second-hand, Petra's limited-edition affairs are likely to cost many thousands of pounds.

At the lower end of the scale, there are Adidas sliders on sale for 30 and a few bits and bobs that are even cheaper, alongside a lot of what Petra calls 'streetwear'  although it's designer streetwear, so we're talking 500 tracksuits.

There are, too, accessories like sunglasses and hats. 'There are so many sunglasses,' says Petra. 'Givenchy, Celine. Chanel.' They will sell for between 50 and 150

Petra says: 'I'm not the kind of person to get dressed up on a dayto-day basis in high couture or runway pieces.'

Even so, there's no getting away from the fact that while a barely worn Dior leather jacket might be a relative snip at 2,000, these prices are still more Beverly Hills than Bhs. So who do they think their customers will be?

'Honestly? Everybody,' says Sam. 'I feel like everyone from a teenager to a mum.'

They will, though, need to be a size eight if they want to squeeze into Petra's gear.

Does Petra ever wear anything from the High Street? Sam is sporting a 5 white T-shirt from the High Street brand Uniqlo  'I love them, I wear them all the time,' he tells me  but I'm struggling to picture Petra in Primark.

'I do shop on the High Street,' she insists.

Actually shop, though, as in pop into your local branch of Zara?

'I went to Zara in London recently,' she says, 'but I don't really do that much shopping now. Before the kids, I loved it; but now that I've had kids , I don't have much patience. Mostly now I do things online. I don't have the energy to go traipsing round.'

Talking of traipsing around, isn't there a danger that people will just come into their store to have a gawp rather than part with their hard-earned cash? 'I hope they do,' smiles Sam. 'I want everyone to enjoy it.'

'As long as they don't damage anything,' adds Petra, the more pragmatic of the pair. Either way, she says she has enjoyed her venture into business.

'I am taking it one day at a time, but I like the idea there is lots more we can do with it,' she says.

Luxe a Vendre is open now (luxeavendre.com); petrasplace.co.uk
Do your eyelashes make you look older? It's not something I had considered until I met celebrity lash technician Camilla Kirk-Reynolds to try out a new 'gel' lash extension technique, which instantly wiped five years off my face.

Gel manicures took nails to the next level a few years back. Will this long-lasting lash technique do the same for our eyes?

I visit Camilla Lashes, as she's known to her A-list and royal clientele, at her unbranded rooms in London's Notting Hill.

It feels very clandestine  her name isn't even on the doorbell. In fact, Camilla is the soul of discretion, not least because she's bound by so many non-disclosure agreements.

Victoria Woodhall (pictured) visited celebrity lash technician Camilla Kirk-Reynolds to try out a new 'gel' lash extension technique, which instantly wiped five years off her face

While she's happy to name the actresses she's worked with on film sets  Kristin Scott Thomas, Renee Zellweger and Jessica Chastain  she can't talk about her royal clients, other than to say: 'If you watched the wedding, you saw my lashes.'

As one of only a handful of people in the UK, and less than 50 in the world, to offer new 'gel' lash extensions, she's in big demand. So what makes this new technique so much better?

Partly it's the fact it can be tailored to each client, giving a very natural lift to ageing eyes.

But what women really love is that these extensions last 30 per cent longer than the conventional ones, don't fall out when they come into contact with oil from your make-up or skincare and are only a fraction more expensive.

Camilla says her time-poor clients love them so much 90 per cent have switched to them.

I come from a family of heavy brows  both my mother and grandmother had an upper-eye lift at my age, 53, and it's something I'd earmarked for 'one day'. Could gel lashes give me the illusion of lift without the knife or needle?

VICTORIA BEFORE LASHES TREATMENT: Gel manicures took nails to the next level a few years back. Will this long-lasting lash technique do the same for our eyes?

Camilla is confident. 'One of the biggest compliments my clients get is when people ask if they've had Botox because they look so much fresher.'

The drawback is that you have to spend two or three hours in a chair with your eyes taped shut. Camilla tells me it will all be worth it for the amount of time I'll save in the mornings and evenings, not having to put on or take off mascara or eyeliner.

Age has it in for our lashes, as aesthetic doctor Pamela Benito explains. 'When oestrogen levels start to decline [with the menopause] lashes become thinner and shorter, because of the destruction of hair follicles. As a result, our eyes will look tired, smaller and older.'

A sagging eyelid can make our lashes all but disappear, says oculoplastic surgeon Dr Sabrina Shah-Desai. It makes your eyelashes point downwards, 'giving the impression of fewer or almost no lashes'.

It would be wonderful if the treatment helped me look younger  but I'm concerned it could damage my lashes and leave me bald.

We all love gel nails, but the polish can do serious damage to the surface of nails when it is peeled off  it should be removed safely by manicurists with a special acetone-based remover. And what about the UV light used to cure the nails? I don't want that near my eyes!

Camilla reassures me that Gel-Lys (pronounced 'jealous') uses safe, low-level LED light, which is often used in facials.

There's no concern about lash damage, either  gel lashes are actually kinder than conventional extensions because they use a gel rather than traditional glue, ensuring the extension bonds in a flexible way. Glue leaves lashes more brittle.

Camilla asks me what kind of look I'm after. 'More awake,' I say. She is used to correcting flaws and asymmetry. 'Every face is different. I have never designed two sets of lashes the same,' she says.

I lie back on her heated spa bed under a blanket. Many clients nod off, but I'm squeamish about having my eyes touched and find the eye pads that I have to wear to cover my bottom lashes (she is only doing the top) uncomfortable.

Because I'm nervous, Camilla does one eye at a time, as opposed to her normal method of switching between both. She allows me breaks and puts me at my ease.

With the precision of a watchmaker, she spends the next three hours using tweezers to dip around 250 lashes per eye into adhesive and apply them one at a time, fixing them with an imperceptible beam of LED light.

VICTORIA BEFORE LASHES TREATMENT: Each of Victoria's lashes had two extensions stuck to it, making it look three times as thick and creating volume

Each of my own lashes will have two extensions stuck to it, making them look three times as thick. This creates the volume that gives the mascara look. I can't see or feel anything.

I am sent home with a lash brush to keep them tidy and some lint-free cotton buds for washing them. I'm to steer clear of flannels or cotton pads on the lashes as they create lint that can get caught in the hairs  if you try to get it out you will probably pull the lash out.

Camilla also asks me to replace my sleep mask with one designed not to touch the eye, only the area around it. If I can, I should sleep on my back.

The next morning is a revelation. I look like I have slept in my make-up but somehow it's stayed on perfectly. I just splash my face with water, add a bit of concealer and lipstick and go.

My new lashes look like my own on steroids, natural but noticeable. I can see a definite, almost cat-like lift at the outer corners where the lashes are longer. My eyes look pleasingly bigger, too  that expensive eyelid surgery can wait.

I message Camilla the next day to reserve my slot in her crammed diary for 260 'infills'  touch-ups I need every five to seven weeks, as opposed to the two-to-four-week refresh for conventional lashes.

If I keep these going, I'll never have to go back for a full set.

Over the next few days I'm still delighted with how I look and have a much shorter make-up routine. It's not cheap, but as someone who never spends money on manicures, blow dries or waxing, this is one salon treatment that will make me part with my cash.

A beauty treatment that saves time as well as turning back the clock  that's something I can invest in.

GEL-LYS Lashes cost 460 for a full set of top lashes, and 260 for top lash infills (camillalashes.com).
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Dogs have long been considered man's best friend, but the pooches that are running around today look a lot different than they did a century ago. Most dog breeds were developed through selective breeding within the last few centuries, thousands of years after they were first domesticated. Selective breeding, also called artificial selection, is the process in which humans develop particular characteristics by choosing which male and female dogs will mate and have offspring together. Incredible images show how different dog breeds have evolved over the past century, from basset hounds' ears getting longer to pugs developing flatter noses.

With the number of different breeds that now exist, it's easy to forget that dogs are actually all members of the same species, especially considering a dachshund looks nothing like an Old English sheepdog. Pictured: A Basset Hound in 1867.

Basset Hounds' ears have gotten longer over the years while their hind legs are now shorter. They also have more skin folds than they did before.

Many popular dog breeds also look surprisingly different than they did 100 years ago because of advancements in selective breeding in the 20th century. Pictured: A Newfoundland in 1867.

Newfoundlands appear to have gotten larger over the years. Newfoundland males can weigh up 150 pounds, about 50 pounds more than they did 100 years ago.

Pictured: An Irish Setter as seen more than a century ago.

Irish Setters may have gotten thinner over the past century, but their coats have gotten both longer and thicker.

Pictured: A Scottish Terrier in 1867.

Scottish Terriers used to have coarse, wiry coats a century ago. Their fur is now longer and softer than it was before.

Pictured: A German Shepherd in 1867.

German Shepherds were leaner with smaller chests 100 years ago. Now, they are bred to be larger with coats that are longer and thicker.

Pictured: A Dobermann more than a century ago.

Today, Dobermanns are thinner and less aggressive than they were 100 years ago.

Pictured: A Shetland Sheepdog in 1867.

Shetland Sheepdogs are now bigger than they were before and have longer, fluffier coats.

An Old English Sheepdog is seen here more than a century ago.

Old English Sheepdogs' appearance has remained consistent over the years, though their fur was shaggier than it is now.

Pictured: A Rottweiler in 1867.

Rottweilers now have coarser coats, and they no longer have short, docked tails.

A Great Dane is pictured here in 1867.

Great Danes are now heavier and have longer ears than they did a century ago.

Pictured: A Dachshund more than a century ago.

Dachshunds now have longer bodies than they used to, and their legs have gotten even shorter over the past century.

A Pug is pictured here in 1867.

Pugs have been bred over the years to have larger eyes and flatter noses, though they are still about same size they were century ago.

Pictured: A West Highland White Terrier as it looked more than a century ago.

West Highland White Terriers are furrier than before, but their appearance has relatively stayed the same.

An Airdale Terrier is pictured here in 1867.

Over the past century, Airedale Terriers have developed longer faces and longer, shaggier fur.

Pictured: This is what a Bull Terrier looked like in 1867.

Bull terriers have thicker, more muscular frames than they used to. While their faces have become shorter, the bridge of their noses are now larger.

Pictured: A Chow Chow as it looked over a century ago.
The energy supply market is shrinking fast as providers go out of business. The closure of small suppliers is also affecting those that use companies which automatically switch households to the best available gas and electricity deal.

My family recently became one of the millions of households hit by the closure of an energy supplier when People's Energy collapsed. It is one of ten companies  along with HUB Energy, PFP Energy, MoneyPlus Energy, Utility Point, Green, Avro Energy, Enstroga, Igloo and Symbio  which have closed since August.

I am now left with a more expensive energy deal, which wasn't what I expected when I signed up to auto-switching website Look After My Bills (LAMB) back in 2019.

Let down: Marc Shoffman was switched to suppliers that have gone bust, leaving him with higher bills

LAMB is one of several switching services that use your energy usage data and fancy algorithms to save you time and money by automatically changing your supplier when cheaper deals become available.

The website had a strong reputation after attracting record backing of 120,000 from entrepreneurs on BBC show Dragons' Den in 2018. A year later, it was acquired by comparison website GoCompare in a 12.5million deal.

But it has now twice moved me to energy companies which have subsequently collapsed.

AUTO-SWITCH WORKED WELL... TO BEGIN WITH

I was pleased with my first auto-switch in April 2019 when I saved the equivalent of 113.64 a year by moving from Tonik Energy to Scottish Power. That deal was due to end in May 2020 but, a month before it ended, LAMB found me a new deal with small supplier Simplicity Energy that saved me 218.65 annually.

Unfortunately, the company wasn't around long enough for my family to fully benefit. Simplicity went bust in January this year.

Energy regulator Ofgem has a supplier of last resort scheme to manage gas and electricity supplies if a provider fails. This gives some comfort, but you still have to check meter readings and download your latest bill to check your new supplier isn't ripping you off.

That is extra hassle, especially when you thought an auto-switching service would take all the administration away. Simplicity's customers were taken on by British Gas Evolve and LAMB's customer service assured me, after I complained, that 'your next switch will be to a reputable and financially stable supplier with good customer service ratings'.

This provided reassurance when I was moved to People's Energy in March 2021  with the promise of an 80 annual saving. But following the collapse of People's Energy last month, my family was back in a supplier of last resort scheme.

British Gas has taken over People's Energy contracts, so my energy supply is assured, but my bills will rise. The standing charges and unit rates now used to calculate my bills are higher than what I was paying with People's Energy. Calculations from comparison website Energy Helpline show that an average medium-sized household like mine, with two adults and two children, would typically pay 904 annually for gas and electricity on my old People's Energy fixed rate tariff.

However, the British Gas People's tariff that I have been moved to is 370 more expensive at 1,274 per year. Suddenly, I am paying more than 300 extra for my energy despite signing up with an auto-switching service to save money on my bills.

...BUT THEN THE OPTIONS STARTED DRYING UP

LAMB paused its auto-switching service a few days ago, stating it will return 'as soon as we can access energy deals that are right for you'. That leaves me, and many other families, with a more expensive contract than before  and with no choice but to arrange our own switch if we want to get a better deal.

This comes as suppliers are increasing tariffs off the back of rising wholesale gas prices and increasing demand.

Additionally, the Ofgem price cap for default energy deals  the rates customers pay once a contract ends  rose this month by a record 139 to 1,277 a year.

Energy Helpline has warned that there are currently no fixed tariffs that are cheaper than this price cap, making it harder to find a competitive low-cost deal that locks in a decent and predictable monthly payment.

To make matters worse, I now don't even have an auto-switching service to help me. Gareth Kloet, director of partnerships at GoCompare, says that many failed energy suppliers were not badly run  they were let down by regulator Ofgem and the level of the price cap that made it hard for them to compete.

He says: 'The failure of these companies is a symptom of an energy market facing rising wholesale prices, the regulator not supporting them, and not having as large financial reserves.'

WILL ENERGY MARKET EMERGE STRONGER?

The auto-switching and energy comparison markets are now under extreme pressure. Rival auto-switching website Flipper exited in August due to the adverse market conditions. Another provider, Labrador, is currently advising customers to stick with their current supplier while Switchcraft says it is only putting through a handful of switches due to the limited number of deals available. It expects the market to remain quiet. Both Labrador and Switchcraft switched customers to suppliers that have failed in recent weeks.

Labrador chief executive Jane Lucy says it is important to offer customers the choice to switch to smaller challengers if they are cheaper as long as there is no risk of losing supply or credit in their account. She adds: 'To help customers make informed choices, we publish information regularly on suppliers which may be in financial difficulty.'

Andrew Long, founder of Switchcraft, adds that there is validity in working with smaller suppliers which offer the best prices and better customer service. He adds: 'Up until a couple of weeks ago, we hadn't had any situation where we had switched people to a supplier that then went bust.'

Users of comparison websites are facing similar issues. GoCompare, CompareTheMarket and Uswitch have all paused their energy comparison services while prices remain so high and deals so uncompetitive.

Comparisons and switching can still be done through MoneySuperMarket and Energy Helpline, but both warn users that the number of deals has reduced.

Experts are unsure if, and when, it will be worth switching energy deals. Consumer website Resolver's Martyn James says: 'I was advising people to hold fire for a month while the dust settled before looking at switching options. But it now looks likely that most suppliers will have high prices for a while.'

I feel let down by Look After My Bills  they haven't looked after me. But, hopefully, the energy market will emerge from this crisis a stronger one  with a number of financially stable suppliers which households can switch to and from to extract the best energy deal for them.
Fund management charges eat into investors' returns. The higher they are, the bigger the hurdle the investment manager has to overcome in order to deliver positive outcomes for those that have entrusted their hard-earned money to them.

Sadly, some investment managers aren't very good at hurdling  and don't justify the fees they earn for nothing better than mediocre work.

In any other profession, they would have long been sacked, but it's a fact of investment life that most investors don't vote with their feet and take their money elsewhere. As a result, substandard investment performance doesn't get punished like it should do.

Forward thinking: There are a few investment houses that realise their investors and shareholders deserve a better deal

Thankfully, there are a few investment houses  and a number of dynamic boards of investment trusts  that realise their investors and shareholders deserve a better deal.

Especially given the trying times we now all find ourselves in. Thank goodness, I say. We  consumers and industry  all need to share a little bit of the pain that is around.

Edinburgh-based investment house Baillie Gifford is leading the charge. In recent weeks, it has tickled down the annual charge it applies to investment fund UK Equity Alpha  from 0.55 per cent to 0.47 per cent.

It has also reconfigured the charges it takes from investment trust US Growth which means that as the fund's net assets (that is, assets less any borrowings) grow beyond 1 billion, any amount above that figure will attract an annual charge of 0.5 per cent instead of 0.55 per cent. Baillie Gifford has enjoyed a rich vein of investment form in recent years on the back of its commitment to some of the world's leading growth stocks.

Trusts such as Scottish Mortgage have delivered spectacular returns as a result  one and three-year returns of 42 per cent and 148 per cent. Indeed, with assets of 21billion, Scottish Mortgage is by far the country's biggest investment trust and a constituent of the FTSE100 Index. Its annual charges are 0.3 per cent.

Baillie Gifford says it has chipped away at fund charges on more than 15 occasions since 2013. Its view, as expounded by marketing director James Budden, is that it wants to be 'as competitive on fees as possible as they are the only element of investment returns which can be guaranteed'.

You could argue that Baillie Gifford should be even more generous over fund fees. Yet in reducing charges, it's doing the right thing and its focus on value for money should be applauded.

It's not alone  other investment houses such as JPMorgan have also chipped away.

But there's a big chunk of the retail investment industry that has so far done the square root of nothing. Time for them to lower their hurdles.

While regulator pontificates, empires have been and gone

While the regulator pontificates about helping its 'staff work at pace,' its investigation into the circumstances behind the sudden suspension of investment fund Woodford Equity Income in 2019 could not be any slower. It seems no further forward than it was 27 months ago.

Empires have been and gone in the time the Financial Conduct Authority has spent wondering what to do with those involved in this investment debacle.

Pace? Snail pace, more like. For investors who have lost money in Woodford, a little ray of light did shine last week when law firm Leigh Day said it had commenced court proceedings against Link, the company responsible for ensuring Woodford Equity Income adhered to all the rules (it didn't).
Tony Hetherington is Financial Mail on Sunday's ace investigator, fighting readers corners, revealing the truth that lies behind closed doors and winning victories for those who have been left out-of-pocket. Find out how to contact him below.

R.G. writes: I am sending you a string of emails I have received from Lodore Investment Management.

Its representative Charles Stone comes across on the phone as a very genuine person, but I would very much appreciate your views.

Imposter: Lodore stole the identity of a farming firm based in the Lakes

Tony Hetherington replies: My views are that there is not a bargepole big enough that would make me tell you to touch the deal that is on offer, nor a spoon long enough that would let me advise you to sup with this devil.

Lodore's website and emails say that it operates from a large office block near Euston Station in London. It advertises: 'Since the mid-1980s, Lodore have been offering a variety of specialist services to help grow and sell alternative investments.' It claims to spend years working with clients to maximise their wealth, adding that, 'we act as asset managers and we like to build partnerships with our clients'.

And the company gives its registration number as 00166329, which records at Companies House confirm is the right number for Lodore Limited, which has been in business since 1920.

Yet everything you have been told, and everything claimed in Lodore's email and on its website is complete and utter lies.

Lodore in London is an impostor, a clone that has stolen the identity of the real Lodore, which has its registered office in Liverpool and is a land and farming business based in the Lake District. Accountant Clive Plummer, who has looked after the real Lodore's affairs for many years, told me: 'We are genuine, innocent bystanders. They are using the real company's number.'

The real Lodore has been contacted by three people who thought it operated the Euston investment business. Plummer reported the clone to Action Fraud and to the Financial Conduct Authority but, he says, they were not interested: 'The FCA told us to take your problems away unless it is you that is being scammed.'

Lodore's approach to you came out of the blue. It claimed to have a system for searching escrow accounts in banks and then tracing people who could claim those funds. There is no such system, but the fake Lodore said it had found 10,485 that was due to you from an unsuccessful investment you made many years ago.

The snag was that you had to pay 1,550 up front as legal fees to get the money released. You were asked to send this to a bank account in the name of JEM Limited, a tiny company set up two months ago and registered to a flat in South London. Needless to say, do not part with a penny. There is no pot of gold at the end of this particular rainbow.

It would have been nice to have a comment from the fraudsters about all this, but soon after I began enquiries they seem to have gone to ground, with their phone unanswered and unwilling to accept messages.

If they have gone forever, then good riddance.

Losing out on Wetherspoon staff's free shares plan

G.J. writes: While in the sixth form, my granddaughter worked part-time at a Wetherspoon pub, and at university she worked at two other Wetherspoon pubs until last year, when she was furloughed.

When lockdown ended, she needed a full-time job but her manager was not interested so she had to quit. She was in the share incentive plan, and bought shares as well as receiving some free, but when she resigned she was told she was not entitled to them.

She believes she has lost thousands of pounds.

Tony Hetherington replies: Wetherspoons and its boss Tim Martin have a good reputation for being customer-friendly, so I asked whether it was true that free shares had been snatched back from your granddaughter just because there was no full-time job available for her.

I was given details of all her shares, showing she bought 39 shares and was given 97 free.

But the free shares have strings attached. They cannot be sold for three years, and are lost if you leave the job within three years of having been granted them, leaving your granddaughter with just 13.

The result is that she has received 368 as share sale proceeds, but on the slightly brighter side she has only forfeited about 600 and not thousands.

WE'RE WATCHING YOU: Forger jailed...but the scammers are still free A forger who helped hide the proceeds of a multi-million pound investment scam has been sentenced to 28 months in jail, despite no prosecutions being brought against those the Financial Conduct Authority has named as being involved in the scam itself. Stephen Allen pleaded guilty to forging a deed which concealed the real ownership of a stake in a London property. The real owner was Renwick Haddow, one of seven individuals named by the FCA as being behind a series of unauthorised investment schemes operating under the title of African Land or Agri Capital. I warned in 2010 that Agri Capital's plan to invest in fields growing rice, with the promise of 50 per cent capital gains in the first year, was both illegal and backed by bogus guarantees. Three years later, in 2013, the FCA began legal action to freeze the scheme and recover investors' money. One of the ringleaders, Robert McKendrick, tried to divert funds into his wife's name, and in 2019 he was jailed for contempt of court. Now Stephen Allen has followed him, for hiding Renwick Haddow's ownership of a London property worth more than 1million. Mark Steward, the FCA head of enforcement, said: 'This is a serious facilitating offence. The FCA will pursue those who facilitate financial crime as well as principal offenders.' However, the FCA itself has named the principal individual offenders in the Agri Capital scam as Marcia Hargus, Richard Henstock, Alan Meadowcroft, Mark Ayres, Mark Gibbs, and of course Haddow and McKendrick  yet not one of these has been prosecuted. The only prosecutions have been against the two men involved in hiding the ill-gotten gains. An FCA spokesman explained that prosecuting people who run unauthorised investments scams 'can become a very technical case'. He added that the watchdog 'prioritised action that might help victims get some money back'. The defendants were ordered to hand back 18.7million for the benefit of their victims. So far, the FCA has received just 580,000, leaving more than 18million unaccounted for and not a single criminal conviction. Who says crime doesn't pay! And when will MPs wake up to the fact that the FCA just isn't up to the job?

If you believe you are the victim of financial wrongdoing, write to Tony Hetherington at Financial Mail, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TS or email tony.hetherington@mailonsunday.co.uk. Because of the high volume of enquiries, personal replies cannot be given. Please send only copies of original documents, which we regret cannot be returned.
Tens of thousands of investors who lost money in the winding up of multibillion pound investment fund Woodford Equity Income  run by high-profile manager Neil Woodford  may have to wait another three years for compensation if the regulator fails to intervene in the meantime.

This was the stark admission made late last week by law firm Leigh Day as it started court proceedings against Link on behalf of investors who lost money in the meltdown of the Woodford fund in 2019.

As authorised corporate director, it was Link that had a regulatory duty to look after the best interests of investors in the 3.8billion fund. Leigh Day claims Link failed to carry out these requirements, both in the run-up to the fund's suspension in June 2019  and afterwards as it took the shock decision to break up the fund, crystallising losses for investors.

Fall-out: Neil Woodford's investment fund, Woodford Equity Income, was suspended

Boz Michalowska, a partner at Leigh Day, says it could take up to three years for the case against Link to get to court. 'It's why we have started the process now, so Woodford investors won't have to wait any longer,' she told Wealth last week.

Her hope is that Link may agree to a settlement before the case is heard in court, although this is unlikely. Link has already said it will 'vigorously' defend itself against any proceedings. Alan Miller is co-founder of the True and Fair Campaign, whose aim is to bring about a more customer-focused financial services industry. Miller, a fund manager, has repeatedly called for Woodford investors to be compensated and welcomes Leigh Day's decision to take Link to court. But he believes Woodford investors have been hung out to dry by the regulator. 'Significant compensation,' he says, 'should already have been paid.'

Woodford Equity Income was run by Neil Woodford, who in the 2000s established a reputation at asset manager Invesco for being one of the country's finest investment managers.

On the back of his success, he set up his own investment house  Woodford Investment Management. The flagship Equity Income fund was launched in 2014, with funds Income Focus and Patient Capital following shortly afterwards.

Yet it wasn't long before Equity Income began to experience problems. Although it was labelled an equity income fund  a defensive investment style built around holding some of the UK's most dividend-friendly companies  its portfolio comprised a big chunk of assets in illiquid stocks. Some were unquoted and most paid no income whatsoever. According to documents presented last Thursday by Miller at a webinar organised by shareholder campaigning group ShareSoc, 30 per cent of Woodford's portfolio was in illiquid stocks as early as the end of 2014.

This position ratcheted up to 40 per cent by the end of 2018. It was a big factor in the fund's suspension in June 2019 as a multi-million pound redemption request from a big institutional investor could not be met.

'The risk profile of Woodford Equity Income's portfolio was off the scale, compared with a fund such as Invesco High Income, which Woodford had previously managed,' says Miller. 'You're talking about a portfolio which would have normally taken more than 11,000 days to liquidate  way off the scale, even when compared with smaller company funds.'

Leigh Day's charge sheet against Link is extensive. It claims the overseer failed to ensure the fund had no more than 10 per cent of its portfolio in unlisted companies. It also allowed Woodford to construct a portfolio that compromised the ability for investors to redeem their shares promptly. Finally, Leigh Day says Link aggravated investor losses by winding up the fund after sacking Woodford, resulting in the disposal of some assets at rock-bottom prices.

This last point was highlighted last week when gene sequencing company Oxford Nanopore  a former Equity Income holding  made a successful stock market debut. The stake that Woodford had held in Equity Income was sold by administrators for nearly 98million, half its current value.

Leigh Day is seeking compensation from Link that will recover all the investment losses incurred by Woodford investors  plus a sum to reflect the return that investors should have enjoyed if the fund had been managed prudently (in line with a fund tracking the FTSE All-Share Index).

The law firm is not the only one seeking compensation on behalf of investors. Harcus Parker, Slater and Gordon, and RGL Management are also pursuing claims. It is likely that at some stage the four litigation specialists will pursue a group claim. This would enable them to pool resources and present the strongest case possible. Any Woodford investor joining a claim will do so on a 'no win, no fee' basis. So in Leigh Day's case, it will take a 30 per cent fee from any compensation it wins from Link. ShareSoc is backing Leigh Day's claim. On Friday, Link reiterated that it had 'acted at all times [with regards to Equity Income] in accordance with applicable rules, as well as in the best interests of all investors'.
The Morrisons board has given the go-ahead for a historic takeover after a knockout bid by a US private equity giant advised by former Tesco boss Sir Terry Leahy.

It has emerged in documents that Leahy's team sweetened the deal ahead of yesterday's dramatic auction with a 660million property pledge to the company's pension funds.

Clayton Dubilier & Rice made a winning 7 billion offer for Morrisons yesterday afternoon during the auction overseen by officials from the Takeover Panel, ending a 15- week battle for control.

Go-ahead: Shareholders will have the final say later this month, but are highly unlikely to block the offer

The 2.87 per share bid eclipsed a rival one by a group of private equity firms and billionaires by just 1p per share. The purchase is expected to be two-thirds funded by debt  about twice the amount currently owed by Morrisons.

Recommending the bid last night, Morrisons chairman Andy Higginson said: 'Today's final offer from CD&R represents excellent value for shareholders while at the same time protecting the fundamental character of Morrisons for all stakeholders.

'CD&R have good retail experience, a strong record of developing and growing the businesses in which they invest, and they share our vision and ambition for Morrisons. We remain confident that CD&R will be a responsible, thoughtful and careful owner of an important British grocery business.'

Shareholders will have the final say later this month, but are highly unlikely to block the offer which is the highest price the shares have reached for almost a decade. CD&R has agreed the deal with the Morrisons pension funds, secured against Morrisons property, after trustees voiced concerns that the debt-fuelled deal would 'materially weaken' the long-term financial health of the pension scheme.

It followed secret meetings between CD&R and the pension fund trustees last month and the eyewatering figure has since been released in documents relating to the bid. It also guarantees regular updates to trustees about the financial position of the supermarket and the strength of the covenant provided by the chain under its new owners.

CD&R outbid a consortium of investors backed by Japanese tech mogul Masayoshi Son and US property billionaire Charles Koch. The mood in the Goldman Sachs top floor office, which Leahy and CD&R top brass had made their base for the day, was said to be 'jubilant' yesterday afternoon.

The sale will mean an end to 54 years on the London Stock Exchange, where the supermarket's shares have been traded since it was listed by company patriarch Sir Ken Morrison, who took over in 1952.

It was founded by his father as an egg and butter stall in Bradford's Rawson Market in 1899.

CD&R has made a raft of assurances to the Takeover Panel to help get the deal over the line, which includes keeping the Bradford head office. Despite concerns that a private equity buyer may plunder the chain's property assets, valued at 5.8billion, CD&R has insisted Morrisons' freehold ownership is a 'particular strength of the business which has been carefully preserved over many years and will continue to be a cornerstone of Morrisons'.

It said in August it 'does not intend to engage in any material store sale and leaseback transactions'. It cited other investments, including forecourts giant Motor Fuel Group, which it said maintained 'high levels of real estate ownership'.

But senior retail sources said last night that a sale of some property for development or to lease back was 'inevitable'. One boardroom-level retail source said: 'There are ways of extracting value from the property  private equity is an arcane art.' Five City sources spoken to by the MoS estimated that between 1billion and 1.5billion of property would need to be sold off for the investor to make a return that would be typical by private equity standards.

But CD&R said it planned to open more stores, grow the supermarket's online business and sell more to wholesale customers, including convenience stores. Assurances given in statements will be valid for a year, but City sources said it was likely that Morrisons would be 'morally' held to account if any were broken.

The MoS revealed in July that CD&R was locked in a decade-long court battle over allegations that it 'asset stripped' another US company and left it 'on the verge of bankruptcy'. The firm strongly refutes the claims. It is also likely the tax arrangements of CD&R will be scrutinised after it had lined up an entity in the Grand Cayman tax haven to run the supermarket giant.
Apple is under fire for making tens of billions of pounds from gamers who appear to have become addicted to mobile phone apps.

Court documents show that Apple made a staggering 64 per cent of its gaming revenues from just one per cent of smartphone gamers in 2017. These gamers spent an average of $2,694 (1,985) annually.

Gambling experts said the figures were a 'red flag' and alleged that Apple is profiting from the kind of business tactics used by gambling firms. The figures emerged in a legal case over allegations that Apple has abused its power to take excessive commissions from third-party mobile phone apps.

'Red flag': Apple's Tim Cook, with Laurene Powell Jobs, its founder's widow

US Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers said: 'From what little evidence there is in the record, these consumers frankly appear to be engaging in impulse purchasing and both parties' profits from this sector are significant. The Court...notes it as an area worthy of attention.'

Betting giants have faced relentless criticism for targeting a small number of consumers who become addicts and end up spending more than they can afford.

Apple, run by chief executive officer Tim Cook, takes 30 per cent commission on all purchases in games downloaded from its App Store. It does not publish figures for revenues from the store, but data provider Sensor Tower estimated it made revenues of $38.5billion in 2017. The court document revealed that gaming made up 76 per cent of App Store billings, or $29billion, suggesting that high-spending gamers netted $18.7billion for Apple in 2017.

Matt Zarb-Cousin, director of Clean Up Gambling, said: 'This is a business model where you need to find people who will become addicted, and get them to spend their money until they have spent it all.

'There are very similar features that we see in gambling, with behavioural addiction, and creating the sort of products that are more immersive. Social gaming uses a lot of the same tactics that the gambling industry uses.'

The court documents revealed that Apple has specifically designed its platform to cater to customers who spend large amounts of money on gaming. The judgment said: 'The App Store is primarily a game store and secondarily an 'every other' app store.'

Dr Rachael Kent, an expert in the digital economy and a lecturer at King's College London, said: 'That is a huge sum for one person to be spending each year.

'It is quite shocking, and it tells you that this is a regular practice. It is a red flag. With the figure being so high, it definitely raises concerns around gambling, addiction and compulsions.'

Gambling giants face tough new regulation in the Government's Gambling Act. Children's charities are particularly concerned that gaming apps  which do not require age verification  can be dangerous for children.

Barnardo's co-chief executive, Lynn Perry MBE, said: 'It cannot be right that some children are at risk of spending hundreds of pounds while gaming. There is a need to curb techniques that reward children for spending more and more time and money on gaming platforms, increasing the risk of addiction and related mental health problems.'

Apple did not respond to a request for comment.
Barclays chief executive Jes Staley has declared the bank will take on 'buy now, pay later' loans giant Klarna.

He said Barclays will invest heavily in technology to challenge the Swedish fintech firm, which is valued at $45.6billion (33.6billion).

'Buy now, pay later' firms such as Klarna and ClearPay have exploded in popularity in recent years, offering customers credit to pay for online shopping.

Battle: Barclays will invest heavily in technology to challenge the Swedish fintech firm Klarna

Customers can repay in instalments  just as if they were borrowing using a credit card  but the deals are unregulated and no credit checks are required.

Speaking at the Wall Street Journal's CEO Council, Staley urged regulators to crack down on Klarna, ClearPay and other firms that offer online shopping loans without checking whether customers can afford the items they are buying.

Staley said: 'We need to accelerate the digitalisation of our offerings to compete with people like Klarna and Stripe.

'I also do believe that the regulatory parameter is going to need to widen. To give you an example, in the UK, we have to show our regulators and ourselves that when we extend credit to a consumer that that consumer can afford it.

'Fintech companies don't have that obligation. As they get bigger, the affordability issue  them extending credit to UK consumers  will become an issue for the regulators... and I think that'll change the playing field.'

Staley has turbocharged plans to offer more 'buy now, pay later' products by appointing Antony Stephen  previously head of payments for Amazon in Europe  as chief executive of Barclays' partner finance business. Stephen has been charged with lining up lucrative deals with Britain's largest retailers to offer 'buy now, pay later' loans.

Klarna has sparked anger for saddling consumers with debt. The financial watchdog has carried out a review of the sector and market sources expect Klarna will face tough new rules by the end of 2022.

Barclays already has a number of high-profile finance deals with tech giants. It has provided interest-free loans for iPhone purchases through Apple since 2019.

Experts said most banks will wait until new rules are in place before ploughing into the fast-growing sector.

Gary Greenwood, banking analyst at Shore Capital, said: 'It is ridiculous what the likes of Klarna have been getting away with. But there should be a level playing field when the clampdown happens.'
Billionaire: E-commerce entrepreneur Matthew Moulding, with wife Jodie

Shares in billionaire Matthew Moulding's beauty to fitness e-commerce giant The Hut Group have gone into free fall, sinking below last year's 5 float price for the first time.

The rapid decline has left investors nursing heavy losses and seen a number of major banks and investors sell their stakes as the price plummeted to record lows.

US investment bank Goldman Sachs appears to have slashed its shareholding by a third in recent days  offloading at least 180million worth of stock  while US investment giant The Capital Group has sold more than half its stake, according to stock market data.

French bank Credit Agricole and German giant Deutsche Bank have also significantly reduced their stakes.

Manchester-based Hut Group  set up by self-made Moulding in 2004  floated on the London Stock Exchange to much fanfare just over a year ago with investors piling into a stock that promised to deliver a gateway into untapped e-commerce markets.

The group has also proclaimed its technology capabilities as its secret weapon, subsequently attracting investment mogul Masayoshi Son's SoftBank in a deal that could ultimately be worth $2.3billion.

THG said it would use $1billion in cash raised in May, including from SoftBank, to 'execute an advanced pipeline of strategic M&A [mergers and acquisitions]'.

Investors cheered as the shares, which surged on the day of the float, peaked at 7.99 in January. But the dream for shareholders  many of whom were attracted by the group's brands, including beauty shopping website Lookfantastic and supplements firm Myprotein  has begun to turn stale.

The share price has plummeted by 2.29  a third of the price  in just three weeks, erasing 2.7billion from the company's value. The price dropped to a low of 4.53 on Friday as it plunged below the 5 benchmark for the first time, closing at 4.55. Shares are down 43 per cent from their high in January.

City sources say a series of shock announcements, which have pointed to a break-up of the group, appear to have left investors feeling increasingly cold as e-commerce firms feel the squeeze.

The emergence of the $730million (540million) SoftBank stake in May was warmly greeted at first. But SoftBank's $1.6billion option to buy a fifth of THG Ingenuity shares  despite sales of just 18million in the first half  set the firm on course for a break-up, something that was not on the cards when the group came to the markets last year.

And then last month, THG said it would first spin off its beauty business  putting it ahead of Ingenuity in the group's separation plans.

City sources said the timing of the announcement of the complex plan to split the e-commerce businesses from the technology division could not have come at a worse time as internet firms including Asos, Boohoo and AO warned of rising costs, hitting share prices.

One said: 'When it came to the market last year, it was flavour of the month. The high street was falling apart and people were lapping this stuff up. But e-commerce is getting a kicking at the moment and people are having a second look at what they've bought into. When a firm's success is so firmly based on acquisitions, there is a view that when you look too closely there is a bit of smoke and mirrors going on.'

He added: 'At the end of the day, THG is an M&A vehicle for e-commerce businesses. Things have gone a bit quiet on that front and it has some way to go on building the technology business, which it is now saying it wants to separate into this brilliant new entity.'

Another City dealmaker said: 'The Hut's on fire  and not in a good way.' He said he was 'surprised' by how soon the SoftBank option to buy shares came after the float, adding: 'That now seems to be the main driver of the corporate strategy, but a lot of the valuation is now pinned on something that is still in its infancy.'

Director for retail research at Numis, Simon Bowler, warned investors two weeks ago to reduce their stakes in the business after delivering a sober analysis of the group's value. The shares have now sunk below even his then pessimistic 5.20 a share forecast  far below some other forecasts, which have valued THG at 10 a share or more.

If investors had reacted to his warning the day his report was issued, they would have saved themselves around 1.40 per share in losses. Bowler said a combination of reduced City forecasts at other e-commerce businesses and a lack of clarity over the future relationship between Ingenuity  which will hold the group's tech-based intellectual property  and the other businesses in THG's stable were all partly to blame.

Also hanging over valuations of the group's individual divisions is that it currently withholds profit margin information for each of its divisions  something it has promised will soon change.

Broker Jefferies, more positive on the shares, said the small but fast-growing Ingenuity has secured some 'eye-catching' contract wins and that the investment would lead to 'a deepening commercial relationship' with SoftBank that could pay dividends in the future alongside e-commerce growth and new acquisitions.
Rolls-Royce is poised to land 'billions of pounds' worth of orders for mini nuclear power stations from Eastern European nations, the boss of a major investor has said.

A consortium led by the engineering giant has secured 210million of funding from private investors for its small modular reactors (SMRs) programme in the UK.

That is set to unlock the same amount of funding from the Government, allowing Rolls-Royce to kick-start the project. An announcement is expected imminently and green investment fund IP3 said an endorsement by the Government should pave the way for the technology to be exported to other countries.

A good sign: Green investment fund IP3 said an endorsement by the Government should pave the way for the technology to be exported to other countries

IP3 has been sounding out pension funds and institutional investors about pouring cash into a multi-billion pound fund to invest in small nuclear infrastructure.

It is also advising energy providers and governments on developing nuclear power projects.

IP3 chief executive Mike Hewitt, a retired US Navy rear admiral, told The Mail on Sunday that eastern European nations  including Poland, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Hungary, Estonia and Bulgaria  are developing 'aggressive plans' for nuclear.

He said Rolls-Royce's project was 'among the frontrunners', adding: 'Rolls-Royce is uniquely positioned as a British brand-named company which is used to a factory approach in stamping out aircraft engines. If the UK commits to allow the build of the first three or four reactors, you can move into production, then it is in prime position to be the reactor of choice for other countries.'

IP3 is advising large Polish energy supplier ZE PAK on the development of a plan for nuclear plants.

Rolls-Royce said it was in discussions with interested parties over 'export opportunities around the world, including in Europe'.

Its investment consortium is aiming to build a fleet of 16 factory-built reactors by 2035 to complement larger power plants. IP3 hopes the consortium can land hundreds of millions of pounds more in taxpayer funds to move the project through the design and regulatory assessment phase and into production.

The gas bills crisis has sharpened the focus on investment in nuclear to build up the UK's energy supplies and complement renewable energy sources as Britain tries to hit net zero carbon by 2050. Britain is already facing a hole in its nuclear supplies with six large plants due to be taken offline by 2030.

Nuclear industry sources warned that Rolls' programme is in its infancy compared with technology being developed in North and South America and China. Several UK sites have been mooted for the SMRs, including Copeland in Cumbria.

Hewitt said: 'We are extremely confident we can come in and bring in outside capital to invest in these projects if the Government puts in the requisite equity to start the project and reduce the risk.

'The Prime Minister has a plan to boost Britain's green energy and nuclear SMRs are a significant part of that. There are a lot of pension funds, institutional investors and sovereign wealth funds keen to back nuclear hybrid systems.'

Government backing for the SMR programme would be a further boost for Rolls-Royce, which has finally sold its Spanish business, ITP Aero, for 1.5billion as it attempts to slim down. It also clinched a 1.9billion deal to supply parts for the US Air Force's fleet of B-52 bombers into the 2050s.

Shares have jumped 35 per cent to 1.42 in the past two weeks, spurred in part by optimism that long-haul travel is returning  a key income stream for Rolls-Royce.

Meanwhile, new chairman Anita Frew took charge last week and is under pressure from US activist investor Causeway Capital to refresh its board.
Octopus Energy boss Greg Jackson has been at the epicentre of Britain's gas crisis  and he has dark shadows under his eyes to show for it.

He says in usual times running the fast-growing renewable energy business he gets by on 'five and a bit' hours sleep.

But since last Sunday, when Octopus was appointed to take on the 580,000 customers of failed supplier Avro Energy, 50-year-old Jackson and his team have been working around the clock to manage the fallout of the biggest casualty of the crisis-hit energy market.

Crisis: Greg Jackson and his team at Octopus have been working flat out

'We had meetings at midnight Friday, 8am Saturday, 3pm Saturday and then 8am Sunday to make sure we are getting everything in place,' he says. 'Two of our most senior managers immediately moved into hotels near Avro's offices, so that we can do as much work as we can to look after Avro's customers.'

Octopus, which now has 3.1million UK retail customers, took on Avro through the 'supplier of last resort' process run by regulator Ofgem, when energy companies who have capacity to absorb more customers submit bids to take on the business.

Jackson says the cost of taking on Avro's orphaned customers was 'a very significant undertaking', financially and operationally. Energy firms have to meet the upfront costs themselves but can recoup some of the costs of transferring and supplying the customers of the failed supplier via an 'industry levy' that ultimately falls on customer bills.

Octopus financed the Avro deal through 'trade routes', before announcing a long-planned $600million investment last Monday from Generation Investment Management, a fund co-founded by former US Vice President Al Gore.

The deal to give Generation IM a 13 per cent stake values Octopus at $4.6billion (3.4billion)  outstripping the 3.3billion market cap of British Gas owner Centrica.

The investment, plus a further $55million from existing investor Origin Energy, will be used to increase Octopus's headcount from 1,800 to more than 3,000 within 18 months by expanding its export business and its Kraken technology platform, which is licensed to 17million customers through deals with third parties.

Octopus is currently in 12 countries and is opening a new hub in Manchester, creating 300 jobs, adding to hubs in London, Brighton, Leicester and Warwick. But even Octopus's long tentacles can only stretch so far. Jackson reveals that he suggested to Ministers that any supplier failure larger than Avro would be too big for the energy industry to absorb, and should be run under the 'special administration' process by a major accountancy firm appointed by the Government.

Ministers put the plans into practice last week by asking restructuring firm Teneo to be on standby in case of a major supplier failure that cannot be handled through the supplier of last resort process. Ten energy firms have gone bust since August, affecting more than 1.7million households.

Jackson says the Government could run a major energy firm until the market stabilises  likely to be at least until next summer  before then being broken up and sold off.

If there are widespread failures of small suppliers over the winter, Jackson suggests Ofgem may be better off 'bundling' bust firms together, perhaps managing the administration of three or four firms together.

Jackson compares the plans to the intervention in the 2008 financial crisis, when the Government created a so-called 'bad bank' to hold stakes in bailed-out businesses. He says: 'All that would be designed so that you can minimise the cost of supplier of last resort processes and really address the issues when the market normalises. That way there would be less cost to the bill-payers and the public.'

Last weekend, it emerged that Octopus could be eyeing a takeover of Bulb Energy, which has about 1.7million customers in the UK. Jackson clams up when asked whether there is any truth in the speculation. 'We just can't comment on any M&A rumours involving our own company.'

He is back to his usual gregarious self when talking about how to fix Britain's energy market, after being invited to a crisis summit with Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng and around 20 other industry bosses as the gas crisis flared up in September.

Jackson says Kwarteng's round-tables are 'lively' and highlight 'differing opinions between industrial leaders'. His own view is that the Government should tackle soaring energy bills by 'dramatically' driving renewable generation to bring costs down and reduce Britain's reliance on gas  particularly foreign imports. He says: 'Let's build our way out of this by more energy independence for Britain. If we can make electric heating cheaper than gas, then you can see that energy independent future for the UK, with low-cost green power replacing expensive carbon-emitting gas.'

He applauds last week's announcement that the Government will switch taxes from household electricity bills to gas bills  a policy Octopus has been pushing for over the past year. Now he wants Ministers to speed up the permissions for connecting new renewable generation to the National Grid and reduce the charges suppliers pay to access this.

To illustrate the point, he says Octopus pays 5p per unit to buy solar electricity  but then has to raise the cost to around 17p per unit when it supplies it due to network charges. 'That's bonkers,' he says. 'Renewable generation should be able to access the [electricity] wires much more cheaply.'

He is a staunch supporter of the energy price cap, which he says will save UK households facing 'colossally higher' bills this winter, and means energy companies can't 'sneak in high margins under the cover of high wholesale costs'. Yet some smaller firms now want the cap to be scrapped, arguing they should be free to raise prices like food retailers.

'This is fascinating,' Jackson says. 'I'm pretty sure the former Big Six now support the price cap, and some of the companies disappearing out of business no longer do. It used to be the other way round.'

He suggests the Government should introduce regular stress tests for suppliers with more than 20,000 customers  perhaps every three months  to ensure they are 'hedging' their fixed-price contracts to lock in prices in the wholesale market. He adds: 'I have been surprised by the lack of prudence with which some companies were run.'
Banks are in talks about slowing down some transfer payments to combat fraud.

Currently, most transfers go through in a matter of seconds via the Faster Payments system.

However, fraudsters who trick victims into transferring money out of their accounts can exploit this speed by then moving the cash quickly through the banking system so it cannot be easily traced.

Discussion: Sources said that banks are pushing for 'system-wide' changes to the Faster Payments system so some suspicious transactions could be slowed down

Sources told The Mail on Sunday that banks are pushing for 'system-wide' changes to the Faster Payments system so some suspicious transactions could be slowed down.

Britain's largest banks are understood to have launched talks with regulators at the Financial Conduct Authority and the Payments Systems Regulator.

People involved in negotiations said it would be very difficult to determine which transactions should face more scrutiny because one that may seem odd for one customer could be normal for another.

There would be clear cases of payments that should be queried, for example, if an 84-year-old decided to put 100,000 in cryptocurrency.

Having slowed the payment down, the banks would contact their customer to convince them the payment should be fully blocked.

However, the source said this process would also be complex, as fraud victims are often manipulated by crooks posing as HMRC, Amazon, or even the bank itself.

A spokesman for bank lobby group UK Finance said: 'The sector is exploring a range of options including the use of enhanced data, as well as slowing down payments.'
A little-known private equity firm is poised to swoop on the restaurants empire founded by Sir Terence Conran in a deal which could value the business at more than 100million.

Montecito Equity Partners is in talks to buy D&D London, which owns a clutch of high-end restaurants in the capital, Sky News reported.

The business, which includes Bluebird in Chelsea and Coq d'Argent in the City, was set up by Conran, who died last year.

Swoop: Montecito Equity Partners is in talks to buy D&D London, which owns a clutch of high-end restaurants in the capital

It was later renamed after its current chairman Des Gunewardena and deputy chairman David Loewi who took a stake in 2006. LDC, the private equity arm of Lloyds Banking Group, took control of the business in 2015.

It is understood that trading has been strong since restaurants were allowed to reopen and the business has received several approaches to invest, which will enable expansion in the UK and overseas.

Montecito is likely to take the largest chunk of the firm in any deal, with LDC cutting its share and management increasing their stake.

Montecito is based in Kensington, West London, and was founded by former UBS executive Pravir Singh, a long-term friend of Gunewardena.
Swiss police have raided Credit Suisse's offices over the bank's links to the collapsed financing house Greensill Capital.

Credit Suisse was a Greensill creditor and had around 7.4billion tied up with the group, which was set up by Australian entrepreneur Lex Greensill and was advised by David Cameron.

Police seized documents in the raid after the Zurich public prosecutor launched a criminal investigation into Greensill's activities and Credit Suisse funds.

Probe: Credit Suisse was a Greensill creditor and had around 7.4billion tied up with the group

Greensill lent money through supply chain financing to companies including Sanjeev Gupta's GFG Alliance, which ran into trouble.

Greensill went bust in May.

Although Credit Suisse has recouped most of the cash it had tied up with Greensill, around 1.7billion may be harder to recover.

Credit Suisse confirmed its offices had been raided, but said the bank was not a party to the investigation.
Campaigners calling for retail investors to be allowed to buy shares in firms listing on the UK stock market say it is a 'travesty' that investors missed out on Thursday's debut of Oxford Nanopore.

The company, a provider of rapid Covid-19 tests, saw its share price jump by more than 40 per cent on the first day of trading  from 4.25 to 6.12  with the shares opening on Friday at 6.26 before falling back at the close to 6.15. But retail investors were excluded from the 'initial public offering' (IPO)  with shares initially only available to big financial institutions.

'Travesty': Retail investors were excluded from the 'initial public offering'  with shares initially only available to big financial institutions

On Friday, Mike Coombes of PrimaryBid, a technology platform that helps investors access IPOs, told The Mail on Sunday: 'Nanopore's story is an inspiring one  a British success  and we had hoped the public would have been allowed to take part in its IPO. It's the blue-ribbon IPO of the year. But private investors continue to be shut out of the country's most valuable and exciting stock market flotations.'

His view is shared by Cliff Weight, a director of retail investor campaigning group ShareSoc. He says it is 'disgraceful' that small investors are being prevented from benefiting fully from successful debuts on the London Stock Exchange. He adds: 'There are many sophisticated investors who understand the risks of investing in IPOs, but who want to invest in the best of them. They should not be excluded.'

The Government wants to encourage wider participation in the listing of new firms, and has sought views on how the IPO process can be made more retail investor-friendly. But legislation is unlikely until next year at the earliest.

Oxford Nanopore's successful debut is an acute embarrassment for Link, the company that ordered the break-up of investment fund Woodford Equity Income in late 2019. It sold the fund's stake in Oxford Nanopore at a tenth of the price it would now command.
Johnson & Johnson's one-shot COVID vaccine has been linked to another blood-clotting condition by EU regulators which they warn could be life-threatening.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said the new, possibly life-threatening clotting condition known as venous thromboembolism (VTE) will be included on the J&J product label was separate a previously-linked side effect known as thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS).

VTE typically begins by a clot forming in a vein of a leg, arm or groin, which then travels to the lungs and blocks the blood supply there.

Regardless of any vaccine use, VTE is most commonly caused by injury or lack of movement in bedridden patients.

The EU watchdog said most clots had occurred in the brain and abdomen, as was the case with AstraZeneca's shot, Vaxzevria, which is also being studied for similar problems.

'One plausible explanation for the combination of blood clots and low blood platelets is an immune response, leading to a condition similar to one seen sometimes in patients treated with heparin,' the EMA said.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA), the European Union's drug regulator, on Friday found a possible link between Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine (pictured) and venous thromboembolism (VTE)

Meanwhile, the EMA also recommended that immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), a bleeding disorder caused by the body mistakenly attacking platelets, be added as an adverse reaction with an unknown frequency to the J&J vaccine product information and to AstraZeneca's vaccine.

J&J said while the chances of experiencing these conditions were very low, the product information would be updated accordingly as it continues to work closely with authorities including EMA.

'We strongly support raising awareness of the signs and symptoms of rare events to ensure they can be quickly identified and effectively treated,' the company said.

Both the J&J and AstraZeneca vaccines have previously been associated with a very rare combination of blood clotting and low platelet counts known as thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS).

That leads to blood clots and low platelet counts, which cause bleeding issues, with TTS so-far linked to three deaths.

The EMA recommends that the condition be listed as a rare side effect as it also recommends that immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) be listed as a side effect of the J&J and AstraZeneca's vaccine.

The two products are based on harmless vector viruses that instruct human cells to make a protein that primes the immune system against future coronavirus infections.

Some scientists say the similar design of the AstraZeneca and J&J shots may explain a possible link with clotting.

Both vaccines are based on a technology that uses a modified version of adenoviruses, which cause the common cold, as vectors to ferry instructions to human cells.

The similar side-effects suggest the inactivated adenovirus may be causing the problems, said Jonathan Ball, professor of molecular virology at Britain's University of Nottingham.

'It's important to remember though, that in most people the benefits of these vaccines far outweigh the risks - these are incredibly rare potential side-effects,' he said.

J&J, which recorded $100 million in COVID-19 vaccine sales, announced on Tuesday that it would resume its roll-out to Europe although vaccine bottles would carry a warning for a potential risk for rare blood clots.

After the delivery of the J&J vaccine was suspended in the EU due to possible side effects, it is now back on. PICTURED: A healthcare worker is vaccinated with the single dose J&J COVID-19 vaccine in the 'VUmc' hospital in Amsterdam, The Netherlands

On Friday, an advisory panel to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention met for a second time to decide whether to recommend lifting a 'pause' on the vaccines use in the United States, perhaps with a similar warning.

J&J's vaccine, developed by its Janssen unit, is one of four COVID-19 vaccines authorized for use in Europe along with BioNTech and Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca.

It is also authorized for use in the United States, although AstraZeneca's shot, developed by British scientists, has yet to receive the official stamp of approval in America.

According to the EU's website, 767.5million doses have been delivered and 74.6 percent of the EU adult population is fully vaccinated.
Ryan Faircloth, 30, was arrested on Friday and charged with federal counts of arson and attempted arson, according to court records

A Texas man has been arrested over a firebomb attack on the Democratic Party's county office in Austin.

A man wearing an American flag bandana was caught on surveillance video throwing a Molotov cocktail into the headquarters in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Ryan Faircloth, 30, was arrested over the attack on Friday and faces federal charges of arson and attempted arson, according to court documents.

He is being held at the Travis County Jail in Austin on $40,000 bail, according to jail records.

The documents didn't say whether Faircloth had an attorney yet.

No one was in the Travis County Democratic Party headquarters when it was attacked at around 2am Wednesday morning and only a small stack of papers caught fire, officials said.

The blaze was quickly extinguished by employees of a neighboring business.

Investigators received multiple tips after releasing the surveillance video, according to a complaint filed in federal court by FBI task force officer Ryan Metcalf. One of the tips led to Faircloth's social media.

The video shows a man wearing an American flag bandana on his head along with a face mark, black shorts, dark tennis shoes and a gray t-shirt throw something into the building.

Police were led to Faircloth after a tipster led them to his Facebook page and provided text messages from the suspect, according to the arrest affidavit. He remains in custody at Travis County Jail in Austin, according to jail records

Surveillance footage shows the moment that the Molotov cocktail was through inside the Democratic Headquarters and quickly burst into small flames

About four-and-a-half minutes later, he returns with a dark brown bottle in his left hand. Then nearly seven minutes later, he is seen again as he runs back the way he came.

A small flash appears in the right-hand corner of the footage which is quickly followed by flames spreading from the corner of the windows.

A second angle, from within the building, shows the Molotov cocktail being thrown inside the building and burst into small flames.

Authorities said in court documents that Faircloth left a note at the scene that mentioned states and a city with Democratic majorities or Democratic federal lawmakers.

It then stated, 'One thing you can't have is Texas,' and 'Consider this a 'light' warning,' according to a photograph in the document.

Information found online and other evidence led arson investigators and the FBI to arrest Faircloth who, while being questioned, admitted he built the device and left it at the building, according to the complaint.

The arrest affidavit reports that law enforcement received a tip that led them to Faircloth's Facebook page which matched writing style of the note left behind at the scene, according to Law and Crime.

Austin Fire Department arson investigators Lt. Steven Silverthorn, left, and Lt. Kelly Gall investigate at the Travis County Democratic Party office on Wednesday

Lt. Silverthorn, right, and Lt. Gall, left, were called to the scene on East 6th Street in Austin, Texas, after someone threw a Molotov cocktail into the building

A rock remains on the floor at the Austin Democratic Party office after someone threw a rock and an incendiary device into the building

The firey concoction caught fire to a small stack of papers before the flames were quickly extinguished by employees of a neighboring business

The person also shared text messages allegedly sent from Faircloth, one of which reads: '6th street location is on watch now,' referencing the East 6th Street location of the Democratic Headquarters.

'He described using a wine bottle, gasoline, and a sock to construct the device. He admitted knowing that gasoline is flammable. He further confirmed his participation in the events,' the complaint states.

Austin Fire arson investigator Capt. Jeffrey Deane said Friday that the attack was politically motivated.

'This person was not happy with the current political climate. He blamed this office and who they represent for a lot of the issues that he saw as problems with the country,' Deane said.

'For that reason this was an intentional act. This was the intended target. And that was why he did what he did,' he explained. 'He was forthcoming and confessed to that.'

Deane also shared that Faircloth did not have a history 'of anything like this.'
Alaska activated emergency crisis protocols on Saturday allowing 20 medical facilities to ration care if needed as the state recorded the nation's worst COVID-19 diagnosis rates in recent days.

One in every 84 people in Alaska was diagnosed with COVID-19 from Sept. 22 to Sept. 29, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

Officials say the COVID surge is straining the state's limited health care system, citing an instance where a medical team had to decide which of two critically ill COVID-19 patients would get to use a single specialized dialysis machine. The Wall Street Journal reported that the patient that had to wait for the machine died.

The emergency declaration  which covers three facilities that had already announced emergency protocols  was activated because of scarce medical resources at some facilities, limited staff and difficulty transferring patients because of limited bed availability. Other factors include limited renal replacement therapy and oxygen supplies.

'The move to Crisis Standards of Care is not something we take lightly,' Fairbanks Chief Medical Officer Dr. Angelique Ramirez said in a statement.

'This is in response to a very serious surge of COVID in our community.'

Alaska activated emergency crisis protocols on Saturday allowing 20 medical facilities, including Providence Alaska Medical Center (pictured), to ration care if needed as the state recorded the nation's worst COVID-19 diagnosis rates in recent days

The declaration includes the state's largest hospital, Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage, the other two hospitals in Anchorage and facilities across the nation's largest but sparsely populated state.

'Today's action recognizes that Alaska has an interconnected and interdependent health care system, requiring the need for activation of the state's decision-making framework. That framework includes a progression of conventional, contingency and crisis standards,' the state health department said in a statement announcing the activation.

'I want to stress that our health care facilities in Alaska remain open and able to care for patients. Alaskans who need medical care should not delay seeking it, even during these difficult times,' Adam Crum, the state's health commissioner, said.

Meanwhile, Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, which was covered by the state's announcement, on Friday activated its own policy because of a shortage of beds, staff and monoclonal antibody treatments, along with the inability to transfer patients.

State health commissioner Adam Crum (left) stressed on Saturday that 'health care facilities in Alaska remain open and able to care for patients.' Fairbanks Chief Medical Officer Dr. Angelique Ramirez (right) echoed Crum's claims, saying the move 'is in response to a very serious surge of COVID in our community' and is 'not something we take lightly'

The move came the same day the state reported 1,044 new cases, 108 of them in the Fairbanks area.

The hospital says 35% of its patients on Saturday were being treated for COVID-19.

Over the seven days through Saturday, Alaska saw the highest COVID case rate per 100,000 people in the nation  nearly twice that of West Virginia, the state with the next closest case rate.

As the case count increases, hospitals in Alaska, which has a population of 733,391, only have 1.8 ICU beds per 10,000 people.

Doctors are being forced to choose whether or not to accept critically ill patients as resources remain limited.

Over the seven days through Saturday, Alaska saw the highest COVID case rate per 100,000 people in the nation. The state recorded that one in every 84 people in Alaska was diagnosed with COVID-19 from Sept. 22 to Sept. 29

The state also saw an increase in COVID hospitalizations, reporting that they only have 1.8 ICU beds per 10,000 people

'We have the most highly sophisticated medicine and advanced training in the world, and we're having to ration care,' Javid Kamali, an intensive-care doctor at Providence, told the newspaper. 'We didn't sign up for this.'

'I don't think anybody has experienced anything like this in their lifetime,' echoed Dr. John Cullen, Providence chief of staff.

Since March 2020, there have been 110,850 total COVID-19 cases in Alaska, which has a population of about 731,000. More than 24,000 new cases were reported in September as the delta variant drove a spike in cases in Alaska, which has never had a statewide mask mandate.

The state health department said in all, 2,432 people have been hospitalized, and 557 Alaska residents have died.

Statewide, 60% of eligible residents are fully vaccinated. The Fairbanks North Star Borough is the third worst region for vaccination rates in Alaska, with just under 52% of eligible residents vaccinated.

Javid Kamali, an intensive-care doctor at Providence (pictured), shared that healthcare providers are being forced to choose which critically ill patients to treat. He said: 'We have the most highly sophisticated medicine and advanced training in the world, and we're having to ration care. We didn't sign up for this.'

Statewide, 60% of eligible residents are fully vaccinated (Pictured: Healthcare workers vaccinate patients at the Chief Andrew Isaac Health Center in Fairbanks, Alaska on March 30)

Ramirez said the decision to move to crisis standards was because of many factors, including community spread caused by the low vaccination rates and a high number of patients waiting to be admitted.

'This impacts all patient care, those with broken bones, traumas, heart attacks, strokes, COVID, anyone needing medical care,' Ramirez said. 'The care we are able to provide is highly fluid and can change day by day and even hour by hour depending on the availability of resources within our system and stateside.'

Heidi Hedberg, director of the state Division of Public Health, encouraged all residents to wear masks and get vaccinated.

'Every action you take helps prevent COVID-19 from spreading and protects you, your family, other Alaskans and our health care system. No one wants to use crisis standards of care guidelines,' she said.

Meanwhile, overall COVID cases are on the decline nationwide.

On Thursday, the U.S. reported 110,060 new infections, with a seven-day rolling average of 112,792.

Meanwhile, overall COVID cases are on the decline nationwide. On Thursday, the U.S. reported 110,060 new infections, with a seven-day rolling average of 112,792

More than 4.7 million people have died from COVID-19 around the world, according to Johns Hopkins, which means the U.S. - at more than 700,000 - accounts for 14.8 percent of all deaths, but just five percent of the global population

This a 32 percent decline from the 166,113 average reported four weeks ago and the lowest figure seen since early August, according to a DailyMail.com analysis.

Deaths have recently been on the rise with 2,718 virus-related fatalities recorded on Thursday and a seven-day rolling average of 2,043.

This is a 45 percent increase from the 1,401 average deaths recorded on month ago.

However, a new forecast from the CDC predicts that, similarly to cases, COVID-19 deaths will decline over the next month for the first time since June.

Published on Wednesday, the 'ensemble' forecast combines 37 independent forecasts of coronavirus fatalities over the next four weeks into one projection.

The CDC model predicts that weekly Covid deaths will fall to as low as 5,300 by the week ending October 23.

This is a 62 percent drop from the 14,000 weekly total being recorded now and a promising sign that the fourth wave is coming to an end as the U.S. comes close to eclipsing 700,000 deaths.

It also marks the first time since June 23 that the forecast has predicted weekly deaths to decrease rather than increase.

A new CDC ensemble forecast predicts that weekly deaths will fall to as low as 5,300 by the week ending October 23, a decline from the current weekly total of 14,000

As of Sunday, the U.S. has administered 395,934,825 doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the country and distributed 478,410,525 doses, the CDC said.

Those figures are up from the 394,690,283 vaccine doses that the CDC said had gone into arms by Saturday out of 478,362,045 doses delivered.

The agency said 215,233,625 people had received at least one dose while 185,492,579 people had been fully vaccinated.

About 5.3 million people have received an additional dose of either Pfizer or Moderna's vaccine since Aug. 13, when the U.S. authorized a third dose of the vaccines for people with compromised immune systems who are likely to have weaker protection from the two-dose regimens.
Illinois State Trooper Gerald Mason ,35, (pictured) an 11-year veteran of the force died by suicide Friday after he shot himself in his police SUV

A veteran Illinois state trooper died by suicide Friday afternoon, when he shot himself in his police SUV while on duty on a state expressway.

Gerald Mason, 35, an 11-year veteran of the force died from a single self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, The Cook County Coroner's office reported Saturday.

He was found at around 1.45pm, when a woman noticed his SUV stopped, scraped up against the median of the inbound lane of the Dan Ryan Expressway, and used his radio to call for help.

His mother, Linda, said she first heard about the incident after her younger son saw chatter about an officer being shot on social media, and called Gerald to check in on him.

He didn't answer, and soon doctors at the University of Chicago Hospital contacted her.

Mason was found in his SUV by a bystander at around 1.45pm Friday on the inbound lane of the Dan Ryan Expressway

His vehicle (pictured) was stopped, scraped up against expressway median, and the woman used his radio to call for help

Mason's mother, Linda (pictured), said she first realized something might be wrong after her younger son notified her of social media chatter that a trooper had been shot.

'They asked me if I had a son,' she told WLS. "I said yes. They asked me his name, I told them "Gerald Mason." They told me I needed to come to the university.'

Doctors there pronounced him dead at 2.16pm.

'I don't know what else to say. I love him. I'm going to miss him so, so, so, so much. My heart hurts so bad,' Mason's mother told the station. 'He always wanted to be a police officer because he always wanted to protect people. He wanted to make the world a better place.'

When police arrived at the scene of the shooting, witnesses said they saw them pull Mason out of his SUV themselves, and take him to the hospital, WLS reported.

Police held a ceremonial procession for Mason beginning at the University of Chicago Hospital Friday afternoon

Witnesses said they saw police pull Mason out of his vehicle, and transport him to the hospital themselves

Later that afternoon, they held a ceremonial procession as his body was transported from the hospital to the coroner's office.

'He was an amazing District Chicago trooper,' Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly said during a news conference Friday evening.

'Many people called Mason "The Hulk,"' he said. 'He was a solid and strong man. He even ripped his trooper pants during a foot pursuit because of those muscles.'

Kelly noted the challenges police face on a day-to-day basis, WLS reported.

'The amazing men and women that we all ask to do so much, again and again and again, may seem like superheroes on many days, but they're not immortal,' Kelly said. 'They're not indestructible. They are human beings with hearts, minds and souls as fragile as the next person. They have a breaking point.'

Mason's mother said her son always wanted to be a police officer

Police followed Mason's body as it was transported to the Cooke County Medical Examiner's office later on Friday afternoon

Mason's mother said he was not married, and had no children.

'Everybody loved him. Everybody loved my son,' she said of her eldest. 'I can't believe he's gone.'

On Thursday, the Illinois State Police announced it would more than double patrols in the Chicago area beginning Friday in response to a surge in shootings on expressways over the past two years.

There have been more than 185 shootings on expressways in the region this year, according to the agency, compared to a total of about 130 shootings last year, and just over 50 in 2019.

For help and support contact the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or visit its website.
Hackers have released the names and personal details of 200 active or retired law enforcement officers who they claim signed up to join the antigovernment extremist group the Oath Keepers.

The leak, which includes membership applications, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses and online posts, were among more than 40,000 individuals who were named as part of the far-right group.

The data was taken from the Oath Keepers website, and included one who claimed to be a federal police officer who had worked for the Defense Intelligence Agency.

The identities of 20 officers who are currently serving as law enforcement officers, and 20 who have retired since joining the group were confirmed by USA TODAY.

It is believed that these numbers are just a small portion of the law enforcement officers who have joined the extremists group since most of the members did not provide information of their employment.

The Oath Keepers claim to have 'tens of thousands of present and former law enforcement officials and military veterans' and are listed as 'one of the largest far-right antigovernment groups' in the country, according to Southern Poverty Law Center.

So far, Dailymail.com, other news outlets and researches have been unable to verify the accuracy of this claim.

A massive hack of the Oath Keepers website has provided names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and posts of about 40,000 members- 200 of which claim to be law enforcement officers (Pictured: Members of the Oath Keepers including Jessica Marie Watkins (far left) who has since been indicted by federal authorities for her role in the siege on the Capitol on January 6)

The Oath Keepers are listed as one of the country's largest far-right antigovernment groups in the US, according to Southern Poverty Law Center

The membership applications were leaked showing several alleged law enforcement officers who bragged about their position.

'I have a wide variety of law enforcement experience, including undercover operations, surveillance and SWAT,' one wrote on the membership application.

'Communications, Weapons, K9 Officer for local Sheriffs office 12 years to present,' wrote another.

'I am currently working as a deputy sheriff in Texas,' typed a third.

The 'Guardians of the Republic,' as they call themselves, claim to defend the Constitution and Americans' liberties.

The group have voluntarily shown up armed to private businesses and polling locations 'to provide security' and have 'participated in multiple standoffs against government officials,' the SPLC reported. Eighteen of its members are facing charges for participating in the Capitol riots on January 6.

Daryl Johnson, a security consultant and former senior analyst for domestic terrorism at the Department of Homeland Security, voiced his concern of having law enforcement officers align themselves with the Oath Keepers.

'The Oath Keepers subscribe to antigovernment conspiracy theories, so the fact that officers belong to an organization that believes in this type of stuff really calls into question their discretion and their ability to make sound judgments,' Johnson told USA TODAY.

He also noted his concern that Oath Keepers must swear an allegiance to the group which contradicts the allegiance that police and military officers must swear to their position.

'They look at the US government as an enemy,' he explained. 'When it comes down to a crisis situation or an investigation involving other militias, where is this person's allegiance? Most likely with the Oath Keepers and not the police department.'

De Blasio (pictured) vowed a 'full investigation into NYPD officers linked to militant right-wing Oath Keepers on Thursday

Stewart Rhodes (pictured), is the founder of Oath Keepers which claims to have 'tens of thousands of present and former law enforcement officials and military veterans'

The Oath Keepers have a history of armed standoffs with government officials (Pictured; Rhodes speaks at the Patriots Day Free Speech Rally in Berkeley, California in 2017)

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has launched an investigation after the hack revealed the Oath Keepers have two active NYPD cops and three New York public officials on its books.

Three New York City public officials are also part of the leaked membership's logs. They confirmed to WNYC/Gothamist that were previously registered as members of the group but they now claim they are no longer active.

The two NYPD officers whose names are also listed in the hacked records could not be confirmed as active members and so they remain unidentified.

NYPD rules forbid members of the force from forming alliances with organizations 'reasonably believed' to be engaged in criminal activities.

'The Oath Keepers are a vile, extremist anti-government organization,' said Bill Neidhardt, a de Blasio spokesman. 'An immediate internal investigation has been launched.'

The NYPD added 'the incidents are under internal review.'

One NYPD sergeant's name was listed in the data breach, which details that he is an active member of the department's Firearms and Tactics Session.

The sergeant acknowledged he was an NYPD officer in a phone call made by the Gothamist; and when asked whether he was the person on the list, he declined to comment on his membership status with the militia organization.

Instead, he referred the WNYC/Gothamist to the NYPD's press office.

The information associated with the sergeant's name hinted that the officer joined The Oath Keepers in 2014.

The email address provided includes the term 'nypdcop,' and the entry lists expertise in 'field force operations,' 'incident management,' and 'riot control agents.'

A Staten Island officer's name is also listed in the data breach. It says he is currently assigned to NYPD's Strategic Response Group, a unit that's been regularly deployed to halt riots, including the ones in response to George Floyd's murder in New York City last year.

In another phone call made by WNYC/Gothamist, a man also declined to confirm whether or not he was the officer in question. When his membership with the Oath Keepers was mentioned, the man ceased to talk before asking how his number was obtained. He then declined to answer further questions.

Eighteen members of the Oath Keepers have been charged with crimes in connection to the insurrection on January 6 (Pictured: Men belonging to the Oath Keepers wearing military tactical gear attend the 'Stop the Steal' rally on January 6 of this year in Washington, DC)

The Oath Keepers email list was released by a nonprofit group known as Distributed Denial of Secrets which releases leaked information to members of the press (Pictured: A member of the Oath Keepers looks on as supporters of Donald Trump attend a rally protesting the 2020 election results in Washington, DC on January 6)

The local news site was able to match dozens of names that appear to go with those of current and former members of NYPD, local courts, and corrections officers in the Big Apple and its jurisdictions, including Nassau County on Long Island, as well as Dutchess and Greene Counties in upstate New York.

The data hack also contains sensitive information on Ed Keyrouze, chief of staff for the New York Guard, a state volunteer force, and civilian employee of the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs, which overlooks the state's 20,000 men and women enrolled in the national guard and naval militia.

In the logs, the entry associated with Keyrouze refers to his ability to recruit from NY Army & Air Guard, NY State Guard & USCG [Coast Guard] Auxiliary.'

'There are over 20 riders that work at Natl Guard HQ's (DMNA-NY),' the entry says. 'Some of them are members of Combat Veterans & Patriot Guard. Will work to bring them onboard to Oath Keepers.'

In an email to WNYC/Gothamist, Keyrouze acknowledged that he signed up online for a one-year Oath Keepers membership 'several years back,' but claimed he was not actively involved with the organization.

'I was never active with that group and did not renew dues,' Keyrouze said in his email to WNYC/Gothamist. 'Bottom line, I have no affiliation with that organization and never participated in any activities.'

'I have brought this matter to the attention of the NY Guard Commander and explained what I stated to you above,' he continued in the email.

The logs also mentioned names of some aspiring and current county political officials.

Ralph E Stacy, an Oswego County legislator, who is a member of the Republican Party, is named in the leaks. He said he had filled out a membership form when he was interested in joining the Oath Keepers, but had not had any interaction with them for 'roughly a dozen years.'

'I do not condone what happened at the Capitol building and was not involved in what occurred,' said Stacy, who said he had interacted with anyone involved within the organization.

He also made it clear that he had not participated in the Capitol riot.

'I certainly do believe in the right to peaceful assembly to protest one's cause, but I do not believe in any sort of criminal trespass or criminal activity as a means to an end.'

Thomas Zmich, a Republican candidate for Queens Borough president, whose name and contact information also appear in the data breach, said he was briefly involved with the Oath Keepers New York chapter, but stopped being a part of it after he said the chapter shutdown about three years ago.

In February, the NYPD confirmed to The New York Daily News it was investigating another officer, who was seen with Oath Keeper members hours before the January 6th attacks.

The NYPD did not provide an update on the status of that probe. Dailymail.com has reached out to NYPD for comment.
President Joe Biden mourned 'the painful milestone' of 700,000 American deaths from COVID-19, a day after the U.S. surpassed that mark on Friday.

That figure is more than the number of Americans who died during World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War combined

To put the figure into context, it is about equivalent to the populations of Nashville, Tennessee or Washington, DC, and just a bit smaller than the population of Denver, Colorado.

'The astonishing death toll is yet another reminder of just how important it is to get vaccinated' he wrote in the Saturday release. 'The vaccines are safe, free, and easyand we have made extraordinary progress in our fight against COVID-19.'

Biden said that three-fourths of Americans have gotten at least their first vaccine dose, including 94 percent of seniors.

He wrote: 'Hundreds of thousands of families have been spared the unbearable loss that many Americans have already endured during this pandemic.'

'If you havent already, please get vaccinated,' he said. 'It can save your life and the lives of those you love. It will help us beat COVID-19 and move forward, together, as one nation.'

President Joe Biden mourned 'the painful milestone' of 700,000 American deaths from COVID-19on Saturday, a day after the U.S. surpassed that mark on Friday. Here, he is pictured today at the Delaware Air National Guard Based in New Castle

More than 4.7 million people have died from COVID-19 around the world, according to Johns Hopkins, which means the U.S. accounts for 14.8 percent of all deaths, but just five percent of the global population.

The figures come three-and-a-half months after America recorded 600,000 lives lost due to the virus.

Coronavirus cases continue to fall in America to the lowest levels seen in more than a month and, although deaths are on the rise, they are expected to also decline over the next few weeks.

Although the first deaths from the virus in the U.S. weren't reported until February 2020, it was confirmed last month that the earliest death actually took place on January 9, 2020.

It took until May 2020 to reach the first 100,000 dead. The toll hit 200,000 deaths in September and 300,000 in December.

On Friday, the U.S. surpassed 700,000 coronavirus deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Pictured: Pictured: Caskets are seen with full of COVID-19 dead bodies at the Gerard J. Neufeld funeral home in Queens, New York, April 2020

'To heal we must remember, and as our nation mourns the painful milestone of 700,000 American deaths due to COVID-19, we must not become numb to the sorrow,' wrote President Biden in the Saturday release. Biden is pictured speaking with reporters on the South Lawn of the White House today

Then it took just over a month to go from 300,000 to 400,000 and about two months to climb from 400,000 to the brink of 500,000.

The death rate has dramatically slowed, taking four months and one week to hit 600,000 deaths.

It took about three-and-a-half months to hit the 700,000 mark.

As devastating as that 700,000 figure is, the true death toll is believed to be higher than official counts.

'To heal we must remember, and as our nation mourns the painful milestone of 700,000 American deaths due to COVID-19, we must not become numb to the sorrow,' wrote Biden in the Saturday release.

'On this day, and every day, we remember all those we have lost to this pandemic and we pray for their loved ones left behind who are missing a piece of their soul.'

Currently, black Americans account for 11.9 percent of all COVID-19 deaths, Hispanics for 26.9 percent, whites for 51.5 percent and Asians at 3.1 percent, each figure about equal to their share of the U.S. population.

However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that after adjusting for age and other factors, blacks and Latinos are between two and three times more likely to die of of COVID-19 than whites.

The news comes as overall Covid cases are on the decline.

On Thursday, the U.S. reported 110,060 new infections, with a seven-day rolling average of 112,792.

This a 32 percent decline from the 166,113 average reported four wees ago and the lowest figure seen since early August, according to a DailyMail.com analysis.

Deaths have recently been on the rise with 2,718 virus-related fatalities recorded on Thursday and a seven-day rolling average of 2,043.

This is a 45 percent increase from the 1,401 average deaths recorded on month ago.

A new CDC ensemble forecast predicts that weekly deaths will fall to as low as 5,300 by the week ending October 23, a decline from the current weekly total of 14,000

However, a new forecast from the CDC predicts that, similarly to cases, COVID-19 deaths will decline over the next month for the first time since June.

Published on Wednesday, the 'ensemble' forecast combines 37 independent forecasts of coronavirus fatalities over the next four weeks into one projection.

The CDC model predicts that weekly Covid deaths will fall to as low as 5,300 by the week ending October 23.

This is a 62 percent drop from the 14,000 weekly total being recorded now and a promising sign that the fourth wave is coming to an end as the U.S. comes close to eclipsing 700,000 deaths.

It also marks the first time since June 23 that the forecast has predicted weekly deaths to decrease rather than increase.
New York City officials have suspended nine firefighters without pay in connection with a string of racist messages and memes they shared on their phones, including ones that mocked the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis last year, according to a published report.

A spokesperson called the suspensions the most severe punishments ever handed down in the history of the Fire Department of the City of New York, The New York Times reported in Friday's editions.

After looking into complaints by several black firefighters, the department suspended the nine firefighters without pay for periods ranging from a few days to six months, Fire Department Commissioner Daniel Nigro said.

One of the firefighters is expected to leave the agency after his suspension ends, Nigro said.

In addition, three fire department officers were reprimanded.

The Fire Department of New York has suspended nine firefighters for sharing racist memes mocking the death of George Floyd. The image above is an undated file photo

In the messages and memes shared in April this year, white firefighters mocked Floyd's dying moments with Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin's knee on his neck, the Times reported.

One meme shows a 'match' similar to the one often seen on dating apps like Tinder and Bumble in which Floyd is paired with a white human knee.

They also exchanged messages talking about how police could 'legally shoot black children.'

The Times said the staffers exchanged other racist messages, including one backing the use of fire hoses on protesters because 'wild animals like water.'

Black firefighters told the Times they believed the suspensions fell far short of addressing what they consider deep-rooted problems in the department, where leaders have acknowledged that racism, sexism and harassment have been tolerated.

A veteran firefighter, Regina Wilson, joined the FDNY in 1999. Wilson helped organize lawsuits that forced FDNY to diversify its ranks. She told the Times that she remembered finding a noose in a black colleague's equipment, leading to an internal department investigation

Nigro said the department has embraced diversity initiatives and welcomed historically diverse classes into the academy in recent years. He said the department is working to become more inclusive, but he also admitted fault.

'We've welcomed the folks in and now we have to make them feel welcome,' Nigro told the newspaper.

'We have to make them feel as if they belong. And in some cases, we failed.'

Captain Paul Washington, who is the most senior firefighter at a firehouse in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, said he has heard all sorts of rationalizations from white colleagues who try to justify their comments.

'Guys use all kinds of excuses  "Well it's a dangerous job," or "It's so much stress"  and they blow that part way out of proportion to justify their racist and juvenile behavior,' Washington told the Times.

Washington joined FDNY in 1988 and rose through the ranks. He started the first-ever majority-black firehouse.

Another veteran firefighter, Regina Wilson, joined the department in 1999. Wilson helped organize lawsuits that forced FDNY to diversify its ranks.

She was later elected president of the Vulcan Society, the fraternal order of black firefighters within FDNY.

Wilson told the Times that she remembered finding a noose in a black colleague's equipment, leading to an internal department investigation.

She also said she recently learned that several firehouses were using toilet paper on which the likeness of former President Barack Obama was printed.

Wilson also said that firehouses feature photos of the nation's first black president which depict him as a monkey.

Captain Paul Washington, who is the most senior firefighter at a firehouse in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, said he has heard all sorts of rationalizations from white colleagues who try to justify their comments

'This is a brotherhood, right? Dont tell me about brotherhood,' she told the Times.

'Don't tell me, "We'll never forget," and we'll take care of you and your family when you're gone, when you're not taking care of me while I'm here, I'm working, and I'm alive.'

Black firefighters also reported that their white colleagues were open with their affinity for former President Donald Trump.

Pro-Trump signs and banners were openly displayed in firehouses while other far-right symbols like the 'Don't tread on me' flag were also hung on walls, according to the Times.

Meanwhile, the Times quoted one black firefighter, Delroy Hunter, as saying that he was once asked by a superior to remove a symbol from his helmet representing Malcolm X, the slain black nationalist leader from the 1960s. Hunter refused.
The grieving parents of a little girl who died after waiting more than two hours in a hospital emergency room are planning to sue for millions of dollars.

Aishwarya Aswath, seven, spent two hours in the waiting room at Perth Children's Hospital for a fever on April 3, before she was triaged in the second-least urgent category.

Her parents Aswath Chavittupara, 39, and Prasitha Sasidharan, 33, begged for her to be assessed by doctors after her eyes became cloudy and her hands turned cold, but it was too late - she died after she was finally seen by a specialist.

The couple are now set to launch a multi-million dollar compensation claim against the Western Australian Government.

Aishwarya Aswath, seven, (pictured) waited for two hours in the emergency room of Perth Children's Hospital only to die soon after she finally received treatment

Aishwarya's parents would not pocket a cent with all funds to be used to set up a foundation in their daughter's name that will seek to build a new public hospital.

'No amount of money can bring my daughter back. But it is important to fight for others,' Mr Chavittupara told The Sunday Times.

'If somebody on a previous occasion had fought against the system like me, I would probably have my daughter with me right now.'

A report by WA's Child and Adolescent Health Services found Aishwarya died of sepsis after contracting an infection in group A streptococcus.

Another inquiry by the Australia Commission on Safety and Quality and Health Care will present its findings to the government by the end of this week.

Her death will also be investigated by the coroner.

Family spokesman Suresh Rajan said Aishwaryas family sought legal advice about taking action against the government.

'It would be a multimillion-dollar claim based on the fact that she was only seven years old and there were so many years of income earning capacity which were taken away from her,' he said.

Mr Chavittupara said he and his wife planned to dedicate the rest of their lives to building another public hospital in Perth with paediatric services.

They want the facility to have 300 and are prepared to sell half of their personal business to fund the project.

Aswath Chavittupara, 39, and Prasitha Sasidharan, 33, (pictured) are planning to sue the WA Government and use the funds to launch a foundation in their daughter's honour

While the parents anticipate the ACSQHC report will still leave many questions surrounding their daughter's death unanswered, Mr Chavittupara said they need it to be 'honest'.

The CAHS report in mid-May also found emergency department staff missed a 'cascade' of opportunities to escalate the seven-year-old's care as she succumbed to a fatal infection on Easter Saturday.

Aishwarya's parents sought help on five separate occasions while in the waiting room.

Within 20 minutes of arriving, her hands were cold, her eyes were discoloured and her respiratory rate and heart rate were significantly elevated.

But the severity of her condition wasn't recognised until an hour and 17 minutes later, when a doctor noticed she had cold peripheries and slurred speech.

She entered a resuscitation bay but was pronounced dead within two hours.

An internal report found Perth Children's Hospital missed a series of opportunities to ramp up Aishwarya's care as her condition deteriorated

The report highlighted a 30-minute period where it was left to one nurse to watch over eight waiting room cubicles as Aishwarya continued to deteriorate.

In meetings with hospital executives dating back to October last year, emergency department staff raised concerns around the safety of children in the waiting room.

Plans for the new hospital to have a triage support nurse who would check patients' vital signs did not progress after it opened in 2018.

The CAHS made 11 recommendations which the government agreed to implement at PCH by November, including improvements to triage policy.
Boris Johnson is set to slash the red list to just nine countries from 54 this week, opening up dozens more destinations for quarantine-free travel.

South Africa, Mexico, Brazil and Indonesia are among the countries where fully vaccinated travellers will no longer have to stay in quarantine hotels upon their return to the UK.

The move is set to be announced in time for half-term holidays and will likely result in a surge of bookings, boosting airlines and travel companies that have been brought to their knees during the pandemic.

Boris Johnson is set to slash the red list to just nine countries from 54 this week, opening up dozens more destinations for quarantine-free travel

Brazil (pictured) is among the countries where fully vaccinated travellers will no longer have to stay in quarantine hotels upon their return

Britain's current hotel quarantine policy for higher risk red list countries costs 2,285 per adult, deterring global travel.

Travel rules are already being relaxed from Monday with the amber list being scrapped, and fully vaccinated travellers no longer needing to take a Covid test before arriving from a country not on the red list.

The government has said that from later in October, arrivals in England will no longer have to take a PCR test two days after arrival and can instead opt for the cheaper lateral flow test.

According to The Sunday Telegraph, Thailand is a 'more marginal call' on whether it will remain on the red list, but Cape Verde is also expected to be given the green light.

The move is set to be announced in time for half-term holidays and will likely result in a surge of bookings to holiday destinations such as South Africa (pictured)

Britain's current hotel quarantine policy for higher risk red list countries costs 2,285 per adult, deterring global travel. Pictured: Indonesia

The changes are expected to be announced on Thursday after a review of the current list.

Travellers could still be subject to local Covid rules when arriving in their destination, but quarantine hotels on their return to the UK will be largely removed.

A Whitehall source said: 'We are expecting sharp reductions in the red list.

'It could be as few as nine countries left on the list. Targeted quarantine will remain, but in fewer places.'

The changes are expected to be announced on Thursday after a review of the current list, which could see Mexico (pictured) removed

The source said ministers still want some restrictions in place to guard against possible Covid variants entering the country, but the government wants to avoid an 'unnecessarily restricted' travel policy.

Travellers arriving from red list countries have to self-isolate even if they have been double vaccinated.

Breaking the rules can land you with a huge 10,000 fine.

The easing of restrictions marks a shift in the Government's approach to foreign travel and will be met with approval from industry bodies and Tory backbenchers.

Theresa May warned this summer that Britain was 'falling behind the rest of Europe in our decisions to open up'.

South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa pleaded with Boris Johnsonto be removed from the red list

Countries on the UK's red list have also lobbied to be removed, with South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa urging Johnson to change his country's status.

He said: 'We hope for a positive outcome when the subject comes up for review in the coming days by their scientists.'

It comes as Britain's Covid cases are starting to fall again, with new daily infections dropping week-on-week today for the third day in a row.

Department of Health bosses posted 30,301 new coronavirus cases today, down 6.7 per cent on the 32,468 recorded last Saturday.

And the number of people falling victim to the disease is continuing to fall, with 121 new deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid test recorded today.

This was down 4.7 per cent on last Saturday's total of 127 and marked the sixth day in a row fatalities have fallen.

Meanwhile, hospitalisations caused by the virus also continued to drop off, with 768 people admitted on Monday  the latest date data is available for. It was down 3.3 per cent on the week before.

The figures come after health secretary Sajid Javid today said care home workers who refuse to take the Covid vaccine should 'get out and get another job'.

In a stern warning to vaccine refuseniks, Mr Javid said those working in care home with some of the most vulnerable people in the country 'should get vaccinated'.

He also brushed off appeals from providers to 'pause' the legal requirement for staff in England to be fully vaccinated by November 11, amid warnings some homes will be unable to cope if workers are forced to leave.
Former President Donald Trump has revealed he got Pfizer's COVID vaccine before leaving office - and that he may get a booster shot if he thinks it is necessary.

Trump had not previously announced which vaccine he had received. He and then-First Lady Melania got the shot in January before Trump left office, but did not reveal he had been vaccinated until March.

His revelation that he would be willing to get a booster came despite him telling supporters last month that he 'probably wouldn't' get the third shot.

The former president had also accused the Food and Drug Administration of favoring Pfizer and Moderna after officials paused distribution of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in April.

In an interview with Yahoo Finance Live published Saturday, Trump said: 'Well, I got the Pfizer and I would have been very happy with any of them.'

Trump contracted COVID last fall at the height of the 2020 presidential campaign.

'I had it, recovered from it pretty well. I don't think I had it like the press, like the media said, you know, they would try to make it difficult,' the former president told Yahoo. 'It's not pleasant, but I had it.'

On August 22, Trump was booed at an Alabama rally for encouraging attendees, who were largely maskless, to get vaccinated. 'And you know what? I believe totally in your freedoms. I do. You've got to do what you have to do,' Trump said. 'But I recommend take the vaccines. I did it. It's good. Take the vaccines'

Two months later, a presidential aide told the New York Times that the pair had been inoculated after Trump encouraged attendees to get vaccinated for the first time during his Conservative Party Action Committee speech: 'go get your shot.'

Current President Joe Biden also chose the Pfizer vaccine, and received his first and second dose on camera on December and January before taking office.

Trump told Yahoo News that he might get a COVID-19 booster shot 'if I feel it is necessary and let's see where this whole thing is going.'

A month ago, he told The Wall Street Journal that the booster shot was 'probably not for me.'

'I feel like Im in good shape from that standpointI probably wont,' he said.

The FDA and CDC recently authorized the booster shots for Americans over 65 to protect against COVID-19 variants.

The Trump administration put $18billion dollars toward Operation Warp Speed to develop and distribute vaccines including Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, although Pfizer developed its vaccine without governmental financial backing.

Two months after Trump got his COVID vaccination, a presidential aide told the New York Times that he had been inoculated after Trump encouraged attendees to get vaccinated for the first time during his Conservative Party Action Committee speech: 'go get your shot'

Current President Joe Biden also chose the Pfizer vaccine, and received his first and second dose on camera on December and January before taking office

Although the Trump administration is credited with speeding up the process of making vaccines available, his supporters have been among the most hesitant to be vaccinated.

On August 22, Trump was booed at an Alabama rally for encouraging attendees, who were largely maskless, to get vaccinated.

'And you know what? I believe totally in your freedoms. I do. You've got to do what you have to do,' Trump said. 'But I recommend take the vaccines. I did it. It's good. Take the vaccines.'

On Friday, deaths from COVID-19 in the United States topped 700,000 - more than died in World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War combined.

'I thought it would have been gone long before now,' Trump told Yahoo of the virus.

The FDA and CDC recommended that Johnson & Johnson pause its vaccine roll out on April 13 after a handful of patients developed thrombosis, a clotting disorder. The company resumed the testing and distribution of the drug days later, on April 27.

'Pfizer is in the with FDA and what the FDA did with Johnson & Johnson is so stupid,' Trump told Sean Hannity on April 19.

'I think it is very suspect what they did with Johnson & Johnson - because the only people that are happy about that are Pfizer and Moderna. The only people that are happy about that, cuz what they did is a terrible, terrible thing!'

Trump said that, although he was 'asked to do a commercial encouraging '[his] people' to get the jab, he wouldn't do so due to the FDA's stifling of the competition.
Given todays gender-fluid times, the rise of the unisex watch was perhaps inevitable.

Watch-makers have traditionally produced designs for either men or women, but now it seems the line between the sexes is blurring.

A report by the Watches of Switzerland Group revealed the number of larger watches  over 28mm  sold to women has increased from 39 per cent to 62 per cent.

A report by the Watches of Switzerland Group revealed the number of larger watches  over 28mm  sold to women has increased from 39 per cent to 62 per cent (stock image)

The typical size of a womans watch is between 24mm and 28mm.

The unisex watch debate was recently highlighted when Cara Barrett, 35, a luxury watch expert, wrote in online magazine Hodinkee: I see watches that were marketed to men but that I happen to like.

Its enough to make me wonder, why are these considered mens watches at all? Why arent they just... watches?

Ms Barrett, who is the founder of the childrens genderless watch brand Parchie, told The Mail on Sunday last night: Genderless watches will open up the conversation to everyone, instead of telling each demographic what they should wear. A watch is a watch.

Watch-makers have traditionally produced designs for either men or women, but now it seems the line between the sexes is blurring (stock image)

Hanushka Toni, the co-founder of fashion platform Sellier Knightsbridge, said: Interestingly, women are requesting larger vintage models that were originally designed as watches for men.

However, we are not yet seeing the trend work the other way. We are not yet seeing men buying watches designed for women.
One lucky Australian will win $1 million for getting vaccinated by the end of the month with other big cash prizes on offer.

The 'Million Dollar Vax' funded by 20 philanthropists and corporations has been launched to boost national vaccination rates.

Every Australian over the age of 18 will have the opportunity to win the life-changing prize, with those already fully vaccinated still eligible to win.

Vaccinated residents can also enter the running to win 100 gift cards worth $1,000 to be handed out every day in October.

One lucky Australian could win a huge cash prize of one million dollars for simply rolling up their sleeve for a jab this month

Craig Winkler, chairman of the Million Dollar Vax alliance, said the purpose of the drive was not to persuade people to get jabbed but reward those who do.

'The promotion simply seeks to reward people who decide to be vaccinated now rather than waiting... and to help people who were thinking about getting the jab but hadn't crossed that line yet,' he said.

Australia will soon receive enough vaccines to inoculate the entire population, with nine million doses of Pfizer and three million of Moderna to hit our shores in October.

Philanthropy Australia chief executive Jack Heath said the campaign was modelled on the Ohio 'Vax-A-Million' campaign in the US that rewarded five vaccinated residents with a $1 million prize.

The 'Million Dollar Vax' initiative funded by 20 generous philanthropists and corporations has been launched in a bid to boost national vaccination rates (stock image)

Donors to the Million Dollar Vax include the Susan McKinnon foundation, Jasper foundation, and the P&S Bassat foundation.

Those already vaccinated can still enter to win, provided both vaccinations have been received by six weeks after October 31.

Eligible residents can enter the draw on the Million Dollar Vax website with the ultimate $1 million prize will be drawn on November 5.

As of Saturday, 79 per cent of eligible Australians over the age of 16 have received their first dose of a Covid vaccine and 55 per cent have received two doses.
Big charities have laid off at least 4,200 workers during the pandemic, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

The National Trust cut 1,767 of its 12,389 staff even though its cash reserves have swollen to more than 400 million.

Children's charity Barnardo's made 349 redundant  but will continue to pay the full salary of between 200,000 and 209,999 to departing chief executive Javed Khan until the end of the year.

The National Trust cut 1,767 of its 12,389 staff even though its cash reserves have swollen to more than 400 million (stock image)

Cancer Research UK, Macmillan Cancer Support, the British Heart Foundation and the RSPCA have also laid off workers.

Robin Osterley, chief executive of the Charity Retail Association, said: 'It's been disappointing to see so little support for the charity sector from the Government.'
Babes in the Wood murderer Russell Bishop is dying from brain cancer in his prison cell.

Bishop, 55, who killed Nicola Fellows and Karen Hadaway in 1986 when they were aged just nine years old, has been told he has weeks to live.

The child killer escaped justice for 32 years before he was jailed in 2018.

Babes in the Wood murderer Russell Bishop is dying from brain cancer in his prison cell, aged 55

Bishop brutally killed Nicola Fellows and Karen Hadaway in 1986 when they were aged just nine years old

The paedophile was initially diagnosed with bowel cancer but it has now spread to his brain, The Sun on Sunday reports.

Bishop underwent surgery in a bid to stop the cancerous growth but it was unsuccessful.

He is said to be 'devastated' by the diagnosis and is having palliative care at HMP Frankland in County Durham where he is being held.

A source said: 'Bishop has weeks or, at most, months left and he is devastated by the diagnosis.

Russell Bishop, pictured after his initial arrest for the 1986 Babes in the Wood murders

The girls were found dead in this 'den' in undergrowth in Wild Park, Brighton after he struck

'His life is ebbing away and he is getting progressively weaker.

'Bishop has never shown much remorse for what he did so people feel justified in not feeling much sympathy towards him.'

Bishop lured the two best friends to a secluded den in Brighton's Wild Park where he sexually assaulted and strangled them.

The tragic discovery was made just half a mile from both of the girl's family homes.

Bishop was cleared of the Babes in the Wood murders in 1987 after a series of blunder by police, forensic experts and prosecutors.

Within three years he went on to kidnap, molest and throttle a seven-year-old girl at Devil's Dyke.

While serving life for that crime, Bishop was ordered to face a fresh trial for Nicola and Karen's murders in light of a DNA breakthrough.

In 2017 Bishop's acquittals were quashed and the following year he was found guilty after a trial.

Pictured: A blue Pinto sweatshirt, allegedly worn by Bishop and said to contain vital DNA evidence, which was found beside a path behind Moulsecoomb railway station

Karen Hadaway's mother, Michelle (pictured), claims Martin Bashir took her daughter's clothes and then never saw him, or the items, again

The long road to justice October 10, 1986 - Victims found in woods in Wild Park, Brighton. December 3, 1986 - Bishop charged with the murders. December 10, 1987 - After a four week trial, Bishop is acquitted of both murders and released. February 4, 1990 - Bishop arrested for kidnap, indecent assault and attempted murder of a seven-year-old girl at Devil's Dyke, East Sussex. January 19, 1991 - Bishop convicted of kidnap, indecent assault and attempted murder and sentenced to life with a minimum of 14 years. July 2002 - Babes in the Wood case subject to review and DNA profiling, but was not a success. April 2005 - Double jeopardy laws - on people being able to be tried twice for same offence twice - are changed. January 2006 - Forensic tests link Bishop and the Pinto sweatshirt. Autumn 2006 - Families of both victims informed there was insufficient evidence to proceed with a fresh case against Bishop. 2011-2012 - Cold case review of the murders. November 3, 2013 - Full reinvestigation of forensics. May 10, 2016 - Russell Bishop rearrested. December 2017 - His acquittal was quashed. December 2018 - He is finally convicted of the murders. Advertisement

This summer, Bishop's girlfriend Jennifer Johnson, 55, was convicted for perverting the course of justice for lying in his first trial.

Johnson stunned police in the dock after suddenly claiming a blue jumper that linked him to the crimescene and killings was not his. She had previously told investigators it had been his garment.

Johnson had admitted lying, but had pleaded not guilty to perjury and perverting the course of justice, on the basis that she was acting under duress.

But the jury at Lewes Crown Court decided she was lying again and had been 'part of Team Bishop', desperate to get him cleared of murder.

Love letters sent from Johnson to him during the Devils Dyke case and shown to these jurors, had laid bare the lengths she would go to for him.

They trilled: 'I'm not going to leave you so don't worry because I won't. cos I love you very much and I will write every day because you're special to me and you mean all the world too.

'Don't get worried when I'm not up with your mum as I can't get a babysitter all the time but I'm still thinking of you love.

'Can we get married quite soon and I will book the church OK? It is wonderful that you want to marry me. It's not prison talk is it love? I haven't got a lot to say so bye for now.'

The case was also brought to recent public attention after the mother of murdered Karen Hadaway accused journalist Martin Bashir of losing her daughter's clothes.

Michelle Hadaway says the former BBC religion editor obtained the clothes for DNA testing for BBC Twos Public Eye programme 30 years ago, but the investigation did not air and her calls to the broadcaster were ignored, she claimed.

Ms Hadaway previously said Mr Bashir approached her in 1991 and asked to have her daughters clothing DNA tested, saying that science had advanced in the five years since the murders, but never returned the clothes.

She called him a 'dishonest rogue' and called for a criminal investigation after she claimed he delayed the killer's capture.
Police have launched an urgent appeal on Saturday for a schoolgirl who went missing in Bradford ten days ago.

Kacie Lawrence, 15, was last seen on Thursday, September 23 but there have been reported sightings of her since then.

The teenager, who is described as 5ft 1in tall, medium build, with long, brown auburn hair and braces, has been spotted in the Buttershaw and the City Park area of Bradford.

Missing teenager Kacie Lawrence, 15, (pictured) who is described as 5ft 1in tall, with long, brown hair and braces, was last seen ten days ago in Bradford on Thursday, September 23

West Yorkshire Police are appealing for help to find the teen and shared two pictures of Kacie on Twitter and Facebook, where the post was shared over 600 times.

They wrote: 'Have you seen missing 15yrd old Kacie Lawrence?

'Missing since 23/09, since then there have been sightings of Kacie in the Buttershaw and the City Park area of Bradford.

'Described as white female, 51, medium build, long brown auburn hair and has braces.'

Police are urging anyone with information on Kacie Lawrence to call 101 and quote the code 648 23/09.
A Georgia Democrat has been slammed for saying she would rather keep a Confederate statue than raise a monument to black conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

State Rep. Donna McLeod, who is also black and was born in Jamaica, told the Atlanta-Journal Constitution she strongly opposes the idea of a statue for the conservative justice, who was appointed to the court in 1991 amid allegations of sexual harassment.

McLeod is so against the proposal - put forward by state Republicans - that she would prefer to leave standing monuments to the likes of Confederate soldiers and slave owners, she said.

'I'd rather them keep a Confederate monument than a statue of Clarence Thomas,' she said.

'That's how much I don't like the idea.'

Her comments come as statues of racist and Confederate figures have been removed or toppled across America over the last year after the murder of George Floyd sparked nationwide protests demanding an end to systemic racism.

Georgia Democrat Rep. Donna McLeod (above) said she would rather keep a Confederate statue than raise a monument to black Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas

McLeod was slammed by some social media users who described her comments as 'beyond parody' and accused the Democrats of being 'too woke to appreciate' Thomas.

'They balk bc they are too woke to appreciate Justice Thomas. True Georgians have not spoken yet. Only radicals,' one person tweeted.

'Guess what we'd rather have instead of that crazed stupid GA Dem?' another person mockingly asked.

Another person called her comments 'beyond parody' while someone else simply replied: 'I'd rather have Clarence Thomas.'

Others said the black woman's preference for a Confederate statue - regarded as racist by liberals - show Democrats are 'the party of racism.'

'There you go folks Dems are the party of racism. Always have been,' one person wrote.

'Can't have a black man that doesn't go along with the 'I'm a victim' mentality,' chimed another.

McLeod, who is also black and was born in Jamaica, strongly opposes the idea of a statue for the conservative justice (pictured above)

McLeod was slammed by some social media users who described her comments as 'beyond parody' and accused the Democrats of being 'too woke to appreciate' Thomas

Some, however, sided with McLeod and said they would rather see a statue of Anita Hill - Thomas' accuser.

'I'm cool with it so long as Anita Hill gets a statue opposite him standing in the Fearless Girl' pose staring him down,' one person tweeted.

'How I wish it were Anita Hill on the Supreme Court instead of Clarence Thomas!' agreed someone else.

Another social media user simply wrote: 'A statute of Clarence Thomas would be a Confederate monument.'

There are four Confederate statues on the grounds of the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta including a statue of Confederate General John Brown Gordon on a horse.

Some, however, sided with McLeod and said they would rather see a statue of Anita Hill - Thomas' accuser

Gordon is generally regarded as the leader of Georgia's Ku Klux Klan.

Protesters called for its removal last year and even descendants of the general have asked the state to remove it.

The Capitol is also the site of a monument to Alexander Hamilton Stephens, who was the vice president of the Confederacy and claimed slavery was the 'natural and normal condition' of black people.

There's also statues of Joseph Brown - the state governor when Georgia was a Confederate state - and Confederate senator Benjamin Harvey Hill.

The debate over a monument honoring Thomas arose after several Georgia Republicans backed a proposal to erect a statue of Thomas outside the state Capitol in honor of the justice who hails from Pin Point, Montgomery.

There are four Confederate statues on the Georgia State Capitol grounds including one of John Brown Gordon (above)

The idea was put forward by state Senator Jason Anavitarte who said it's 'only fitting and proper' to do so.

But it has faced pushback from some Democrats who opposed the conservative judge's appointment to the court two decades ago and argued a statue to Thomas would be an insult to victims of sexual harassment.

Thomas was nominated to the Supreme Court in 1991 by President George H.W. Bush.

But in the run-up to his confirmation hearings, rumors began circling that he had allegedly sexually harassed at least one woman who had worked with him.

Following his hearings, an FBI probe was launched and Hill later agreed to testify at Senate Judiciary Committee hearings led by then-Senator Joe Biden.

Clarence Thomas shakes hands with then-Senator Joe Biden prior to his confirmation hearing

Anita Hill testifies at Senate Judiciary Committee hearings that she was sexually harassed by Thomas

Hill testified that Thomas sexually harassed her when he was her superior at the Department of Education and at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

She claimed he 'talked about pornographic materials' and also 'told me graphically of his own sexual prowess.'

Thomas denied the allegations and called the hearings a 'national disgrace' and a 'high-tech lynching for uppity blacks who in any way deign to think for themselves.'

He was appointed to the court and has gone on to be the court's longest serving justice as well as the second black Supreme Court justice.
LAPD shot a man brandishing a knife near the Walk of Fame on Hollywood Boulevard - after he stabbed a 19-year-old woman and refused to drop the weapon.

Both the unidentified man and the 19-year-old woman who he allegedly stabbed in the stomach are recovering in the hospital after the incident at the intersection of Highland and Hollywood Boulevard, which police said took place around 11.06 am.

Police said via Twitter that the stabbing victim ran to them for help and led them to the knife-wielding man. The man 'ignored...commands to drop the knife,' and began to approach.

'Several beanbag rounds were deployed [before the] officer-involved shooting occurred,' the department wrote.

'I saw the thing this morning,' witness Frank Dickerson of Phoenix told Dailymail.com.

'We were looking at the stars and we got to the intersection and there were some people protesting about the vaccine - all of the sudden these cop cars came up and they drew their guns.'

Both the unidentified man and the 19-year-old woman who he allegedly stabbed in the stomach are recovering in the hospital after the commotion at the intersection of Highland and Hollywood Boulevard, which police said took place around 11.06 am

Police said via Twitter that the stabbing victim ran to them for help and led them to the knife-wielding man. The man 'ignored...commands to drop the knife,' and began to approach

'Several beanbag rounds were deployed [before the] officer-involved shooting occurred,' the department wrote

'I saw the thing this morning,' witness Frank Dickerson of Phoenix (pictured) told Dailymail.com. 'We were looking at the stars and we got to the intersection and there were some people protesting about the vaccine - all of the sudden these cop cars came up and they drew their guns'

'It was busy... when police came it seemed like they kind of edged out the civilians over... so they weren't in any line of fire or anything. When the shots rang out, you could see people start to panic then, but then some people acted nonchalantly as well - maybe they're used to it.'

Dickerson told Dailymail.com that he 'didn't see any blood at all' after the incident, and that the suspect was still moving after he was shot by police.

The area of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue was closed off for a number of hours after the incident, and traffic was diverted to Sunset Boulevard, the department said.

'An armed man on Hollywood Boulevard even attracted police helicopters,' wrote @eltirado on Twitter (translated from Spanish). 'They closed the entire avenue... and it was barely 12 noon.'

'My Lyft driver here told me Hollywood Boulevard is closed because someone is running around with a [knife] trying to stab twelve people,' wrote @Lizquidity. 'Be careful if you're in the area.'

The area of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue was closed off for a number of hours after the incident, and traffic was diverted to Sunset Boulevard, the department said

'An armed man on Hollywood Boulevard even attracted police helicopters,' wrote @eltirado on Twitter (translated from Spanish). 'They closed the entire avenue... and it was barely 12 noon'

'My Lyft driver here told me Hollywood Boulevard is closed because someone is running around with a [knife] trying to stab twelve people,' wrote @Lizquidity. 'Be careful if you're in the area'

Both Hollywood and the greater Los Angeles area have seen an uptick in violent crimes compared to this time last year.

As of last July, 1027 violent crimes had been reported in Hollywood, compared to 1277 by that time this year. Of those reports, 624 in 2020 and 768 this year were aggravated assaults.

As of July, 21909 violent crimes have been recorded by police in the city of Los Angeles - 6.3 percent more compared to that time last year. Of those, 14,723 were aggravated assaults, which have increased by 20 percent.

Both Hollywood and the greater Los Angeles area have seen an uptick in violent crimes compared to this time last year

Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva told Fox News that District Attorney George Gascon's progressive policies have contributed to the increase, saying that 'elections have consequences.'

'They need to really pick and choose very carefully because for them its very easy to say, "Oh yeah, all cops are bad," and, "Lets reform and defund the police,"' he said. 'Yet theyre the very first ones to pick up the 911 when someones crawling over their back gate trying to get into their house.'

The United States saw a nearly 30% jump in homicides in 2020 compared to 2019, according to the FBI. That was the largest single-year increase in killings since the agency began tracking crimes.

More than 21,000 homicides were reported last year, 4,901 more than in 2019, the biggest leap since the 1960s. Overall violent crime  which includes homicides, rape, robbery and aggravated assault  increased 5.6%, and property crimes dropped by nearly 8%, according to FBI data.

The jump comes as several cities are seeing record spikes in gun violence after decades of declines in violent crime. The report showed most of the violence involved guns. About 77% of reported murders were committed with some type of gun.

Statistics released by the Los Angeles County Sheriff earlier this year showed a 200% crime spike from the same time in 2020.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva told Fox News that criminals are emboldened by District Attorney George Gascon's progressive policies and stressed that people must understand that elections have consequences.

"They need to really pick and choose very carefully because for them its very easy to say, Oh yeah, all cops are bad, and, Lets reform and defund the police,'" Villanueva said. "Yet theyre the very first ones to pick up the 911 when someones crawling over their back gate trying to get into their house."
Katie Couric, 64, is facing criticism from former colleagues and friends after she used her new memoir to trash several people from her personal and professional life.

In her book, Going There, which is slated for release this month, the former Today Show host makes nasty comments about her deceased husband, longtime rival Diane Sawyer, TV personality Martha Stewart and many other prominent celebrities.

Those slammed by Couric's scathing words say they are 'hurt' and 'stunned' by her expose with one former colleague even accusing her of 'ruining her legacy.'

'Nobody can understand why Katie did this. She's ruining her legacy,' an unnamed senior news producer who previously worked with Couric told the New York Post.

'From the excerpts I've seen, she's taking down women from Martha Stewart to Diane Sawyer and Deborah Norville. She's  so rough on other women for being ambitious like she was, it's unforgivable. She gives fresh meaning to that old saying: 'There's a special place in hell for women who don't help other women.'

Couric's new book, obtained this week by DailyMail.com, has sent shockwaves through the media and show business worlds with its admissions that she deliberately avoided helping younger rivals, and that she 'heard whispers' about co-host Matt Lauer, who was fired in November 2017 amid allegations of sexual misconduct.

The book not only slams her fellow TV stars, including Martha Stewart (pictured with Couric in 201) but also scorns those in her personal life

Couric is pictured with Monahan, who died in 1998, aged 42. The pair have two daughters

In her book - set for release on October 26 - the former Today Show host makes nasty comments about her deceased husband, longtime rival Diane Sawyer, Martha Stewart and many other prominent celebrities

For example, Couric penned that Norville, her fellow NBC Today Show host, had 'relentless perfectionism' that was off-putting to viewers.

'I'm really too stunned and, frankly, hurt to comment,' Norville said of the expose.

Couric also admits to 'giving the cold shoulder' to younger journalist Ashleigh Banfield, arguing that helping her would have been a form of 'self sabotage.'

'I'd heard her father was telling anyone who'd listen that she was going to replace me,' she wrote.

Banfield, in response, told the news outlet that her father had made that comment while he was 'senile' and in a nursing home.

She also shared how she is astonished by what Couric wrote, noting that the television host used to be one of her role models.

'Her words have really hit me hard,' said Banfield.

'She was my North Star. I always looked at her as one of the most brave presenters  at a time when we were all called bimbos. She was the best morning show host ever. I'm just gobsmacked.'

Banfield also questioned whether Couric's attitude towards her played a role in how she was treated at NBC.

'NBC left me brokenhearted. I was at the top of my game in 2002. But just as quickly as I rose, I was derailed and given no explanation. They took away my office, my desk, my phone, my computer  They never told me why. It was the most painful mystery. When I heard about Katie's comments I wondered if that was the reason,' she said.

Industry insiders echo Banfield's comments, arguing that Couric's treatment of Banfield was 'certainly wasn't an isolated incident.'

The individual, whose identity remains anonymous, claimed: '[Couric] definitely contributed to the toxicity [at NBC]. Katie was part of a culture that wasn't supportive of women, and she contributed to it.'

Couric penned that Deborah Norville (third from left), her fellow NBC Today Show host, had 'relentless perfectionism' that was off-putting to viewers (Pictured L-R: Deborah Roberts, Karl Wellner, Norville, John Molner, Couric, and Al Roker at the 2018 Chaplin Award Gala in NYC)

Couric also admitted to 'giving the cold shoulder' to younger journalist Ashleigh Banfield (pictured in 2021 responding to Couric's book). Couric allegedly believed that helping Banfield would have been a form of 'self sabotage'

A CBS source, also speaking to the Post on the basis of anonymity, said that when Couric hosted CBS Evening News, she often made the work environment worse.

'She didn't hide that things were all about 'her' versus a whole team. And of course other anchors feel the same way, but they hide it better. She didn't always have a great filter for what she really thought,' the source said.

'She devastated a correspondent in front of staffers by telling her that her makeup made her look like Raggedy Ann.'

'Katie is a lot of fun  funny, charismatic, cool  But she can also be a pretty frightening person. When you think of a mean girl, it's her. She was not a girl's girl, by any means. It seems she's revealing that side of herself in the book, whether she intended to or not,' shared another industry member.

Couric shares her competitive side with readers, claiming that she got under the skin of Diane Sawyer so much when they were competing for big interviews that Sawyer said: 'That woman must be stopped'.

Couric and Sawyer joined TODAY and GMA respectively in 1999, setting up a rivalry between two women who would go on to become TV legends.

Sawyer, who was co-host of Good Morning America, was supposedly taking a break while on set and watching Couric on TODAY when she fired off the missive.

Couric also that she got under the skin of Diane Sawyer (pictured with Couric in 2011) so much when they were competing for big interviews that Sawyer said: 'That woman must be stopped'

In her memoir, Couric, writes that she 'loved that she was getting under Diane's skin' during the 'Booking Wars' of the late 1990s between GMA and TODAY.

But Sawyer, 75, was formidable and after losing out on one exclusive Couric quipped: 'I wonder who she had to blow to get that', a comment that was leaked to the tabloids.

Couric also said that she couldn't 'get over how cool' Sawyer was when she watched the decade-older newswoman when Couric was growing up.

The rivalry pitted two women of different styles against each other, Couric writes.

Couric's former colleagues argue that she is using her memoir as an opportunity to get back at those she feels have wronged her.

'I think she genuinely wants to settle scores, but she didn't realize how bad this would be and how badly she would come across,' one coworker said.

'If Couric was expecting the book to be met with rah-rah enthusiasm, she's now had a rude awakening,' echoed another.

One of her former producers argued that Couric wasn't actually trying to pen an expose, but instead was looking for a way to remain in today's headlines.

'You would never see Meredith (Vieira) do anything like this. [Couric] just wants to be relevant. She doesn't have a platform, so this [book] is a cry for relevance,' the producer stated.

The book not only slams her fellow TV stars, but also scorns those in her personal life.

Couric was pictured on Friday walking along the beach in the Hamptons, close to her East Hampton home. It was the first time she had been seen in public since her explosive memoir - out on October 26 - was leaked

In one excerpt, Couric tells readers how she hired a nanny when her now 30-year-old daughter Ellie was a newborn, who became 'delusional' and tried to sabotage her marriage, accusing her late husband of being a pedophile.

The nanny, named Doris, became increasingly attached to Couric, who lived in New York during the week while her husband Jay Monahan - who died of colon cancer in 1998, aged 42 - lived in Virginia.

The family would reunite at weekends.

'I spent more time with Doris than anyone else in my life and I was completely unguarded around her,' Couric writes, in an excerpt obtained by The New York Post.

'Doris and I really were a couple, in a weird kind of way.'

She said that Doris asked for a hug before bed, which Couric found 'creepy', but kept her around because she relied on her.

'An alarming level of codependency had been achieved,' Couric writes.

Doris used to turn visitors away from the house, Couric says, and when Monahan said he might relocate to New York to be with the family full time, Doris threatened to quit.

Couric writes that she realized that Doris was 'delusional' and trying to 'destroy my marriage.'

Doris was fired, and then embarrassing stories were published in the tabloids, for which Couric suspected Doris to be the source.

Doris even printed flyers accusing Monahan of being a pedophile, with a photo from a family holiday showing him lying on a bed reading a story to their daughter.

Couric and Monahan hired a former police officer to keep watch on Ellie's preschool and toyed with the idea of obtaining a restraining order, but Doris eventually faded from their lives.

The television personality also talks about Monahan and how he was passionate about Civil War reenactments up until his death, saying she had an 'amused tolerance' towards his 'passion for the Confederacy' and viewed it as a 'benign hobby.'

Adding that she was embarrassed by a speech he gave to the United Daughters of the Confederacy when the organization was denied a patent renewal for their Confederate-flag logo.

'I can't believe that Katie is so remarkably candid to the point of cringeworthy about her dead husband Jay,' said a friend who knew the couple said.

Others in her inner circle who have expressed displeasure with her second husband, John Molner  are questioning how Couric could justify this depiction of her partners.

'People who have read the book are really questioning how she could be so overly deferential to her sycophantic husband John Molner,' the friend said.

'I'm disappointed, but not surprised by this book. Molner has consistently misunderstood what matters most to Katie, which is building a business that also allows her to get back on TV. I'm going to say that he does enjoy the glory of being Mr. Katie Couric and he has managed to alienate so many people she dealt with,' added another friend.

As DailyMail.com previously reported, Couric's memoir also addresses the situation involving her former colleague Matt Lauer, who was fired from NBC in November 2017 over allegations of sexual misconduct.

In the book, Couric also admits she 'heard the whispers' about Lauer's alleged sex pest behavior with female colleagues and details her experiences in the office with him.

The women who were left 'damaged' by Lauer's actions spoke with Couric as she was writing her book, she revealed, although the former anchor didn't name them.

'I suspect they'll be dealing with this for the rest of their lives,' Couric writes, according to The New York Post.

In one story involving Lauer, it is said that he would deal with women behind closed doors in his office, which was equipped with a desk button to lock the door.

Former Today Show host Katie Couric admits that she 'heard the whispers' abut Matt Lauer's inappropriate office behavior in her new book

Couric writes that one unnamed producer was told by Lauer to come to the now-infamous office wearing a 'skirt that came off easily'.

She also claims that Lauer complained to her that he felt uncomfortable putting his arm around a female colleague to comfort her when she cried, over fears he could subsequently face an allegation of inappropriate behavior.

Even before these allegations were made, Couric said her former co-anchor Lauer told her he thought that feminist movements such as #MeToo were becoming too powerful.

'This MeToo stuff feels like it's getting kind of out of control,' Lauer reportedly told Couric. 'It feels like a witch hunt.'

She added that Lauer was 'worried about a lack of due process, people's livelihoods and reputations being destroyed.'

Couric told Lauer to stop putting his arm around the women as it was making them uncomfortable, she writes.

She said that she tried to 'imagine such a scene taking place' and told Lauer that 'he cannot do that - you cannot put your arm around them,' The Post reported.

Couric also writes in the book, out Oct. 26, that she also heard 'rumors' that her co-star's wife Annette Lauer had called the control room one morning looking for her husband and demanding the phone number of a TV anchor he had been linked with.

They divorced after news of Lauer's misconduct exploded.

She also spoke of a secret office known as 'bunker' where an unnamed anchor went for trysts at NBC HQ, saying it was all part of a culture where sex and affairs were rife in the workplace.

Couric alleged that only an unnamed 'male anchor' had the key to open the office to use it for 'one-on-one encounters, and I don't mean interviews,' she is said to have written.

Couric had served as a co-anchor for The Today Show between 1991 and 2006 and worked closely with Lauer for nine years.

She has been working on her memoir for the last two years and reportedly contacted people from her past, asking them to recount memories and moments from her career.

However, now is is allegedly outreaching to these individuals and attempting to clear the air ahead of the novel's release.

'She has been calling friends telling them she's a good person and telling them that her publisher told her to add all the gossip in order to sell more books,' the former TV colleague said.

'But she has more money than any of us could ever need. This isn't about selling books.'
A hiker near the Appalachian Trail in North Carolina claims he had a nighttime encounter with Brian Laundrie on Saturday morning, weeks after the fugitive boyfriend of slain Gabby Petito was last seen.

Dennis Davis says he has 'no doubt' he encountered Petito's boyfriend on a deserted road close to the trail close to the Tennessee border - 700 miles away from where the 23-year-old was last seen near his home in North Point, Florida.

Davis, 53, who is an engineer from Florida, says he spoke to a man who waved down his car on Waterville Road, near the Appalachian Trail and close to the border of North Carolina and Tennessee.

He says the man pulled up alongside Davis and made a bizarre request for help as he asked for directions in order to drive west to California using only back roads.

Davis, a dad-of-four, suggested he simply take Interstate 40 which runs east to west across the country from North Carolina all the way to California.

'There is no doubt in my mind I spoke to Brian Laundrie  none whatsoever,' Davis told the New York Post.

'Dog the Bounty Hunter's daughter sent me an audio file of Brian's voice and the voice was the same I heard.'

Dennis Davis, pictured, says he say Brian Laundrie on a deserted trail along the Appalachian Trail in North Carolina on Saturday

A hiker near the Appalachian Trail in North Carolina claims he had a nighttime encounter with Brian Laundrie on Saturday morning, weeks after the fugitive boyfriend of slain Gabby Petito was last seen in Florida

A small group of around seven people stood in the street directly in front of 31-year-old Cassie Luycx's home to demand the family speak with police regarding the her 23-year-old brother's disappearance

Gabrielle Petito, 22, from her Instagram page, is seen with boyfriend Brian Laundrie

The Appalachian trail is believed to be familiar to Laundrie who is thought to have lived outdoors for on his own for months.

Davis' claims came as protestors gathered outside the Florida home of the older sister of Brian Laundrie on Saturday.

A small group of around seven people stood in the street directly in front of 31-year-old Cassie Luycx's home to demand the family speak with police regarding the her 23-year-old brother's disappearance.

'We want you to start cooperating with law enforcement! Pick up the phone and call the FBI!' they shouted through a megaphone.

Cassie has kept a low profile following the disappearance and death of Gabby Petito as well as the manhunt for brother Brian.

Attention shifted to her after a family lawyer revealed that she had seen Brian at a campground, together with their parents, on September 6 as well as on the first of the month following his solo return from his cross-country trip.

Prior to Petito's body being found, Cassie was the only member of the family who had spoken publicly about her disappearance.

She told ABC News that she had not been able to talk to her brother.

'I wish I could talk to him,' Cassie said. 'I know that it's all because the lawyers, advising them not to say anything.'

The 31-year-old sister of Brian Laundrie, Cassie, is the only member of the family who has spoken publicly about Petito and her brother's disappearance

Gabby Petitio's body was found in the Spread Creek campsite in Wyoming on Sunday and the next day her death was ruled a homicide. She is pictured during a police stop in August

Laundrie was last seen more than a week ago and his whereabouts remain unknown. He is pictured during a police stop last month

The hiker who says he met Laundrie on Saturday claims he spoke about being in a fight with a girlfriend.

Davis is currently hiking the Appalachian Trail himself and noted the man he believed to Laundrie acted nervously.

'He said 'Man, I'm lost.' I said 'What are you trying to find?' and he said 'Me and my girlfriend got in a fight but she called me, told me she loves me, and I have to get to California to see her.''

'I said 'Well, I-40 is right there and you could take it west to California' and he said, 'I'm just going to take this road into California'.

'He was worried and not making sense,' Davis added.

He did not immediately recognize him as Laundrie but is certain it was him.

Brian Laundrie, 23, who was reported missing last week, remains a person of interest in the disappearance and death of fiancee Gabby Petito

Despite lighting being poor because of the night, he believes there was enough lighting from the cars headlights to make a positive identification.

The man he believed to be Laundrie was driving a light-colored pickup and was wearing a bandana on his head.

It wasn't until later, with Davis having looked up photos of the man on his cellphone that he realized whom he had just spoken with.

Davis claims to have made several calls to the FBI and to 911 in the hours after the encounter but frustratingly nobody has yet called him back.

'Law enforcement is probably getting millions of leads on this guy, but I am not some goofball out there doing drugs in the middle of the night, I am a highly educated professional. 'And I know that was the guy. There is no doubt about it.

'We have this lead but no one's doing anything, not even a phone call.

Davis told Laundrie his best way to head to California would be to take Interstate 40 which runs for more than 2,500 miles from North Carolina

'Obviously, as a father with a daughter, I want to do whatever I can to help the family find closure and get this guy off the streets,' Davis said.

Laundrie was last seen on in early September having returned to Florida from a trip across the country without his girlfriend, Long Island native Gabby Petito.

She was reported missing on September 11 and her remains were found later in Wyoming's Bridger-Teton National Forest. An autopsy has ruled her death a homicide.

Laundrie is sole person of interest in the case with a warrant out for his arrest on charges of fraud. He vanished on September 14 but his sudden disappearance was not mentioned to police for a further three days.

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
A distraught family have issued an urgent plea for help locating a missing mum who disappeared two weeks ago while visiting her ex-boyfriend.

Charlene Warrior, 21, travelled to the town of Bute on Adelaide's Yorke Peninsula to pick up her one-year-old daughter two weeks ago on September 18.

South Australian Police said they hold concerns for the single mum's welfare, with family members insisting she would never abandon her young daughter.

Charlene Warrior, 21, (pictured) travelled to the town of Bute on Adelaide's Yorke Peninsula to pick up her one-year-old daughter two weeks ago on September 18

South Australian Police (pictured) have said they hold concerns for the single mum's welfare, with family members insisting she would never abandon her young daughter

'We haven't heard from her since, her phone's been off and we just need any information that we can get at this point,' sister Theresa Newchurch told 7News.

An emotional Ms Newchurch said her sister loved her child 'more than life itself'.

'There's no type of way she would leave her daughter,' she said. 'Her daughter is her world.'

The young Adelaide mum arrived at the property to collect her daughter from a scheduled visit with her ex-partner, then vanished.

A neighbour said she heard screams coming from the residence earlier this week.

Ms Warrior's sister Theresa Newchurch (pictured) said she hadn't been heard from in two weeks and would never abandon her one-year-old daughter

'At midnight, I heard her screaming, incoherently. Screaming at the top of her voice, sobbing,' Bute local Cheryl Sawley said.

Ms Sawley said she also heard someone attempting to calm the 21-year-old down.

Police launched an extensive search effort in the Bute area on Friday using local officers, helicopters, mounted police, and volunteer firefighters, and the State Emergency Service.

The search began again at 7am on Saturday with police asking Bute residents to check their properties, especially any sheds and outbuildings.

Charlene is 157cm tall with a slim build, brown eyes, and long black hair.

She has a tattoo on her collarbone reading 'Every dark night has a brighter day' and a lower left arm tattoo that says 'Family is forever.

Anyone who sees Charlene Warrior or has any information on her whereabouts, is urged to contact South Australian police.

Police launched an extensive search effort in the Bute area on Friday attended by local police, PolAir, the Mounted Operations Unit and CFS and SES forces
The journalist who quit her job at Bloomberg and left her husband because she had fallen in love with 'Pharma Bro' Martin Shkreli - only for him to dump her from prison - has admitted that 'if he manipulated me, I'm glad it worked.'

Christie Smythe, who broke the story of Shkreli's arrest for securities fraud back in 2015, penned an op ed for the New York Post where she confessed she 'has a thing for complicated guys' but branded the idea she was manipulated by the convicted fraudster 'ridiculous.'

'In the end, if it was all a manipulation - getting me to take charge of my life and write the narrative for myself - I'm glad it worked,' she said.

Smythe, 39, who described herself as 'happily' divorced and no longer working in legacy media, also confirmed she and Shkreli, 38, are no longer romantically involved.

However, she insisted they are 'still friends' and that 'a lifelong friendship seems probable' when he is released from prison.

The journalist who quit her job at Bloomberg and left her husband because she had fallen in love with 'Pharma Bro' Martin Shkreli has admitted that 'if he manipulated me, I'm glad it worked.' Pictured Shkreli and Christie Smythe

Shkreli became known as the 'most hated man in America' after he bought up the rights to lifesaving AIDs drug Daraprim in 2014 and raised the price from $13.50 per pill to a staggering $750 per pill.

In 2018, he was sentenced to seven years in prison on an unrelated matter for lying to investors about the performance of two hedge funds he ran, withdrawing more money from those funds than he was entitled to get, and defrauding investors in a drug company, Retrophin, by hiding his ownership of some of its stock.

Smythe hit headlines in December when she announced in a bombshell interview with Elle that she had fallen in love with Shkreli while reporting on his white collar crimes as a journalist.

She quit her job, left her husband and froze her eggs to be able to have a family with Shkreli on his release.

But her public disclosure of their love affair appeared to anger her jailhouse lover who refused to speak to her and released a cutting statement saying he 'wishes her well.'

The couple later reconciled - though Smythe said they are now just friends - and critics have long assumed the journalist was another victim of the master-manipulator's ways.

Smythe pushed back at the suggestion she had been manipulated by Shkreli in her op-ed, mocking the idea he has 'magical coercive powers'.

'By far the most ridiculous notion people seemed to settle on was that I was somehow 'manipulated' by Martin into leaving my job and my husband for him, as though a guy who couldn't avoid being a walking PR trainwreck had magical coercive powers,' she wrote.

'First things first: He does not.'

Shkreli branded the idea she was manipulated by the convicted fraudster 'by far the most ridiculous notion', mocking that he does not 'magical coercive powers'

Smythe also confirmed she and Shkreli, 38, (pictured arriving at court in 2017) are no longer romantically involved

Smythe admitted that the convict 'can be manipulative' but insisted - unlike his previous girlfriends - she is 'not really interested in free Jimmy Choos and handbags.'

'There is certainly truth to stories that Martin can be manipulative,' she wrote.

'He's highly intelligent, having taught himself biology and chemistry among other technical subjects, and can be highly entertaining and affable in conversation when he's with someone he likes.

'Like most other human beings, he knows how to turn on his charm to get something he wants.'

Smythe continued: 'While researching my book, I spoke to a number of his former girlfriends and learned how he plied them with things like jewels and expensive shoes, trips and other goodies to win their favor.

'I'm not really interested in free Jimmy Choos and handbags, though. Nor am I interested in transparently manipulative behavior.'

Rather than showering her with gifts, Smythe claimed Shkreli won 'my favor' by showing her 'respect for my intellect and my abilities.'

'If there was anything at all that Martin did to win my favor, it was offering a gift of a very different sort, one that is infinitely more valuable to me: He showed respect for my intellect and my abilities,' she wrote.

'From the beginning of our interactions, I felt as though we genuinely connected.

'He asked for my opinion on significant matters, and seemed to take to heart many things I said.'

Smythe is pictured with her ex-husband. She hit headlines in December when she announced she had fallen in love with Shkreli, quit her job at Bloomberg, left her husband and frozen her eggs

Smythe said it was Shkreli who first encouraged her to write a book.

She listened and took leave from Bloomberg to write a book - on Shkreli.

Smythe claimed she was concerned in the beginning that his 'flattering behavior' was 'some sort of ploy'.

But, after spending hours together during prison visits, she 'realized our investment in each other was real' and they 'started to seep into each other'.

Their relationship soon started making her think 'more confidently about myself' and 'and more self-assured about creating my own destiny.'

She realized she wasn't 'satisfied' with her marriage or her job and quit both, she said.

Rather than being the sign of someone under a manipulative spell, Smythe insisted her decision to then go public with their romance was something she did for herself because she was 'tired of hiding.'

She also knew, she wrote, that Shkreli would be unhappy with the move.

'When I went public in Elle, I knew Martin wouldn't be pleased. The idea of splattering a personal relationship across the pages of a magazine horrified him,' she wrote.

Shkreli became known as the 'most hated man in America' after he bought up the rights to lifesaving AIDs drug Daraprim in 2014 and raised the price from $13.50 to $750 per pill

Shkreli being arrested in 2015 on charges of securities fraud. He is scheduled for release in October 2022 after serving his seven-year prison sentence

'But even his feelings, in that moment, took a back seat for me when it came to deciding what I wanted.'

Smythe said she is now happy and living in 'a nicer apartment' in Harlem and working for a startup called Thinknum.

'I'm now (happily) divorced, (happily) no longer working in legacy media, and (happily) still friends with, although no longer the girlfriend of, Martin Shkreli,' she wrote.

She said she hopes their relationship will continue when he leaves prison but admitted she doesn't think it could become romantic again.

'I don't know what will happen when Martin gets out of prison. It is my hope that he takes to heart some of the things we talked about and makes an earnest effort to apply himself to something good,' she wrote.

'I do not imagine we would be 'together' in a romantic sense, but a lifelong friendship seems probable.'

Shkreli is scheduled for release in October 2022 after serving his seven-year prison sentence.

At the time of his 2015 arrest for lying to investors, Shkreli was already notorious for hiking the price of Daraprim by 500 percent.

Daraprim is used to treat toxoplasmosis, a parasitic infection that can be fatal to people with the AIDS virus or other immune-system disorders including malaria and cancer.

He was also known for attacking critics on social media under the guise of 'Pharma Bro' and of putting a $5,000 bounty on a strand of Hillary Clinton's hair.
Dominic Perrottet looks set to be the new NSW Premier after a key ally switched sides, with an endorsement by ex-PM John Howard giving the treasurer an unbeatable edge.

The right-wing Treasurer had already secured the support of many Liberal moderates by initially selecting environment minister Matt Kean, 40, as his running mate.

Mr Kean is now set to take over the Treasurer's job while one-time potential rival, tourism minister Stuart Ayres, 40, has joined Mr Perrottet's campaign as his deputy.

'We believe it is a team that will provide stability, unity and experience to continue the great work of Premier Gladys Berejiklian and our entire team to ensure that NSW comes out the other side much stronger,' Mr Perrottet said on Sunday.

The party's centre-right have also swung behind the 39-year-old dad-of-six after Mr Howard's kingmaker seal of approval.

Dominic Perrottet (pictured) is set to be NSW Premier after a key ally switched sides when an endorsement by ex-PM John Howard gave the current Treasurer an unbeatable edge

Planning minister Rob Stokes was the only other contender to formally put their hand up for the Premier's job.

Ironically Mr Stokes is a close friend - and literal running mate - of Mr Perrottet. The pair go jogging together around Sydney's city centre Domain park.

'Rob Stokes is not just a friend,' said Mr Perrottet on Sunday, extending an olive branch to his rival. 'He's an incredibly talented member of our team.

'We promote competition but I've been incredibly impressed in the difficult circumstance that our party has found ourselves in.

The party's centre-right have also swung behind dad-of-six Dominic Perrottet, pictured here with his family, after Mr Howard's seal of approval

'The maturity, the discipline, the professionalism that every single member of our party room has acted during the last 48 hours where we have a party vote on Tuesday, and then we are back at work looking after the people of our state.'

Mr Stokes was relying on numbers from the centre-right to bolster his bid for the top job.

However that faction, led by police minister David Elliott, is now said to have switched allegiances after the nod from Mr Howard, effectIvely gifting power to Mr Perrottet.

Mr Elliott confirmed his switch on Sunday and praised Mr Kean for compromising.

'Matt Kean has displayed the most selfless act in politics in recent times and his loyalty to the party will always be remembered,' he said.

'Whatever happened I was always going to be backing Kean as Treasurer because he is by far the most qualified person when it comes to the states finances.'

With the additional numbers from Mr Ayres's support, Mr Perrottet's lead is now looking insurmountable and may not even go to a vote in the party room on Tuesday.

Mr Ayres - partner of Foreign Minister Marise Payne - added: 'This is a leadership ticket that every person across NSW can support.

The tide rose behind Mr Perrottet on Saturday afternoon when ex-PM John Howard (pictured here with Gladys Berejiklian) put the good word on his bid for the top NSW job

'From the city to the suburbs, from the coast to the bush, we are about representing every single person in NSW.'

The tide rose behind Mr Perrottet on Saturday afternoon when Mr Howard put the good word on his bid for the top NSW job.

The endorsement came just 24 hours after Gladys Berejiklian, 51, announced she was quitting over the ICAC probe into her relationship and dealings with MP Daryl Maguire.

'A number of talented MPs have been suggested as her replacement [but] I hope that Dominic Perrottet becomes the new Liberal leader, and therefore the next premier of NSW,' Mr Howard said in a statement.

'He has the intelligence, experience and commitment to reform that the state needs at this time.'

On Sunday, Mr Perrottet paid tribute to his former leader for her service to the state.

At 39, Dominic Perrottet (pictured here with his wife Helen) would be the youngest leader in the history of NSW and Australia's youngest state premier since Labor's Lara Giddings governed Tasmania aged 38 in January 2011

'I think there is no doubt that New South Wales is a much better place today because of the tireless dedication of our premier, Gladys Berejiklian,' he said.

YOUNGEST STATE LEADERS IN HISTORY Lara Giddings, Labor, Tasmania: age 38 in 2011 Wayne Goss, Labor, Queensland: age 38 in 1989 Brian Burke, Labor, Western Australia: age 36 in 1983 John Scaddan, Nationalist, Western Australia: age 35 in 1911 Newton Moore, Liberal Imperialist, Western Australia: age 35 in 1906 Advertisement

'Particularly during the last 18 months and I, as her deputy and as Treasurer, worked very closely with her as we navigated through droughts through fires and through this pandemic.

'New South Wales is stronger today because of her tireless servant leadership to the people of New South Wales.'

Mr Ayres added: 'This is a unique point in time. For our state, we need stability, we need focus.

'That's exactly what Dominic Perrottet and Stuart Ayres will deliver for the people of New South Wales.'

At 39, Mr Perrottet would be the youngest leader in the history of Australia's most populated state, making him a year younger than Nick Greiner, Nathan Rees and Kristina Keneally when they rose to power.

He would also be Australia's youngest state premier since Labor's Lara Giddings governed Tasmania aged 38 in January 2011.

Mr Perrottet, who became Treasurer in January 2017 when Ms Berejiklian replaced Mike Baird as Premier, is also a devout Catholic and hails from the Liberal Party's Right faction.

As Treasurer, Mr Perrottet was reportedly more opposed to lockdowns within the NSW crisis cabinet.

One-time potential rival tourism and jobs minister Stuart Ayres, 40, (pictured) has now joined Mr Perrottet's campaign as his deputy

He was first elected to Parliament in March 2011, when Barry O'Farrell's Coalition swept to power in a landslide ending Labor's 16 years in office.

During that decade, he has held three different electorates, Castle Hill, Hawkesbury and now Epping in Sydney's north-west, switching seats at each election in 2015 and 2019 to the dismay of his Liberal colleagues.

Mr Perrottet became NSW Young Liberals president in 2005, three years after future Immigration Minister Alex Hawke spear-headed the right-wing takeover of the party's youth wing.

He studied law at the University of Sydney with future Labor senator Sam Dastyari and the two were friends when they respectively led the youth wings of their parties.

Matt Kean (pictured) is now said to take over the Treasurer's job

On Sunday, Gladys Berejiklian's top two health advisers praised her dedication and leadership as they continue the Covid fight without her.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard and chief health officer Kerry Chant have spent 18 months in the trenches with the premier since the state's first outbreak.

The three foxhole buddies stood shoulder-to-shoulder at daily briefings, especially during the Delta outbreak that sent Sydney into lockdown three months ago.

Ms Berejiklian's decision to stand down sparked speculation NSW's Covid map's roadmap may be in jeopardy once a new premier takes over.

However, Mr Hazzard on Sunday confirmed the state's Covid roadmap would not be changed by new leadership, but admitted the government was 'sorting out' some issues.

On Sunday, Dominic Perrottet (pictured with Sturart Ayres) paid tribute to his former leader for her service to the state and formally launched their leadership campaign

'In the last 24-48 hours I had discussions with a number of senior ministers about a number of health issues,' he said.

'We are focused on trying to make sure that our - our government is focused on making sure the community stays safe.

'This roadmap is part of that work and commitment and it will be only subject to change if the health advice is such that should be changed.'

Mr Hazzard admitted he was 'saddened' by the sudden departure, but Dr Chant maintained it was 'inappropriate' to share her feelings.

'She has been an amazing premier, a person of high integrity and somebody that I would place my trust in completely,' Mr Hazzard said.

Brad Hazzard (pictured on Sunday) confirmed the state's Covid roadmap would not be changed by new leadership

'And I think that is what the community of NSW has done as well during these last 20 months. It is awfully sad that it is come to this situation.

'It's a very sad situation. I feel so sad that the premier is not going to be the premier after Tuesday.

'She has done a job which has been unbelievable. I think we are as a community forever grateful to Gladys Berejiklian.'

Mr Hazzard said she would not want her colleagues to mourn for her and instead they should stay focused on finishing what she started.

'But at the end of the day, she would be the first person to say that our government must continue to govern for the community, and we all know that,' he said.

'We've heard that from her so many times but there is not one person in our government who won't be doing everything absolutely for the community going forward.'

Dr Kerry Chant (pictured) said it was 'not appropriate' to comment for her to share her feelings, but would address the question in 'her own way'

By contrast, Dr Chant said it was 'not appropriate' to comment for her to share her feelings, but would address the question in 'her own way'.

She instead lauded the outgoing premier's 'tireless' work ethic and dedication to her state during the time the pair worked together.

'The premier has worked tirelessly since the pandemic commenced through this most difficult time and I think her clear commitment to the community is so evident,' she said.

'I don't think it's really appropriate for me to go into any further issues but just to recognise how hard and how committed the premier has been.'
Australian medical authorities are growing increasingly concerned about the alarming rise in phony treatments for Covid-19 after six clinics were allegedly caught advertising the cattle and horse parasite drug Ivermectin.

Although the drug is widely used to treat lice and scabies in humans, anti-vaxx groups and online conspiracy theorists have been spouting dangerous claims the version used to treat large animals is a 'miracle cure' for coronavirus.

This has led at least one hospitalisation in Australia and a ten-fold increase in the importation of the substance.

But with more people trying to get their hands on it it' has created a shortfall for farmers who desperately need the drug for their animals.

The TGA warn there is 'insufficient evidence' to validate the use of Ivermectin in patients with Covid-19.

Australian medical authorities are growing increasingly concerned about the alarming rise in phony treatments for Covid-19 after six clinics were allegedly caught advertising the cattle and horse parasite drug Ivermectin

Ivermectin has become the drug of choice for many anti-vax conspiracy theorists in the US following the spread of now disputed research on social media

'Ivermectin is indicated in the management and treatment of infections caused by parasites, such as mites and worms. In Australia, Ivermectin has been approved for the treatment of roundworm infections, scabies and inflammatory rosacea,' the administration said in a statement.

'Antiviral efficacy against Covid-19 and improvement to clinical outcomes from Ivermectin have not been proven.'

One business was allegedly found to be advertising $85 Ivermectin pills to treat Covid-19, the Herald Sun reported.

Unsurprisingly, the TGA 'strongly discourages self-medication and self-dosing with Ivermectin for Covid-19' particularly for the version of the drug used on animals as its formulated for much larger horse and cattle and can be deadly.

Just this week, Westmead Hospital toxicologist Associate Professor Naren Gunja revealed a Covid patient overdosed while self-medicating with ivermectin.

Health authorities in the US, such as the Food and Drug Administration have pleaded for people to not take ivermectin unless diagnosed to do by a doctor and to especially avoid taking versions of the drug designed for animals

The patient presented at the hospital with nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

'Thankfully they didn't develop severe toxicity but it didn't help their Covid either,' Dr Gunja wrote on Western Sydney Local Health District's website.

High doses of ivermectin can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, low blood pressure, allergic reactions like itching and hives, dizziness, problems with balance, seizures, coma, and can even prove fatal.

Illegal importations of the drug has surged in recent months with the Australian Border Force also seizing other substances heralded by anti-vaxxers.

There have been 611 doses of the stimulant Ephera, 321 doses of the malaria drug Hydroxychloroquine once touted by President Donald Trump and 12 doses of Ivermectin blocked by border agents since January 2020 to July 31 this year.

Hydroxychloroquine early on in the pandemic was approved as an authorised treatment for Covid in the US until studies showed it heightened the risk of cardiovascular problems among those in the later stages of the virus.

High doses of ivermectin can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, low blood pressure, allergic reactions like itching and hives, dizziness, problems with balance, seizures, coma, and can even prove fatal

Clinical pharmacologist Professor Andrew MacLachlan, the chief of the University of Sydney's Pharmacy School, said positive scientific studies on ivermectin had been withdrawn after they were found to be dubious.

Dr Gunja warned people not to look for unproven cures online, and to be guided by doctors and Australia's medication safety watchdog the Therapeutic Goods Administration.

'There's no evidence to support the use of Ivermectin to treat Covid. Don't look for magic cures online, and don't rely on what's being peddled on the internet, because none of them work,' he said.

Dr Gunja said Westmead Hospital had also admitted other patients who attempted treat Covid with a variety of dangerous products - including disinfectants and alcohol.

Ex-United States President Donald Trump supported the use of ivermectin as a possible remedy against Covid-19

The TGA say there is 'insufficient evidence' to validate the use of Ivermectin in patients with Covid-19
Socialite Jasmine Hartin has insisted she wasn't drunk and hadn't taken drugs when she shot and killed Belizean police superintendent Henry Jemmott - as she gave her first TV interview since being charged over the killing.

Hartin, 32, spoke to CBS reporter Peter Van Sant for a world exclusive edition of 48 Hours on Saturday night.

In the interview she admits that she shot and killed Jemmott, a 42-year-old father-of-five, on a moonlit pier in Belize on May 28 - but swears it was accidental.

She also admits that the pair had been drinking cinnamon whiskey before the shooting - but insists she was not drunk.

She also insists she had not taken cocaine, and that the small amount found on her by Belizean authorities was not hers. She does not say who the drugs found on her belonged to.

Socialite Jasmine Hartin admits that the pair had been drinking cinnamon whiskey before the shooting - but insists she was not drunk

Back at the scene: Jasmine is pictured with Peter Van Sant during the CBS exclusive

But the mother-of-two claims that she is being misjudged, and complained: 'I've been through what I would consider hell on earth.'

She claims that Jemmott was teaching her how to use a handgun for her protection, after she been sexually assaulted at a party on May 22. She clams she was familiar with using a shotgun prior to this.

She said: 'A man followed me into the room and was quite aggressive with me. Physically, in a sexual manner.

'In that moment, I fought him off me. I called Jemmott right away.

'He drove an hour to come pick me up. And he kept saying, we need to really work on getting your firearms license.'

She claims that when the pair met up almost a week later, he again encouraged her to learn how to use a gun.

In a world exclusive, Hartin sat down with CBS reporter Peter Van Sant on 48 Hours

Superintendent Henry Jemmott, a 42-year-old father-of-five, was killed by a bullet from his own service pistol in May

Andrew Ashcroft claims his ex Jasmine Hartin is unfit to care for twins Charlie and Ellie

Hartin admits that the pair had been drinking cinnamon whiskey before the shooting on May 28.

She said: 'He took his like a shot. I was sipping mine.

'It was a full moon. The stars were gorgeous. We decided, let's go down, sit on the pier. We were sitting on the edge, our legs kind of dangling, just talking.'

But while she claims Jemmott was a little drunk, she was not impaired herself.

She said: 'I had had a few drinks. Yeah. I wasn't drunk.'

She also told Van Sant that she had not taken drugs, and claimed that a small amount of cocaine that was found by police was not hers.

She said: 'I definitely do not have a drug problem at all. And I will say that the substance that they found was not mine.'

When Van Saint asked who the drugs belonged to, she replied: 'I don't think I can say that.'

Hartin insists she had not taken cocaine, and that the small amount found on her by Belizean authorities was not hers

Hartin admitted to shooting the police chief on a moonlit pier in Belize on May 28 - but insisted it was an accident

Hartin told Van Sant that Jemmott taught her how to load and unload his Glock 17 pistol and magazine. Hartin claims she was stunned when the gun went off.

She told Van Sant: 'He says "Can you hand me the magazine from the gun?". So, I lean over. I pick up the gun.'

Gesturing for the camera, Hartin explains how she was trying to remove the magazine from the gun before it went off.

She said: 'I'm trying to click out the magazine and it's not working. So, I'm holding it like this and I'm trying to use the moonlight or whatever to see if I'm clicking the right button.

'Next thing I know, the gun went off.'

'And did you have a finger on the trigger?' Van Sant asks.

'Not that I thought,' Hartin replies.

'Somehow you must have pulled the trigger,' Van Sant responds.

'It was an accident or the gun misfired. But  consciously did I pull the trigger? No,' Hartin says.

Hartin claims Jemmott taught her to use the weapon because he wanted her to have a gun for her personal protection

The blonde socialite is seen behind bars. She is currently out on bond and is awaiting a trial date

A ballistics expert interviewed by CBS said that the Glock 17 is an 'extremely safe' handgun.

David Katz, a former DEA agent and a veteran firearms instructor, said: 'I could bang it. I could drop it.  it's not going to go off.'

He added: 'There's no doubt about it, she pulled the trigger.'

But he said that her account of trying to remove a magazine could mean that she accidentally opened fire.

He said: 'She talks about where her hand was when the round went off  could it have been an accidental discharge? Absolutely, yes.'

And Katz said Hartin's account that the pair had been drinking could have been a factor in the shooting.

He said: 'There's no better way to get yourself hurt than by messing with firearms when you are impaired.'

Hartin is seen in an old video carrying a pump-action shotgun, then pretending to blow smoke from the barrel

The blonde beauty was living the high life before the tragedy occurred on May 28

Cherry Jemmott, the older sister of Henry, insists that her brother would not have allowed Hartin to use his weapon while he was impaired.

Also speaking to CBS, she said: 'He is so skillful, and he is so careful. I cannot believe that.'

'My brother was shot behind the ear. Execution style.'

She added: 'Jasmine Hartin should be charged for murder and not manslaughter.'

Hartin's recount contradicts the one she reportedly gave to police just after Jemmott's death, where she allegedly said the gunshot came from a boat which was sailing in nearby waters.

She told CBS: 'I don't remember saying that. Like, it was such a blur. Umm, you know, and I think I was in shock.'

She insisted she was not intentionally trying to mislead police.

Hartin - a glamorous blonde - was in a relationship with Andrew Ashcroft at the time of Jemmott's death. Ashcroft is the son of Lord Michael Ashcroft, a British politician with a net worth of around $2.2 billion.

Hartin told 48 Hours that the media representation of her glamorous life and personality has been distorted.

'People perceive me as being a billionairess and this entitled, spoiled rich girl and this wild, crazy, party girl that's hanging from the rafters,' she states.

'That's not it at all. I'm a businesswoman. I'm a mother. I'm a friend I'm a wife.'

However, the couple have been embroiled in a bitter custody dispute over their twins since Hartin was charged in June.

In the early hours of May 28, Jasmine Hartin (left) shot Henry Jemmott dead with his own service pistol. She is charged with manslaughter and maintains the shooting was an accident

Ashcroft says his former partner is an unfit mother because of her 'immoral habits' and her involvement in the accidental shooting death of the police officer.

'Her main occupation is socializing and she is addicted to non-prescribed and illegal drugs and is a habitual drunkard,' Ashcroft has claimed in a court summons.

Hartin read the court document aloud in the CBS interview, and hit back at Ashcroft.

'In my opinion, this is absolutely war.  This is absolutely gloves are off,' she told Van Saint.

'Money, power, image and reputation mean absolutely everything to that family.'

Hartin also said she had been cut off financially by the wealthy family, and that the couple never officially married.

She said that at the time of the shooting, the couple were having trouble.

'Andrew and I have had a very rocky road,' she said. 'We weren't even sleeping in the same rooms.'

Lord Ashcroft's son Andrew, 43, and his former partner Jasmine Hartin, 32, who is facing a manslaughter charge in Belize

The blonde is pictured with her two kids in a social media snap captured before the May shooting

Hartin says Ashcroft has blocked her from seeing her children without any court order or lawful authorization since June 11.

She has also complained to Belizean and Canadian authorities that Ashcroft took their children out of Belize without her permission.

Hartin has claimed no-one from the family of her former partner Ashcroft visited her while she was on bail over the shooting because they had been told they couldn't have 'bad press associated with their reputation'.

She said that although she has had a 'complicated' seven-year relationship with Ashcroft with many 'ups and downs', she has been 'shocked' about the Ashcroft family's treatment of her since her arrest.

Prior to the shooting of Jemmott, Hartin and Ashcroft enjoyed a jet-set lifestyle operating a string of luxurious resorts in Ambergris Caye, a tropical island haven for rich ex-pats off the eastern coast of Belize.

The incident occurred close to this luxury resort operated by Hartin's partner Andrew Ashcroft

Hartin is awaiting trial, but no court dates have yet been announced.

She was charged with manslaughter by negligence after prosecutors opted against murder or full-fledged manslaughter on the strength of her witness statement insisting it was an accident.

The offence carries a maximum prison sentence of nine months or a fine of around 10,000 Belizean dollars ($5,000 in US money).
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At least 26 colleagues of evil Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens have committed sex crimes in the past five years, with two jailed for their offences in April this year - just a month after the horrifying abduction, rape and murder of Sarah Everard.

Figures obtained via the Freedom of Information Act reveal that 26 officers from Scotland Yard have been convicted of sex crimes including rape, possessing indecent images of children, and voyeurism since 2016. Five allegedly carried out sex offences while on duty since 2010, with one officer recruited last year despite having a conviction for indecent exposure.

Detective Constable Mark Collins, 58, was jailed for 26 months in April for sending 'highly sexualised' messages to what he thought was a girl aged 13 - but who was in fact an undercover officer. In the same month, Detective Constable Paul Allgood, 60, was jailed for 22 months for three counts of possessing indecent images of children and three of outraging public decency.

The Sunday Mirror also reported 150 serving officers have convictions for other offences including assault, in a series of revelations that put further pressure on Scotland Yard chief Cressida Dick as she faces calls to resign over the force's failure to identify Couzens as a risk.

Ex-detective and Rochdale child abuse whistleblower Maggie Oliver told the paper: 'The police service is no longer fit for purpose. I don't think it's ever appropriate for a force to employ an officer with a criminal record. It's just something that should not happen.'

A former senior Met Police officer has called for all police officers to be re-vetted following the shocking disclosures. Parm Sandhu, an ex-chief superintendent, told Sky News's Trevor Phillips on Sunday urgent action was needed to restore public confidence in the police.

'Everybody who works in policing now should be re-vetted. Those people who got through the vetting procedure 20 years ago, 30 years ago, all of them,' she said. 'Every single person needs to be reviewed and if anything comes up in their past - it doesn't have to be a conviction, it just needs to be come to notice, because this man did come to notice.

'It needs to be done now as an urgent measure to reassure the public and rebuild the trust and confidence that policing has lost, but it needs to be done on a regular basis so that we don't have anybody that even comes close to the actions of Wayne Couzens.'

A Metropolitan Police spokesman told MailOnline: 'The overwhelming majority of those convicted of criminal offences leave the service. Current police regulations prevent officers resigning or retiring until the misconduct process has concluded.

'Securing and maintaining the trust of the community is integral to the principle of policing by consent. The Met recognises that its staff must act with professionalism and integrity whether on or off-duty.'

At least 26 colleagues of evil Wayne Couzens have committed sex crimes in the past five years, with two jailed for their offences in April this year

Undated family handout photo of Sarah Everard issued by the Crown Prosecution Service

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick delivers a statement outside the Old Bailey

Ex-police chief claims it 'has taken death of a white woman' for trust in policing to be addressed after Sarah Everard death as she slams Cressida Dick for Met's lack of action in tackling misogyny A former police chief has claimed it has taken the death of a white woman for the issue of trust in policing to be addressed. Sue Fish, the ex-chief of Nottinghamshire Police, said every woman she knows would have got into the car with the Met Police firearms officer who used his warrant card to kidnap Sarah Everard and then raped and murdered her. Ms Fish also slammed Dame Cressida Dick for a lack of action in tackling misogyny in the Metropolitan Police, saying its safety guidelines have 'absolutely no insight whatsoever'. She rubbished them as 'completely absurd' and 'impractical' as fury grows at the handling of the Sarah Everard case. Scotland Yard bosses are believed to remain sceptical about recording misogyny as a hate crime despite the majority of other chief constables backing the move. Some senior officers are said to think the reform - drafted in March after Ms Everard's death - is not needed because present legislation is adequate. Ms Fish's powerful intervention was echoed by Alice Vinten, who served in the Met for more than 10 years as a constable before leaving the force in 2015. She hit out at the 'lads culture' during her time there and said women were still worried to report concerns about their colleagues. But she was shot down by former Met Commissioner Lord Blair, who said: 'It simply cannot be the case that this lads culture of the 1970s is surviving everywhere.' Advertisement

'My criticism goes to the top. Many forces are being led by men completely out of touch with the world of today and the public they serve.'

Couzens, who was given a whole life sentence this week for the kidnap, rape and murder of Miss Everard, was regularly deployed to guard MPs at the Houses of Parliament, it was revealed last night.

Scotland Yard admitted for the first time that Couzens, 48, carried out protection duties in Westminster on five occasions between February and July last year, despite having a history of sexual deviance. Senior sources claimed he was even issued with an 'access all areas' pass to Parliament.

Couzens is understood to have guarded various parts of the Commons and Lords. He also is believed to have patrolled the US embassy while working in the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command.

Last night it was reported that Couzens brought a prostitute to a police party at a hotel, while another sex worker turned up at the station he was based in, demanding money.

Couzens took a prostitute with him to a colleague's tenth wedding anniversary party at the Hilton Hotel in Maidstone, Kent.

A source who was at the party told The Sun: 'He was quite open about her being an escort. He said, 'My wife can't make it so I've brought this brass with me.' '

In another incident, a prostitute reportedly turned up at Couzens' station when he was working in Bromley, South London, and demanded to speak to him because he owed her money. The Eastern European woman refused to leave until she saw Couzens, and he had to be called back from patrol.

The report said he took her to a cashpoint and paid her money, later admitting to colleagues that she was a prostitute.

Embattled Met Commissioner Cressida Dick faced fresh calls to resign over the scandal amid growing demands for a full independent public inquiry. A new YouGov poll found that 38 per cent of people believed Dick should resign, compared with 27 per cent who thought she should stay and 35 per cent who were unsure.

The revelation about Couzens guarding Parliament, which came 24 hours after the Met said they would not be commenting on where he had worked, sparked anger from MPs - including Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle.

Last night, Sir Lindsay said he was 'extremely concerned' at the revelation and would be seeking answers from the Met Commissioner over 'how this man could ever have crossed the parliamentary threshold'.

He said: 'Like everyone, I have been sickened by the depravity of Wayne Couzens - and heartbroken for the family of Sarah Everard. I have asked the Met to meet me urgently to discuss how this person could have been deemed suitable for deployment here.'

The armed police officer, 48, performed duties in the Houses of Parliament at least five times despite being nicknamed 'The Rapist'

Couzens's parliamentary duties were discovered after an inquiry by Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle (pictured)

Police Scotland to introduce new ID check lone officers will offer members of the public they speak to following Sarah Everard murder Police Scotland say they are introducing a new verification check that lone officers will offer members of the public they speak to, in response to the murder of Sarah Everard. Outrage over the murder has led to widespread concern over how to verify an officer's identity, the force said. From Saturday, Police Scotland said officers who are operating on their own will proactively offer to carry out a verification check for anyone they come across who appears to be concerned for their safety. This will involve the officer's radio being put on loudspeaker and a member of the control room staff confirming who they are. Police Scotland said its constables will normally operate in pairs, though there may be rare cases when a lone officer approaches a member of the public. Wayne Couzens, a serving Metropolitan Police officer, used his warrant card to falsely arrest Ms Everard before her murder. Advertisement

The Speaker said he would also be seeking reassurance 'that at no time was anyone on the parliamentary estate put at risk'.

Couzens' role guarding the Commons will bring fresh questions over the vetting process of officers after it emerged he was nicknamed 'the rapist' by his colleagues.

He indecently exposed himself to women on at least three occasions, was addicted to 'brutal' pornography, habitually visited prostitutes and was reportedly the subject of three harassment claims by female officers by the time he murdered Miss Everard, a 33-year-old marketing executive, in March.

Labour MP Rosie Duffield said: 'It's chilling that someone whose nickname was 'the rapist' was guarding MPs when we are told that we are protected by a ring of steel. Knowing now that we had a murderer in our midst, I'm sure all women working in Parliament will want to see a thorough security review.'

Ian Blair, who served as Met Commissioner from 2005 to 2008, said the force needed to be subjected to 'an absolutely forensic' investigation similar to the Stephen Lawrence inquiry led by Lord Macpherson that found the Met was 'institutionally racist'.

Critics have accused the force of being 'institutionally misogynistic' after Miss Everard's murder.

Couzens received up to 10,000 in pay over four months after he was arrested in early March for Miss Everard's murder, it emerged last night. He was not sacked by the Met until mid-July after he pleaded guilty to the killing.

Lord Blair told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme that he wanted 'an independent inquiry to try to discover what are the processes that allowed this man - who's obviously a manipulative, homicidal maniac - to become a police officer'.

Home Secretary Priti Patel pledged 25million for more CCTV cameras in streets and other measures to 'change the behaviour of perpetrators'. It came after Boris Johnson savaged the 'infuriating' failure of the Met to take violence against women seriously.

A spokesman for the Houses of Parliament said: 'Wayne Couzens was never issued with a Parliamentary pass. He accessed the Parliamentary Estate with a MPS-issued temporary pass which gives limited access to the Parliamentary Estate.

'These passes are issued to police officers in PADP who are not regularly posted to the Parliamentary Estate. They are issued at the beginning of the shift, returned at the end, and are tightly controlled.'
The Albanian government has today denied that it is in talks with Britain to detain illegal migrants crossing the Channel in small boats while UK authorities handle their asylum requests.

The Albanian Prime Minister's Official Spokesman branded reports in the Sun that London and Tirana are in talks to establish a new processing centre in the Balkan nation 'absolutely untrue'.

The newspaper had quoted an unnamed insider in the talks saying that Home Secretary Priti Patel 'has made it clear she wants this to happen' and 'we are down to the fine details'.

But spokesman Endri Fuga rubbished suggestions that Albania would host migrants on behalf of any third country and urged 'richer and bigger countries' to take in their share of migrants.

Albania's denial is likely to raise questions about who briefed the Sun on the supposed plans. Miss Patel had been under pressure to clamp-down on illegal Channel crossings from France after the number of migrants detained by Border Force hit record highs this year.

A Government spokesman told MailOnline: 'We are determined to tackle the unacceptable rise in dangerous Channel crossings.

'The New Plan for Immigration is the only long term solution to fix the broken system, and includes changes to the law to tackle criminal gangs and prevent further loss of life. This is a shared, international challenge and we continue to work with other countries to meet it.'

Figures show the number of migrants detained by Border Force crossing the Channel reached 16,299 by September 23 this year - nearly double the number who arrived in the whole of 2020.

On September 6 this year, Sky News reported that 1,000 people reached the UK - a single-day record. In 2020 a total of 8,410 people were detained in small boat incidents.

A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, by Border Force officers on September 26, 2021

Home Secretary Priti Patel looks on as Prime Minister Boris Johnson tries his hand at baking during a visit to the HideOut Youth Zone on October 3, 2021 in Manchester

Figures show the number of migrants detained by Border Force crossing the Channel reached 16,299 by September 23 this year - nearly double the number who arrived in the whole of 2020

'We'll pull out of Calais': French general in charge of stopping Channel migrants heading to Britain threatens to withdraw his men if Priti Patel holds back funds The French commander in charge of stopping migrants in the Channel has threatened to pull out his men if Priti Patel withholds UK funds. In an explosive intervention, General Frantz Tavart said that if the Home Secretary goes through with her pledge to cut UK-taxpayer support he will call off nightly patrols. The gendarmerie is currently mounting night-time operations to intercept migrants on the French coast, with 130 regulars and reservists working in the Calais area, General Tavart told the BBC. He said: 'We know the British have threatened to cut their financial support. I'm very clear. 'If they stop paying for their reservists I will pull my men. For us, it is a real form of ingratitude.' Miss Patel said she would withhold an extra 54million unless France stopped more migrant boats. Advertisement

The Albanian detention centre, part of the new Nationality and Borders Bill, is the latest proposal from the Home Secretary who has vowed to make illegal immigration across the Channel 'unviable'.

In June, she was in discussions with Denmark to share an immigration centre in Africa. Denmark was said to be considering a site in Rwanda.

Ms Patel previously threatened to turn boats around and send them back to Europe as part of her 'pushback' plan.

However, French politicians branded the Home Secretary a 'clown', while Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin claimed any action to send migrant boats back would be illegal. He said: 'France will not accept any practice that goes against maritime law, and will not accept any financial blackmail'.

At present, most of the migrants who arrive in Kent are initially housed at a former army barracks in Folkestone which was set on fire in a riot over conditions in January amid a coronavirus outbreak.

Asylum seekers are free to come and go from the camp, and adults have an initial interview before being sent to accommodation centres across Britain, paid for by UK taxpayers and provided by private contractors.

The migrants are given 37.75 per week for essentials like food, clothes and toiletries while they wait for a decision on their asylum application. Kent County Council normally takes unaccompanied children into its care.

Earlier this year, the UK and France announced an agreement to more than double the number of police patrolling French beaches.

It was the second pledge of its kind in a year, in a bid to stop small boats from leaving France.

As part of the deal, the Government pledged to give France 54million to support its efforts to stop small boat crossings.

However, Miss Patel said she would withhold an extra 54million unless France stopped more migrant boats.

The French commander in charge of stopping migrants in the Channel has threatened to pull out his men if UK funds are withheld.

In an explosive intervention, General Frantz Tavart said that if the Home Secretary goes through with her pledge to cut UK-taxpayer support he will call off nightly patrols.

The gendarmerie is currently mounting night-time operations to intercept migrants on the French coast, with 130 regulars and reservists working in the Calais area, General Tavart told the BBC.

He said: 'We know the British have threatened to cut their financial support. I'm very clear. If they stop paying for their reservists I will pull my men. For us, it is a real form of ingratitude.'

General Tavart added: 'The proof of our efficiency is that smugglers are now trying to go from the Belgian coast, even the Somme.

'But that dilutes our resources across the territory. It's like a game of chess where the smugglers always make the first move.'

Figures released at the end of last month showed the number of migrants detained by Border Force crossing the Channel by small boats reached 16,299 by September 23 this year - nearly double the number who arrived in the whole of 2020

A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, by Border Force officers on Saturday September 25, 2021

Boris Johnson plays table tennis with Priti Patel during a visit to the HideOut Youth Zone

In July Miss Patel agreed to give France another 54million.

But weeks later she was reported to have told Tory MPs privately: 'We've not given them a penny of the money so far and France is going to have to get its act together if it wants to see the cash.

'It's payment by results and we've not seen those results. The money is conditional.'

After her remarks, and disclosure of a UK plan to turn around boats in the Channel, France's interior minister Gerald Darmanin said his country would not accept 'any practice contrary to maritime law, nor any financial blackmail'.

Just days ago French police shot migrants with potentially lethal rubber bullets to stop their illegal boat crossing the Channel to the UK.

The shooting happened in darkness on September 30 at Dunkirk as eight Iranian Kurds carried a dinghy towards the sea. It was destined to bring 40 migrants from France.

It marked a major escalation of tension on the beaches as gendarmerie night patrols struggled to control the armada of boats heading for Britain and after Ms Patel had threatened to withdraw the 54million if officials do not reduce the stream of migrant boats.

Home Secretary Priti Patel, pictured at the Conservative Party Conference, has previously vowed to make illegal immigration across the Channel 'unviable'

Earlier this year, the UK and France announced an agreement to more than double the number of police patrolling French beaches in a bid to reduce the number of Channel crossings

A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Ramsgate, Kent, by Border Force officers on Sunday September 26, 2021

In response, French General Frantz Tavart said he would call off nightly patrols if the funding was withdrawn.

Charities urged the Home Office to take a 'more humane and responsible approach' towards asylum seekers and said humanitarian visas were needed to help 'prevent the chaos of the Channel crossings'.

Ms Patel has also previously worked with Albania in her attempts to crack down on immigration.

In July, she signed a deal with Albanian minister of interior Bledar Cuci which would make it easier to remove convicted offenders, as well as making it simpler to move failed Albanian asylum seekers and those who have overstayed their visas.

At the time, the Home Secretary said: 'I am determined to fix our immigration system, clamp down on illegal entry, and remove those with no right to be in UK as swiftly as possible.

'Our New Plan for Immigration, coupled with this new agreement, will speed up the removal of Albanian nationals who have committed crimes in the UK and overstayed their welcome.

'I make no apology for removing dangerous foreign criminals to protect the British people and, so far this year, more than 1,000 foreign criminals have been deported, with more being removed every single week.'
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has announced the UK is building a new digital warfare centre capable of launching 'offensive' cyber attacks against hostile powers.

The new 5billion National Cyber Force headquarters will be built in the north west of England in Samlesbury, Lancashire.

He said the UK is yet to suffer a 'tier one' and 'catastrophic' cyber attack and it would be a 'dereliction of duty' if the Government was not in a position to strike back on the same scale.

The centre will be built in the heart of the so-called 'Red Wall' of traditional Labour seats which the Tories took in the 2019 general election.

Boris Johnson is expected to cite the investment in his keynote speech to the Conservative Party conference  which begins this weekend in Manchester  as an example of the Government's 'levelling up' agenda.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has announced the UK is building a new digital warfare centre capable of launching 'offensive' cyber attacks against hostile powers

Mr Wallace said the UK is yet to suffer a 'tier one' and 'catastrophic' cyber attack and it would be a 'dereliction of duty' if the Government was not in a position to strike back on the same scale

Mr Wallace said in an interview with The Sunday Telegraph: 'Some foreign states are waging cyber warfare on us every single day. And we have a right under international law and among ourselves to defend ourselves.

'We will defend ourselves from cyber warfare if that warfare is dangerous, corrupting, or damaging.

'And one of the ways you can do that is to dismantle the tools that are used against you. For example, if a hostile state is using a server to deploy ransomware against you, or spyware, or using disinformation, you could use offensive cyber to deal with those servers.'

Asked if the National Cyber Force will be able to attack the critical national infrastructure of a hostile state, he said: 'It would be a dereliction of duty if these capabilities weren't on our shelves.

'Who knows where we'll be in 20 years' time, we haven't had a tier one cyber attack yet, a catastrophic cyber attack.'

Mr Wallace compared the impact of the new centre  which is expected to employ thousands of cyber experts and analysts by 2030  to the location of GCHQ in Cheltenham in the 1950s.

'Cheltenham was a small country town and look what it has done. That's what we mean by levelling up,' he told the Telegraph.

Boris Johnson is expected to cite the investment in his keynote speech to the Conservative Party conference  which begins this weekend in Manchester  as an example of the Government's 'levelling up' agenda

Mr Wallace said the creation of the new centre  which will be run jointly by GCHQ  would put Britain 'at the front' of the countries which are able to mount offensive cyber attacks.

'We will be one of the very, very few nations in the world with that scale,' he said.

The Defence Secretary said cyber had become 'a new domain in battle' and that it is essential Britain is able to operate there against potential adversaries.
The public's trust in police must be regained after the murder of Sarah Everard - but it will not be achieved through 'police-bashing' or high-level resignations - former Justice Secretary Robert Buckland has said.

Ms Everard's kidnap, rape and murder by serving police officer Wayne Couzens has led to calls for Met Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick to step down in light of the erosion of trust in the force.

But Mr Buckland defended the 'vast majority' of officers as 'decent and dedicated people'.

Ex-Justice Secretary Robert Buckland says 'police bashing' won't restore public trust

Ms Everard's kidnap, rape and murder by serving police officer Wayne Couzens has led to questions about vetting procedures in the Met Police

'Police-bashing ... is not going to restore that trust, and neither for that matter is the resignation of a police officer, however senior,' Mr Buckland, who was Justice Secretary for two years until last month's reshuffle, wrote in The Sunday Telegraph.

The Welsh MP and former criminal barrister said police knew the need to maintain the highest standards and not tolerate inappropriate or unlawful behaviour within their ranks was 'in their interest as much as it is in the public's'.

He said as police numbers continued to rise towards targets is was important to note that 'the aim is also to increase the speed and quality of police work'.

'The public also needs to know that the police, who are civilians in uniform policing with our consent, are truly accountable for failure,' he wrote.

'While the operational independence of our police force is of central importance, it should never be used as a cloak against scrutiny. If trust is to be regained, then it has to be understood that to admit fault and failure should be seen as a sign of strength, not weakness.'

Mr Buckland also labelled as 'repugnant' last week's contentious release of advice from police on how women might keep themselves safe if approached by a police officer.

He said that the notion that the burden for safety should rest on 'our wives, partners, sisters, daughters and female friends' further reduced trust in the force.

Met Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick has faced calls to step down due to the erosion of trust in the force

But he said the Government and criminal justice agencies were working to rebuild the public's faith, including providing better support and funding for victims of rape and sexual offences.

Mr Buckland also noted the Rape Review, which he published in June, contained 'an action plan with not only a target to increase the number of rape prosecutions, but changes to the way in which files are put together, with more challenge and accountability as part of the process, all aimed at increasing confidence and trust'.

He said if anything positive could arise from the 'horrific' case of Ms Everard, it 'has to be a police and criminal justice system that is more speedy, supportive, responsive and ready to admit.'
Pictured: Environment minister Zac Goldsmith has said the ongoing petrol crisis is a 'good lesson' in the need for the dependence on fossil fuels to end

Environment minister Zac Goldsmith has said the ongoing petrol crisis is a 'good lesson' in the need for the dependence on fossil fuels to end.

In an interview with The Independent, Lord Goldsmith said queues at petrol stations amid current shortages should serve as a reminder of the need to accelerate the switch to electric vehicles.

He also dismissed fears the current difficulties could make it harder to achieve political and public backing for an agreement to tackle the climate emergency at the forthcoming Cop26 summit in Glasgow.

Military drivers will be deployed to deliver fuel to forecourts from Monday as the crisis at the pumps continues.

Almost 200 military personnel, including 100 drivers, have been training at haulier sites and will start deliveries to help relieve the situation at petrol stations, which ministers insist is stabilising.

Data from the PRA yesterday showed that 16 per cent of petrol stations have no fuel  an improvement on more than a quarter on Friday.

Motorists are being told prices could rise by up to 5p a litre this week as industry chiefs claimed the situation is getting worse in London and parts of the South East.

Figures compiled by the FairFuelUK campaign group indicated that the average national price of a litre of petrol now stands at 141.9p, which is up from 136.5p.

People queue for petrol in Loughton, Essex, as the Government claimed the crisis was easing

Meanwhile, diesel drivers are now paying 145.5p rather than the usual 139.2p.

Lord Goldsmith conceded the petrol shortages represented 'a crisis' with serious implications for many businesses and people.

But he added: 'I don't think it damages the momentum we're seeing in relation to climate.

It's a pretty good lesson on the need to unhook ourselves from dependence on fossil fuels. You're not seeing the same problems with people who have electric vehicles.'

Lord Goldsmith also condemned sceptics, including within his own Conservative Party, who were organising a 'fightback' against the push for net-zero carbon emissions ahead of Cop26.

The Independent said former ministers Steve Baker and Esther McVey were among a group of rebel Tory MPs, led by Craig Mackinlay, who were mobilising against the costly measures, while ex-chancellor Nigel Lawson had called them 'implausible'.

Pictured: Pumps in London. Troops are expected to be deployed to help ease the crisis, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson insisting this week that the situation was returning to normal

'There are people in society, there are people in the Conservative Party, people in politics, who are sceptical, and who are not supportive of government efforts to secure this transition,' he said.

'I think they're very much in the minority and I think the science is proving them wrong. Extraordinary events, day to day, are proving them wrong.

Lord Goldsmith also defended Boris Johnson for his commitments on the climate emergency.

He said the Prime Minister, who has admitted to a conversion from climate scepticism, spoke with 'authority ... and real passion' on the issue, and that progress in this area had been achieved 'because of his intervention'.

Military drivers will be deployed to deliver fuel to forecourts from Monday as the crisis at the pumps continues.

Almost 200 military personnel, including 100 drivers, have been training at haulier sites and will start deliveries to help relieve the situation at petrol stations, which ministers insist is stabilising.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the fuel situation is 'stabilising' in most parts of the country and the military is being deployed as a 'precaution'.

He told Sky News on Saturday morning: 'I think it is right that as a precaution that the Government has asked the military to help. I think that is the right measure to take to make sure that people have all the confidence that they need.

'I think that will further stabilise the situation and give more confidence.'

But the chairman of the Petrol Retailers Association said fuel shortages are getting worse in some parts of the country.

Brian Madderson said it remains a 'really big problem' in London and the South East.

He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: 'In London and the South East and possibly parts of eastern England, if anything it had got worse.'

Motorists are being told prices could rise by up to 5p a litre this week as industry chiefs claimed the situation is worsening. Pictured: Motorists queue up for petrol in Loughton, Essex

Mr Madderson welcomed the announcement that military drivers are to be deployed from Monday, but warned it will have a limited impact.

'This isn't going to be the major panacea,' he said. 'It's a large help but in terms of the volume, they are not going to be able to carry that much.

'We do need a prioritisation of deliveries to filling stations - particularly the independent ones which are the neighbourhood retail sites - in London and the South East starting immediately.'

He said rising world oil prices mean motorists should expect higher prices at the pumps when filling stations are resupplied.

'Expect anything from 1, 2 or even 3p a litre increases at the pump. This is not profiteering. This is genuine wholesale price increases causes by global factors.'
Wayne Couzens was jailed for the rest of his life last week after using his position as a Metropolitan Police officer to falsely arrest Miss Everard, 33, for breaking Covid rules before raping and murdering her.

Boris Johnson pleaded with the public to 'trust the police' today as he tried to retain confidence in forces after the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving PC after a fake Covid arrest.

The Prime Minister insisted the vast majority of officers across the UK were 'trustworthy' despite the sickening actions of Metropolitan Police constable Wayne Couzens.

Appearing on the BBC's Andrew Marr show at the start of the Conservative Party conference in Manchester Mr Johnson said he wanted more action on crimes against women, and a greater number of rape convictions.

But he also backed controversial and criticised advice from the Metropolitan Police for women to flag down a passing bus if they are stopped by an officer they do not trust.

The advice issued in the wake of the Sarah Everard murder also included suggestions to shout, knock on doors or call 999, measures which were put to the Prime Minister.

He replied 'If you are suspicious about the way in which you are being treated by a police officer and you are worried for some reason, then clearly you should seek help in the way you have described.

'My view is that the police do - overwhelmingly - a wonderful job and what I want is the public, and women in particular, girls and young women, women of all ages, to trust the police.

'They are overwhelmingly trustworthy.'

It came after Tory chairman Oliver Dowden said he and the PM had been 'outraged' by a party police and crime commissioner who told women to be more 'streetwise' in the wake of the brutal kidnap, rape and murder of Ms Everard'.

Asked about the comments today Mr Dowden told Sky News: 'The Prime Minister (pictured today) and I were outraged by what he said. It was completely unacceptable'

Oliver Dowden blasted North Yorkshire PCC Philip Allott over his 'stupid' comments, which sparked demands for his resignation.

Ex-top Met cop demands all police officers are revetted A former senior Met Police officer has called for all police officers to be re-vetted following the disclosures about Wayne Couzens. Parm Sandhu, an ex-chief superintendent, said urgent action was needed to restore public confidence in the police. 'Everybody who works in policing now should be re-vetted. Those people who got through the vetting procedure 20 years ago, 30 years ago, all of them,' she told Sky News's Trevor Phillips on Sunday. 'Every single person needs to be reviewed and if anything comes up in their past - it doesn't have to be a conviction, it just needs to be come to notice, because this man did come to notice. 'It needs to be done now as an urgent measure to reassure the public and rebuild the trust and confidence that policing has lost, but it needs to be done on a regular basis so that we don't have anybody that even comes close to the actions of Wayne Couzens.' Advertisement

Dowden blasted North Yorkshire PCC Philip Allott over his 'stupid' comments, which sparked demands for his resignation.

And he refused to confirm Mr Allott would be allowed to run again and whether he would vote for him if he did.

Wayne Couzens was jailed for the rest of his life last week after using his position as a Metropolitan Police officer to falsely arrest Miss Everard, 33, for breaking Covid rules before raping and murdering her.

After he was jailed, Mr Allott used a BBC Radio York interview : 'Women, first of all, need to be streetwise about when they can be arrested and when they can't be arrested. She [Sarah] should never have been arrested and submitted to that.

'Perhaps women need to consider in terms of the legal process, to just learn a bit about that legal process.'

Asked about the comments today Mr Dowden told Sky News: 'The Prime Minister and I were outraged by what he said. It was completely unacceptable.

'I have been very clear in condemning it but I know the Prime Minister shares that view.

'He (Allott) did immediately apologise and I think that's appropriate for him to do so.'

Asked whether Mr Allott would be able to stand again for election to the role, Mr Dowden said 'I'm not going to pre-empt the selection process.

'The Prime Minister and I profoundly disagreed with what he said, it was a stupid thing to have said and he has rightly apologised for it.'

Mr Johnson said investigations by the Met Police and the Independent Office for Police Conduct should be allowed to proceed, rejecting calls for an immediate public inquiry.

After he was jailed, Mr Allott used a BBC Radio York interview : 'Women, first of all, need to be streetwise about when they can be arrested and when they can't be arrested. She [Sarah] should never have been arrested and submitted to that'

'We do need to look systemically at not just the Wayne Couzens case but the whole handling of rape, domestic violence, sexual violence and female complaints about harassment all together,' he said.

Asked about cuts to budgets, Mr Johnson said 'record sums' were being put in to 'all parts of government' but the problems in the justice system were about more than money.

'The delays are coming up in that moment between the report of an offence and the passing of that offence to the prosecutors.

'What is not working properly is that the CPS and the prosecutors are not working well enough with the police to assure women that a decent case is presented and that there is a chance of prosecution.'
The launch of Dominic Perrottet's official bid to be NSW premier was hijacked when a random dancer in a headband stole the spotlight at his press conference.

Mr Perrottet confirmed his tilt for NSW's top job alongside prospective deputy Stuart Ayres at a hastily arranged presser in Sydney.

But all eyes were on what was happening just behind him when a man took his chance to show some moves in front of the nation's cameras.

As Mr Perrottet spoke, the mystery man threw some funky shapes in the background, stealing the show and setting the internet alight.

Wearing a pale lemon sweatshirt, a headband, headphones and cross-chest manbag, he grooved it out as Mr Perrottet spoke.

The launch of Dominic Perrottet's official bid to be NSW premier was hijacked when a random dancer in a headband (pictured) stole the spotlight at his press conference

Cameras tried to avoid by filming the politician at an angle - but his dancing reflection was still visible in a window behind Mr Perrottet.

'New comms team is [chef's kiss],' joked one viewer on Twitter. 'In a world of Perrottets, be the yellow sweater guy,' posted another.

'Even his reflection is killing it!' added one.

Mr Perrottet looks set to be NSW Premier after a key ally switched sides when an endorsement by ex-PM John Howard gave the Treasurer an unbeatable edge.

As Dominic Perrottet (pictured) spoke, the mystery man threw some funky shapes in the background, stealing the show and setting the internet alight

The right-wing Treasurer had already secured the support of many Liberal moderates by initially selecting environment minister Matt Kean, 40, as his running mate.

Mr Kean is now set to take over the Treasurer's job while one-time potential rival, tourism minister Stuart Ayres, 40, has joined Mr Perrottet's campaign as his deputy.

'We believe it is a team that will provide stability, unity and experience to continue the great work of Premier Gladys Berejiklian and our entire team to ensure that NSW comes out the other side much stronger,' Mr Perrottet said on Sunday.

Dominic Perrottet (pictured) is set to be NSW Premier after a key ally switched sides when an endorsement by ex-PM John Howard gave the current Treasurer an unbeatable edge

The party's centre-right have also swung behind the 39-year-old dad-of-six after Mr Howard's kingmaker seal of approval.

Planning minister Rob Stokes was the only other contender to formally put their hand up for the Premier's job

Ironically Mr Stokes is a close friend - and literal running mate - of Mr Perrottet. The pair go jogging together around Sydney's city centre Domain park.

'Rob Stokes is not just a friend,' said Mr Perrottet on Sunday, extending an olive branch to his rival. 'He's an incredibly talented member of our team.

'We promote competition but I've been incredibly impressed in the difficult circumstance that our party has found ourselves in.

The party's centre-right have also swung behind dad-of-six Dominic Perrottet, pictured here with his family, after Mr Howard's seal of approval

'The maturity, the discipline, the professionalism that every single member of our party room has acted during the last 48 hours where we have a party vote on Tuesday, and then we are back at work looking after the people of our state.'

Mr Stokes was relying on numbers from the centre-right to bolster his bid for the top job.

However that faction, led by police minister David Elliott, is now said to have switched allegiances after the nod from Mr Howard, effectIvely gifting power to Mr Perrottet.

Mr Elliott confirmed his switch on Sunday and praised Mr Kean for compromising.

'Matt Kean has displayed the most selfless act in politics in recent times and his loyalty to the party will always be remembered,' he said.

'Whatever happened I was always going to be backing Kean as Treasurer because he is by far the most qualified person when it comes to the states finances.'

With the additional numbers from Mr Ayres's support, Mr Perrottet's lead is now looking insurmountable and may not even go to a vote in the party room on Tuesday.

Mr Ayres - partner of Foreign Minister Marise Payne - added: 'This is a leadership ticket that every person across NSW can support.

The tide rose behind Mr Perrottet on Saturday afternoon when ex-PM John Howard (pictured here with Gladys Berejiklian) put the good word on his bid for the top NSW job

'From the city to the suburbs, from the coast to the bush, we are about representing every single person in NSW.'

The tide rose behind Mr Perrottet on Saturday afternoon when Mr Howard put the good word on his bid for the top NSW job.

The endorsement came just 24 hours after Gladys Berejiklian, 51, announced she was quitting over the ICAC probe into her relationship and dealings with dodgy MP Daryl Maguire, 62.

'A number of talented MPs have been suggested as her replacement [but] I hope that Dominic Perrottet becomes the new Liberal leader, and therefore the next premier of NSW,' Mr Howard said in a statement.

'He has the intelligence, experience and commitment to reform that the state needs at this time.'

On Sunday, Mr Perrottet paid tribute to his former leader for her service to the state.

At 39, Dominic Perrottet (pictured here with his wife Helen) would be the youngest leader in the history of NSW and Australia's youngest state premier since Labor's Lara Giddings governed Tasmania aged 38 in January 2011

'I think there is no doubt that New South Wales is a much better place today because of the tireless dedication of our premier, Gladys Berejiklian,' he said.

'Particularly during the last 18 months and I, as her deputy and as Treasurer, worked very closely with her as we navigated through droughts, through fires, and through this pandemic.

'New South Wales is stronger today because of her tireless leadership to the people of New South Wales.'

Mr Ayres added: 'This is a unique point in time. For our state, we need stability, we need focus.

'That's exactly what Dominic Perrottet and Stuart Ayres will deliver for the people of New South Wales.'

At 39, Mr Perrottet would be the youngest leader in the history of Australia's most populated state, making him a year younger than Nick Greiner, Nathan Rees and Kristina Keneally when they rose to power.

He would also be Australia's youngest state premier since Labor's Lara Giddings governed Tasmania aged 38 in January 2011.

Mr Perrottet, who became Treasurer in January 2017 when Ms Berejiklian replaced Mike Baird as Premier, is also a devout Catholic and hails from the Liberal Party's Right faction.

As Treasurer, Mr Perrottet was reportedly more opposed to lockdowns within the NSW crisis cabinet.

One-time potential rival tourism and jobs minister Stuart Ayres, 40, (pictured) has now joined Mr Perrottet's campaign as his deputy

He was first elected to Parliament in March 2011, when Barry O'Farrell's Coalition swept to power in a landslide ending Labor's 16 years in office.

During that decade, he has held three different electorates, Castle Hill, Hawkesbury and now Epping in Sydney's north-west, switching seats at each election in 2015 and 2019 to the dismay of his Liberal colleagues.

Mr Perrottet became NSW Young Liberals president in 2005, three years after future Immigration Minister Alex Hawke spear-headed the right-wing takeover of the party's youth wing.

He studied law at the University of Sydney with future Labor senator Sam Dastyari and the two were friends when they respectively led the youth wings of their parties.

Matt Kean (pictured) is now said to take over the Treasurer's job

On Sunday, Gladys Berejiklian's top two health advisers praised her dedication and leadership as they continue the Covid fight without her.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard and chief health officer Kerry Chant have spent 18 months in the trenches with the premier since the state's first outbreak.

The three foxhole buddies stood shoulder-to-shoulder at daily briefings, especially during the Delta outbreak that sent Sydney into lockdown three months ago.

Ms Berejiklian's decision to stand down sparked speculation NSW's Covid map's roadmap may be in jeopardy once a new premier takes over.

However, Mr Hazzard on Sunday confirmed the state's Covid roadmap would not be changed by new leadership, but admitted the government was 'sorting out' some issues.

On Sunday, Dominic Perrottet (pictured with Sturart Ayres) paid tribute to his former leader for her service to the state and formally launched their leadership campaign

'In the last 24-48 hours I had discussions with a number of senior ministers about a number of health issues,' he said.

'We are focused on trying to make sure that our - our government is focused on making sure the community stays safe.

'This roadmap is part of that work and commitment and it will be only subject to change if the health advice is such that should be changed.'

Mr Hazzard admitted he was 'saddened' by the sudden departure, but Dr Chant maintained it was 'inappropriate' to share her feelings.

'She has been an amazing premier, a person of high integrity and somebody that I would place my trust in completely,' Mr Hazzard said.

Brad Hazzard (pictured on Sunday) confirmed the state's Covid roadmap would not be changed by new leadership

'And I think that is what the community of NSW has done as well during these last 20 months. It is awfully sad that it is come to this situation.

'It's a very sad situation. I feel so sad that the premier is not going to be the premier after Tuesday.

'She has done a job which has been unbelievable. I think we are as a community forever grateful to Gladys Berejiklian.'

Mr Hazzard said she would not want her colleagues to mourn for her and instead they should stay focused on finishing what she started.

'But at the end of the day, she would be the first person to say that our government must continue to govern for the community, and we all know that,' he said.

'We've heard that from her so many times but there is not one person in our government who won't be doing everything absolutely for the community going forward.'

Dr Kerry Chant (pictured) said it was 'not appropriate' to comment for her to share her feelings, but would address the question in 'her own way'

By contrast, Dr Chant said it was 'not appropriate' to comment for her to share her feelings, but would address the question in 'her own way'.

She instead lauded the outgoing premier's 'tireless' work ethic and dedication to her state during the time the pair worked together.

'The premier has worked tirelessly since the pandemic commenced through this most difficult time and I think her clear commitment to the community is so evident,' she said.

'I don't think it's really appropriate for me to go into any further issues but just to recognise how hard and how committed the premier has been.'
A 53-year-old man has been charged with rioting offences, assault and throwing petrol bombs by police investigating the murder of journalist Lyra McKee.

Ms McKee, 29, was shot dead in Londonderry, Northern Ireland in April 2019 as she observed rioting in the Creggan.

The man is expected to appear before Londonderry Magistrates' Court on Monday.

A 53-year-old man has been charged with rioting offences, assault and throwing petrol bombs by police investigating the murder of journalist Lyra McKee

Three men have already been charged with her murder, while another two men have been charged with rioting and associated offences.

The extremist group that styles itself the New IRA previously claimed responsibility for the killing.

Last month, Geroid Cavanagh, 33, and Jordan Devine, 21, both from Londonderry appeared by videolink at the city's magistrates' court where they were charged with her murder.

A mural depicting murdered journalist Lyra McKee is seen in Belfast, September 6, 2019

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.

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.
There have been multiple reports of military planes arriving at Bagram airbase in Afghanistan, just hours after images emerged showing that power was restored to the base for the first time since US forces evacuated the stronghold in July.

Images circulating on social media appear to show the airbase's floodlights blazing in the distance, amid reports that several military planes have taken off and landed at the base in recent hours.

Several sources suggest that the aircraft are Chinese, given the Taliban are not thought to possess the expertise needed to power the base or maintain and fly several military aircraft.

It comes after Yun Sun, director of the China Program at the Stimson Center think tank, said China would likely be very interested in occupying the airbase following the US pullout.

US forces in Afghanistan abandoned their main base at Bagram airport overnight in July - shutting off the lights and slipping away into the night without telling government forces who were supposed to take it over.

Images circulating on social media appear to show the airbase's floodlights blazing in the distance for the first time since US forces abandoned the base in July

It comes after Yun Sun, director of the China Program at the Stimson Center think tank, said China would likely be very interested in occupying the airbase following the US pullout

It has been confirmed by multiple sources that several military planes have arrived at the airbase after it was powered up for the first time since the US pullout

There are unconfirmed report that the planes arriving at Bagram are Chinese military planes, though this has not been verified by credible sources

The military airfield, located roughly an hour from Kabul, was first established by the Soviets during their own occupation of Afghanistan, after which it was seized by US forces and used as one of their main operating bases for 20 years.

According to U.S. News & World Report, China has been considering sending military personnel and economic development officials to Bagram airbase, and has conducted a 'feasibility study' on the effect of such a plan as part of its 'Belt and Road Initiative'.

A move to occupy Bagram airbase would go towards strengthening relations with the Taliban and further embarrassing America.

The report was denied by a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson.

'What I can tell everyone is that that is a piece of purely false information,' Wang Wenbin told reporters last month.

But Sun Yun was suspicious of the Chinese denial and claimed that Chinese forces would be very interested in occupying the base.

'Given their past experience, the Chinese must be eager to get their hands on whatever the US has left at the base,' said Sun.

Taliban fighters had occupied the airfield following the US pullout, but are not thought to have the equipment or expertise necessary to restore power to the whole base, let alone conduct flight operations in and out of the airfield.

For their part, the Taliban have rejected the notion that Bagram airbase has been occupied by Chinese forces, but made no mention of who may have illuminated the lights at the base or the origin of the planes landing at the airfield.

The Communist country, led by President Xi Jinping, has reportedly conducted a feasibility study on the effect of such a plan as part of its 'Belt and Road Initiative'

According to the Afghanistan Times, the Taliban have rejected the notion that the Chinese military has occupied the base

Other theories indicate that either the Taliban or the NRF could have illuminated the base, but the Taliban are not thought to posses the equipment or expertise to do so

Taliban fighters had occupied the airfield following the US pullout, but are not thought to have the equipment or expertise necessary to restore power to the whole base, let alone conduct flight operations in and out of the airfield

Taliban leaders are looking to strengthen ties with China in the wake of the US' departure

Former American Ambassador to the United Nations and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley seemed to predict something like this in the wake of the United States' departure.

'We need to watch China, because I think you are going to see China make a move for Bagram Air Force Base,' said Haley in an interview with Fox News as she made the case for reconnecting with allies who felt let down by a precipitous withdrawal.

'I think they are also making a move in Afghanistan and trying to use Pakistan to get stronger to go against India.

'So, we have got a lot of issues. The biggest thing he should do is strengthen our allies, strengthen those relationships, modernise our military, and make sure we are prepared for the cyber-crimes and the terrorist crimes that are headed our way.'

While Western nations were evacuating their embassies, the Chinese mission kept operating. Their security guards simply change from Afghan government security forces to Taliban gunmen.

While Western nations were evacuating their embassies, the Chinese mission kept operating

What is China's Belt and Road Initiative? China's Belt and Road Initiative is a worldwide strategy to engage in infrastructure of nearly 70 countries and international organizations. The program began in 2013 as a key factor in Xi Jinping's foreign policy, and includes investment in ports, skyscrapers, railroads, roads, airports, dams, and railroad tunnels. The aim of the initiative is to assure China's continued economic prosperity by securing international trade routes and access to materials and production lines across the world. One of the major aspects of the initiative is the 'Silk Road Economic Belt,' a proposed road and rail transportation route through landlocked Central Asia along the famed historical trade routes of the Western Regions. The Middle East is considered to be one of the key regions in the Belt and Road Initiative as it lies at the crossroads of three continents - Europe, Africa and Asia - along with a variety of seas. The region is also situated at the intersections of oil rich territories which are considered to be of immense importance for China. Countries like Afghanistan are therefore likely to be a key element in the development of the Belt and Road Initiative across the Middle East. The United States formed, alongside Australia and Japan, The Blue Dot Initiative in an attempt to counter China's plans in 2019. Advertisement

The Taliban has already begun talking up plans for cooperation with Beijing.

A Taliban spokesman told an Italian newspaper that Afghanistan's new rulers will rely primarily on financing from China as it seeks to head off a looming humanitarian crisis and begin reconstruction.

'China is our most important partner and represents a fundamental and extraordinary opportunity for us, because it is ready to invest and rebuild our country,' Zabihullah Mujahid told La Repubblica in an interview.

Since 2002, the base has been one of the major symbols of America's War in Afghanistan

He also praised the New Silk Road  part of the Belt and Road Initiative that China is using to open up trade routes  and said Beijing investment could help reopen copper mines.

A report suggests China's deployment might not be coming for another two years and it would not involve them taking over the base, merely sending personnel at the Taliban's invite.

China likely achieve its latest ambitions for Bagram through help from Pakistan, Sun says, adding, 'I am sure they would like to cut out the middleman,' she added. 'If the Taliban requests Chinese assistance, I think China will be inclined to send human support. Most likely, they will frame it as technical support or logistic support.'
The Israeli government has banned anyone without a Covid booster jab from entering indoor venues - meaning nearly two million people will lose their vaccine passport in the coming days.

Israel has become the first country in the world to make a booster shot a requirement for its digital vaccination pass, in a move widely seen as a step to encourage people to get a third dose.

Technical problems hamstrung the Health Ministry's rollout of the updated green pass as millions of people tried to reissue digital documentation that would allow entry to shops, restaurants, cultural events and gyms.

Scores of Israelis staged demonstrations around the country in protest of the green pass system, with convoys of cars clogging morning commutes as many Israelis returned to work Sunday after September's Jewish High Holidays.

Opponents of the system branded the move a form of forced vaccination.

'We are totally against any forced vaccinations, or any forced medications, and we are totally against doing anything to our children and grandchildren that we don't agree with,' said Sarah Felt, who protested along the main road connecting Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

Israel raced out of the gate early this year to vaccinate most of its adult population after striking a deal with Pfizer to trade medical data in exchange for a steady supply of doses.

A man places a green flag on his car as he prepares to join a convoy of cars and protest against the Health Ministry's 'green pass' restrictions, in Tel Aviv

A medical worker prepares a vial of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine at Clalit Health Service's center in the Cinema City complex in Jerusalem (stock image)

Israel's prime minister Naftali Bennett addresses the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly

This summer Israel launched an aggressive booster campaign to shore up waning vaccine efficacy in its population.

More than 60 per cent of Israel's population has received two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and nearly 3.5 million of its 9.3 million citizens have received a booster shot.

Recent months have seen a surge in new Covid cases in Israel. As of Sunday, more than 70 per cent of the 588 serious cases in Israeli hospitals involved unvaccinated individuals, according to the health ministry.

The ministry issued a statement on Sunday morning saying that because of heavy traffic on its green pass website and app, previously existing certificates will remain valid in the coming few days.

Data from Israel suggests a booster shot slashes the risk of infection by 11 times less and makes people up to 20 times less likely to need hospital care.

A convoy of cars slow down the traffic as they staged demonstration against the Health Ministry's 'green pass' restrictions, on Ayalon highway, in Tel Aviv

People drive in a convoy to slow down the traffic on the highway by the entrance to Tel Aviv, as part of a protest against the government's new policy

A major study published New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) on September 15 found that over-60s given a third dose were 11.3 times less likely to become infected with Delta two weeks after the booster.

The research looked at more than 1.1million Israelis. It also found that people given a booster were 19.5 times less likely to be hospitalised with Covid than those who were still relying on protection from two doses.

Latest data from the country's health ministry suggests that the booster programme is creating strong protection in the elderly.

The rate of severe Covid illness in over-60s is currently nine times higher among those who have had two vaccine doses compared to the triple-jabbed - on September 25 it was 36 per 100,000 in the two dose group compared to just four per 100,000 in the booster group. Among those who are completely unvaccinated, the rate was 170.

The results in Israel have not yet convinced the UK's health officials to recommend a mass booster campaign for younger age groups.

Recent months have seen a surge in new Covid cases in Israel. As of Sunday, more than 70 per cent of the 588 serious cases in Israeli hospitals involved unvaccinated individuals, according to the health ministry

The percentage vaccinated by dose in each age group in Israel. Older groups, who are most vulnerable to the disease, have been most likely to accept a jab

Latest data from the country's health ministry suggests that the booster programme is creating strong protection in the elderly. The rate of severe Covid illness in over-60s is currently nine times higher among those who have had two vaccine doses compared to the triple-jabbed  on September 25 it was 36 per 100,000 in the two dose group compared to just four per 100,000 in the booster group. Among those who are completely unvaccinated, the rate was 170

No10's vaccine advisory panel, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, believes younger people had higher immunity from two doses because of the UK's unique dosing strategy.

While Israel, the US and many other nations spaced the two doses three weeks apart, Britain extended this to three months.

At the time that decision was made, at the height of the second wave, it was to get more jabs in more arms in the hope that partial protection for many rather than full protection for some would drive down the epidemic.

Studies later showed that the wider gap generated stronger and longer lasting immunity.

Britons are only being invited to come forward for a booster if they had their second jab at least six months ago, which officials said was the 'sweet spot' for boosters.

Third doses will be rolled out to the top nine priority groups during the initial drive, with the elderly, medics and carers first in line again.

Doses of the Pfizer jab, or a half dose of Moderna, will be administered as boosters, regardless of which jab they initially received, because studies showed they were the most effective at topping up immunity.

For those who cannot get either of those two mRNA jabs, such as due to an allergy, they will be given a dose of AstraZeneca's vaccine. A half dose of Moderna has been chosen because it was found to have fewer side effects but similar efficacy.

The UK also started vaccinating healthy 12 to 15-year-olds for the first time last week with the hope of keeping the epidemic at bay and preventing school closures this winter. They are being offered a single dose of Pfizer for now.
Plans to build 5,000 homes on a historic landscape which was immortalised by artist John Constable have been axed, it has emerged.

The celebrated land on the edge of the South Downs in Hampshire was recreated in watercolours by the 19th century artist as he considered the setting so inspirational.

The picturesque landscape that he captured in his 'A View at Hursley' came under threat due to controversial plans to construct an entire town on it.

Developers put forward proposals to build 5,000 homes, two primary schools, a secondary school, a park and ride and a health centre - all powered by three solar farms.

However, the plans have now been dropped following huge backlash.

Old master John Constable's 'A View at Hursley' was inspired by the rolling greenery in the picturesque Hampshire village

An aerial view of Hursley with the site marked in red showing the proposed 5,000 new homes would have been built

Hursley Parish Council chair David Killeen, Hampshire County Councillor Jan Warwick and historian David Key at the site

An aerial view of Hursley House with the villlage of Hursley against the land in which the proposed development site would have been

The 'pristine' area where developers wanted to create 'Royaldown' sits on downland between the ancient village of Hursley - which is considered to be one of the most historic in the country - and the cathedral city of Winchester.

The area has a 'unique history' not only because of Constable's paintings, but its history can also be traced back to King Alfred fighting the Danes, and then to Word War Two and the development of the Spitfire.

Councillor Brian Laming, who represents the area for Winchester City Council, rejoiced at news of the dropped plans.

Hampshire County Councillor and Hursley resident Jan Warwick observes a possible location where John Constable based his art

Keep Architecture's aerial plan of where the new Royaldown development could have been situated, with Hursley shown to the left

The 72-year-old Liberal Democrat said: 'It's a huge victory for us, so many people have put the work in to try to stop this.

'For four or five years the plans have been around, so to overturn it after that amount of time is quite extraordinary - it's been a long battle.

'It's got a unique history and landscape. This area needs to be preserved, not just because of its history but for the environment.

'It was a major concern for us, it was a substantial build, it would have dwarfed Hursley and [neighbouring parish] Oliver's Battery.'

Perched on the edge of the South Downs, the countryside was immortalised by 19th century artist John Constable in water colours

Chairman of Hursley Parish Council David Killeen inside the Community Shop & Post Office where he works in the village. He said the 5,000 homes would have turned 'a rural area into an urban area'

Local historian Dave Key said Hursley was a popular destination for a number of England's most prominent artists in the 18th and early 19th century and it was not surprising that Constable visited.

One of the artist's paintings from stately home Hursley House is currently on display in the Victoria and Albert Museum, while another can be found at the Clarke Art Institute in Massachusetts, USA.

Mr Key said the proposed site was one of the most 'historic areas in England' and the plans would have 'destroyed' it.

He previously said: 'The whole Hursley area has an incredible history. It has a visible documented history from the 7th Century onwards, and a more detailed one from the 12th Century.'

Hursley House is an 18th century mansion Grade II listed building and was used by engineers developing the Spitfire during the Second World War.

Britain's art romantic: The life and times of John Constable John Constable Born in Suffolk in 1776, John Constable is considered one of the foremost British artists. He is most known for his landscape paintings in Dedham Vale, the area in which he grew up. His most famous painting, The Hay Wain, is now exhibited at the National Gallery. The Hay Wain was one of six large canvases depicting the area around Flatford Mill in Suffolk. Another in the series, The Lock, became one of the most expensive British paintings ever sold when it fetched 22.4million at auction in 2012 Despite his works now attracting huge fees, Constable was not financially successful in life. He also struggled to gain recognition from his peers and was not elected into the Royal Academy until the age of 52. He died in March 1837, aged 60, of apparent heart failure, and was buried with his wife. His children John and Charles are also buried in the tomb. Advertisement

Mr Key added: 'The sweeping downland that runs from Winchester to Hursley has been commented on by writers and artists from the earliest travel writers like Daniel Defoe to figures such as John Constable, who painted three views from the house.'

The plans generated backlash from members of the public, local councillors, and Conservative MP for Winchester Steve Brine, who said they would 'concrete over vast swathes of the countryside'.

Hampshire County Councillor and Hursley resident Jan Warwick said it would be wrong to 'overshadow' the history of the village.

David Killeen, chairman of Hursley Parish Council, agreed and said the 5,000 houses would turn the village 'from a rural area to an urban area'.

The Royaldown plans were submitted by developers the Lightwood Group to Winchester City Council's Strategic Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (SHELAA).

Royaldown has now been removed from the assessment plan.

The site, which is owned by a single landowner, is not specifically covered by any national, regional or local landscape designations.

Constable painted three paintings at Hursley House - one has since been lost but the other two are believed to depict views from the estate to the north and south.

The north facing picture is held in the Clark Art Institute in Massachusetts, and it is this landscape that is at risk of being lost if the Royaldown proposal goes ahead.

The south facing watercolour, is currently part of the Victoria and Albert Museum's collection in London and is thought to show the view across the Solent to the Isle of Wight.

Mr Key, having studied the two images, both painted in 1804, said that although it was hard to be completely sure, he was confident the north facing image showed the downland at risk.

In 1958 IBM started using the mansion and its grounds as development laboratories and the lower floor of the house is now home to the IBM Hursley Museum.
The NRL has been slammed by footy fans after the traditional Welcome to Country was interrupted by the national anthem.

Queensland legend Johnathan Thurston was in the midst of delivering the moving acknowledgement of Australia's traditional land owners when he was awkwardly cut off.

The retired halfback had the honour of welcoming players, fans and officials to Yuggera Country moments before the first-ever Grand Final played in Queensland kicked off.

But the music for Advanced Australia Fair started before he could finish, leaving many viewers outraged and Thurston with a confused look on his face.

Queensland legend Johnathan Thurston (pictured) was in the midst of delivering the moving acknowledgement of Australia's traditional owners when he was awkwardly cut off

'Pretty atrocious to allow the Australian national anthem to cut off Jonathan Thurstons acknowledgement of country at the #NRLGF,' one person wrote.

Another sarcastically commented: 'Maybe no one will notice that someone pressed the button to play the anthem before Jonathan Thurston had finished the Welcome to Country we noticed.'

'Starting the Australian anthem before JT had even finished Welcome to Country was absolutely disrespectful,' a third wrote.

But as well as the blunder being 'disrespectful' to the North Queensland Cowboys star, viewers said it was a 'slap in the face' to Australia's Indigenous community.

'Interrupting the welcome to country with the Australian national anthem is a little too on the nose, isn't it?' one person wrote.

Another said: 'They cut off the Acknowledgement with the colonys anthem. No. F**king. Way.'

'Wow, JT gets cut off in the welcome to country. Good job NRL, time to fix yourselves,' a third said.

The music for Advanced Australia Fair (sung by Kate Miller-Heidke, pictured) kicked in before Thurston could finish is speech, leaving many viewers outraged and offended

But while it wasn't an ideal start, songstress Kate Miller-Heidke got rave reviews for her booming rendition of Australia's national anthem.

The 39-year-old show-stopper who has been nominated for 17 ARIAs, belted out Advance Australia Fair in a striking red dress alongside Cold Chisel Guitar legend Ian Moss prompting social media users to she should be 'made to sing it every year'.

The blonde bombshell from Queensland's Gladstone has an operatic background and is the only person in history to have performed at the American super festival Coachella, as well as Eurovision and the New York Metropolitan Opera.

Miller-Heidke represented Australia at the quirky Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv in 2019 with her tune Zero Gravity.

She has also released five studio albums including her latest pop hit Child in Reverse.

NRL fans have been stunned by the booming rendition of of Australia's national anthem before Sunday's NRL Grand Final, with songstress Kate Miller-Heidke (pictured) getting rave reviews

The 39-year-old show-stopper belted out Advance Australia fair in a striking red dress alongside Cold Chisel Guitar legend Ian Moss with social media users saying she should be 'made to sing it every year'

Before she took the stage, Miller-Heidke said on Instagram that she was 'thrilled' to get the NRL with Moss and the incredible Indigenous artist William Barton.

She joked that performing at the NRL Grand Final Spectacular between the Penrith Panthers and the South Sydney Rabbitohs might finally get her 'some respect' from her father's side of the family!

Footy-mad fans on social media piled into the comments section to heap praise on the local singer-songwriter as the first ever Queensland Grand Final went ahead in front of a crowd of 39,000.

Kate Miller-Heidke (pictured) was lorded by footy fans for her incredible voice

Footy fans were quick to heap praise on the Australian songstress for rendition of Advance Australia Fair

'Right, that's it Kate Miller-Heidke is the only person who shall henceforth sing the National Anthem at any sporting event!' one person wrote.

Others said: 'what a voice! and 'Geez Kate Miller-Heidke has a great set of lungs'.

Another commented: 'If Ian Moss and Kate Miller-Heidke did a duets album I'd buy 1000 copies.'
A 40-year-old Honda bike with no mileage on it has been rediscovered and is up for auction after the disapproving father of its first teen owner banned him from riding it and locked it away in storage for decades.

The 1981 Honda CB100N was bought brand new by the youngster in his youth while he lived with his parents.

However, his boyhood fantasy of riding a motorcycle never materialised because his strict father banned him from riding it.

Instead the machine was left to languish in storage for the next four decades.

After his father died the unnamed owner, who is now aged in his 50s, was tasked with clearing out his house in Bridgewater, Somerset, and stumbled upon his old but immaculate bike.

A 1981 Honda bike with no mileage on it has been rediscovered and is up for auction after the father of first teen owner banned him from riding it and locked it away in storage for decades

The bike has less than one mile on the clock after it's first owner was banned from riding it

He agreed to sell the time-capsule Honda to neighbour Graham Tozer who has now put it up for sale at auction.

The bike still has its original tax certificate with an expiry date of July 31, 1982. The odometre displays the exact mileage of a mere four tenths of a mile.

Mr Tozer, 64, said: 'I'm a collector of classic bikes and cars, so six months ago my neighbour called me up and said they needed rid of it.

'He was born in the house and spent all of his life there. When he was a youngster he really wanted his own bike but when he brought it home his dad wouldn't let him ride it.

'He'd saved up for such a long time to buy it but his father just said, 'you're not going on that. You can stick it in the shed'.

'Apparently his dad was really strict. He was ex-military and he was the boss of the house.

Although there's wear, experts say it would take little work to get it back to pristine condition

'I would have loved a bike like that when I was younger but my dad probably would have done the same thing.

'To have a motorbike from the eighties which hasn't been touched is so unique. It really is like the Holy Grail for collectors.'

George Beale, a specialist at Charterhouse Auctioneers of Sherborne, Dorset, said: 'These bikes were ordinarily used for commuting, so those which are still on the market from the 1980s tend not to be in the greatest condition.

'But with a little work this one could be like brand new, which is incredibly unusual for something so old.

'It would be rare to find any vehicle from the 1980s without any miles whatsoever. It just so happens that this young boy's tyrant father was far more forceful than he was.'

The Honda is being sold with a pre-sale estimate of 2,000 at the Haynes International Motor Museum on October 14.
A retired Metropolitan Police detective has accused Scotland Yard chief Cressida Dick of ignoring her warnings about a 'vulgar and sexist' WhatsApp group similar to that used by Sarah Everard killer Wayne Couzens.

Ex-Detective Superintendent Paige Kimberley claimed she wrote to Dame Cressida shortly after the murder of Miss Everard urging a review of 'how inappropriate behaviour is addressed amongst contract workers'.

An internal investigation in 2019 took no action against the male officers, saying the messages were 'distasteful' but did not amount to criminality or misconduct.

Now Ms Kimberley is set to be compensated after a tribunal ruled a job offer was suddenly withdrawn from her a day after she told her civilian line manager Tatiana Southon about the images.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman told MailOnline: 'We are currently assessing the details of the tribunal's finding. We cannot comment further at this time.'

Ex-Detective Superintendent Paige Kimberley had an offer of a new job withdrawn after alerting her manager to offensive messages she had seen shared via the messaging app by Met Police officers

A decorated Metropolitan Police detective has accused Scotland Yard chief Cressida Dick of ignoring her warnings about a 'vulgar and sexist' WhatsApp group similar to that used by Sarah Everard killer Wayne Couzens

Last night it was reported that Couzens brought a prostitute to a police party at a hotel, while another sex worker turned up at the station he was based in, demanding money

Revealed: 26 Met Police colleagues of killer cop Wayne Couzens 'have been convicted of sex crimes since 2016' with two jailed just a month after Sarah Everard was raped and murdered At least 26 colleagues of evil Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens have committed sex crimes in the past five years, with two jailed for their offences in April this year - just a month after the horrifying abduction, rape and murder of Sarah Everard. Figures obtained via the Freedom of Information Act reveal that 26 officers from Scotland Yard have been convicted of sex crimes including rape, possessing indecent images of children, and voyeurism since 2016. Five allegedly carried out sex offences while on duty since 2010, with one officer recruited last year despite having a conviction for indecent exposure. Detective Constable Mark Collins, 58, was jailed for 26 months in April for sending 'highly sexualised' messages to what he thought was a girl aged 13 - but who was in fact an undercover officer. In the same month, Detective Constable Paul Allgood, 60, was jailed for 22 months for three counts of possessing indecent images of children and three of outraging public decency. The Sunday Mirror also reported 150 serving officers have convictions for other offences including assault, in a series of revelations that put further pressure on Scotland Yard chief Cressida Dick as she faces calls to resign over the force's failure to identify Couzens as a risk. Ex-detective and Rochdale child abuse whistleblower Maggie Oliver told the paper: 'The police service is no longer fit for purpose. I don't think it's ever appropriate for a force to employ an officer with a criminal record. It's just something that should not happen.' Advertisement

Ms Southon claimed that the 59-year-old ex-detective did not tell her about the images - but the panel ruled that was 'implausible' and said she had been told and then withdrew the job offer without explanation.

The tribunal said: 'We agree with this and we do not condone these messages in any way at all. They are sexualised, derogatory towards women, offensive and completely inappropriate for a workplace. They reflect badly on all those participating in those messages.'

It added: 'We have considered whether in telling Ms Southon that there was sexually explicit messages in the WhatsApp group which were derogatory towards women and very offensive, the claimant did a protected act? We find that it was a protected act.'

Ms Kimberley was commended seven times during her 32-year-long career with the Metropolitan Police force.

An employment tribunal in London heard she retired in 2013 but four years later she was approached to rejoin the Met as part of its Digital Policing strategy.

She was offered the role as one of its Implementation Managers and the team consisted of retired male senior officers, a serving constable and a civilian IT specialist.

Ms Kimberley said a WhatsApp group was created by the team members so 'we could keep in touch and assist each other with any problems that arose', she said - adding that the name of the group was 'Old Timers plus Dave'.

She said as time went on posts in the group evolved into light hearted conversations between colleagues.

After Ms Kimberley, of Dawlish, Devon, left the role she remained on the WhatsApp group.

'As soon as I left, I noticed that the language and images being shared within the group began to become graphic, sexual and derogatory towards women,' she told the tribunal.

She claims her male colleagues were aware she was still in the group but 'they continued to publish statements, images and videos which were negative towards or about women' - up to 20 messages a day.

In her statement to the tribunal, Ms Kimberley said: 'I was shocked and disappointed by the content of these messages.

'Yet despite their respective responsibilities, and on whose behalf they were working, and being paid reasonably high amounts by the taxpayer, they were still circulating aggressive and inappropriate messages, photographs and videos in a work WhatsApp group including a graphic image of a diseased vagina, messages calling women s**gs and disclosing very misogynistic and sexist attitudes towards women.'

She claimed the Met has shown 'no willingness to move with the society it purports to serve or feels that it can be held accountable.'

Ms Kimberley told the tribunal that when she was asked to return in September 2019 she did not feel she could until the content of the WhatsApp group had been addressed, and claimed the conduct by the contractors had created a 'hostile and offensive environment to me'.

After the case, her lawyer Terry Falcao said: 'This was an important case for Paige as she acted on good faith and with the best motivation to disclose misogynistic and unacceptable sexual conduct from contractors working with a police officer and Met Police staff. This was a protected act.

'The tribunal accepted her version of events, that she disclosed this conduct to a senior manager in the digital policing unit. This resulted in the withdrawal of an offer to earn a significant sum of money.

Undated family handout photo of Sarah Everard issued by the Crown Prosecution Service

Ex-police chief claims it 'has taken death of a white woman' for trust in policing to be addressed after Sarah Everard death as she slams Cressida Dick for Met's lack of action in tackling misogyny A former police chief has claimed it has taken the death of a white woman for the issue of trust in policing to be addressed. Sue Fish, the ex-chief of Nottinghamshire Police, said every woman she knows would have got into the car with the Met Police firearms officer who used his warrant card to kidnap Sarah Everard and then raped and murdered her. Ms Fish also slammed Dame Cressida Dick for a lack of action in tackling misogyny in the Metropolitan Police, saying its safety guidelines have 'absolutely no insight whatsoever'. She rubbished them as 'completely absurd' and 'impractical' as fury grows at the handling of the Sarah Everard case. Scotland Yard bosses are believed to remain sceptical about recording misogyny as a hate crime despite the majority of other chief constables backing the move. Some senior officers are said to think the reform - drafted in March after Ms Everard's death - is not needed because present legislation is adequate. Ms Fish's powerful intervention was echoed by Alice Vinten, who served in the Met for more than 10 years as a constable before leaving the force in 2015. She hit out at the 'lads culture' during her time there and said women were still worried to report concerns about their colleagues. But she was shot down by former Met Commissioner Lord Blair, who said: 'It simply cannot be the case that this lads culture of the 1970s is surviving everywhere.' Advertisement

'It was concerning there was no proper investigation, that the same workers continued without sanction and the only person who suffered both financially and emotionally was the person who reported the activities.

'The Met Police Service has sadly shown that actually not much has changed and improved, despite Press releases and pronouncements about their regard for women and equality.'

Ms Kimberley said she wrote to Cressida Dick in March this year about the 'vulgar and sexist comments that were circulating on the WhatsApp group that one of the contractors (an ex senior officer) has put in place...'

But she said: 'I sent it recorded delivery. I never got a reply. I also wrote to the Home Secretary Priti Patel but did not get a response. It has cost them an awful lot of money to defend this case and they tried to discredit me.

'Things got worse. There was racial profiling with a greater expanse of offensive material. But no investigation has ever been done to look at the phones of the people in this group which is really disturbing. This was serious misogyny not a bit of banter.

'I was proud to part of that organisation, I was 18 when I joined up. But retired male colleagues of mine are saying this is like the bad old days of the 70s and 80s.'

A remedy hearing fixing compensation is due to be held later.

Last night it was reported that Couzens brought a prostitute to a police party at a hotel, while another sex worker turned up at the station he was based in, demanding money.

Couzens took a prostitute with him to a colleague's tenth wedding anniversary party at the Hilton Hotel in Maidstone, Kent.

A source who was at the party told The Sun: 'He was quite open about her being an escort. He said, 'My wife can't make it so I've brought this brass with me.' '

In another incident, a prostitute reportedly turned up at Couzens' station when he was working in Bromley, South London, and demanded to speak to him because he owed her money. The Eastern European woman refused to leave until she saw Couzens, and he had to be called back from patrol.

The report said he took her to a cashpoint and paid her money, later admitting to colleagues that she was a prostitute.

Embattled Met Commissioner Cressida Dick faced fresh calls to resign over the scandal amid growing demands for a full independent public inquiry. A new YouGov poll found that 38 per cent of people believed Dick should resign, compared with 27 per cent who thought she should stay and 35 per cent who were unsure.

A former senior Met Police officer has called for all police officers to be re-vetted following shocking disclosures about Couzens, who was handed a whole-life sentence last week.

Parm Sandhu, an ex-chief superintendent, told Sky News's Trevor Phillips on Sunday urgent action was needed to restore public confidence in the police.

'Everybody who works in policing now should be re-vetted. Those people who got through the vetting procedure 20 years ago, 30 years ago, all of them,' she said. 'Every single person needs to be reviewed and if anything comes up in their past - it doesn't have to be a conviction, it just needs to be come to notice, because this man did come to notice.

'It needs to be done now as an urgent measure to reassure the public and rebuild the trust and confidence that policing has lost, but it needs to be done on a regular basis so that we don't have anybody that even comes close to the actions of Wayne Couzens.'
A fire broke out in Rome last night, destroying part of an historic bridge across the Tiber River before firefighters could extinguish it.

The blaze, thought to have been sparked by a gas canister explosion, destroyed part of the Industry Bridge across the Tiber River, prompting evacuations from three local nightclubs before firefighters could extinguish the flames around 4am on Sunday.

Firefighters said the fire erupted before midnight on Saturday near the Ostiense neighbourhood and raged for hours until they got it under control by 4am.

No one was injured in the fire, but Italian state TV confirmed that three nightclubs and local residences were evacuated near the riverside neighbourhood as a precaution, and hundreds of homes were left without electricity for several hours.

The 143-yard-long 'Iron Bridge' as it is known to Romans, which connects the densely populated Ostiense and Portuense neighbourhoods, suffered considerable damage and is no longer in a usable condition.

Flames engulf the Industry Bridge in Rome, early Sunday morning. The fire destroyed part of the historic Industry Bridge which is now in need of considerable repairs

The blaze is thought to have been sparked sparked by a gas canister explosion, and took four hours to extinguish

Firefighters worked to extinguish the flames engulfing the bridge in Rome throughout the night and subsequently cordoned off the area to prevent the bridge from being used

A section of the bridge's outer pedestrian walkway and stretch under the roadbed carrying utility lines broke off and fell into the Tiber

The blaze appeared to have started in an area of shacks occupied by homeless people on the river banks near Industry Bridge before spreading to the span itself.

State radio said authorities believe the fire might have been started by an explosion of a cooking gas canister by one of the homeless people, stating that another fire several years ago had also involved the shacks.

Firefighters said the blaze was then fuelled further by a damaged gas pipe.

A section of the bridge's outer pedestrian walkway and stretch under the roadbed carrying utility lines broke off and fell into the Tiber, prompting emergency services to cordon off the area to prevent the bridge from being used.

Waterborne vessels have also been banned from navigating under the bridge until repairs can be carried out.

People look at flames engulfing the Industry Bridge in Rome, which prompted the evacuation of three nightclubs and residences alongside the river

Emergency services cordoned off the area to prevent the bridge from being used, and to stop boats and pedestrians from crossing underneath

Pope Pius IX attended the 1863 inauguration of the bridge, one of the last major construction works in Rome in the waning years of the papal state controlling the city, which would soon become the capital of unified Italy.

The 'Iron Bridge' originally served as a railway line but was later renovated and outfitted to instead serve cars and foot traffic.

A plaque near one of the span's ends pays tribute to 10 women who were executed on it in 1944 by German SS troops occupying Rome during the latter years of World War II.

The women were punished for having occupied a bakery to feed their families in the city where war made food scarce.

The fire broke out on the eve of elections for the next mayor, in which the main issue has been the general decay of infrastructure and public services in the Italian capital, and left the surrounding areas without an electricity supply for several hours.
A solid gold James Bond collectible coin - valued at 175k and one of just a handful in the world - is being raffled off for just a fiver per ticket.

The super-rare collector's piece is being raffled off by Britannia Coin Company in Royal Wootton Basset, Wiltshire, to celebrate the release of Bond film, No Time To Die.

The stunning piece of 007 history was one of just seven to be hand-crafted in 2020 by the Royal Mint and comes with a certificate of authenticity as well as a custom Globe-Trotter attache case.

The ultra-rare Bond coin (pictured) shows the fictional spy's Aston Martin DB5 with its iconic number plate BMT 216A

With a diameter of 15cm and a weight of two kilograms, the coin is one of the largest ever struck by The Royal Mint

Britannia Coin Company director Jon White (pictured with the coin) said the coin is 'only one of the seven coins still in the UK'

Given its value of 175,000 and the raffle ticket price of just 5, Mr White will have to sell at least 35,000 tickets to cover the face value of the coin (pictured)

The gold coin, weighing two kilograms and 15cm across, is worth 175,000 but is being raffled off for just 5 a ticket - with Bond-lovers and collectors alike already snapping up tickets to be in with a shout.

Britannia Coin Company owner Jon White said: 'We believe this is the only one of the seven coins still in the UK, so it's very special.

'At the time of purchase, the latest Bond film was in production so we've been waiting for the right moment.

'It would have been daft of us to launch the raffle any other time than the release of No Time To Die.

'I'm a massive Bond fan...who isn't?

'But this is an incredible opportunity for anyone who likes rare coins - and by selling the tickets for 5 each, we have made it accessible to as many people as possible.'

Britannia Coin Company director Jon White (pictured with the coin) said he priced the raffle at an accessible 5 a ticket to give as many punters a chance as possible of taking home the grand prize

Jon, 50, planned to raffle off the coin when he first bought it over a year ago after first launching the Britannia Coin Company.

But after No Time To Die was postponed several times due to the pandemic, he decided to wait and kickstart the raffle alongside the film's long-awaited release.

The coin, which is worth around 175,000 having risen by more than 15,000 since Jon purchased it a year ago, bears iconic 007 imagery.

It shows the iconic fictional spy's famous Aston Martin DB5 with its BMT 216A number plate, as well as the iconic 007 logo below.

It is one of the largest coins ever struck by The Royal Mint, measuring 15cm in diameter.

Jon said: 'People were saying I should charge 50 per ticket because the coin is so rare and valuable but I wanted to make it accessible to as many people as possible.'

The raffle winner will be drawn in May 2022, on a livestream where it will be revealed the lucky winner of the rare 007 collectible.

Jon, an experienced coin and precious metal collector, has also pledged to donate 10% of the proceeds to charity to 'do a bit of good' in the process.

Since tickets became available last week more than 1,000 have already been snapped up by people desperate to get their hands on the rare item.

The two-kilo coin is currently in secure storage at a secret location.

To find out more visit britanniacoincompany.com/james-bond-2-kilo-gold-coin-raffle.
Penrith Panthers winger Brian 'Bizza' To'o topped his 14-12 NRL grand final win over the Rabbitohs by proposing to his girlfriend on the field at the full-time whistle.

He ran to the sidelines to pop the question to Sala Moesha Crichton-Ropati - team-mate Stephen Crichton's cousin - who is credited for To'o's amazing season.

The Panthers had just won 14-12 against a brave South Sydney Rabbitohs outfit who fought until the dying stages.

The NRL decider was played outside Sydney for the first time in history due to strict Covid lockdowns, forcing thousands of fans to watch at home as the game went ahead at 75 per cent capacity in Brisbane.

Grinning with the joy of winning on the field, To'o, 23, then asked his partner to make him even happier by accepting - and sealed the deal with a kiss for the woman he calls Chi Chi.

The explosive pint-sized dynamo pulled out a ring as Moesha immediately said yes and she burst into tears as he put it on her finger.

He turned to his celebrating teammates and shouted: 'She said yes!'

Penrith Panthers winger Brian To'o topped his grand final win by proposing to his girlfriend on the field at the full-time whistle

Born and raised in Mt Druitt in Sydney's west, religious family man To'o gave his State of Origin pay cheque to his parents, dad Fale and mum Fati, to go towards a new home

Grinning with the joy of winning on the field and in love, To'o asked her to make him even happier by accepting

'I thought he was just coming up to give me a hug like he usually does,' admitted Ms Crichton-Ropati afterwards. 'It was unexpected.'

She moved to Queensland to join To'o in the NRL bubble and admitted she was delighted to have made the commitment and the way it had all turned out.

'It was 50-50 to come up here,' she said. 'I wanted to be with Brian but also wanted to be with my parents at the same time.

'I thank God, if it wasn't for him, none of this would've happened. Being here with each other made it even better.'

He ran to the sidelines to pop the question to Moesha Crichton-Ropati who is also the cousin of team-mate and match-winning try scorer Stephen Crichton

The NRL trophy is heading back to the foot of Blue Mountains following the Penrith Panthers' 14-12 win

To'o added: 'I want to thank my beautiful partner for saying yes and also for the boys for getting us the win. I'm just grateful to be here and so lucky.

'I'm just really speechless, not only because of the year that I have had, especially with Origin. Also just finishing off the year with the Grand Final ring.

'It's a special moment to have with not only my partner but my family in lockdown as well. I'm really happy.'

Earlier this year he paid tribute to his partner for taking his game to the next level this season.

'I always speak to my missus about how I can improve my game. She's my biggest fan and she's always making sure I'm doing the little things right,' he said.

'This year she wanted me to take my game to a new level, and I think that's what is really pushing me to become better than last year.

He pulled out a ring as Moesha immediately said yes and burst into tears as he put it on her finger

The couple sealed the deal with a kiss much to the crowd's joy - letting out a roar of approval

'Sometimes well have little dates and the first thing she says is, "Can we please watch a replay of your game?"

'She always wants to watch a replay and will tip me off on the little things that I can work on. Its like having my own personal coach at home, Im really grateful for her.'

Ahead of the grand final, he added this week: 'She always tells me, "Go with God". Those three words work every time and always gets me through.

'My partner doesnt like it when I get hurt, but she loves me to death and supports me through everything.

'She always gets worried about the injuries I get, but I just tell her that it comes with the job. I guess that is just the norm for me because I am always getting injured.'

Born and raised in Mt Druitt in Sydney's west, religious family man To'o gave his State of Origin pay cheque to his parents, dad Fale and mum Fati, to go towards a new home.

After sealing the deal with a kiss, To'o turned to his celebrating team-mates and shouted: 'She said yes!'

Penrith Panthers fans show their support before the 2021 NRL Grand Final match at Suncorp Stadium

With his first NRL contract in 2019, To'o also forked out $10,000 to pay for a headstone for his sister Dannielle, who lost her battle with cancer in 2008.

The family were previously unable to afford a headstone for his sibling when she died.

To'o prides himself on making a difference. He often acknowledges growing up in Mt Druitt, a suburb in western Sydney notorious for gangs and violent crime.

'I'm proud of where I came from,' he said last year.

'My life has been a rollercoaster, but I want to keep happy, I want to keep smiling.'

He and Moesha set the red carpet on fire at the Dally M Awards last week when she wore a traditional Samoan-style dress made from tapa tree bark cloth shipped in specially.

Designer Vaeluaga Luse added: 'This dress is symbolic of our culture and how she wanted so much to make our culture part of her and her boyfriend's special night.'

As a grand final winner, Brian To'o, pictured here celebrating with his team-mates, will get a Premiership ring today to complement his fiancee's engagement ring

To'o - notorious at the Panthers for his eye waxing and breakdancing - had already cemented his position as the mothers' favourite of all the players in the team.

His pink Panthers jersey from the semifinal win over Melbourne Storm proved to be the most in demand jersey of the week - and the demands keep flooding in for him.

'The requests we get from mothers is staggering,' Panthers CEO Brian Fletcher told the Daily Telegraph this week. 'Brian Too is by far the most requested.

'They ask for jerseys with his name on him, they ask for him to do dances for them, cheerios, visits. They just love everything he does.

'The number of females that are now following us because of the pink jersey and because of players like Brian is unbelievable.

'Young girls love the pink and they love the young players.'

The pre-match performance featuring Australian singer Kate Miller-Heidke and rock icon Ian Moss (pictured) divided television viewers

There were emotional scenes as Penrith Panthers hung on to beat South Sydney in an epic NRL grand final

At half-time, the Panthers led 8-6 after enjoying 60 per cent of possession, the 21st time this season they've been in front at the break - and have gone on to win each time.

Penrith looked like they'd sealed the game with 13 minutes to go when winger Stephen Crichton pounced on a Souths intercept to score.

The Bunnies hit back minutes later with a try in the corner but missed the kick from the sideline before halfback Adam Reynolds' unsuccessful attempt at a two point field goal with a minute to go sealed a Panthers victory.

But two pre-match controversies earlier in the night threatened to overshadow what was a historic occasion for the NRL.

Johnathan Thurston (pictured) was delivering the acknowledgement of Australia's traditional land owners when he was awkwardly cut off by the playing of the national anthem

The pre-match entertainment line-up of DJs The Stafford Brothers, Kate Miller-Heidke and Aussie rock icon Ian Moss divided viewers online.

Some branded the pre-match show 'embarrassing' while others went as far as describing it worse than Meatloaf's infamous performance at the 2011 AFL grand final.

Minutes later, Queensland rugby league legend Johnathan Thurston was delivering the moving acknowledgement of Australia's traditional land owners when he was awkwardly cut off by the playing of the national anthem, which was sung by Miller-Heidke.

Panthers half-back Nathan Cleary won the Clive Churchill Medal as the best player on the ground while dad Ivan won his first premiership as coach.

'Losing a grand final, it is a different kind of hurt,' Nathan Cleary said of last season.

A dejected Adam Reynolds has played his last game for the Rabbitohs after missing several chances to send the grand final into extra-time

Exhausted but delighted Penrith Panthers Apisai Koroisau and Stephen Crichton celebrate grand final success

'You can't explain it; that is what makes it so much more special.

'It is just special to do it with him (Dad Ivan). That embrace was emotional, but it is the best.'

Departing Souths coach Wayne Bennett leaves the Rabbitohs without a 10th premiership.

Rabbitohs stars Adam Reynolds, Dane Gagai and Benji Marshall also ended their stints at the club with defeat.

The Panthers went into the grand final as hot favourites, despite losing to Souths three weeks ago in week one of the final.

'Everyone wrote us off,' Panthers co-captain Issah Yeo told Channel Nine.

'No-one gave us a chance. To come away with it is bloody unreal mate.'
North Korea on Sunday issued a stark warning to the UN Security Council and said the international security body had 'better think about the consequences' of criticising the isolated country's missile program.

Jo Chol Su, a senior North Korean Foreign Ministry official, warned the UN council it 'had better think what consequences it will bring in the future if it tries to encroach upon the sovereignty' of North Korea, according to state news agency KCNA.

Jo also accused the UN body of a 'double-dealing standard' because it doesn't equally take issue with similar weapons tests by the United States and its allies, according to the statement circulated by KCNA.

The council met behind closed doors on Friday upon requests from the United States and other countries over the North's recent missile launches.

During the meeting, France circulated a proposed statement that expresses concern over North Korea's missile launches and called on the council to enforce its ban the pariah state's ballistic missile firings.

The Friday meeting came just one day after Pyongyang fired a newly developed anti-aircraft missile, the latest in a recent series of weapons tests including the launches of a previously unseen hypersonic missiles, ballistic missiles and a cruise missile with potential nuclear capabilities.

This image provided by the North Korean government shows what North Korea claims to be a new hypersonic missile launched from Toyang-ri, Ryongrim County, Jagang Province, North Korea earlier this week

North Korea on Sunday warned the United Nation's top security body against making any statements criticising the isolated country's missile program, promising future consequences if the UN encroaches on the pariah state's sovereignty

The isolated state has refused to abide by the UN security council law banning its launch of missiles because it condemns America's 'hostile policy'. Most of North Korea's population of 25 million suffer from widespread famine and live in horrendous conditions

After a six-month hiatus, North Korea resumed missile tests in September, launching newly developed missiles including nuclear-capable weapons that place South Korea and Japan, both key US allies, within their striking distances.

Under multiple UN Security Council resolutions, North Korea is banned from engaging in any ballistic missile activities as the country aims to mount nuclear weapons on its ballistic missiles.

North Korea has argued its nuclear program is meant to cope with US military threats, though Washington has said it has no hostile intent toward Pyongyang.

In his statement reported by KCNA, Jo Chol Su hit out at the UN, and specifically the US, for their treatment and condemnation of North Korea's weapons program.

'This is a denial of impartiality, objectivity and equilibrium, which are lifelines of UN activities, and an evident manifestation of double-dealing standard,' Jo said, adding that UN states would face consequences if it continues a 'US-style brigandish way of thinking and judgment.'

US officials have urged North Korea to return to talks without preconditions and consider putting an end to its missile development in return for sanctions relief.

But the isolated state has refused to do so because it condemns America's 'hostile policy,' in an apparent reference to the sanctions and regular military drills between Washington and Seoul.

Meanwhile, North Korea's spate of missile tests have underscored how the reclusive state has been constantly developing increasingly sophisticated weapons, despite almost all of its 25 million people suffering widespread famine and living in horrendous conditions.

People watch a television news broadcast showing file footage of a North Korean missile test, at a railway station in Seoul, South Korea on September 28, 2021

North Korea's spate of missile tests have underscored how the reclusive state has been constantly developing increasingly sophisticated weapons, despite almost all of its 25 million people suffering widespread famine and living in horrendous conditions

The latest tests have sparked international condemnation, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying they created 'greater prospects for instability and insecurity'.

The US had previously criticised the launches as 'destabilising' and posing regional threats, but reiterated it has no 'hostile intent' toward North Korea, urging it to accept offers to resume negotiations.

White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said on Friday that Washington remained ready to discuss a 'full range of issues.'

'We've made specific proposals for discussions with the North Koreans, but have not received a response to date,' she told reporters.
A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after allegedly driving a car at a group of people in Essex

The incident took place at Basildon Festival Leisure Park at around 4.30am.

One man is understood to have received a leg injury in the attack.

The scene in Festival Leisure Park - Basildon where a car drove at a group of people in the early hours of this morning (October 3)

The area where the man drove into a crowd at Basildon Festival Leisure Park remains cordoned off by police

Basildon Festival Leisure Park is billed as Essex's top leisure spot, with a Cineworld, Hollywood Bowl, 360 Play and restaurants

Officers arrived and found the driver of a car had fled the scene.

An Essex Police spokesman said: 'Following a short search of the area, which was supported by the Essex Police Dog Unit, a 25-year-old man from London was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, dangerous driving and driving whilst unfit through drink or drugs.

'He remains in custody for questioning.

'One man was taken to hospital for treatment to a serious leg injury.

'Anyone who witnessed the incident or has information on it or has dashcam or mobile phone footage of it should submit a report online or use the 'Live Chat' button to speak to an online operator between 7am-11pm.

'You can also call us on 101 and cite incident 234 of October 3.

'Information can also be given to independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.'
Jack A. Brown III, 53, is the chief executive officer of CORE Services Group, a nonprofit organization that he founded and reportedly turned into a lucrative gig

A former executive of a private prison who was once accused of fraud is reportedly earning more than $1million a year and doling out high-paying jobs and perks to relatives in his current role as head of a network of New York City homeless shelters.

Jack A. Brown III, 53, is the chief executive officer of CORE Services Group, a nonprofit organization that he founded and reportedly turned into a lucrative gig.

Brown is said to have become a millionaire running homeless shelters whose residents say have become infested with vermin and creeping mold.

Residents told The New York Times that they were fed moldy bacon, undercooked meatloaf, and powdered eggs, which led to outbreaks of diarrhea and stomach cramps.

Security guards that were hired by Brown from his own private company reportedly slept on the job while doing nothing to stop rampant drug use among residents as well as fistfights in the hallways.

Its hell in here, said one resident, 58-year-old Tracey Covington, who has lived in the Beach House shelter in the Arverne section of Queens, which is CORE's largest shelter in New York City.

CORE has categorically denied the claims made in the Times story.

'This story contains numerous inaccuracies, including false claims made by the City of New York, and rehashes outdated and unsubstantiated allegations against CORE or its leadership in a seeming effort to attack the integrity of a successful African American business leader,' CORE said in a statement provided to DailyMail.com.

'It also fails to acknowledge the quality service that Jack Brown and CORE have provided to New Yorkers in need for more than a decade, despite the many financial and operational challenges involved in working with New York Citys notoriously overburdened homeless services system, and the fact that CORE has been forced to cover millions in unpaid City bills for shelter operations.

The image above shows Beach House shelter in the Arverne section of Queens, New York. Operated by CORE, residents have complained of being given moldy food while security guards allow rampant drug use and fail to intervene in fistfights in the hallway

'CORE has always operated with full transparency and in compliance with all applicable rules and regulations, and all of COREs operations, expenditures, and contracts were conducted with knowledge of  and in many cases, formal approval from  the NYC Department of Homeless Services and other relevant agencies.'

Since 2017, CORE Services Group has received more than $352million from the de Blasio administration to operate homeless shelters despite a checkered past that includes allegations of fraud and ethical violations, according to the Times.

In 2003, Brown was vice president of Correctional Services Corporation, a Sarasota, Florida-based privately run prison that won more than $22million worth of contracts to operate correctional facilities in New York State in the 1990s.

In 2003, that firm was accused of offering free transportation, meals, and other gifts to state legislators in hopes of maintaining millions of dollars in state contracts.

The company agreed to pay a $300,000 fine to the state - which at the time was the largest ever imposed by Albany regulators on a single company for breaking lobbying laws.

CORE told the Times that Brown, who was never criminally charged, was never accused of any wrongdoing.

Soon afterward, Correctional Services Corporation was acquired by another firm, Geo Group, which retained Brown as vice president.

According to the Times, Brown had secretly formed his own non-profit without telling his bosses at Geo Group.

In 2009, Geo Group applied for a multi-million dollar federal contract to operate a halfway house in Brooklyn that would provide counseling and vocational training and drug rehabilitation services to ex-convicts.

During the application process, Brown quit the company. He is then reported to have submitted a competing bid to the federal government which undercut that of Geo Group.

Browns non-profit, Community First Services, was awarded the $29million contract, prompting Geo Group to file a lawsuit against him and the non-profit alleging fraud.

Brown was accused of stealing confidential documents and lying to his bosses, according to the Times. A federal judge denied Browns bid to dismiss the lawsuit and the case was settled.

Brown did not admit wrongdoing.

The homeless population in New York City has reached the highest levels since the Great Depression, according to data put out by non-profit groups. In July 2021, there were 48,431 homeless people, including 14,923 homeless children, sleeping in city's municipal shelter system. A homeless man is seen above in Midtown Manhattan in June

In 2012, the Times conducted an investigation into the halfway house operated by Browns non-profit.

It found that the halfway house was run out of the basement of a dilapidated hotel. Few services were offered and drug use among the residents was common.

A federal audit later found that Browns non-profit failed to deliver on some of the terms of the contract.

A CORE spokesperson told the Times that the federal government renewed the deal with the non-profit, which was still operating the halfway house.

In 2012, Brown changed the name of his non-profit to CORE Services Group in hopes of changing the public perception associated with the firm.

He then looked to expand by opening homeless shelters in the city. In 2017, CORE revenue more than doubled to $23million.

'These are old accusations that are being dredged up to question commonly used business and legal practices, as well as the integrity of a successful African American business leader,' CORE said in a statement to the Times.

Brown promoted his non-profit as worthy of contracts since the firm was a minority-owned business that had an extraordinary depth of experience in operating shelters.

CORE has spent more than $420,000 in the last two years lobbying politicians in New York, according to state records.

Since 2017, CORE Services Group has received more than $352million from the de Blasio administration to operate homeless shelters despite a checkered past that includes allegations of fraud and ethical violations. CORE executives have also contributed thousands to the campaigns of Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams (right), who is likely to become the next mayor of New York. Outgoing Mayor Bill de Blasio is seen left

Employees at CORE and its related companies have also contributed $8,700 to the campaigns of Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, who is likely to be the citys next mayor.

In 2017, residents of Crown Heights, Brooklyn objected to plans by CORE to operate a shelter in the area, saying that the neighborhood was already overburdened and that CORE had a questionable past.

But Adams supported CORE and urged residents to drop their opposition. A spokesperson for Adams denied that the contributions to his campaign led to his support for the CORE shelter in Crown Heights.

The Times reports that Brown pushed for the Crown Heights location because he also owned the company that would rent the building to CORE.

Since 2017, CORE has paid more than $3million in rent money to the private company owned by Brown, according to the Times.

Brown also used his position to start his own security guard company, ProCORE, that operates in his shelters, his own maintenance company, CORE Facilities, that maintains the shelters, and Flavor Foods, his own catering company that feeds homeless residents in the shelters, the Times reports.

CORE denied that it received reports of food-related illnesses in its shelters.

'The health and safety of our clients is CORE's highest priority, and we take all resident complaints related to violence and drug use in our facilities seriously,' CORE said in a statement to the Times.

In 2003, Brown was vice president of Correctional Services Corporation, a Sarasota, Florida-based privately run prison that won more than $22million worth of contracts to operate correctional facilities in New York State in the 1990s. The company eventually sued Brown, alleging he stole confidential documents before quitting to start a competing non-profit

As CEO of each company, Brown drew significant salaries. In 2019, he earned $520,000 total from all three companies - on top of the $529,000 wage that he received as head of the non-profit, according to the Times.

Records obtained by the Times show that in one year, Brown spent $460,000 on gym memberships for employees at his private firms.

The Times reports that Brown has employed his mother, sister, aunt, and niece at CORE. His brother is said to have pulled a six-figure salary at the non-profit.

'Out of more than 1,100 employees, only five are related to Jack Brown,' CORE said in a statement to the Times.

In February, Mayor Bill de Blasio ordered an independent audit of the city's nonprofit shelter providers after a published report described multiple sexual abuse accusations against the top executive of another group, which is one of NYC's largest providers.

De Blasio also ordered the Bronx Parent Housing Network to hire an independent investigator to examine multiple sexual misconduct allegations against chief executive Victor Rivera.

In March, Rivera, who was fired from his position, was arrested and charged with conspiracy, honest services wire fraud and money laundering.

The charges against Victor Rivera were announced by US Attorney Audrey Strauss, who said Rivera accepted kickbacks and bribes for years.

'Victor Rivera sought to leverage his position as the CEO of a non-profit into a very much for-profit situation for himself,' she said in a release.

Prosecutors did not identify the agency, but The New York Times has reported that Rivera engaged in a decade-long pattern of sexual abuse and financial misdeeds while he was president and founder of the Bronx Parent Housing Network, one of the city's largest homeless shelter networks.

In court papers, prosecutors described a scam in which Rivera from at least 2013 until 2020 enriched himself and his relatives by soliciting and accepting bribes and kickbacks from contractors doing work for his agency.

CORE said in a statement that Brown (seen above) has never been accused of wrongdoing

They said Rivera made at least hundreds of thousands of dollars in illicit gains while laundering some of the corrupt payments through intermediary entities he controlled, including a purported consulting company supposedly owned by a relative.

Margaret Garnett, commissioner of the New York City Department of Investigation, said Rivera 'schemed to enrich himself and his relatives' when he should have used the city-funded nonprofit to serve the underprivileged, including the homeless.

The New York Times reported in February that 10 women, some of them employees, accused him of sexual assault or harassment and that two alleged he coerced them into performing oral sex.

The report alleged Rivera also used his power to hire family members and steer contracts to close associates.

'The city is hiring an outside auditing firm to review non-profit shelter providers to ensure true compliance,' de Blasio tweeted on February 7.

'And we can't stop at just shelter providers. I have directed that any complaint to any City agency alleging sexual misconduct from any non-profit contractor must be referred to an independent investigatory agency, NOT the non-profit's own board.'

In a statement, Rivera denied the allegations, according to the Times, calling them 'unfair, baseless and without merit.'

Rivera was one of the founders of the network 20 years ago and 'knows first-hand what it is like to be surviving the streets of the Bronx,' according to the Bronx Parent Housing Network website.

The city has paid the organization more than $274million to run homeless shelters and provide services since 2017, according to the report.

'The actions of a handful of executives shouldn't denigrate the work done by more than 60 providers, hundreds of shelters and thousands of dedicated frontline staff,' Isaac McGinn, a spokesperson for the Department of Social Services, told the Times.

Victor Rivera, 61, was arrested and charged by federal authorities in March just weeks after an explosive New York Times piece claimed he engaged in a decade-long pattern of sexual abuse and financial misdeeds while he was president and founder of the Bronx Parent Housing Network, one of the city's largest homeless shelter networks

Rivera co-launched the Bronx Parent Housing Network in 2000, helping it become a leading city contractor. Since 2017 his organization has secured $274million in city funding to help run almost 70 homeless housing facilities. He has since been fired from his role

The DSS oversees homeless shelters in New York City.

The homeless population in New York City has reached the highest levels since the Great Depression, according to data put out by non-profit groups.

In July 2021, there were 48,431 homeless people, including 14,923 homeless children, sleeping in city's municipal shelter system.

Of those, 18,653 were single adults.

Over the course of fiscal year 2020, 122,926 different homeless adults and children slept in the municipal shelter system - among them more than 39,300 homeless children, according to the Coalition for the Homeless.
Former White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders has raised $9.1million in her bid to become Arkansas' next governor, according to her campaign.

Her total so far is $7.7 million more than her nearest fundraising rival in the race for Arkansas governor, Attorney General and fellow Republican Leslie Rutledge.

Much of Huckabee's funds are coming from out of state, thanks to fans she won over while serving as Donald Trump's press secretary between July 2017 and July 2019.

She raised $721,000 from Florida donors, $705,000 from Texans, $324,000 from Californians and $292,000 from Tennessee.

The three highest grossing candidates running in the 2022 race to succeed current Governor Asa Hutchinson: Huckabee Sanders, Rutledge and Chris Jones account for 99.8 percent of all fundraising.

Though Sanders is technically one of seven candidates running for the hot seat, she has drawn nearly 82 percent of all campaign contributions from both the Republican and Democratic party so far, according to the Arkansas secretary of state's office.

Her father Mike Huckabee served as Governor of Arkansas between 1996 and 2007.

Former White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders' (pictured) campaign says she has raised over $9 million in her bid to be Arkansas' next governor

Leslie Rutledge (pictured), Arkansas' Attorney General, is a more local face that is also involved in the gubernatorial race, and has raised close to $1.5 million

Chris Jones (right) is the leading Democratic candidate for Arkansas' 2022 election. He has raised close to $600,000

Rutledge comes in second at about 13 percent, with $1.46 million.

Jones, a nuclear engineer and ordained minister, is third with 5.2 percent as his donations stand at $587,247.

The four other candidates for governor report have collected than $10,000 each.

However, never has there been a larger amount of out-of-state money involved in the Arkansas gubernatorial race until now.

More than half of donations raised by 39 year-old Huckabee Sanders, a married mom of three children, have come from elsewhere than Arkansas.

About $3 of every $5 she's raised come from out-of-state residents and in many cases, don't necessarily have an affiliation with Arkansas.

Jeff Alling, a general contractor, donated $200 earlier this year to the Huckabee Sanders campaign. He is listed as living in North Pole, Alaska. He said that Huckabee Sanders got his vote due to her 'clear-headed thinking' as press secretary for former President Donald Trump.

He added that he's a fan of her father, former Arkansas governor and presidential candidate Mike Huckabee and that his vote would count down the line, 'five, 10, 20 years in the future' because he reckons Sanders has 'a chance at a higher position in our government.'

Huckabee Sanders' donors also include executives from big money corporations, such as Kenny Troutt of Dallas, a telecommunications company founder and owner of 2018 Triple Crown-winning racehorse Justify.

The billionaire and regular donor to the Republican party gave a $11,200 check for Huckabee Sanders' campaign to cash in.

Besides Troutt, well-known, out-of-state contributors include Thomas Monaghan of Ann Arbor, Michigan, founder of Domino's Pizza. He donated $5,600 to Huckabee Sanders.

Richard Grasso of Key Largo, Florida, former chairman of the New York Stock Exchange, also gave $3,200 to Huckabee Sanders.

Former White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders has raised $9.1million in her bid to become Arkansas' next governor, according to her campaign. Rutledge comes in second at about 13 percent, with $1.46 million and Jones is third with 5.2 percent as his donations stand at $587,247.

In July, Huckabee Sanders said her campaign has received funds from 67,000 donors across the US. She also mentioned the campaign received $1.5million in contributions from Arkansas.

Her campaign managers lauded the record-breaking campaign numbers.

'Sarah is thrilled with the overwhelming support she has received from people in every county in our state and every state in our nation who trust her to be the last line of defense against the radical left in Washington and fight for our freedom, good schools, higher paying jobs, and a better life for all,' current campaign manager Chris Caldwell said in an email in response to Arkansas Democrat-Gazette inquiry about fundraising.

However, Jones has a higher percentage of out-of-state contributions than Sanders, 72.2 percent to 61 percent.

Their dollar counts can not be compared though as Jones reported $291,283 from outside Arkansas compared with Sanders' $4.6 million. Rutledge is behind Jones when it comes to campaign funding from outside state borders, at $276,900.

Aware of Huckabee Sanders' fundraising methods, political opponents have already started to tell voters that if the main Republican candidate were elected, then she wouldn't focus on Arkansas' priorities.

They argue she would serve the interests and political agendas of wealthy donors.

'We knew that Sarah Huckabee Sanders would raise a truckload of money,' Jones said in an email sent to the Arkansas Democrat Gazette. 'After traveling all across the state since our announcement, I can confidently say that Arkansans aren't looking for that. They aren't looking for division, chaos and outside interests.

'They are looking for unity, problem solving and a bright future. They want a governor who will improve our education system, expand our economy by focusing on small businesses and rebuild our infrastructure.'

Jones added that his campaign knows 'national money is going to blanket our state against us. So, it's going to take a huge outpouring of grassroots support to combat the mistruths and distortions that are sure to come.'

Asked recently if she's nationalizing the governor's race in her home state, Sanders replied:, 'You bet I am.'

Former President Donald Trump with White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders in 2019

Sander is pictured with her father Mike Huckabee, who served as Governor of Arkansas between 1996 and 2007

She added that the state needs someone to 'push back against the radical left,' while she was at a Republican fundraiser last month.

Huckabee Sanders has so far raised $3 million more than Governor Asa Hutchinson for his entire 2018 campaign. She also has plenty of time to rack up more as the 2022 governor's race isn't until November 8 of next year.

However, the daughter of former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee has also spent the most money so far on the race: $2.8million, according to her campaign's filings.

Rutledge, as of June 30, reported spending $299,584, while Jones' campaign filed $47,808.

In Arkansas, a donor can give a political candidate up to $2,900 for each primary, general election or other race, according to the Arkansas Ethics Commission.

Big donors often give up to $5,800 to a candidate facing a party primary and a general election.

The next fundraising campaign reports are due October 15.
The mother of a 17 year-old girl who vanished from her Utah home on September 20 says she's convinced her daughter has been abducted, and that something bad has happened to her.

According to KUTV, seventeen-year-old Morgan Sessions, of Eagle Mountain, has not been seen, or used her phone or bank account since Sept. 20.

'I think about her nonstop. If she's ok, if someone's feeding her, if she's being hurt, if she's alive,' Morgan's mother, Rebecca Davis told the news outlet.

Davis added: 'Whoever has her right now, they have her, and it's not because of Morgan on her own.'

On the night Morgan disappeared, Davis said she helped her with homework, but woke up to find her missing.

According to KUTV, seventeen-year-old Morgan Sessions, of Eagle Mountain, has not been seen, or used her phone or bank account since Sept. 20

Morgan's mom says the teenager is a vulnerable and shy, and fears she has been taken advantage of

'In the morning, she was gone. She'd left her backpack with the homework we had done inside. She left her purse; she left her phone,' the stricken mom said.

'Her school Chromebook, her personal Chromebook. Things she spent a lot of time and money on to earn,' Davis added

'There's something wrong, I just feel it. There's something wrong,' Morgan's mother added.

Morgan had just started working a new job, and was looking forward to graduating high school.

Her mom says she is a 'trusting' girl who was nervous and shy at school. Davis fear's Morgan's nature may have prompted someone with bad intentions to take advantage of her.

She added: 'Morgan is my baby, she's my oldest girl. And she's the girl that wet herself in kindergarten because she was scared, she's the girl that sucked her thumb.'

According to local sheriff's, Morgan's family is reportedly searching both in the Salt Lake City area and near the Arizona border, where the 5'1" missing teen has family ties.

'I just wish I could hug her and tell her that I'm looking for her and I'm not stopping,' Morgan's mother reportedly said.

Cops have yet to offer any possible motive for what may have happened to Morgan, and have refused to comment further on leads.
Charmed star Alyssa Milano launched into a furious tirade at the 'abusers' she claims make-up the US Supreme Court at a pro-choice rally.

Speaking in Los Angeles Saturday, the activist actress raged: 'I am tired.

' 'I am tired as a woman. I am so tired of having to continually prove that my body is my own... I am so tired of needing to have a say in my own reproductive health.

'And I'm really f***ing tired of anyone else having a say in it.

I'm so tired of Greg Abbott, Brian Kemp and Ron DeSantis and f**king Brett Kavanaugh having a single word to say about anyone's uterus.

'Brett Kavanaugh has no business anywhere near my reproductive rights.

'I can't believe how f**ked up America is right now.

'And I can't believe how a handful of men are successfully taking 50 years of rights away from women,' she added.

And how a Supreme Court packed with abusers is just gonna sit by and let it all f***ing happen.'

Milano did not directly accuse any of the men she mentioned of abuse. But Kavanaugh faced claims he'd sexually assaulted Christine Blasey Ford while they were teenagers in the summer of 1982. Those revelations came to light after Kavanaugh was nominated by former President Donald Trump in 2018.

He was asked about the allegations during a fiery confirmation hearing in September 2018, denied them, and was later confirmed as a Supreme Court Justice by a Senate vote.

Another Supreme Court Justice, Clarence Thomas, was also accused of sexually harassing Anita Hill during his confirmation hearing in 1992, but refuted those claims, and was also confirmed.

Milano also slammed male Republican governors such as Brian Kemp of Georgia, Ron DeSantis of Florida, and Texas Governor Greg Abbott, whose new 'heartbeat' abortion bill sparked the protest in the first place.

The actress was one of many celebrities that took part in the rally among thousands of other men and women in defiance of the new Texas abortion law.

The Texas abortion law caused a storm of controversy after Abbott signed in the bill that banned the procedure after six weeks of pregnancy, including for instances relating to rape and incest.

Actress and activist Alyssa Milano spoke at an LA pro-choice rally on Saturday in response to the Texas abortion law

The Texas abortion law was signed in by the state's governor Greg Abbott which banned the procedure after six week of pregnancy, including in instances of rape and abortion

Milano explained in her speech how 'tired' she was of men taking away women's reproductive rights and slammed the Supreme Court as being 'packed with abusers'

Supreme Court associate justice Brett Kavanaugh was accused of sexual misconduct in 2018 over claims he'd sexually assaulted Christine Blasey Ford in the summer of 1982

Milano has been outspoken in several other political events, including the Defund the Police movement

She then asked for men in the crowd to put their fists up in solidarity with the women at the event and asked what they are going to do to be an ally.

'You need to take action and keep taking action until this is all fixed,' Milano said to them.

'Use your privilege to destroy your own privilege.'

'It is time for the president and the leaders in Congress to enact the Equal Rights Amendment. They need to do it f***ing now.'

She then led a chant of 'my body, my choice' to those oppressing the reproductive rights of women.

'This is the most dangerous time to be a woman in America,' she said.

Milano has been outspoken on several other political movements in the past, including the Defund the Police movement.

She was branded a hypocrite after it was revealed that she had called the Ventura County Sheriff's Office about a possible gunman that was in her area in September 2020.

The call ignited a response that included seven Ventura County Sheriffs' vehicles, one K-9 unit, a police helicopter and one Los Angeles Fire Department team that sat down the street on standby.

The gunman, however, turned out to be a neighborhood teen shooting squirrels with an air gun.

Milano pictured with Gloria Allred (left), Paxton Smith (right center) and Christine Lahti (right)

Milano later defended her stance on The View, and insisted she wasn't a hypocrite.

'By the way, there was reason to call the police in that moment and I think what were facing right now is the need for almost like a radical reconstruction of society,' Milano said.

'I have used the hashtag #DefundthePolice before and I want to be really clear on what that means. It means that we need to take funds, which by the way they are funded very heavily  they are basically militarized at this point  and we need to take some of that money and put it into the communities of color to chip away, at the very least, to chip away at the systemic racism and inequalities.

'So, in my opinion, the call to my house was exactly the type of situation that police officers are trained for and should be responding to.

'And, of course, I will always support the police coming in and making communities safe, but what we would also love to see is equally trained non-police professionals respond to things like addiction and mental health issues and nonviolent events so that these brave police officers can do their jobs that they're so good at doing, that they demonstrated at our house.'

The LA pro-choice rally was one of hundreds that have taken place in the country, including a march that took place in DC.

Actresses such as Rosanna and Patricia Arquette, Debbie Allen, Christine Lahti Amy Schumer and Jennifer Lawrence and Raven-Symone were also in attendance at the event.

Hundreds of other pro-choice rallies took place in the country over the weekend. The March for Reproductive Justice (pictured) in New York on Saturday.

Debbie Allen and granddaughter Shiloh Williams at the Women's March Action event
A bomb which targeted the entrance of a mosque in the Afghan capital of Kabul on Sunday has left a 'number of civilians dead', according to a Taliban spokesman.

The bomb targeted the Eidgah mosque where a memorial service was being held for the mother of Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahi and represents the first major attack of its kind in Afghanistan since the departure of US forces.

The Taliban say five people have been killed and 10 injured, but medical sources say the death toll stands at 10 with over 30 injured according to Al-Jazeera.

Taliban fighters were not harmed in the attack according to spokesman Bilal Karimi, who stated the casualties were civilians standing outside the mosque.

Responsibility for the attack was claimed by IS-K, the Islamic State affiliate in Khorasan Province.

Attacks against the Taliban by IS militants have increased since the Taliban swept to power in mid-August.

IS militants were also responsible for the August suicide bombing at the gates of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul which killed 169 Afghans and 13 US service members.

The rise has raised the possibility of a wider conflict between the two extremist groups.

Taliban fighters walk at the entrance of the Eidgah Mosque after the bombing, which cause little damage to the mosque but killed several civilians. Damage to the mosque gates and archway can be seen above

Taliban fighters were not harmed in the attack according to spokesman Bilal Karimi, who stated the casualties were civilians standing outside the mosque. Taliban guards are now stationed outside the mosque and emergency rooms

The bomb targeted the Eidgah mosque where a memorial service was being held for the mother of Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid

The area around the mosque was cordoned off by the Taliban who maintained a heavy security presence following the attack

Emergency NGO, an Italian-funded hospital in Kabul, tweeted it had received four people wounded in the blast.

The area around the mosque was cordoned off by the Taliban who maintained a heavy security presence, posting armed guards around the mosque and emergency rooms accepting patients, and dispatching vehicles with machine guns to sweep the area.

IS maintains a strong presence in the eastern province of Nangarhar and considers the Taliban an enemy.

It has claimed several attacks against them, including several killings in the provincial capital of Jalalabad.

The Taliban dispatched trucks with machine guns to reinforce security around the mosque and emergency rooms

Armed Taliban guards are now posted outside emergency rooms accepting patients who were injured in the blast

People wait in front of a hospital where wounded civilians have been dispatched after the explosion. The latest reports indicate up to 10 people were killed and over 30 injured

Attacks in Kabul have so far been rare, but in recent weeks IS has shown signs it is expanding its footprint beyond the east and closer toward the capital.

On Friday, Taliban fighters raided an IS hideout just north of Kabul in Parwan province after an IS roadside bomb wounded four Taliban fighters in the area.

The attack on the mosque comes on the same day that Taliban supporters and senior figures held their first mass rally near Kabul since taking power in Afghanistan.

The blast comes as a sign that the Taliban victory has not brought an end to violence after Afghanistan's 20-year conflict.

A large crowd of Taliban supporters attended a rally in a vast field to the north of Kabul on Sunday, just hours before a blast killed several civilians at a Kabul mosque

The bombing, which could be heard across the centre of the capital, came shortly after the new Taliban 'interim government' staged a large rally in the hilly outskirts of Kabul, attended by 1,500 men and boys.

'This is the day we waited for,' said Khalil Haqqani, the new minister for refugees who in 2011 was labelled a terrorist by the United States with a $5 million bounty on his head, in reference to the rally.

He is a prominent leader of the Haqqani militant network founded by his brother Jalaluddin.

'We have achieved our goal, but it requires protection,' he told the gathering, with his rifle leaning against the lectern, boasting that the country has a 'bright future' despite being shunned by international donors.
Liz Truss today insisted a post-Brexit trade deal with the US is not the 'be all and end all' as she refused to commit to a pact being completed by 2030.

The Foreign Secretary said the UK has a 'huge pipeline of deals' ready for the coming months and told the US: 'We are ready when you are ready.'

The White House has made clear a trade agreement with Britain is not an immediate priority for Joe Biden, raising questions over the strength of the 'Special Relationship'.

But Ms Truss told a fringe event at Conservative Party conference in Manchester that she is 'not worried... at all' about links between London and Washington DC.

Liz Truss today insisted a post-Brexit trade deal with the US is not the 'be all and end all' as she refused to commit to a pact being completed by 2030

The White House has made clear a trade agreement with the UK is not an immediate priority for Joe Biden

A trade deal with the US was billed by Brexiteers as one of the main prizes of leaving the EU.

But talks have stalled after Mr Biden became President, with Downing Street admitting a deal is a long way off.

Boris Johnson's recent trip to the White House failed to deliver a breakthrough on the issue.

The Prime Minister's Official Spokesman said at the time: 'It's not that they're not going to do one, full stop.

'The point that the Prime Minister is making is that it's because of various reasons within the US it's not going to be the immediate focus of the President right now.'

Ms Truss was asked at lunchtime if she has confidence that a trade deal with the US will be signed by the end of the decade.

She replied: 'Well, I don't agree with you that that's the be all and end all of trade.

'Anne-Marie Trevelyan who is getting absolutely stuck into the trade job is going to be negotiating deals with India, deals to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership, with the Gulf, with Israel.

'There is a huge pipeline of deals and my message to the Americans is we are ready when you are ready but there is a whole world out there, there are lots of fast growing parts of the world who want to do business with Britain.'

Asked if she was concerned about the long term future of the 'Special Relationship', the Cabinet minister said: 'I am not worried about the future of the Special Relationship at all.

'We have a very close and positive relationship with the United States. We work very closely on security.

'This recent deal that we have done with Australia to provide nuclear-powered submarines shows that we are extending those security links.'

Ms Truss also said she had no concerns about Mr Biden's leadership, telling Tory activists: 'The Prime Minister and I had an hour and a half meeting with President Biden.

'It was a very, very positive meeting. We talked about everything from trade to our security partnership to the future of the free world.

'The great thing about Biden is he is a great democrat and he has been very clear that he is going to fight for democracy, he wants to work to challenge authoritarian regimes.

'That hour and a half meeting I think showed the depth of our relationship but also his determination to do that.'
A Tennessee mother decided to confront her children's school bus driver on September 28, after she said the bus driver made her children cry.

In a now viral video of the incident, the mother, Cassaundra Rubi, could be heard telling her four children she loves them and hopes they have a good day before turning to the bus driver and asking: 'Please, don't yell at my kids today.'

The female bus driver, whose name has not been publicly released, then angrily retorts: 'I don't yell at your kids.'

Rubi replies, 'Yeah, you do,' to which the bus driver, who is now handing the children masks for the bus says: 'No I do not, you shut your mouth.'

'Who do you think you are?' Rubi shoots back in the viral video.

'Who do you think you are?' the bus driver replies.

'I'm asking you not to yell at my kids,' Rubi responds, to which the bus driver says: 'How dare you tell me not to yell at your kids?'

'Yes, they cry every day,' Rubi says, before the bus driver pulls away and appears to give her the middle finger.

'Oh hell nah, did she flip me off?' Rubi wrote in the TikTok video, which has been viewed more than 31 million times.

A Tennessee woman took a video asking her children's school bus driver not to yell at her children after she allegedly made them cry

Cassaundra Rubi asked the driver (pictured), 'Please, don't yell at my kids today'

The bus driver denied ever yelling at her children, but soon grew heated and started yelling at Rubi, saying: 'How dare you tell me not to yell at your kids?'

In follow-up videos, Rubi explained that her children range in age from four to 10 years-old, but her five year-old is the youngest one to ride the bus to school in the Washington County School District every day.

They sit in the first two rows, she said, and one week prior to the viral incident, the bus driver helped her son onto the bus and then pushed him into the seat, the mom claimed.

And just the day before the video was taken, Rubi claims, the bus driver told her children that their mom had to 'grow up and take them to school.'

Rubi was going to pick them up the following day, after the video was taken, she said, but a representative from the bus company called her and said they want to monitor her, and asked if she would let her children once again ride the bus.

Rubi said the representative explained that the school buses are equipped with security cameras, but 'they can't retrieve the footage.'

Rubi later asked someone at the company whether the bus driver would be fired, to which he replies: 'Probably.'

In follow-up videos, Rubi alleged that the bus driver once pushed her son into a seat and told her children she should 'grow up and take them to school'

Washington County School District officials said they are now investigating the incident

In a statement to WJHL, the Washington County School District confirmed that another driver is now working the route, but a spokesman could not confirm the status of the driver in the video's employment.

'The Washington County Schools administration is taking immediate and decisive action to address a complaint made to school officials alleging employee misconduct of a WCS bus driver captured on video during a bus route yesterday, Tuesday, September 28, 2021,' the statement began.

'The physical and social-emotional well-being of our students and staff remains a top priority,' it continued. 'It is our policy to fully investigate all allegations and take necessary actions upon completion of the investigation process.

'The District cannot discuss confidential personnel matters,' the statement said. 'However, we want to assure all of our stakeholders of the Washington County Schools community that all allegations of misconduct are taken seriously by the district.

'Steps will be taken to address any misconduct that does not align to our district's and community's expectations of professional conduct.'

Prior to this year, Rubi told WJHL her children loved riding the bus. But now, she said, 'they come home crying.

'So I was like, let me just ask her nicely, please don't yell at my kids,' Rubi said of her rationale. 'Honestly, I thought her response was going to be completely different.'

'Maybe it was because I had mentioned something to her and maybe her heart rate got up, but the way it was handled was not OK,' she said. 'I felt so disrespected by her.'

She said she now thinks the school district should re-evaluate all of their drivers, and look at the footage 'to make sure their drivers are doing their job, and they are being respectful to our children.'
Michael George Corey, 36, was assaulted in jail after returning from trial on Wednesday

A Texas man in jail for beating and sexually assaulting three kids was himself assaulted by three fellow inmates fifteen times after they saw his trial on the news.

Michael George Corey, Jr. was attacked on Wednesday, said Wichita County Sheriff David Duke after reviewing video of the incident. The sheriff said it happened shortly after Corey's trial was on the news.

He was being returned to a part of the jail housing suspects accused of the most serious offenses when the attack - which lasted around one minute - happened.

Corey, 36, has been in jail for three-and-a-half years after he was arrested in February 2018 on 45 counts of sex crimes against a boy and two girls, ages 8, 10 and 11.

He's being held on $675,000 bond.

Before that, he was out on 10 years' probation on three counts of injury to a child in 2016. Both cases involve the same children.

In the first case, he allegedly forced the kids to bend over and take up to 90 'licks' from a paddle with zip ties tied around it while his foster parents watched, according to Wichita Falls station KFDX. Charges against the foster parents were later dropped.

According to an affidavit for the latest case, he also forced the children to engage in sex acts on each other, and they did everything he told them to because their beatings would be more severe if they didn't, KFDX reports.

Corey has been in Wichita County Jail in Texas since 2018 on 45 counts of sex crimes against three children, including continuous sexual sexual abuse and aggravated assault

Police said they found a laptop that the children said Corey would play pornography on during the abuse. Police also found video, though it's not clear what the video depicts.

Corey's 45 charges include 15 counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child, 12 counts of employing, inducing, or authorizing a child to engage in sexual performance, 10 counts of indecency with a child by sexual contact, five counts of indecency with a child by exposure and three counts of continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14.

The abuse came to light after staff at the eight-year-old's school told police. Police discovered the other children's abuse when they stopped at their mobile home in the 1100 block of Hawthorne.

Five jail officers intervened to stop Wednesday's beating, which left Corey with a black eye

At the house, police found a wooden paddle with the words 'Act Right' written on it in black lettering, according to USA Today.

The 10-year-old girl told authorities that Corey would have her bend over and touch some bricks outside in the front yard of a residence.

If she moved or fell to the ground, she had until the count of three to get back up or Corey would start over the number of times he was going to hit her.

Sometimes, she said, he didn't give her a chance and would just keep hitting whatever part of her body he could reach while she was on the ground.

Tammy Lynn Vaughn, the foster parent, allegedly sat next to her on the couch to count the number of slaps.

She told police back in 2016 that she didn't have a 'reasonable explanation' for why she didn't report the abuse, according to USA Today.

Court officials saw Corey with a bruise and a black eye the day after he was assaulted on Wednesday.

Sheriff Duke said five jail officers intervened in less than a minute to stop the beating, KFDX reports. The three inmates will face charges.

Corey's trial will resume on Monday.
The first test to detect 'active' Covid from a saliva swab rather than 'harmless viral fragments' is to be rolled out across the UK.

The KnowNow antigen test mimics the surface of a human cell to identify the virus and only recognises 'infectious' or 'active' Covid.

By comparison, PCR and lateral flows are susceptible to picking up 'harmless viral fragments' - meaning some people test positive and have to isolate despite not having the virus.

The test is designed to mimic the experience of brushing your teeth rather than sticking a swab up the nose and swiping the back of the throat, and is more accurate than its predecessors.

The first test to detect 'active' Covid from a saliva swab rather than 'harmless viral fragments' is to be rolled out across the UK

The KnowNow antigen test mimics the surface of a human cell to identify the virus and only recognises 'infectious' or 'active' Covid

The test has been designed to mimic the experience of brushing your teeth rather than the widely loathed process of sticking a swab up the nose and swiping it at the back of the throat (stock image)

A spokesman said: 'KnowNow enables testing to keep people safe, whilst minimising disruption, increasing trust and keeping society and the economy open.'

While currently registered in Britain and the EU and undergoing clinical trials, it is yet to be screened across the US.

Vatic Health Limited, a UK based health-tech company, has today signed the supply agreement with one of the largest manufacturers of lateral flow tests in Europe, Abingdon Health.

Together, they hope to roll out up to 100 million of the KnowNow Covid tests every year.

Alex Sheppard, co-founder of Vatic, said: 'We are now moving into a new phase where the pandemic as we know it is over, and now we are having to deal with disruptions as we learn to live with the virus.

'Unfortunately with the rise of several mutations across the world, vaccinations alone are not the total solution.

'Regular testing technologies are needed to help reduce the overall spread and keep the economy back up and running.

Vatic Health Limited, a UK based health-tech company, has today signed the supply agreement with one of the largest manufacturers of lateral flow tests in Europe, Abingdon Health

'Our unique test technology, combined with a UK-based manufacturing roll-out is a major milestone in testing.

'With the potential to manufacture two million tests per month initially, and significantly more beyond this as we scale, this deal will help us ensure the hard-fought wins around societal reopening are retained and we can really make a global impact.

'Covid-19 testing will remain alongside booster vaccinations, a key pillar of our collective biosecurity.'

Chris Yates, Chief Executive Officer of Abingdon Health, commented: 'We are delighted to be working with Vatic on the technology transfer of their cutting edge Covid-19 test into Abingdon Health and to have secured this long-term manufacturing arrangement.

'We expect to have concluding tech transfer shortly and having already completed the first phase of the expansion of our manufacturing capacity, we are now at the forefront of Covid-19 rapid testing and part of the UK's diagnostic manufacturing capacity.

'The agreement with Vatic is testament of our ability to provide high-quality services for our partners, whether for Covid-19 tests or non-Covid assays.'
A former senior officer with the Metropolitan Police has called for all serving officers to be re-vetted follow disclosures about Wayne Couzens.

Parm Sandhu, an ex-chief superintendent with the Metropolitan Police called for all serving officers to be re-vetted following disclosures about Wayne Couzens

Parm Sandhu, an ex-chief superintendent, said urgent action was needed to restore public confidence in the police.

She told Sky News's Trevor Phillips on Sunday: 'Everybody who works in policing now should be re-vetted. Those people who got through the vetting procedure 20 years ago, 30 years ago, all of them.

'Every single person needs to be reviewed and if anything comes up in their past - it doesn't have to be a conviction, it just needs to be come to notice, because this man did come to notice.

'It needs to be done now as an urgent measure to reassure the public and rebuild the trust and confidence that policing has lost, but it needs to be done on a regular basis so that we don't have anybody that even comes close to the actions of Wayne Couzens.'

It comes after figures, obtained via the Freedom of Information Act, revealed that 26 officers from Scotland Yard have been convicted of sex crimes including rape, possessing indecent images of children, and voyeurism since 2016.

Five allegedly carried out sex offences while on duty since 2010, with one officer recruited last year despite having a conviction for indecent exposure.

Two were jailed for their offences in April this year - just a month after the horrifying abduction, rape and murder of Sarah Everard.

At least 26 colleagues of evil Wayne Couzens have committed sex crimes in the past five years, with two jailed for their offences in April this year

Undated family handout photo of Sarah Everard issued by the Crown Prosecution Service

A Metropolitan Police spokesman told MailOnline: 'The overwhelming majority of those convicted of criminal offences leave the service. Current police regulations prevent officers resigning or retiring until the misconduct process has concluded.

'Securing and maintaining the trust of the community is integral to the principle of policing by consent. The Met recognises that its staff must act with professionalism and integrity whether on or off-duty.'

It has also been revealed that Couzens, who was given a whole life sentence this week for the kidnap, rape and murder of Miss Everard, was regularly deployed to guard MPs at the Houses of Parliament.

The armed police officer, 48, performed duties in the Houses of Parliament at least five times despite being nicknamed 'The Rapist'

Couzens's parliamentary duties were discovered after an inquiry by Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle (pictured). Sir Lindsay said he would be seeking answers from the Met Commissioner over 'how this man could ever have crossed the parliamentary threshold'

Scotland Yard admitted for the first time that Couzens, 48, carried out protection duties in Westminster on five occasions between February and July last year, despite having a history of sexual deviance. Senior sources claimed he was even issued with an 'access all areas' pass to Parliament.

Couzens is understood to have guarded various parts of the Commons and Lords. He also is believed to have patrolled the US embassy while working in the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command.

Ex-police chief claims it 'has taken death of a white woman' for trust in policing to be addressed after Sarah Everard death as she slams Cressida Dick for Met's lack of action in tackling misogyny A former police chief has claimed it has taken the death of a white woman for the issue of trust in policing to be addressed. Sue Fish, the ex-chief of Nottinghamshire Police, said every woman she knows would have got into the car with the Met Police firearms officer who used his warrant card to kidnap Sarah Everard and then raped and murdered her. Ms Fish also slammed Dame Cressida Dick for a lack of action in tackling misogyny in the Metropolitan Police, saying its safety guidelines have 'absolutely no insight whatsoever'. She rubbished them as 'completely absurd' and 'impractical' as fury grows at the handling of the Sarah Everard case. Scotland Yard bosses are believed to remain sceptical about recording misogyny as a hate crime despite the majority of other chief constables backing the move. Some senior officers are said to think the reform - drafted in March after Ms Everard's death - is not needed because present legislation is adequate. Ms Fish's powerful intervention was echoed by Alice Vinten, who served in the Met for more than 10 years as a constable before leaving the force in 2015. She hit out at the 'lads culture' during her time there and said women were still worried to report concerns about their colleagues. But she was shot down by former Met Commissioner Lord Blair, who said: 'It simply cannot be the case that this lads culture of the 1970s is surviving everywhere.' Advertisement

Last night it was reported that Couzens brought a prostitute to a police party at a hotel, while another sex worker turned up at the station he was based in, demanding money.

Couzens took a prostitute with him to a colleague's tenth wedding anniversary party at the Hilton Hotel in Maidstone, Kent.

A source who was at the party told The Sun: 'He was quite open about her being an escort. He said, 'My wife can't make it so I've brought this brass with me.' '

In another incident, a prostitute reportedly turned up at Couzens' station when he was working in Bromley, South London, and demanded to speak to him because he owed her money. The Eastern European woman refused to leave until she saw Couzens, and he had to be called back from patrol.

The report said he took her to a cashpoint and paid her money, later admitting to colleagues that she was a prostitute.

Embattled Met Commissioner Cressida Dick faced fresh calls to resign over the scandal amid growing demands for a full independent public inquiry. A new YouGov poll found that 38 per cent of people believed Dick should resign, compared with 27 per cent who thought she should stay and 35 per cent who were unsure.

The revelation about Couzens guarding Parliament, which came 24 hours after the Met said they would not be commenting on where he had worked, sparked anger from MPs - including Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle.

Last night, Sir Lindsay said he was 'extremely concerned' at the revelation and would be seeking answers from the Met Commissioner over 'how this man could ever have crossed the parliamentary threshold'.

He said: 'Like everyone, I have been sickened by the depravity of Wayne Couzens - and heartbroken for the family of Sarah Everard. I have asked the Met to meet me urgently to discuss how this person could have been deemed suitable for deployment here.'

Couzens' role guarding the Commons will bring fresh questions over the vetting process of officers after it emerged he was nicknamed 'the rapist' by his colleagues.

He indecently exposed himself to women on at least three occasions, was addicted to 'brutal' pornography, habitually visited prostitutes and was reportedly the subject of three harassment claims by female officers by the time he murdered Miss Everard, a 33-year-old marketing executive, in March.

Labour MP Rosie Duffield said: 'It's chilling that someone whose nickname was 'the rapist' was guarding MPs when we are told that we are protected by a ring of steel. Knowing now that we had a murderer in our midst, I'm sure all women working in Parliament will want to see a thorough security review.'

Ian Blair, who served as Met Commissioner from 2005 to 2008, said the force needed to be subjected to 'an absolutely forensic' investigation similar to the Stephen Lawrence inquiry led by Lord Macpherson that found the Met was 'institutionally racist'.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick delivers a statement outside the Old Bailey

Critics have accused the force of being 'institutionally misogynistic' after Miss Everard's murder.

Couzens received up to 10,000 in pay over four months after he was arrested in early March for Miss Everard's murder, it emerged last night. He was not sacked by the Met until mid-July after he pleaded guilty to the killing.

A spokesman for the Houses of Parliament said: 'Wayne Couzens was never issued with a Parliamentary pass. He accessed the Parliamentary Estate with a MPS-issued temporary pass which gives limited access to the Parliamentary Estate.

'These passes are issued to police officers in PADP who are not regularly posted to the Parliamentary Estate. They are issued at the beginning of the shift, returned at the end, and are tightly controlled.'
The shocking story of how a US Air Force bomber accidentally dropped a nuclear bomb on a South Carolina family's home and left a huge crater has been revisited.

In 1958, the US Airforce accidentally dropped the atom bomb on a family's backyard after a series of mishaps led the navigator on a B-47 bomber to accidentally pull the nuke's emergency release handle while trying to fix the bomb, and looking for something to hold onto.

Fortunately for the family of six below, and the surrounding neighborhood of Mars Bluff, only the bomb's TNT detonator went off. Speculation continues as to whether the nuclear core of the bomb had been kept in a separate part of the plane, or if the atom bomb was fully active and just failed to go off by chance.

That left a crater that was 50 feet wide and 30 foot deep, killed the family's chickens, and badly damaged their home and car.

They were all concussed, but thankfully weren't more seriously-injured, with the B-47's crew terrified they'd set off an actual blast as a mushroom cloud of dust from the TNT rose into the air.

It was around 4pm on March 11, when the Gregg sisters Helen, 6, Francis, 9, along with their cousin Ella Davies, 9, had tired of a playhouse in the woods behind the Gregg family house, and decided to move to a yard at the side of the house about 200 yards away.

Unbeknownst to them, the move would save their lives. About 19 minutes later a, 7,600-pound, Mark 6, 30-kiloton atomic bomb fell 15,000 feet to land almost directly on the playhouse, exploding and leaving only scraps of tin left from the corrugated metal that had served as its roof, American Heritage reported in 2000.

In 1958, a B-47 bomber (pictured) accidentally dropped a nuclear bomb in the backyard of a home in South Carolina

Whil only its TNT detonator went off, the bomb left a 50-foot crater, and damaged the Gregg family home as well as other neighboring structures

The bomb's nuclear material core was believed to have been removed for transport, and kept elsewhere in the aircraft, but the Gregg family recalled the still-tremendous explosion caused by its TNT detonator - used to create the nuclear chain reaction in the bomb's fissionable material.

The family's dad Walter Gregg recalled the dust and smoke the kicked up by the explosion, and the large chunks of earth thrown up into the air that would fall back down to earth damaging his house and other buildings nearby.

He had been working in the family workshop building benches with his son Walter Jr, he told the Sun News in 2003. His wife, Effie, was inside their house.

'You couldn't see 10 feet in front of your face,' Gregg, who was 82 at the time of the interview, said. 'The only thing I could figure is that that plane had crashed.'

'You can't really describe it,' Walter Jr. recalled. 'The noise was incredible, and the dust was crazy. You can't really describe it.'

The type of bomb dropped was a Mark 6, 30-kiloton bomb

A marker denoting where the nuclear weapon made impact with the ground after falling 15,000 feet

Due to the novelty of the incident, site of the explosion is now a landmark

The six-engine B-47 had been flying overhead as part of Operation Snow Flurry - a nuclear preparedness drill - and was headed to the UK for a simulated bombing run.

From the start, however, the mission was beset by problems.

Before takeoff, ground crews struggled to secure the Mark 6 payload in place, and under a strict time limit, had to hoist it on a sling before they were able to secure it with its locking pin.

As an early jet bomber, however, the B-47 suffered from a number of design flaws and was notoriously difficult to fly, American Heritage reported.

As a result, procedure called for the crew to disengage the bomb's locking mechanism during takeoff in case they needed to quickly jettison it.

Due to their unorthodox method of securing the payload with a hammer, however, the lock wouldn't re-engage, leading crew member Bruce Kulka, 29, to head to the bomb bay to manually re-secure the locking pin.

While the Gregg family suffered relatively minor injuries, their property was not so lucky, including their Chevrolet Sedan (pictured) which was declared a total loss

The Gregg family home was severely damaged, and ultimately they would win $54,000 from the government for their hardship

But Kulka, a navigator on the plane, didn't know where the mechanism was located.

'A short man, he jumped to pull himself up to get a look at where he thought the locking pin should be,' American Heritage reporter Clark Rumrill wrote.

'Unfortunately, he evidently chose the emergency bomb-release mechanism for his handhold. The weapon dropped from its shackle and rested momentarily on the closed bomb-bay doors with Captain Kulka splayed across it in the manner of Slim Pickens in Dr. Strangelove.'

Soon, the weight the bomb started to break the bay doors open, and Kulka desperately grabbed for anything that would prevent him from falling out of the plane. He had removed his parachute in order to squeeze his way into the bay.

The accident came about after Captain Bruce Kulka ( far right) had accidentally pulled the emergency release lever for the bomb

The nearly four-ton bomb dropped onto the plane's bay doors (pictured), damaging them and breaking through before plummeting to the earth

First he grabbed a bag, which came lose, and then another object, which he couldn't recall, and hauled himself to safety as the nearly four-ton bomb broke through the belly of the aircraft and fell to earth.

The blast caused some minor injuries to the Gregg family, with Ella suffering the most serious, requiring 31 stitches, and surgery to repair some internal bleeding.

Within hours of the bomb falling, Air Force personnel from two nearby bases descended on Mars Bluff, and quickly determined that no radiation had resulted from the explosion.

After, the government changed its protocols for bomb storage, including modifying their arsenal to include detonators that couldn't go off by impact alone National Heritage reported.

The Greggs and the surrounding neighborhood of Mars Bluff were lucky. The nuclear core of the bomb was reportedly removed and stored elsewhere in the plane, leaving the attacks on Nagasaki (pictured) and Hiroshima the only time nuclear weapons were used on people since the weapons were introduced

But the accident wouldn't lead to a stop in nuclear overflights, The Daily Beast reported, and they would actually increase in 1960 with the implementation of Operation Chrome Dome, which called for nuclear-armed B-52 bombers to be in the air 24 hours a day.

The government initially offered $44,000 to the Greggs for the damage to their house, and destruction of their garage, Chevrolet sedan, toolshed, clothes and the 6 to 16 free range chickens the family had, some of which were vaporized in the explosion, but they initially declined.

They would take them to court and two years later wind around $54,000. The site of the explosion is now a landmark, and despite the shock and hardship, Gregg was upbeat about the incident.

'Not too many people can say they've had a nuclear bomb dropped on them,' He told the Sun News. 'Not too many would want to.'
A black woman has been charged with posing as a member of the Ku Klux Klan and posting notes through neighbors' doors threatening to kill their children.

Terresha Lucas, 30, has been charged with eight counts of making terroristic threats, according to the Douglasville, Georgia Police Department.

Investigators allege that Lucas wrote letters describing herself as a six-feet-tall white male with a long, red beard who did not live in the neighborhood.

In March, residents of the Brookmont subdivision of Manning Drive in Douglasville, some 23 miles west of Atlanta, began receiving threatening, racist letters in the mail.

'I received one two days ago and I was alarmed at what I read,' one resident told CBS46 News.

'The letter is using the N-word, talking about the KKK, hanging people, killing kids, killing whole families, and setting houses on fire.'

Police in an Atlanta suburb have arrested a 30-year-old black woman who allegedly sent letters to several African-American families claiming to be a white Ku Klu Klan member who was going to burn down their homes and kill their children. The letters were sent to homes in Douglasville, Georgia (above)

Terresha Lucas has been charged with eight counts of making terroristic threats, according to the Douglasville, Georgia Police Department

At least seven families reported receiving the threatening letters.

The first letters were sent to two homes back in December of last year, according to investigators.

Douglas Police Detective Nathan Shumaker said that the letters were left in the mailboxes at night and found the next day.

Similar threatening letters that police said had the same tone and verbiage were reported on February 17, February 22, March 1, and March 3.

Six months went by without any letters until another note was reportedly received on September 6.

Police spent months investigating the matter, going door-to-door and checking doorbell cameras.

Investigators also handed out flyers to residents asking for information.

The break in the case came last month on Labor Day. Police said they obtained evidence linking the letters to Lucas home, though the department did not specify.

No contact information was available for Lucas, with cops in the Atlanta suburb yet to release a mugshot of her.

Officers have yet to share a motive for the bizarre crime, and it is unclear if Lucas has retained an attorney.

Records posted by the Douglas County Sheriffs Office indicate that Lucas was booked into jail.

She faces eight felony charges of terroristic threats and acts. Each count carries a maximum prison sentence of five years and a fine of $5,000.
A popular florist was stabbed to death months after his girlfriend blamed him for her taking her own life, an inquest has been told.

Alicia Callaghan, 43, was found hanging by her partner Tony Eastlake, 55, whose death is now subject to a murder inquiry after he was attacked yards from his flower stall in north London.

Poplar Coroners' Court was told that, after Ms Callaghan's death on April 1, 2021, the girlfriend of her son found a note in her belongings, which read: 'I'm doing this because of Tony Eastlake.'

Tony Eastlake was stabbed to death just yards from his stall in north London over the May Bank Holiday weekend

Mr Eastlake was stabbed to death just yards from his stall in north London on Saturday, May 29, two months after Ms Callaghan's death.

The 55-year-old, whose family described him as a 'very special man' and 'loved by everybody', was attacked on Essex Road, Islington, at around 5.30pm and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Mr Eastlake was known as the 'flower man of Islington' and had worked at the same stall on Essex Road since he was 14.

Hundreds of people had gathered to pay their respects at a vigil at his flower stand, Florence & Fleur, on May 31, where his daughter Paige Eastlake called the flower seller 'my twin' and 'my best friend'.

A statement given by Mr Eastlake, which he made in the wake of Ms Callaghan's death, was read out at her inquest.

The flower seller said the couple had argued on the evening of March 31, 2021, because she had received abusive texts from his ex-wife.

Mr Eastlake, who died on May 29 after being stabbed in the lower back, previously said Ms Callaghan told him she was going to bed just before midnight and went upstairs but when he went up to join her he found her hanging.

People at a vigil for Tony Eastlake at his stall at Essex Road Station in London

Referring to Ms Callaghan as his 'girlfriend', Mr Eastlake said the messages from his ex partner 'were abusive towards Alicia and there had been messages texted back as well'.

He added: 'Alicia's mood appeared to worsen over the next couple of hours. She had been consuming alcohol but nothing out of the ordinary.

'At approximately 11.45pm she went to the top floor of the premises, she said her goodnights and went upstairs.

'Approximately 15 minutes later I went upstairs to talk to her, and as I walked out of the living room, I saw her hanging from the bannister.'

He said he took her down from the stairs, placed her on the living room floor and he called for an ambulance and claimed to give CPR, although a police officer later gave a statement saying he had not seen Mr Eastlake administer CPR.

Mr Eastlake's statement added: 'Alicia was still struggling with her father's passing and her mother having dementia.

'I had been in a relationship with her since October 2020. The relationship, in general, was all in order but there had been some outside influences affecting her.'

Tony Eastlake's daughter Paige Eastlake called her father 'my twin' and 'my best friend' at a vigil at his Florence & Fleur flower stall at Essex Road Station two days after his death

Police Constable Michael Morrison, who attended the scene at around 12.20am on April 1, 2021, said he was met at the door to the property by Mr Eastlake who then led him up two flights of stairs 'where a woman was lying on her back in the doorway'.

He told the court: 'Mr Eastlake had not started CPR. He sat down in the living room. He was visibly upset and crying.

'Mr Eastlake said he had last seen her 15 to 20 minutes prior to the call to London Ambulance Service.

'I left the room to check the rest of the property.

'While I was upstairs, I heard Mr Eastlake shout, 'No! No!' I believe this was at the time Ms Callaghan's death was verified.'

Officers later declared the scene non-suspicious at 2.34am, the inquest heard.

Klaudia Le Xuan, the girlfriend of the only son of Ms Callaghan, said in a statement she had known 43-year-old Ms Callaghan for 'many years' and that she went to her house 'with others' to start packing the house up following her death.

She said she chose to go through the paperwork as she knew Ms Callaghan 'kept all her paperwork', and added: 'It was under the sofa seat that I found a note which read, "I'm ending it because of Tony Eastlake".

Giving live evidence in person at Poplar Coroner's Court, she said: 'It looks very rushed to me but there are parts of her handwriting that very much look like it to me.

'Of course I was going through all the paperwork so it all looked similar. It was where all her paperwork was and she only disclosed that information to a few people.'

Ms Callaghan's cousin Maria Czerska disputed it was her handwriting, the inquest heard.

However, Senior Coroner Mary Hassell said: 'It seems likely to me that Ms Callaghan did write the note not just because of the handwriting which I appreciate is in dispute but because of the place of where it was found.

'I can't tell, even if she did write the note, when she wrote the note.

'I think it is unlikely she would have written it that evening and put it in that place and then went on to do what she did.

'I don't think the note is relevant to what happened that evening in particular. I think if she wrote it, I don't think she wrote it then.'

Tributes at a vigil for Tony Eastlake at his stall at Essex Road Station in London organised by the Islington Community Group

A toxicologist analysed Ms Callaghan's blood, urine and stomach contents and detected alcohol levels at 217mg per decilitre which would have caused a high level of drunkenness and the stomach tested positive for cocaine consistent with recreational use, the court heard.

The urine also showed cannabis use at the time of her death.

A post-mortem examination said there were no suspicious marks of a third party and her injuries were consistent with the self-inflicted act of hanging.

Her GP and a clinical psychologist also gave a statement to the court to say Ms Callaghan had a chronic risk of self-harm, a history of overdose, had been in a previous abusive relationship and was suffering from the stresses of her mum's health deteriorating.

Dr Neelesh Bowry said: 'It was felt Ms Callaghan suffered from emotionally unstable disorder, suffered complaints from her neighbours, was stressed about her mum's illness and there was an ongoing risk of self-harm.'

Ms Le Xuan spoke about her frustration that it was left to Mr Eastlake to speak to her boyfriend about the death.

She said: 'I just find it very bizarre with all the ambulance crews and the police officers at the scene, he had not been contacted by anyone.

'No professional help was offered. No one had said anything to him. It's a bit bizarre that someone's mum died and you don't hear anything from the police.'

The Coroner said while she cannot speak for the police, she said: 'I would imagine it is because her then-partner was on the scene and knew about the death.'

In her determination, she gave a medical cause of death as suspension by ligature but chose not to make a ruling of suicide as the 'intentions in this are unclear'.

Ms Hassell said: 'Given all of the circumstances I am satisfied she hanged herself.

'To make a determination of suicide, the second element is that I must find on the balance of probabilities that she intended to end her life.

'Generally speaking hanging oneself is a very deliberate act. Generally speaking, most people do intend to end their own life.

'I do have some doubt here.

'It is entirely possible that in the middle of a very heated argument Ms Callaghan went upstairs and hanged herself with the intention of being found by Mr Eastlake. This may have been part of the argument.

'I do have sufficient doubt that prevents me from saying that she did intend to end her life.

'I just don't know what her intention was.

'She might easily have expected him to hear something and cut her down."

'I make a determination that Alicia Callaghan hanged herself at home late on the evening of 31 March 2021, early in the morning 1 April 2021. Her intentions in this are unclear.

'I just want to say how sorry I am to you all for your loss.'
The United States is urging China stop its 'provocative' military flights near Taiwan after the communist country sent about 100 military planes, some of them capable of dropping nuclear bombs, into the island's air defense zone over the weekend.

Taiwan's defense ministry said that China's air force sent 39 aircraft to the zone just on Saturday, the highest reported number to date.

They were a mixture of J-16 and Su-30 fighters as well as anti-submarine and early warning aircraft, Taiwan says. Friday's flights included nuclear-capable H-6 bombers, although it is unclear if they were armed with warheads.

'The United States is very concerned by the People's Republic of China's provocative military activity near Taiwan, which is destabilizing, risks miscalculations, and undermines regional peace and stability,' State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement.

Taiwan is a democratically governed island about 100 miles off the coast of mainland China.

The modern island nation was formed in 1949, after the Community Party kicked China's governing KMT party out of the mainland in the Chinese Civil War.

Taiwan says China sent 39 military planes into its air defense zone Saturday. Above, a Chinese J-16 fighter, one of the plains in this weekend's fly-overs, flies in an undisclosed location

The fly-overs also included Su-30 jets, seen above in an undated photo from a Chinese news agency, and nuclear-capable H-6 bombers

US State Department spokesman Ned Price said this weekend's 'provocative' show of force risks 'miscalculations, and undermines regional peace and stability'

President Biden said the US had 'to meet the strategic competition with China' while announcing withdrawal from Afghanistan, which some say gave China a geopolitical opening

Taiwan, officially named the Republic of China, is not part of the United Nations. Only 15 countries recognize it as an independent state. The United States is not one of them, but the two countries have consular relations, and the US government has committed to protecting Taiwan from a Chinese invasion.

China still claims Taiwan as part of the People's Republic of China and appears increasingly prepared to fight for it.

China's Zhurihe Training Base features a full-size mockup of part of downtown Taipei, the capital of Taiwan. It also includes highly elaborate recreations of its Presidential Office Building and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to technology and automotive news website The Drive.

On Sunday, Taiwan's defense ministry said it sent combat aircraft to warn away the Chinese planes, while missile systems were deployed to monitor them.

The island has complained for more than a year of repeated missions near it by China's air force, often in the southwestern part of its air defense zone close to the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands.

'We urge Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic, and economic pressure and coercion against Taiwan,' Price said Sunday.

'The United States has an abiding interest in peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and will continue to assist Taiwan in maintaining a "sufficient self-defense capability,"' Price added.

Taiwan is only 81 mi off the coast of mainland China at the narrowest point of the Taiwan Strait

'The U.S. commitment to Taiwan is rock solid and contributes to the maintenance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and within the region.'

Taiwan's Foreign Ministry thanked the United States for its concern, and said China was increasing tension in the Indo-Pacific region.

'In the face of China's challenges, our country's government has always committed itself to improving our self-defense capabilities and resolutely safeguarding Taiwan's democracy, freedom, peace and prosperity,' it said.

China has yet to comment on its activities, and it is not clear what may have caused Beijing to decide to mount the missions, though Friday was the country's National Day, a patriotic holiday that marks the founding of the People's Republic.

China has previously said such flights were to protect the country's sovereignty and aimed against 'collusion' between Taiwan and the United States, the island's most important international backer.

China has also recently expressed outrage at the AUKUS pact, which will see the United Kingdom and the United States help Australia get nuclear-powered submarines.

Australia has faced mounting diplomatic pressure from China in recent years, with the commission of those subs seen as a sign of strong pushback against Xi Jinping's communist government.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said the 'extremely irresponsible' pact 'seriously undermines regional peace and stability and intensifies the arms race,' according to the BBC.

The government-owned media's response was even more fervent.

The Global Times, an international English-language outlet owned by the Chinese Communist Party, accused the United States of 'hysterically polarizing its alliance system,' adding that 'Washington is losing its mind by trying to rally its allies against China.'

'If Australia dares to provoke China more blatantly because of that, or even find fault militarily, China will certainly punish it with no mercy,' the newspaper warned in an editorial, according to The Diplomat, which covers news from the Indo-Pacific region.

A day after the AUKUS pact was signed, Taipei said two J-11 fighters, six J-16 fighters, one Y-8 anti-submarine plane and one Y-8 spy aircraft entered its air defense identification zone near Pratas Island.

China lays claim to Taiwan, which is democratically run and has been independent from China since the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949. Above, Chinese President Xi Jingping

Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen will give a major speech in Taipei next Sunday during the island nation's national day. It will include a fly-by of fighter jets

Taiwan Premier Su Tseng-chang condemned China for its actions on Saturday, saying the country was engaging in military aggression and damaging regional peace.

Taiwan marks its national day next Sunday, with a major speech by President Tsai Ing-wen and military parade in central Taipei, which will include a fly-by of fighter jets.

China has stepped up military and political pressure to try to force Taiwan to accept Chinese sovereignty.

Some argue that the United States' recent chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, which killed 13 US troops and left the country in the hands of the terrorist Taliban regime, paved the way for Chinese aggression.

Afghanistan shares a 47 mile border with mainland China.

In announcing the US's withdrawal, Biden cited the 'need to focus on shoring up America's core strengths to meet the strategic competition with China and other nations.'

'America's exit lowers strategic pressure on China,' Zhu Yongbiao, an expert on Afghanistan at China's Lanzhou University, told NPR.

'The situation has positives for China, but the negatives outweigh the positives. What China could stand to gain is quite modest.'

The withdrawal presented a mixed bag for China, according to experts.

'On the one hand, [China] didn't love the fact that there [were] American military bases literally on their border in Afghanistan,' Raffaello Pantucci, a fellow with the Royal United Services Institute think tank in the UK, told NPR.

'On the other hand, you know, they thought, well, at least someone is dealing with the issues there. And we don't have to.'

Taiwan says it is an independent country and will defend its freedom and democracy.

Speaking in Hanoi, Vietnam last month, Vice President Kamala Harris accused China of 'bullying' the country and its neighbors.

'We need to find ways to pressure, raise the pressureon Beijing to abide by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and to challenge, its bullying and excessive maritime claims,' Harris during a meeting with Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, referring to China's extensive claims over the South China Sea.
Distressing images have emerged showing a group of hare coursers in action in Cambridgeshire.

The pictures, shared by the Ely Standard, were taken after a group of four men and a 12-year-old boy were spotted hunting hares in the countryside.

The images show one man swinging a hare by its legs, moments before brutally bashing it against the top of his car.

Other pictures show a dog grabbing hold of one of the small animals using its teeth.

The photographs were taken earlier today near the Cambridge Services just off the A14.

Shocking photographs of hare coursing in action in Cambridgeshire have been caught on camera.

This image shows the moment a dog caught a hare in its jaws after a chase across a field in Cambridgeshire

The photos were taken today (Sunday) near the Cambridge Services just off the A14

Hare coursing was banned under the Hunting Act 2004, but still takes place illegally in areas of flat farmland such as Cambridgeshire

Cambridgeshire Police have been handed the images and have now launched an investigation to find the owner of the Honda captured in the photographs.

One police officer was quoted as saying the coursers are 'an absolute menace'.

He said the Rural Crime Action Team were determined to catch all culprits found operating in Cambridgeshire.

Hare coursing is a bloodsport where dogs are used to chase, catch and kill hares.

The practice was banned in the UK by the Hunting Act 2004. However, it still takes place illegally in the countryside - particularly in areas with flat farmland such as Cambridgeshire.

In August, seven police forces announced they were joining forces in an attempt to curb 'cruel' bloodsports.

Hare coursing is a bloodsport where dogs are used to chase, catch and kill hares.

Cambridgeshire Police's Rural Crime Action Team are 'determined' to catch all culprits found operating in Cambridgeshire

Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Kent forces stated they would work together and remove their borders in relation to hare coursing.

The agreement was backed by the Crown Prosecution Service and it means that anyone who participates in three incidents linked to hare coursing can be prosecuted, regardless of the area in which the offences were committed.
Liz Truss today fired a warning shot at Beijing as she said the UK will be 'tough' on countries that 'dont play by the rules'.

The Foreign Secretary said 'it is important we trade with China' but that trade must be 'reliable' and avoid 'strategic dependency'.

Ms Truss also took aim at what she described as the 'voices of decline' as she argued 'Britains best days are ahead of us'.

Liz Truss today fired a warning shot at Beijing as she said the UK will be 'tough' on countries that 'dont play by the rules'

The UK and China relationship has been strained in recent years amid rumbling rows over human rights abuses and the treatment of Hong Kong.

Ms Truss, who replaced Dominic Raab as Foreign Secretary in the middle of September, adopted a firm stance on links with Beijing this afternoon.

She told the Conservative Party conference in Manchester: 'We will also be tough on those who dont share our values and dont play by the rules.

'It is important we trade with China, but we must make sure it is reliable trade, that it avoids strategic dependency and that it does not involve the violation of intellectual property rights or forced technology transfer.

'The world is safer and more prosperous when countries abide by their international obligations.'

Ms Truss said Britain will 'reach out to more countries who havent historically been aligned to Britain' in order to 'encourage a freer, more prosperous world'.

The Foreign Secretary also took aim at the Labour Party after its members voted to condemn the AUKUS defence pact at their conference in Brighton last week.

The deal was welcomed by Sir Keir Starmer and other members of the shadow Cabinet but the party's grassroots voted overwhelmingly against it, claiming it undermines world peace.

The UK and China relationship has been strained in recent years amid rumbling rows over human rights abuses and the treatment of Hong Kong. Chinese President Xi Jinping is pictured in Beijing on September 30 this year

Ms Truss said the vote against the pact, which will provide Australia with its first ever fleet of nuclear-powered submarines, showed how 'out of touch' Labour is.

She added: 'Jeremy Corbyn may no longer be leader, but the same spirit lives on the Labour Party.'

The Cabinet minister also expressed optimism about Britain's post-Brexit future, telling Tory activists: 'I reject the voices of decline. I believe that Britains best days are ahead of us.'
SNL guest host Owen Wilson played Jeff Bezos in a spoof Star Trek episode that saw the Amazon founder race in space against Elon Musk and Richard Branson.

The commercial-like skit for the spoof, named Star Trek: Ego Quest, begins with a voiceover saying: 'For decades, the Star Trek franchise has brought you unforgettable voyages from the final frontier. Now the tradition continues with a new ship, a new crew, and a new captain: Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.'

Bezos, played by host Owen Wilson, could then be seen in a set decorated like the one where he held his news conference following his 10 minute trip to space in July.

Wilson's version of Bezos could then be seen wearing a cowboy hat and saying: 'Dude, space is freaking awesome,' before it goes to the title screen: Star Trek: Ego Quest. The voyages of the SS New Sheppard.'

Along with Bezos, the ship's 'crew of weirdos' includes 'First Mate Jeff Bezos' brother (played by Wilson's brother, actor Luke Wilson), Science Officer some rich high school kid from the Netherlands and 82 year-old astronaut Wally Funk.

'Their mission: To sort of just fly around space goofing off.'

NBC's hit sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live took aim at Jeff Bezos' 10-minute voyage into space in its latest episode

The sketch joked that the Blue Origin crew's mission was to 'goof off'

Bezos was played by host Owen Wilson

The sketch also poked fun at the apparently phallic-shaped rocket Bezos went to space in

The sketch was entitled 'Star Trek: Ego Quest'

'Alliances will be formed,' the voiceover continues, as Bezos looks out the window of his ship and sees a Virgin Galactic ship.

'I recognize that purple mood lighting anywhere,' Wilson's character remarks in the sketch, before engaging fellow space race billionaire Richard Branson (played by Alex Moffat) in a race that takes out the International Space Station as the voiceover tells viewers to 'take flight on a midlife crisis of cosmic proportions.'

Branson took to orbit weeks before Bezos in his Virgin Galactic spaceship.

'But around every corner, danger lurks,' it continues, before zooming on Heidi Gardner as Wally Funk warning her crew about an 'incoming photon torpedo,' apparently sent by Elon Musk (played by Mikey Day), who warns Bezos: 'Space is only big enough for one weird white billionaire.

'You could say beating you is my Prime objective,' Day jokes, making light of Amazon's Prime service.

The sketch continues to say that the team will 'need all the help they can get from a loyal team of valued employees,' as an Amazon deliverer, played by Kenan Thompson, comes on board to deliver a package.

'By the way, it's an honor to meet you sir,' Kenan's character tells Bezos. 'People say you don't care about your Amazon employees, but I disagree, I - wow you're just going to throw me out like that,' as Bezos hovers his hand over a button to send the delivery man back to Earth.

In one part of the sketch, Bezos sees Virgin Galactic CEO Richard Branson flying around and the two start to race through space

Near the end, the crew is hit by a 'photon torpedo'

The torpedo was apparently sent by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, played by Mikey Day

Real life brothers Owen and Luke Wilson played Jeff Bezos and his brother, Mark

The sketch comes about two months since the Amazon founder left Earth's orbit for 10 minutes with his brother, Mark, Oliver Daemen - the word's first paying customer to buy his flight - and 82-year-old Wally Funk, who passed NASA's space program in the 1960s but never made it to space because the women's flight was canceled.

They took off from their base at Van Horn, Texas, at 9.12am EST on July 20, the 52nd anniversary of the moon landing, 12 minutes behind schedule. They ascended for four minutes before the New Shepard rocket booster separated from their capsule, leaving them floating in zero gravity for four minutes.

Bezos and Mark floated about, pretended to swim and tossed skittles in each other's mouths while in the air, they said afterwards. They had written 'Hi' and 'Mom' on their palms and put their hands together for their mother Jacklyn while in space.

They then returned to earth with parachutes controlling the pace of their descent, touching down in the Texas desert at 9.22am EST, 10 minutes and 20 seconds after liftoff.

The 10 minute journey cost $5.5billion - $550million per minute. Bezos, who stepped down as Amazon CEO earlier this year and will now split his time between Blue Origin and his environmental charity, said at a press conference after the flight: 'For every Amazon customer, you guys paid for all this so thank you from the bottom of my heart.'

Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, gave a news conference after he came back to Earth following a 10-minute voyage on July 20

He wore goggles owned by Amelia Earhart, which he carried into space

The crew of the SS New Sheppard included Oliver Damen, 18, Bezos, Wally Funk, 82, and Mark Bezos

Jeff and Mark celebrated the launch of Blue Origin with some champagne

Bezos, wearing a cowboy hat, founded Blue Origin in September 2000 and is currently funding the company to the tune of about $1 billion per year through the sale of his shares in Amazon

The SS New Sheppard ascended for four minutes before the New Shepard rocket booster separated from their capsule, leaving them floating in zero gravity for four minutes

Bezos  who has an estimated personal worth of $207 billion  is one of a number of billionaire entrepreneurs fueling what has been dubbed the 'new space race', with each pumping billions of dollars into their respective start-ups with the aim of creating cheap, commercialized space travel.

He founded Blue Origin in September 2000 and is currently funding the company to the tune of about $1 billion per year through the sale of his shares in Amazon.

Elon Musk, the head of Tesla, meanwhile founded SpaceX in 2002, and has since built rockets capable of shuttling satellites and other cargo into Earth's orbit. The company is now working on creating a spaceship that will take humans to the moon and mars, though Musk himself has not left Earth.

And Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit, which spun off from Virgin Galactic in 2017, sent its first batch of satellites to orbit in January, as it also prepares to send people into space.

He had launched into space aboard a winged rocket ship developed by his company Virgin Galactic one week before Bezos' trip.

Bezos, meanwhile, has said that he wants to eventually send people to live and work in spinning, orbital colonies to extend human life after Earth reaches an energy scarcity crisis, according to CNN.

He developed Blue Origin to develop cheaper rocket and spacecraft technologies that would be necessary to create a colony.

The company named the New Shepard program after astronaut Alan Shepard, who was the first American to fly into space 60 years ago.

The flight marked a huge milestone in the mission to send paying customers to the edge of space, and continue a rapid expansion of the space tourism industry.

'Ever since I was five years old, I've dreamed of traveling to space,' Bezos posted to his Instagram account, adding that he want to go on the flight because 'it's a thing I've wanted to do all my life. It's an adventure. It's a big deal for me.'

His brother added: 'I wasn't even expecting him to say that he was going on the first flight.

'And then when he asked me to go along, I was just awestruck. What a remarkable opportunity, not only to have this adventure, but to be able to do it with my best friend.'

The voyage came one week after Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson took his voyage into space

Tesla founder Elon Musk is also developing rockets to send people to Mars and the moon

Meanwhile, Bezos is facing new criticism for his flight, as nearly two dozen Blue Origin employees have accused him of creating a 'toxic' work environment where the company sacrificed safety to work at 'breakneck speed' in order to win the billionaire space race.

In an essay published on Thursday, Alexandra Abrams, the former head of Blue Origin Employee Communications, along with 20 employees said the priority was to 'make progress for Jeff' as he competed with Elon Musk and Richard Branson to make it to space first.

They claimed that the most common question at high-level meetings was: 'When will Elon or Branson fly?' and safety concerns were ignored because they would have 'slowed progress'.

'Progress at Blue Origin was smooth and steady and slow, until Jeff started getting impatient that Elon and Branson were getting ahead, and then we started feeling this increasing pressure and impatience that would filter down from leadership,' Abrams told CBS Mornings on Thursday.

The employees said they felt 'unease' when Bezos blasted into space with three other civilians on an unpiloted rocket, with some unable to watch the event.

Most said that with their concerns over safety, they would not fly in Blue Origin rockets at all.
George W. Bush posted one of the first photos of his 'healthy and adorable' granddaughter Cora Georgia on Saturday.

Baby Cora was born Monday in Kennebunkport, Maine to the famously private Barbara Bush and her husband Craig Coyne. She is the fourth grandchild of the former president, 75, and his wife Laura, 74.

'With full hearts, @laurawbush and I are delighted to announce the birth of our new granddaughter,' W. wrote on Instagram, echoing a press release from last week.

The lavender-clad former president showed off the latest addition to his family alongside wife Laura.

'Barbara gave birth to Cora Georgia Coyne on September 27, 2021, in Maine  not far from our family home where Barbara and Craig were married. Cora is healthy and adorable, and we are proud and grateful.'

Laura Bush reposted the same photo to her own account.

Former President George W. Bush, 75, poses with his newborn granddaughter Cora and his wife Laura, 74 in an Instagram post welcoming the 'healthy and adorable' girl

The two-term president's post comes days after his daughter Jenna shared the first set of pics

Family: Barbara Bush revealed the first photos of her newborn baby daughter Cora Georgia, with one capturing the new mother and her husband Craig Coyne with the infant

Barbara, 39, revealed the first photos of her newborn baby Cora Georgia Coyne earlier this week.

The images were shared on Instagram by Barbara's twin sister, Today show host Jenna Bush Hager.

Barbara is seen with her husband Craig Coyne, 40, tenderly cradling her daughter Cora in a hospital bed.

Another photo captures Hager tenderly cradling her sister and newborn niece in a hospital chair, with two other snaps showing the Today show host herself proudly holding Cora.

Hager appeared to have lightly 'muzzed' Cora's face with an editing tool in some of the photos in an apparent attempt to give her sibling complete control over whether to display her newborn daughter's face on social media.

In her caption, Hager - who has three children of her own - expressed her joy at meeting her newborn niece, while revealing that the baby girl, who was born near the Bush family compound in Kennebunkport, Maine, arrived 'earlier than expected'.

'Dearest Cora Georgia,' she began. 'Today is the day I got to meet my most beautiful, precious, feisty, niece (a bit earlier than I expected!).

'I witnessed in awe as my dearest, toughest @barbara.p.bush became a mama. And today is the day I fell in love!

The images, which were shared on Instagram by Barbara's twin Jenna Bush Hager, appear to have been taken in the hospital where Cora was born

Today show host Jenna, who said her three children are 'anxiously waiting' to meet their new cousin, was pictured proudly cradling her niece

Jenna appears to have lightly blurred the face of the baby girl, who she revealed arrived 'earlier than expected', perhaps in an attempt to maintain her privacy

'Some cousins are anxiously waiting to play with you, but not just yet love. Xx auntie J.'

The 43rd president and first lady announced the happy news in a press release issued Tuesday, calling Cora 'healthy and adorable.'

Hager is married to businessman Henry Chase Hager, 43, whom she shares three children with including eight-year-old Mila, six-year-old Poppy and two-year-old Henry 'Hal.'

Cora is Barbara's first child.

Barbara is named after her grandmother, the wife of former President George H.W. Bush and the mother of George W. The elder Barbara died in 2018 at age 92.

The former President shared the news of Baby Cora's birth in a press release on Tuesday to welcome the new addition to the family.

Bush gave birth to Cora Georgia near the family's compound in Kennebunkport, Maine, which is where she and Craig were wed in 2018

George, 75, shared the news of his granddaughter's birth via a press release that was issued on Tuesday, revealing that his daughter gave birth in Maine on Monday

Although Cora is not known to be a Bush family name, it is likely that the baby girl's middle name Georgia is a nod to her grandfather and great-grandfather, both of whom have the name George.

Unlike Jenna, who is an anchor on the Today show and regularly documents her family life on social media, Barbara is famously private, and keeps her personal life mostly hidden from the spotlight.

She runs a health nonprofit and has taken a keen interest in helping AIDS patients in Africa.

George W. previously opened up about his daughter's discreet personality in a segment for Today, during which he recounted how Barbara and Jenna once joined their grandfather George H.W. for a political rally in Texas around the age of three, recalling how the sisters' respective personalities were clearly showing even at such a young age.

'Barbara was an observer, Jenna was a participant. Barbara is more reserved and Jenna is pretty outgoing. It was a reflection of their little personalities,' he said.

George H.W. Bush, W.'s father, served as president for a single term, between 1988 and 1992, with Barbara Jr named after his wife Barbara Senior, who died in April 2018, just seven months before her husband.

The birth of Barbara's daughter comes almost three years to the day after she and Vanderbilt graduate Craig tied the knot in an intimate surprise ceremony in Maine, having been engaged for just five weeks.

Barbara and Craig's wedding was attended by a close circle of friends and family, including George and Laura, Jenna, Henry and their three children, and the bride's grandfather, George H.W. Bush, whose beloved wife Barbara had passed away just six months earlier.

Brood: Cora Georgia is the fourth grandchild of George and his wife Laura, 74, who are also grandparents to the three children of Barbara's twin sister Jenna and her husband Henry

Cousins: Cora is cousin to Jenna's three children Mila, Poppy, and Henry 'Hal'

Relocated? Barbara gave birth near the Bush compound in Walker Point, Kennebunkport, which is where they tied the knot in October 2018 - just five weeks after Craig proposed

The ceremony was officiated by Barbara's aunt, Dorothy Bush Koch, while her nieces Mila and Poppy served as flower girls for the occasion.

At the time, it was reported that Barbara and Craig were planning to settle down together in New York City - having spent much of their relationship living on separate coasts, with Barbara residing in the Big Apple, while writer Craig remained in Los Angeles.

However, it may well be that the couple chose to relocate to Maine ahead of the birth of their first child.

Barbara and Craig first began dating in November 2017 after they were set up on a blind date by friends - and they made their relationship official on New Year's Eve just a few weeks later.

Craig then proposed to Barbara just five weeks before they tied the knot, during a family gathering in Maine.

'It's just been a very sweet romance,' Barbara told People at the time. 'And we've been long-distance for most of it - he's been in LA and I've been in New York - but we've gotten to spend a lot of time together.'

Barbara has long been more reserved than her twin sister Jenna, and she does not have a public Instagram account - unlike her sibling, who regularly shares images of her home life with her three kids, both on social media and on the Today show.

And while Jenna's job requires her to step into the spotlight day after day, Barbara has maintained a much more low-key professional profile, too, working for years as the co-founder of Global Health Corps, a nonprofit focused on public health.

Under wraps: Barbara is famously very private and rarely shares information about her private life, however it is known that she and Craig first met on a blind date in November 2017

Siblings: George (pictured with his family at the White House in 2004) once described Barbara as being 'an observer', explaining that she was always 'more reserved' from a young age

Meanwhile, Craig is a writer and former actor who appeared in a handful of movies, including Jarhead (2005), and Unlovable (2018), as well as the web series Lonelygirl15 (2006), which caused a stir in the early days of YouTube when it was revealed it was scripted.

Craig was cast by director Sam Mendes for Jarhead, which is based on the memoir of US Marine Anthony Swofford and stars Jake Gyllenhaal as the lead.

Unlovable is an upcoming dramedy about a woman struggling with sex addiction.

The Vanderbilt University alumni considers himself the 'world's biggest Chick-Fil-A fan' according to a website for one of his films.

After graduating from Vanderbilt, the groom worked as a page in the U.S. House of Representatives before moving to Los Angeles.

Pages in this position typically serve in their junior year of high school, meaning Craig likely worked as a page between 1997 and 1998.

The president at the time was Bill Clinton, and Craig's new father-in-law George W. didn't enter the White House until January 2001.

As a writer, Craig has worked on a live-action show for Comedy Central, as well as an original series with Parks and Rec star Jim O'Heir called Ask Play, which he also directed and which is said to be in post-production.

The groom, who creates web content and series with producers located in Los Angeles and in the UK, has also written a play, Delusions of Grammar, which has him a spot in the selection of the 2016 William Inge Theatre Festival in Kansas.
Dog the Bounty Hunter is investigating a hiker's tip after they claimed they spoke with fugitive Brian Laundrie along the Appalachian Trail.

The reality stars daughter, Lyssa Chapman, told the New York Post she is in communication with the hiker, Dennis Davis, who alleges he spoke to Laundrie Saturday morning on a deserted road near the Tennessee and North Carolina border.

'I do believe Dennis. I am convinced hes convinced,' Lyssa said.

'Were doing everything we can to verify Dennis tip but there isnt much to go off other than the location. But were working that tip for sure.'

Lyssa said she, her father and his wife, Francie, have been actively investigating potential leads.

The team has received close to 3,000 tips connected to the case. Lyssa took to Twitter Sunday night encouraging her followers to continue submitting tips.

She wrote: 'Kept offline today to give us all a break. We are all still working hard behind the scenes. Dad & Francie spent another day in the field, and I on the lines. Keep the leads and tips coming.'

Dog the Bounty Hunter (pictured) is working to confirm a hiker's report that he spoke with fugitive Brian Laundrie along the Appalachian Trail

The reality stars daughter, Lyssa Chapman, said the team has received nearly 3,000 tips connected to the case and encouraged her social media followers to keep sending leads in

Dennis Davis, pictured, says he saw Brian Laundrie on a deserted trail along the Appalachian Trail in North Carolina on Saturday

Lyssa's social media update came hours after Duane 'Dog' Chapman shared a video of himself continuing to search for Laundrie by wading through waist-deep swamp water in Florida.

In his most recent post on Instagram, Chapman the footage on Sunday morning as followers praised his commitment to finding Laundrie.

In the video, Chapman can be seen holding onto a boat before venturing into the swamp with waist-deep waters along with four other men.

'The search has continued throughout the weekend on the islands off the west coast of Florida,' he captioned the video.

'The search has continued throughout the weekend on the islands off the west coast of Florida,' Duane 'Dog' Chapman captioned a clip of him and his team wading through a Florida swamp searching for Laudnrie

Dog The Bounty Hunters vowed to find Laundrie and help bring justice to Gabby Petito's death. He said he could empathize with Petito's family pain because he lost a daughter of similar age to Petito's

The former reality TV star joined the search for Laundrie last weekend, more than a week after law enforcement started their own manhunt for Laundrie, whose parents said was last seen on September 14.

Police was made aware that Laundrie whereabouts were unknown on September 17, and two days later Petito's body was found near Grand Teton National Park.

Chapman has vowed to help bring justice to Petito's death and find Laundrie. He said he could empathize with Petito's family because he also lost one of his daughters when she was a similar age to Petito's.

He said that he is receiving sighting tips like 'crazy,' with around 2,000 people calling the hotline he set up for tips on Laundrie on a daily basis.

Chapman's daughter, Lyssa Chapman, said that she is in charge of the logistics of the search online and is actively receiving and thoroughly following leads.

Chapman said he is receiving sighting tips like 'crazy,' with around 2,000 people calling the hotline he set up for tips on Laundrie on a daily basis

Chapman joined the search for Brian Laundrie last weekend. He said today that he is searching on islands off Florida's West Coast

Update: Dads is physically following up on leads today, and I am digitally following up on leads. Keep the info coming !! Persistent is key to getting #justiceforgabbypetito & #BrainLaundrie behind bars  Lyssa Chapman (@BabyLyssaC) October 2, 2021

'Update: Dads is physically following up on leads today, and I am digitally following up on leads. Keep the info coming !! Persistence is key to getting #justiceforgabbypetito & #BrainLaundrie behind bars,' she tweeted.

Social media has been a pivotal tool in the investigation into Petito's disappearance and the finding of her body, as it becomes evident that it will also be fundamental in the search for Laundrie.

Chapman's social media updates come a day after Petito's mother, Nichole Schmidt, also took social media to demand Laundrie turn himself in.

'Mama bear is getting angry!' Schmidt posted on Twitter using her account for the first time. 'Turn yourself in! @josephpetito agrees.#justiceforgabby #americasdaughter.'

Within the first two hours, the tweet gathered 7.4K likes and 1.1K retweets.

She then retweeted a photo of Gabby and her stepmother, Tara Petito, shared by Joseph Petito, Gabby's father, and a photo of Gabby as a child shared by Jim Schmidt, Gabby's stepfather.

Gabby Petito's family revealed last week that they got new tattoos in her honor, including one she had on her forearm saying 'Let it be'

Laundrie's parents called 911 on Chapman last week, after he showed up knocking on their door and asking for information about their son's whereabouts.

Chapman has said that it is 'a shame,' the Laundries are not cooperating to find their son.

'The police said we were welcome to knock on the door so we did,' he told FOX. 'I wanted to tell the Laundries that our goal is to find Brian and bring him in alive.'

Chapman has focused his attention on the coastline and creeks surrounding Fort De Soto Park. The TV reality star used boats and K9 units top search the area last Wednesday.

Chapman believes it is probable that Laundrie is hiding somewhere in the 1,136 acre Fort De Soto Park area  which is made up of five interconnected islands.

During Wednesday's search, the team did not find solid evidence suggesting that Laundrie is in the woods on Egmont Key

A map shows the Fort de Soto Park campsite's location, the Laundrie family home and the Carlton Reserve where authorities have focused their search and Laundrie's parents say he was headed

'This would be and could be a perfect spot for him to hide, not too many people out here, but there's a lot of environmental things that we're gonna fight,' he said in a video posted to Twitter.

Both police and Chapman are fighting against time to find Laundrie, as chances to collect evidence in order to build a case against him decrease by the hour.

Meanwhile, the investigation was thrown a curveball by an alleged sighting in North Carolina on Saturday.

A hiker in the Appalachian Trail said 'there is no doubt in [his] mind' that he had a nighttime encounter with Brian Laundrie on Saturday morning after Lyssa Chapman sent him an audio recording of Laundrie's voice and he recognized the voice as that of the man who asked him for help.

Dennis Davis said he encountered Petito's boyfriend on a deserted road close to the trail close to the Tennessee border - 700 miles away from where the 23-year-old was last seen near his home in North Port, Florida.

A hiker near the Appalachian Trail in North Carolina claims he had a nighttime encounter with Brian Laundrie on Saturday morning, weeks after the fugitive boyfriend of slain Gabby Petito was last seen in Florida

Davis, 53, who is an engineer from Florida, says he spoke to a man who waved down his car on Waterville Road, near the Appalachian Trail and close to the border of North Carolina and Tennessee.

He says the man pulled up alongside Davis and made a bizarre request for help as he asked for directions in order to drive west to California using only back roads.

Davis, a dad-of-four, suggested he simply take Interstate 40 which runs east to west across the country from North Carolina all the way to California.

'There is no doubt in my mind I spoke to Brian Laundrie  none whatsoever,' Davis told the New York Post.

'Dog the Bounty Hunter's daughter sent me an audio file of Brian's voice and the voice was the same I heard.'

Davis was hiking the Appalachian Trail himself and noted the man he believed to be Laundrie acted nervously.

'He said 'Man, I'm lost.' I said 'What are you trying to find?' and he said 'Me and my girlfriend got in a fight but she called me, told me she loves me, and I have to get to California to see her.''

'I said 'Well, I-40 is right there and you could take it west to California' and he said, 'I'm just going to take this road into California'.

'He was worried and not making sense,' Davis added.

He did not immediately recognize him as Laundrie but is certain it was him.

Despite lighting being poor because of the night, he believes there was enough lighting from the car's headlights to make a positive identification.

Davis told Laundrie his best way to head to California would be to take Interstate 40 which runs for more than 2,500 miles from North Carolina

Brian Laundrie, 23, who was reported missing last week, remains a person of interest in the disappearance and death of fiancee Gabby Petito

Petito and Laundrie 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 man he believed to be Laundrie was driving a light-colored pickup and was wearing a bandana on his head.

It wasn't until later, with Davis having looked up photos of the man on his cellphone that he realized whom he had just spoken with.

Davis claims to have made several calls to the FBI and to 911 in the hours after the encounter but frustratingly nobody has yet called him back.

'Law enforcement is probably getting millions of leads on this guy, but I am not some goofball out there doing drugs in the middle of the night, I am a highly educated professional. 'And I know that was the guy. There is no doubt about it.

'We have this lead but no one's doing anything, not even a phone call.

'Obviously, as a father with a daughter, I want to do whatever I can to help the family find closure and get this guy off the streets,' Davis said.

Gabrielle Petito, 22, from her Instagram page, is seen with boyfriend Brian Laundrie, now the sole person of interest in her murder

While Chapman has primarily focused his search efforts in Florida, the shift to the Appalachian Trail is not entirely unexpected. Lyssa Chapman first suggested that Laundrie may have been spotted along the Appalachian Trail in North Carolina last Sunday

While Chapman has primarily focused his search efforts in Florida, the shift to the Appalachian Trail is not entirely unexpected.

Lyssa Chapman first suggested that Laundrie may have been spotted along the Appalachian Trail in North Carolina last Sunday.

She took to social media announcing that their search team was looking for experienced hiking/survivalists located in the area after receiving multiple reports of Laundrie sightings near the Appalachian Trail.

'Okay guys. Please RETWEET!! looking for experienced HIKING/SURVIVALIST near the Appalachian Hiking trail in North Carolina,' she wrote.

Later she shared that she had spoken to a woman from a 'big backwoods community' in the area and learned that residents were not aware of the ongoing hunt for Laundrie.

She encouraged her followers to 'share his mugshot and reach out to anyone who know whos involved in these communities'.

At that time, the Watuaga County Sheriffs Office confirmed to FOX 46 that they 'were looking into these claims, but nothing has been verified'.

Laundrie's whereabouts are unknown since September 14, when his parents said he left the family home in North Port, Florida. The Laundries said that their son was heading to a nearby nature reserve and only had his backpack.

Petito and Laundrie went on a cross-country trip in their van in August, but Petito never returned home.

The pair drew national attention after Petito was reported missing on September 11, ten days after Laundrie returned to Florida on their van without Petito and refused to answer her parents about what had happened to her.

Petito's body was found in Wyoming's Bridger-Teton National Forest and her death was declared a homicide.
A photo of a Montana firefighter reading to a little girl went viral on social media after she was involved in a car crash.

The heart melting moment was captured while rescue crews were clearing up the accident in Billings on Wednesday night.

Billings firefighter Ryan Benton was seen sitting on the curb next to the little girl with a flashlight in hand as he read to her.

The image that was posted on the Billings Firefighters Instagram page was posted on Instagram with the caption 'It's the little things.'

Users took to the comments to praise Benton and gush over the endearing moment.

Billings firefighter Ryan Benton was captured reading to a little girl by flashlight on Wednesday night after she was involved in a car accident

Social media users were touched by the endearing moment between Benton and the little girl

'So cool! That's my brother!! Always very proud of him,' Benton's brother Kyle said.

'Thank you Ryan. You and BFD are the best!!,' Jackie Yamanaka added.

'They're pretty awesome. Thank you Billings MT First Responders! You rock!,' Kim Justice also said.

The firefighter's wife Kay also commented on the post.

'Makes me so proud when I get to see pictures like this!!,' she said.

The photographer Allie Schmalz also posted the moment on Facebook which she called the 'Sweetest thing ever!!'

Although Benton did not want to interview with news sources about the picture, fellow Billings firefighter Cameron Abell commented on the event.

'We're going to take care of the job we're doing there first,' said Abell told KTVQ.

'That's our first priority. But there's a lot of times after like the story you saw in the social media post.

Emergency crews from the Billings Fire Department cleared the scene on Wednesday night

'That firefighter, Ryan, he was there, they were cleaning up the car accident, and so he took it upon himself to, to take the time to make those kids feel safe.

'Ryan's a really humble guy and he's probably going to kill me for kind of putting him in the spotlight,' he added.

'But he, he did great work that day and he said he didn't want to be on the interview because that's his job and he's just doing his job. And that's kind of how we all feel.

'But we all know when somebody does something like that and gets spotlighted for it. It's good to recognize their good work.'

Abell also added that Benton had grabbed the book from a donation bag supplied by the Rimrock Credit Union and Usborne Books

Fellow firefighter Cameron Abell called Ryan a 'humble guy' and applauded him for his work

Abell added that books were donated to the department to help children calm down in stressful emergency situations

'The book bags were an idea to bring some calm into their lives, to bring some sensibility into a really stressful situation.

'There's a lot that goes on that they may not understand or they're just overwhelmed by, and so if we can bring a book in that kind of explains what complicated situations are kind of explains what firefighters do and maybe there's a stuffed plush toy in there, just kind of the, the combination.

'That kind of can bring them some sense of normalcy in a really terrible situation, sometimes for them. Something that we deal with on a day in and day out basis that parents may not be able to cope with yet because they're also going through the same situation.

'The sense of calm that maybe we can bring to the children can help the adults calm down as well.'
Former President Donald Trump pressured Republicans not to support President Joe Biden's agenda in a sentence-long statement sent out Sunday.

'The Democrat plan, if approved at any level, will push our Country towards socialism!' Trump said.

The ex-president was likely referring to the $3.5 trillion budget bill Democrats continue to negotiate - though are expected to pass without Republican support.

Former President Donald Trump sent out a statement Sunday warning Republicans not to work with Democrats

'The Democrat plan, if approved at any level, will push our Country towards socialism!' Trump said

That bill contains a number of liberal goodies including climate change provisions, universal pre-K, child care assistance, tuition-free community college, paid medical and family leave, the extension of the child tax credit and enhanced Medicare coverage.

Senate Democrats will use the process of reconciliation in the Senate to bypass the filibuster - when 60 votes are needed.

Still, Biden has had trouble getting every Democratic senator on board, with the primary hold-outs being Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia.

Trump could also be trying to tank Biden's bipartisan infrastructure bill.

That $1.2 trillion piece of legislation already passed the Senate but is being held up in the House by progressives - who want moderate Democrats to vote for the larger, $3.5 trillion package.

House Democrats could pass this bill unilaterally too, but it was initially expected to get some Republican support.

In the Senate, the infrastructure bill passed 69-30.

With the infrastructure bill already out of the Senate - and Democrats planning to use reconciliation to pass the other Biden bill - Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is using a needed debt ceiling vote to put pressure on the process.

'There is no chance, no chance the Republican conference will go out of our way to help Democrats conserve their time and energy, so they can resume ramming through partisan socialism as fast as possible,' McConnell said Wednesday.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the U.S. will be unable to pay its bills starting October 18 if Congress fails to act.

Trump has repeatedly told Republicans not to offer Biden any help.

'It is a loser for the USA, a terrible deal, and makes the Republicans look weak, foolish, and dumb,' Trump said in a July statement, trying to convince GOP senators not to cross the aisle and vote in favor of infrastructure.

'It shouldn't be done. It sets an easy glidepath for Dems to then get beyond what anyone thought was possible in future legislation. ... Don't do it Republicans - Patriots will never forget! If this deal happens, lots of primaries will be coming your way!' he said.
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California is bracing for an 'environmental catastrophe' amid fears that a 126,000-gallon oil pipeline leak which is behind a 13-square-mile slick has still not stopped.

More than 3,000 barrels of heavy crude have spilled into the Pacific Ocean between Huntington Beach Pier and Newport Beach, a stretch of more than five miles.

Dead birds and fish have been washing up along Orange Country's famous beaches covered in sludge since the breach in the pipeline was reported on Saturday.

Engineers believe the leak is from a broken underwater pipe connected to the Elly offshore rig but are yet to confirm whether it has been stopped.

Huntington Beach Mayor Kim Carr said last night: 'In a year, that has been filled with incredibly challenging issues, this oil spill constitutes one of the most devastating situations that our community has dealt with in decades.'

Carr added that city officials have still not received confirmation that the spill had been capped.

'We are doing everything in our power to protect the health and safety of our residents, our visitors and our natural habitats,' the mayor said.

'In the coming days and weeks we challenge the responsible parties to do everything possible to rectify this environmental catastrophe.'

The coast is a renowned habitat for threatened and endangered species including humpback whales and a small wading bird called the snowy plover.

The Coast Guard has recovered 3,150 gallons of oil from the water and deployed 5,360 feet of skimmers and floating barriers known as booms to try to stop further incursion into the wetlands and the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve.

Officials still don't have confirmation that a major oil spill off the coast of Southern California has been capped as 126,000 gallons of crude continued spreading across the shorelines on Sunday evening

A worker walks along the coast at Talbert Marsh as seagulls are seen standing on sand turned black already by the heavy crude spill

Orange County's famous beaches could be closed for weeks or months as birds and fishes have been washing up dead and drenched in sludge

Workers in boats place a floating barrier known as a boom to protect the ecologically sensitive Talbert Marsh on Sunday

Oil formed into globules, foam and sheen that flowed in from high tide and was held back by a sand berm and boom in a trapped pool as a major oil spill washes ashore on the border of Huntington Beach and Newport Beach

Oil absorbent booms are being used by workers with Patriot Environmental Services to clean up oil that flowed into the Talbert Marsh in Huntington Beach on Sunday

The coastline was closed from the Huntington Beach Pier nearly 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) south to the Santa Ana River jetty.

'Once we get a better understanding of exactly how that flow is going to hit the shorelines, then we'll be better to assess exactly how long this beach clean up will take,' Carr said.

There were 105 Coast Guard workers deployed to conduct a shoreside response, fourteen Coast Guard boats led oil recovery operations Sunday afternoon, three Coast Guard boats enforced a safety zone off 1,000 yards around oil spill boats and four aircrafts were dispatched for overflight assessments.

Some birds and fish were caught in the muck and died, Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley said. But by early afternoon Saturday the U.S. Coast Guard said there so far was just one ruddy duck that was covered in oil and receiving veterinary care. 'Other reports of oiled wildlife are being investigated,' the Coast Guard said in a statement.

The Director of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife has declared a fishery closure for coastal areas affected by the oil spill.

The oil will likely continue to approach the Orange County coast, including Newport Beach to the south, over the next few days, officials said.

U.S. Representative Michelle Steel, a Republican representing part of the affected area, sent a letter to Democratic President Joe Biden requesting a major disaster declaration for Orange County, which would free up federal funds to help with the clean-up efforts.

The spill occurred in federal waters. In a statement, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), a division of the Interior Department, said it was supporting response efforts headed by the U.S. Coast Guard.

The bureau said its role was to 'assist in identifying the location and source of any spills and provide technical assistance in stopping the spillage'.

Oil flowing through the Talbert Channel, gathering on an absorption boom that helps stop the flow into the ecologically sensitive Talbert Marsh as a major oil spill washes ashore at Huntington State Beach on Sunday

Heavy machinery builds a sand berm, blocking any more oil coming into the Talbert Channel

Oil washing up at the shore on Sunday

Crews led by the U.S. Coast Guard recovered 3,150 gallons of oil from the water, of the 126,000 gallons that spilled into the Pacific Ocean

Fourteen Coast Guard boats led oil recovery operations Sunday afternoon

Crews led by the U.S. Coast Guard deployed 5,360 feet of skimmers and floating barriers known as protective booms to try to stop further incursion into the wetlands and the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve

The spill occurred in federal waters. In a statement, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), a division of the Interior Department, said it was supporting response efforts headed by the U.S. Coast Guard

Workers with Patriot Environmental Services cleaned up oil that flowed into the Talbert Marsh in Huntington Beach on Sunday

The oil spill fouled popular beaches with black sludge

Multiple reports of oil in the sand and in the water were communicated to local authorities on Sunday

A seagull flies over oil washed up by the coast in Huntington Beach, Calif., on Sunday after crude oil spilled into the Pacific Ocean

Officials canceled the final day of the annual Pacific Air Show that typically draws thousands of spectators to Huntington Beach, a city of about 199,000 residents about 30 miles (48 kilometers) south of downtown Los Angeles.

The Times said the oil slick is believed to have originated from a pipeline leak, while Orange County supervisor Katrina Foley tweeted that the oil spilled from Platform Elly, operated by Beta Offshore, a Long Beach unit of Houston's Amplify Energy.

Huntington Beach officials shared a statement early Sunday saying 'while the leak has not been completely stopped, preliminary patching has been completed to repair the oil spill site,' with additional repairs planned.

'We classify this as a major spill, and it is a high priority to us to mitigate any environmental concerns,' said Jennifer Carey, a Huntington Beach city spokesperson. 'It's all hands on deck.'

Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley said the spill was estimated to be around 5 miles off the coast.

The pipeline leak originates from a platform located in federal waters. It sits on top of an oil reservoir underneath coastal waters known as Beta Field, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Map below of Oil Platform locations of the OC Coast, the platform in question is the 'Elly' and it appears that the source of the spill has been contained at this time

It was set-up in March 1980 and processes crude oil production from two other platforms. The city newspaper reported that workers had moved to shut down the pipeline and use pressurized equipment to retrieve as much oil as possible soon after the incident was reported.

Videos and pictures shared Sunday on Twitter show dark stretches of sand where oil seems to have come ashore, curving around seashells as birds and beachgoers stand nearby.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife said it had sent surveillance and cleanup teams to the beach, and the Oiled Wildlife Care Network at the University of California at Davis said it had also dispatched staff to response efforts in the Newport Beach area.

Beaches were closed on Sunday as environmental rescue teams got a first view of the major spill

Oil was spotted on the beach in Huntington Beach, California, impacting the environment nearby

Surfers that planned on surfing look at oil on the beach in Huntington Beach, California after 126,000 gallons of oil spilled into the ocean yesterday

Oil is seen on the beach in Huntington Beach, California on Saturday and Sunday after a pipeline breach connected to an oil rig offshore started leaking oil, according to an Orange County Supervisor

Meanwhile, Huntington Beach officials urged people to stay off the beach and to avoid coming across oiled areas because of the 'toxicity created by the spill.'

Residents were urged to call a hotline at (877) 823-6926 if they spotted any wildlife affected by the oil.

According to the Huntington Beach Wetlands Conservancy, the area is visited by thousands of birds per year as a resting place during their long migrations from nesting grounds in the Arctic on their trip in South America.

The largest oil spill in the ocean recorded in California, was near Santa Barbara in 1969. An estimated 80,000 to 100,000 barrels of crude oil spilled over ten days and killed an estimated 3,500 sea birds, as well as ocean wildlife such as dolphins, elephant seals and sea lions.

It reportedly inspired the government to come up with Earth Day. The latest spill amounts to about 3,000 barrels.

'At some point we must address these types of spills and how they are wreaking such havoc not only on our environment, but also on our economics, in our communities,' Foley said.

Oceana, an ocean conservation group, called for an end to offshore oil and gas drilling.

Jacqueline Savitz, Oceana's chief policy officer, said in a statement: 'This is just the latest tragedy of the oil industry. It's well past time to prevent future oil spills by permanently protecting our coasts from offshore drilling.'
Oliver Dowden today accused Labour of 'turning its back' on its traditional voters as he attacked the party's 'woke' politics.

The chairman of the Conservative Party said Labour 'has got woke running through it like a stick of Brighton rock'.

Mr Dowden sought to contrast the Tories with Sir Keir Starmer's party as he argued the Conservatives are 'moderate, pragmatic and open'.

Oliver Dowden today accused Labour of 'turning its back' on its traditional voters as he attacked the party's 'woke' politics

The former culture secretary told the Conservative Party's annual conference in Manchester a 'small but very vocal group' of people see Britain as 'dominated by privilege and oppression'.

He attacked 'cancel culture' and said it is 'a mantra that results in bullying and haranguing of individuals, elected representatives, and public institutions'.

He also insisted the Tories are working to keep statues of 'national heroes like Nelson, Gladstone and Churchill in the places of honour they deserve'.

Blasting 'woke' politics, Mr Dowden said: 'You might imagine that a responsible opposition party would be only too keen to demonstrate to the British people that it is on their side against this argument.

'In fact, I'm afraid the opposite is true. Today's Labour Party has got woke running through it like a stick of Brighton rock.'

He added: 'Previous generations of Labour leaders, activists and voters would look in dismay at what Labour has become.'

Mr Dowden sought to contrast the Tories with Sir Keir Starmer's party as he argued the Conservatives are 'moderate, pragmatic and open'

Mr Dowden said that anyone who objects to what he described as 'woke aggression' is accused of 'instigating culture wars'.

The Tory chairman spoke about his own grandfather, a Labour voter and trade unionist 'through and through' called Harry Dowden, known as 'Red Harry'.

Mr Dowden said: 'If you want to know why Labour lost the last general election so badly, it's because so many of the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of people like Harry Dowden in communities up and down the country believe that Labour has turned its back on them.'
Steve Bannon delivered a fire and brimstone speech to ex-Trump officials last week predicting a crushing victory in the midterm elections next year as well as a triumph in 2024 that will see Donald Trump back in the White House.

Trumps former campaign manager and senior White House aide rallied GOP operatives at a Washington, DC social club vowing to retake the reins of government.

He predicted Trump would reassume the presidency in 2024 - four years after losing the presidential election to Joe Biden.

'If you're going to take over the administrative state and deconstruct it, then you have to have shock troops prepared to take it over immediately,' Bannon told NBC News.

'I gave 'em fire and brimstone.'

Bannon said that Trumps planned agenda was sabotaged by the slow, bureaucratic process required to fill some 4,000 jobs in various federal agencies.

Steve Bannon delivered a fire and brimstone speech to ex-Trump officials last week predicting a crushing victory in the midterm elections next year as well as a triumph in 2024 that will see Donald Trump back in the White House

Bannon (seen above with then-President Donald Trump at the White House in January 2017) served as Trump's campaign manager before becoming a senior counselor to the president

He also lamented the long time it takes for newly appointed officials to learn the ropes in the capital.

Republicans are now hoping to change that by prepping a large pool of GOP political appointees who will be ready to fill the slots and act beginning in the first few weeks of what he hopes will be a second Trump administration.

The Association of Republican Presidential Appointees, the group which invited Bannon to speak, was created to do just that.

'There are so many statutes and regulations as well as agency and departmental policies, it can be very overwhelming when you first come in,' said Jeffrey Scott Shapiro, one of the organizers of the group.

'This is an organization that has a very narrow, clear and much-needed purpose, and, once it is operational, I think it could do a lot of good not just for the Republican Party but for the country.'

During his term in office, Trump would often complain about the deep state - the career civil servants who have worked in the federal government spanning previous administrations.

Bannon told NBC News he wants to see GOP operatives ready to perform their tasks in the federal bureaucracy immediately after the next Republican takes office.

He particularly wants to see an overhaul of the civil service jobs that do not require Senate confirmation.

'We're going to have a sweeping victory in 2022, and that's just the preamble to a sweeping victory in 2024, and this time we're going to be ready  and have a MAGA perspective, MAGA policies, not the standard Republican policies,' he said.

MAGA is the acronym for Make America Great Again, which was the campaign slogan used by Trump during his successful run for the Republican nomination as well as the presidency.

While Trump has not officially declared his intention to run for a second term in 2024, he has made recent statements that strongly hint it is a foregone conclusion that the most popular Republican Party member will once again vie for the White House.

Trump made a remark in a phone interview last month ahead of a rally in Perry, Georgia to support his picks in key Republican primary races.

Surveys also show that most Republicans agree with Trump's claims that the 2020 presidential election won by Democrat Joe Biden was rife with fraud. President Biden is seen above in Washington, DC, on Saturday

Asked by Real America's Voice host David Brody what might prevent him from running again, Trump responded: 'Well, I don't  I guess a bad call from a doctor or something, right?'

'Things happen. Through God, they happen,' he added. 'But I feel so good.'

Trump, a hugely polarizing figure who was twice impeached while in office, has made little secret of his ambitions to re-take the White House.

But has avoided declaring his candidacy outright, likely on the principal that it is best to be an official candidate for as short a time as possible.

His grip on the Republican Party remains firm.

Last month, a poll of registered Republicans found that nearly 6 in 10 want to see Trump on the ballot in 2024.

No other prospective GOP candidate - including former Vice President Mike Pence; Florida Governor Ron DeSantis; former US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley; and Senator Marco Rubio of Florida - comes close, according to The Hill.

Surveys also show that most Republicans agree with Trump's claims that the 2020 presidential election won by Democrat Joe Biden was rife with fraud.
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Disgraced Today Show host Matt Lauer was seen out in the Hampton's with his daughter Romy for her 18th birthday Saturday, just a day after excerpts from the memoir of Lauer's longtime co-host Katie Couric revealed she had heard 'whispers' about his inappropriate conduct with women at NBC.

Lauer was seen out with Romy, a friend, and Lauer's longtime friend-turned-girlfriend Shamin Abas.

The group went to Italian restaurant Tutto Ill Giorno, and afterward had ice cream at Yummylicious in Sag Harbor.

There was no sign of Romy's mother, Annette Roque, who divorced from Lauer in 2017 after the sexual allegations against him became public and he was fired from the Today Show.

Fired Today Show host Matt Lauer was seen out with his daughter Romy in the Hamptons on Saturday for her 18th birthday, a day after excerpts from longtime co-host Katie Couric's tell-all memoir reveal how much she knew about his alleged sexual misconduct

In addition to Romy and a friend, Lauer was seen with his girlfriend Shamin Abas (center)

Romy rocked a black spaghetti strap top and white Nike sneakers on her birthday night out

In her tell-all Going There, Couric admits she 'heard the whispers' about her longtime colleague.

Additionally, the women who were left 'damaged' by Lauer's actions spoke with Couric as she was writing her book, she revealed, although the former anchor didn't name them.

'I suspect they'll be dealing with this for the rest of their lives,' Couric writes, according to The New York Post.

In one story involving Lauer, it is said that he would deal with women behind closed doors in his office, which was equipped with a desk button to lock the door.

Couric writes that one unnamed producer was told by Lauer to come to the now-infamous office wearing a 'skirt that came off easily'.

She also claims that Lauer complained to her that he felt uncomfortable putting his arm around a female colleague to comfort her when she cried, over fears he could subsequently face an allegation of inappropriate behavior.

The group grabbed ice cream from Yummylicious in the Hamptons on Saturday

In addition to Lauer and Abas, Romy was out with an unidentified friend days after excerpts from Katie Couric's new memoir were teased

Before grabbing ice cream the group had gotten dinner from Italian restaurant Tutto Ill Giorno

Even before these allegations were made, Couric said her former co-anchor Lauer told her he thought that feminist movements such as The Me Too were becoming too powerful.

'This MeToo stuff feels like it's getting kind of out of control,' Lauer reportedly told Couric. 'It feels like a witch hunt.'

She added that Lauer was 'worried about a lack of due process, people's livelihoods and reputations being destroyed.'

Couric told Lauer to stop putting his arm around the women as it was making them uncomfortable, she writes.

She said that she tried to 'imagine such a scene taking place' and told Lauer that 'he cannot do that - you cannot put your arm around them,' The Post reported.

The group's night out came a day after it was revealed that former Today Show host Katie Couric admits that she 'heard the whispers' abut Matt Lauer's inappropriate office behavior in her new book

Couric also writes in the book, out Oct. 26, that she also heard 'rumors' that her co-star's wife Annette Lauer had called the control room one morning looking for her husband and demanding the phone number of a TV anchor he had been linked with.

They divorced after news of Lauer's misconduct exploded.

In Couric's Going There, she details her experiences working for The Today Show and with Matt Lauer who she reportedly sent sympathetic texts to after he was fired in 2017

She also spoke of a secret office known as 'bunker' where an unnamed anchor went for trysts at NBC HQ, saying it was all part of a culture where sex and affairs were rife in the workplace.

Couric alleged that only an unnamed 'male anchor' had the key to open the office to use it for 'one-on-one encounters, and I don't mean interviews,' she is said to have written.

Couric had served as a co-anchor for The Today show between 1991 and 2006 and worked closely with Lauer for nine years.

Her book also revealed an incident that involved an unnamed female producer who received inappropriate emails from Lauer in 2004.

In response to a congratulatory email she sent following a segment with biographer Kitty Kelley for her tell-all book on the Bush Family, Lauer asked her if she was trying to 'butter him up' and then asked her to show him by 'spreading it between her thighs'.

He also reportedly asked her to wear 'a skirt that comes off easily' into the office, Couric said the producer told her.

Couric writes that the producer told her a 'flustered' Lauer visited her office after he sent the email with a book option for the show, but didn't address the incident. Couric said: 'They never spoke about the incident.'

DailyMail.com previously saw a manuscript for Couric's book which also revealed that she had previously left Lauer sympathetic texts after he was fired.

'But he betrayed me, too, by how he behaved behind closed doors at the show we both cared about so much,' Couric said.

Behind these closed doors, women were reportedly crying and going into Lauer's office, which came supplied with a desk button to lock the door.

The group appeared to have a good evening together, despite the resurfacing of sexual misconduct allegations against Lauer a day prior

Lauer and Abas were seen together again Saturday, the couple has been spotted on a few rare occasions

Reports said that he gave one woman a sex toy and an explicit note saying how he wanted to use it on her. He was also accused of showing another woman his penis in his office and played 'f***, marry or kill' in the office.

Other anonymous women are reported to have complained to NBC about Lauer's sexual impropriety, with one saying she was summoned into his office in 2001 for sex. He would also sometimes quiz female producers about who they had slept with, it has been alleged.

Despite the string of salacious revelations about her former colleague, Couric also described Lauer in her book as a 'decent' man and it 'felt heartless to abandon him.'

She writes that 'my heart sank' when she heard that Lauer had been fired and says that she 'couldn't imagine' what it was like to be him.

Not seen out with the group was Romy's mother, Annette Roque,(pictured) who divorced Lauer following the scandal

Couric says there was still a part of her that wondered if the allegations were just wild rumors.

On November 28, 2017, the day Lauer was fired, Couric had a brief text exchange with Lauer which she reproduces in the book.

'I am crushed. I love you and care about you deeply. I am here. Please let me know if you want to talk. There will be better days ahead,' she wrote in a text to Lauer after he was fired. He responded with a blowing kiss emoji.

Lauer's wife Annette divorced him in a stunning fall from grace for somebody who was once the highest paid TV host in the country, earning $25million a year.

Couric admitted that she initially thought it was 'gross' that Lauer was cheating on Annette, and allegedly taking advantage of younger staffers, 'The general rule at the time was, Its none of your business. A dont-ask-dont-tell culture where anything goes, and everything did,' she said.

She writes in her book that she thought it was a 'consensual fling' and didn't consider talking to the unnamed employee out of fear of embarrassing her.

Going There will be released on October 26.
He's well-known for his already large family, but for Jacob Rees-Mogg the joy of six may not be enough.

The devout Catholic Commons Leader admitted today that he'd like to extend his brood into seventh heaven - but his wife is not keen.

The fogeyish 52-year-old made the admission at a Conservative Party Conference event today as he was grilled on the UK's low birthrate and what to do about it.

He and his wife have six children, Sixtus, Peter, Mary, Thomas, Anselm and Alfred.

But at a Taxpayers Alliance question and answer session he suggested that he is keen for more, even into his fifth decade.

Addressing the UK's birth rate, he noted that he and the Prime Minister, who also has at least six children, 'are leading by example in this area'.

And he jokingly added: 'I would be jolly keen to lead by further example but I think Mrs Rees-Mogg is not so keen.'

His wife was in the audience for the event, prompting compere Iain Dale to quip: 'She is nodding by the way, for the record.'

The devout Catholic Commons Leader admitted today that he'd like to extend his brood into seventh heaven - but his wife is not keen.

The Rees-Mogg family: his wife Helena and children , Sixtus, Peter, Mary, Thomas, Anselm and Alfred

Mr Rees-Mogg and his wife last had a child in 2017, with the arrival of son Sixtus Dominic Boniface Christopher.

The other children's full names are Alfred Wulfric Leyson Pius, Thomas Wentworth Somerset Dunstan, Peter Theodore Alphege, Anselm Charles Fitzwilliam and Mary Anne Charlotte Emma Rees-Mogg.

Despite having so many children, Mr Rees-Mogg has previously revealed that he has never changed a nappy.

The following year he ruled himself out from running to replace Theresa May as prime minister, saying he had too many children to do the job.

He admitted taking charge of No10 would be 'very difficult' because he is a 'family man'.

Mr Rees-Mogg had earlier put himself on a collision path with the Cabinet's other father-of-six.

He hit out at the tax burden facing Britons, suggesting further increases would make very little difference to the amount raised by the Treasury.

His comments to a Taxpayers Alliance event at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester came after Mr Johnson had earlier refused completely to rule out more tax rises - but claimed Margaret Thatcher would have backed his economic plans.

Mr Rees-Mogg, a hardline Brexiteer who is now Leader of the House of Commons, told the conference fringe event: 'Even when tax rates have been considerably higher the tax take has not been much higher ... there is a point at which you set higher rates and you get less tax.

'Harold Wilson had a 98 per cent tax rate but could not get tax as a percentage of GDP above 38 per cent of GDP.

'So why on earth would you think higher rates in the 2020s would have a greater effect than it did in the 1960s and 1970?' I think we are at about the limit of what taxation can raise.'

Mr Johnson also came under attack from backbench leader Sir Graham Brady, who said the Conservatives need to set out 'well before' the next general election a plan to lower taxes to have a 'credible reputation' as a low tax party.
An Arkansas farmer who abducted and raped then murdered a nurse while she was out jogging has admitted his crimes and avoided execution as a result.

Quake Lewellyn, 29, of Jonesboro avoided the death penalty Friday after admitting to raping and murdering Sydney Sutherland, 25, in Newport on August 19 2020.

Lewellyn gave his statement at the Jackson County Circuit Court in front of Sutherland's family after confessing to the Arkansas State Police, with the victim's mom likening him to Satan in her victim impact statement.

He will now face life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to The New York Post, having avoided the prospect of execution by striking a plea deal which saw him plead guilty.

Arkansas farmer Quake Lewellyn, 29, plead guilty to rape and murder charges on Friday after he attacked Newport nurse Sydney Sutherland in August 2020

Sutherland was jogging on Jackson County Road 41 before Lewellyn claimed he hit her with his truck and then 'messed with her a bit' after taking her body to a nearby rice field

Maggy Sutherland, Sydney's mother, gave a statement of her own in the courtroom and asked Lewellyn to look her in the eyes as she spoke.

'She was not yours to take,' Sutherland said. 'Satan is real. The hands you hugged me with are the same hands you killed her with.'

'True justice for Sydney, my daughter, would be for her to be here,' she told reporters after the hearing.

Prosecutors discussed the idea of a plea deal with the Sutherland family to which they agreed to after showing mercy to Lewellyn.

'Considering the jeopardy he was going to be in (if there were) a trial, this was a result that we could live with and that the state could also live with,' Lewellyn's defense attorney Jeff Rosenzweig told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

If Lewellyn had faced a jury trial, prosecutors stated that he would have faced the death penalty if convicted of murder.

Lewellyn faces life in prison without parole after Sutherland's family agreed to the plea deal

Sutherland's mother Maggy gave a statement to the Jackson County Circuit Court and asked Lewellyn to look her in the eyes while she spoke

Sydney Sutherland was a nurse at Harris Medical Center and was living with her boyfriend Alex Nicholson at the time of the murder.

Her family, who was voted Jackson County's Family of the Year in 2016, had filled the courtroom with pink shirts reading 'Maggy's Girl.'

Sutherland was on a jog on Jackson County Road 41 before Lewellyn had attacked her.

After a community-wide search for her, Sutherland's body was found by police two days after the murder.

Police had previously located Sutherland's phone a quarter mile from her home.

Sutherland was living with her boyfriend Alex Nicholson and worked as a nurse at the Harris Medical Center at the time of her murder

Authorities then identified Lewellyn as a suspect after using data from his own cellphone that put him in the vicinity of where Sutherland's phone was found.

Lewellyn claimed that he drove past her while she was on the jog and assumed he had hit her after he turned his car around and could not see her.

He then presumed she was dead and even tried 'messing with her a bit' and removed her clothes after digging a hole for her body in a rice field.

Sutherland's body was then allegedly buried after and Lewellyn had continued to go through his nightly routine without even thinking about his actions, according to The Sun.

A memorial site was created for Sutherland near the site of her death in May

The state medical examiner said that Sutherland died from the multiple blunt force injuries she endured.

A memorial was created for Sutherland near where she was found at an overpass on U.S. 67 in May.

Lewellyn had formerly pleaded not guilty to charges of kidnapping, capital murder, abuse of a corpse and rape in October 2020.

He also received a mental evaluation that November before it was decided that he was stable enough to understand the charges and court proceedings a couple months later.
A Dodge Charger muscle car was filmed spinning donuts around a cop car outside Downtown Philadelphia's famous city hall Saturday night.

The shameless act of hooliganism was snapped by an onlooker from the window of a nearby tall building just before midnight, with the car screeching around the Ford police cruiser multiple times as passengers sat on the vehicle's open windows.

'No f****** way,' onlookers could be heard yelling as the car drives by. 'Oh sh**, oh sh**.' Another onlooker was filmed clambering onto the cop car's bonnet moments later.

Despite the dangerous behavior, Philly PD did not make any arrests.

Shortly before they arrived, the same group were filmed spinning donuts on the wide intersection outside Philadelphia City Hall as their cronies blocked traffic,

Some set off fireworks as the cars passed by, but miraculously did not hit any onlookers.

'We really lawless as sh**,' one onlooker titled their video.

Cops were eventually able to move the racers on and restore the normal flow of traffic.

Philadelphians could later be seen dancing on top of the cop cars before the police were able to break up the crowd.

NBC Philadelphia reports that police are now investigating the incident.

A car was filmed doing donuts around a police car outside of Philadelphia City Hall on Saturday night

Soon, people could be seen jumping on top of the police cars and dancing

Some people even set off fireworks at the Center City intersection

The chaos came just one weekend after a similar incident near Temple University left students running, when a car trying to get through an intersection where two cars were doing donuts started opening gunfire.

Nobody was injured in the attack, NBC reports, and the police are now investigating that incident as well.

Meanwhile, crime has been rising throughout the City of Brotherly Love.

On Thursday, there was a double shooting outside the Tender Touch Lounge, which left one man dead and another in stable condition.

Then at around 11.30am on Friday, a man armed with three 'spring shot' homemade guns and a knife shot a security guard in the head at a Philadelphia office complex, before heading to the Pathways to Housing PA's office on the third floor.

A contact team for the Philadelphia Police Department entered the building and found the alleged gunman, 59-year-old Wayne John Dorylis, who surrendered after being ordered to drop his weapon.

He is charged with murder, causing/risking a catastrophe and weapons charges, FOX 29 reports.

In a subsequent Facebook post, Pathways to Housing PA said Dorylis was previously charged with making threats against staff members, but had not been in contact with the agency in over 18 months.

'We are both grateful that staff and participants are safe, and full of grief to learn that a victim of todays shooting has passed away.

'Our hearts go out to the victims' family.'

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said on Thursday the city has surpassed 400 homicides this year, and he lays awake wondering what he could do about it

According to statistics released by the Philadelphia Police Department, which has its headquarters seen here, there has been a 17 percent increase in the number of homicide victims so far this year, with 20 homicides reported between September 20 to September 26

Later that night, at around 9pm, police found a 64-year-old man suffering from stab wounds to his stomach at a home in the Queens Village section of the city, and rushed him to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

Then just about two and a half hours later, a shooting at a parking lot at a Wawa convenience store left a 25-year-old man dead and a 24-year-old man suffering from gunshot wounds to his foot.

And just a few hours before the scene at Center City, a shooting Saturday night sent three people to the hospital, including one victim who was shot in the face and abdomen, according to FOX 29.

Two of the men, ages 31 and 36, were shot multiple times in the hands, and a 30-year-old man was hit in the face and abdomen. They are all expected to survive.

It is unclear what sparked the shooting.

But according to Philadelphia crime statistics, there has been a 17 percent increase in the number of homicide victims so far this year when compared to the same time period last year, with 20 homicides reported between September 20 to September 26.

There were also 73 shooting incidents, resulting in 67 victims during the one-week frame, with 60 robberies involving guns and 78 aggravated assault arrests involving guns.

Additionally, there were 43 robberies and 127 aggravated assaults that did not involve a handgun.

And on Thursday, Mayor Jim Kenney said: 'Three nights ago we hit over 400' homicides for the year.

'I didn't sleep the whole evening,' he said at his bi-weekly crime briefing. 'I looked at my ceiling, on my back, that entire night and tried to figurer out how we fix this.'
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie mocked President Joe Biden for folding to the progressive wing of his party during a panel discussion Sunday on ABC's This Week.

'And why should we be surprised? He couldn't stand up to the Taliban,' Christie charged, getting a stern reaction from Democrat Donna Brazile, who was also seated at the table.

Christie, a Republican who could mount another presidential bid in 2024, proclaimed that the Biden of 2020 - who ran as the moderate answer to progressives like Sen. Bernie Sanders - was 'dead and buried.'

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie mocked President Joe Biden for folding to the progressive wing of his party during a panel discussion Sunday on ABC's This Week

'And why should we be surprised? He couldn't stand up to the Taliban,' Christie (right) charged, getting a stern reaction from Democrat Donna Brazile (left), who was also seated at the table

Amid gridlock on Capitol Hill, former DNC chair @DonnaBrazile tells @jonkarl that Democrats are trying to put together the best possible package for the American people.



Republicans are still trying to hold on to the past and the Trump tax cuts. https://t.co/N0OxKsNMaT pic.twitter.com/xFPGVUUVpX  This Week (@ThisWeekABC) October 3, 2021

'It's the death of 2020 Joe Biden,' Christie said. 'When he went to the Hill, 2020 Joe Biden is now officially dead and buried.'

'The guy who ran against the progressives, ran against Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, ran to be a uniter in this country, ran saying he was going to force compromise,' Christie said. 'And he went up to Capitol Hill, and he capitulated to the progressives, the liberals in his party.'

Christie then made his Taliban dig.

'How could we expect him to stand up to AOC?' the New Jersey Republican mused.

He was referencing progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

On Friday, Biden went to Capitol Hill to try to pull together dueling factions of his party.

Moderates were maddened because House Speaker Nancy Pelosi canned a planned Thursday vote on the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package.

Progressives threatened to vote no on the bill - saying they would get to yes once moderates supported a planned $3.5 trillion budget bill as well.

Biden is photographed Sunday leaving a coffee shop in Wilmington, Delaware. Biden is trying to thread the needle between the moderate and progressives of his party

That bill contains a number of liberal goodies including climate change provisions, universal pre-K, child care assistance, tuition-free community college, paid medical and family leave, the extension of the child tax credit and enhanced Medicare coverage.

Biden reportedly told Democratic lawmakers that the pricetag of that bill may have to come down to closer to $2 trillion.

Moderate Sen. Kyrsten Sinema's slammed the delayed infrastructure vote, calling it 'inexcusable' in a statement Saturday.

Ocasio-Cortez, on the other hand, applauded Biden for being a fair dealer with both sides of the Democratic Party.

'I think that President Biden has been a good faith partner to the entire Democratic Party,' she said on CBS' Face the Nation Sunday. 'He is in fact a moderate and we disagree on certain issues. But he reaches out and he actually tries to understand our perspective, and that is why I am fighting for his agenda with the Build Back Better Act.'
American children will die as a result of President Joe Bidens near open border policy that allows lethal narcotics to flow into the country from Mexico, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said.

'We have these porous borders. These [drug] cartels figure out...not only how to get into Texas, California and Arizona, but all across the country and build up networks,' Pompeo told WABC 770 AM radio on Sunday.

'Our local law enforcement...are under enormous pressure because of the drugs.

'Kids all across America are going to die as a result of the failure of this Administration to secure that border.'

Pompeo criticized the Biden administration for not adequately screening migrants who come across the border and for ditching Donald Trumps remain in Mexico policy.

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (seen above in Des Moines, Iowa in July) says American children will die due to lethal drugs pouring into the country from Mexico

Trump's former top diplomat slammed the Biden administration's handling of the crisis along the US-Mexico frontier, where tens of thousands of undocumented migrants, primarily from Haiti, have crossed into the country in recent weeks. A group of mostly Haitian migrants is seen above in Acandi, Colombia waiting to board boats bound for Necocli, Colombia on September 23

Last week, the Biden administration issued a safety alert warning Americans of lethal, counterfeit prescription pills that it claims was manufactured in labs in Mexico. President Joe Biden is seen above in Wilmington, Delaware on Sunday

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas reportedly asked his officials whether the department was ready to handle the possibility of up to 400,000 migrants, nearly double the 21-year high seen in July, crossing the border in October.

Despite public attempts to appear in control of the situation at the southwest border, a phone call between Mayorkas and senior officials last week shows a Biden administration scrambling to contain a growing crisis.

Mayorkas asked on the call if the border was ready for a worst-case scenario of 350,000 to 400,000 migrants crossing the border next month, two DHS officials told NBC.

Even the lower estimate would be record breaking, but 400,000 border crossings is nearly double the 21-year high hit in July of 210,000. August saw more than 208,000 encounters at the southwestern border.

The officials said the estimates weren't based on internal intelligence.

Instead Mayorkas and others within DHS were worried about a spike in migrants crossing the border if a court-ordered repeal of the Title 42 expulsion policy took effect.

A group of migrants is processed by immigration officials after crossing from the Mexican border in Roma, Texas, U.S., September 30, 2021

Migrants from Haiti line up to regularise their migratory situation outside of the Mexican Commission for Aid to Refugees

Title 42 is a Trump-era Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) order that enables any border officer to immediately turn asylum-seekers away during the pandemic regardless of their status.

A federal appeals court judge in Washington, DC ruled on Thursday that the Biden administration can continue to enforce Title 42 to rapidly deport migrants apprehended at the US-Mexico frontier.

The Biden administration has rolled back its enforcement of the policy somewhat to allow exceptions for unaccompanied minors and some families with young children.

But immigrant advocacy groups and some of Biden's fellow Democrats are outraged at the White House's continued enforcement and defense of the rule.

DHS is concerned that with Title 42 gone, however, migrants may misinterpret the shift to mean the border is wide open even as Mayorkas himself insisted last month that 'our borders are closed' during a contentious Senate hearing.

October's border surge could potentially shatter records already set for border crossings this year

Senators Lindsey Graham and Marsha Blackburn sounded the alarm on the worsening border crisis, urging President Biden in a Thursday letter to 'send a clear message' to a caravan of 15,000 migrants reportedly headed toward the border

US District Judge Emmet Sullivan gave the White House 14 days to comply with a September 16 ruling that decided the Trump administration's policy didn't give Biden the authority to block migrants seeking asylum.

Sullivan issued the order after advocacy groups sued the White House.

The administration appealed the ruling but so far the US Court of Appeals has not moved to stop it from expiring.

Biden considered lifting Title 42 in July but officials issued a dire warning: 'We could have a rush at the border. It would be catastrophic.'

Mayorkas privately expressed concern over whether the Department of Homeland Security could handle the border surge

The officials who revealed the Mayorkas call said Customs and Border Protection has been given no guidance on what to do when Title 42 ends.

Meanwhile a new caravan of more than 15,000 migrants led by smugglers is said to be in Mexico and headed for the US border, according to a letter sent to President Biden from Republican Senators Lindsey Graham and Marsha Blackburn.

The GOP lawmakers say they and thousands of other migrants who have crossed the border this year 'are emboldened' by Biden's more relaxed policies compared to his predecessor.

'We call on you to immediately send a clear and concise signal to the massive caravan en route that they must turn around. Smuggling and trafficking should not be tolerated by the United States,' Graham and Blackburn write.

The Biden administration last week issued a public safety alert warning Americans of an alarming increase in the lethality and availability of fake prescription pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine.

The alert was the first issued by the Drug Enforcement Administration in six years.

The DEA bulletin was intended to raise public awareness of a significant nationwide surge in counterfeit pills that are mass-produced by criminal drug networks in labs, deceptively marketed as legitimate prescription pills, and are killing unsuspecting Americans at an unprecedented rate.

According to the DEA, the vast majority of counterfeit pills brought into the United States are produced in Mexico, and China is supplying chemicals for the manufacturing of fentanyl in Mexico.

'The United States is facing an unprecedented crisis of overdose deaths fueled by illegally manufactured fentanyl and methamphetamine,' DEA Administrator Anne Milgram said.

'Counterfeit pills that contain these dangerous and extremely addictive drugs are more lethal and more accessible than ever before.

'In fact, DEA lab analyses reveal that two out of every five fake pills with fentanyl contain a potentially lethal dose.

'DEA is focusing resources on taking down the violent drug traffickers causing the greatest harm and posing the greatest threat to the safety and health of Americans.

The Biden administration last week issued a public safety alert warning Americans of an alarming increase in the lethality and availability of fake prescription pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine. The image above is an April 2021 file photo showing a bag of assorted pills and prescription drugs at a health care facility in Los Angeles, California

'Today, we are alerting the public to this danger so that people have the information they need to protect themselves and their children.'

Overdose deaths soared to a record 93,000 last year in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to US government data.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reviewed death certificates to come up with the estimate for 2020 drug overdose deaths.

The estimate of over 93,000 translates to an average of more than 250 deaths each day, or roughly 11 every hour.

That estimate far eclipses the high of about 72,000 drug overdose deaths reached the previous year and amounts to a 29 percent increase.

Lockdowns and other pandemic restrictions isolated those with drug addictions and made treatment harder to get, experts said.

While prescription painkillers once drove the nation's overdose epidemic, they were supplanted first by heroin and then by fentanyl, a dangerously powerful opioid, in recent years.

Fentanyl was developed to treat intense pain from ailments like cancer but has increasingly been sold illicitly and mixed with other drugs.

'What's really driving the surge in overdoses is this increasingly poisoned drug supply,' said Shannon Monnat, an associate professor of sociology at Syracuse University who researches geographic patterns in overdoses.

'Nearly all of this increase is fentanyl contamination in some way. Heroin is contaminated. Cocaine is contaminated. Methamphetamine is contaminated.'

Fentanyl was involved in more than 60 percent of the overdose deaths last year, CDC data suggests.
A memorial in honor of the late George Floyd was vandalized by a skateboarder in Manhattan, who authorities said doused the statue in silver paint over the weekend.

On Sunday, at around 10 a.m., police obtained video depicting the male assailant defacing the statue, which sits in Union Square.

Footage shows the vandal taking off on his skateboard while throwing silver paint on Floyd's bust, a police spokesman said.

The memorial in honor of the late George Floyd was vandalized by a skateboarder in Manhattan, who authorities said doused the statue in silver paint over the weekend

Floyd died on May 25, 2020, after Minneapolis Police officer, Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes as Floyd, 46, lay face-down crying: 'I can't breathe'

On Twitter, a video was posted showing what appears to be silver paint splattered on the statue, which was also defaced days after it was first unveiled on Juneteenth in East Flatbush, Brooklyn.

The spokesman said police do not intend on releasing the video. Cops have yet to comment on whether they believe the motivation for the attack was racism.

The statue was recently moved to the Manhattan park.

Additional statues that remain nearby are Rep. John Lewis and Breonna Taylor. Taylor was a 26-year-old black woman who was shot and killed by Louisville, Kentucky police in last year.

Police said Lewis' and Taylor's statues were left unharmed.

In June, Floyd's bust was smeared with black paint and marked with the phrase 'Patriot Front'  a white nationalist hate group.

Floyd died on May 25, 2020, after Minneapolis Police officer, Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes as Floyd, 46, lay face-down crying: 'I can't breathe.'

Video of the incident went viral, and soon protests against police brutality spread throughout the United States, lasting for months, turning violent at times.

Chauvin was fired by the Minneapolis Police Department in the aftermath and was soon arrested.

He was found guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

On June 25, 2021, Chauvin received a sentence of 22 and a half years in prison, with the possibility of supervised relief, contingent on good behavior after serving two-thirds of his sentence or 15 years for second-degree murder.
Chen said the couple's relationship was turbulent and sometimes 'toxic,' marked by 'very low lows and very high highs'

Matula told People Magazine Petito and Laundrie's relationship was always infused with 'drama'

Couple grew up together in Long Island but later moved in with Laundrie's parents in Florida; they documented their cross-country trip in a van online

Laundrie, 23, is missing and being sought by police and FBI in Florida wilderness preserve; he is considered a person of interest in Petito's death

Ben Matula, Laundrie's friend, and Alyssa Chen, Petito's friend, both said their relationship was turbulent and at times toxic

Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie's high school yearbook pictures have been revealed for the first time, as friends of the couple said the on-off childhood sweethearts 'always had some drama' and suffered 'very low lows' at times.

Gabby and Brian were students at Bayport-Blue Point High School in Long Island, New York, when they first met. Brian was a junior while Gabby was a sophomore.

Their yearbook pictures were revealed by Fox News. Gabby looks nearly-identical to how she did in images of the couple on her final trip, with Brian also looking similar, save for having more hair on his head.

Friends of the couple described their relationship as on-again, off-again and that it was hard to know whether they were still dating or not at times.

'One minute, they'd be all over each other, the next minute, he'd be like, 'We're fighting,'' Laundrie's friend, Ben Matula, told PEOPLE.

'They always had some drama.'

'There was always something below the surface where things weren't 100 percent wonderful,' he added.

Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie yearbook photo revealed by Fox News as friend says couple who met in high school always had drama

One of Gabby's high school friend, Alyssa Chen, 23, gave a similar account of the couple's volatile love but said she didn't observe anything alarming of serious concern between the pair.

'I never saw any sort of physical abuse,' Chen told the outlet. 'They had times they were toxic and times where everything seemed a lot more healthy.'

'They had very low lows and very high highs. But they really seemed to love each other.'

Brian and Gabby broke up after Laundrie graduated in 2016 but they eventually patched things up and go back together when Gabby finished high school the following year.

After Gabby's graduation, the couple ultimately decided to move in with Brian's parents in Bay Port, Florida, instead of potentially pursuing higher education.

Gabby landed two jobs as a pharmacy technician and waitress, while Laundrie sold his watercolor paintings and digital artwork.

They got engaged in July 2020, according to one of Gabby's Instagram posts.

The pair's relationship was described as on-again, off-again by friends

'Brian asked me to marry him and I said yes!' read the post, which added, 'You make life feel unreal, and every day is such a dream with you.'

The high school sweethearts decided to put their engagement on hold because they 'couldn't have the wedding they did' after the COVID-19 pandemic hit US shores in March 2020.

Instead, the couple decided to raise enough money together to buy and remodel a Ford Transit to use it on a cross-country road trip across the nation's national parks.

Meanwhile, Dog The Bounty Hunter has shared a video of himself continuing to search for Brian Laundrie by wading through waist-deep swamp water in Florida.

In his most recent post on Instagram, shared on Sunday morning, Duane 'Dog' Chapman, shared a clip of him and his team wading through a swamp, as followers praised his commitment to finding Laundrie.

In the video, Chapman can be seen holding onto a boat before venturing into the swamp with waist-deep waters along with four other men.

'The search has continued throughout the weekend on the islands off the west coast of Florida,' Duane 'Dog' Chapman captioned a clip of him and his team wading through a Florida swamp searching for Laudnrie

Dog The Bounty Hunters vowed to find Laundrie and help bring justice to Gabby Petito's death. He said he could empathize with Petito's family pain because he lost a daughter of similar age to Petito's

'The search has continued throughout the weekend on the islands off the west coast of Florida,' he captioned the video.

The former reality TV star joined the search for Laundrie last weekend, more than a week after law enforcement started their own manhunt for Laundrie, whose parents said was last seen on September 14.

Police was made aware that Laundrie whereabouts were unknown on September 17, and two days later Petito's body was found near Grand Teton National Park.

Chapman has vowed to help bring justice to Petito's death and find Laundrie. He said he could empathize with Petito's family because he also lost one of his daughters when she was a similar age to Petito's.

He said that he is receiving sighting tips like 'crazy,' with around 2,000 people calling the hotline he set up for tips on Laundrie on a daily basis.

Chapman's daughter, Lisa Chapman, said that she is in charge of the logistics of the search online and is actively receiving and thoroughly following leads.

Chapman said he is receiving sighting tips like 'crazy,' with around 2,000 people calling the hotline he set up for tips on Laundrie on a daily basis

Chapman joined the search for Brian Laundrie last weekend. He said today that he is searching on islands off Florida's West Coast

Update: Dads is physically following up on leads today, and I am digitally following up on leads. Keep the info coming !! Persistent is key to getting #justiceforgabbypetito & #BrainLaundrie behind bars  Lyssa Chapman (@BabyLyssaC) October 2, 2021

'Update: Dads is physically following up on leads today, and I am digitally following up on leads. Keep the info coming !! Persistence is key to getting #justiceforgabbypetito & #BrainLaundrie behind bars,' she tweeted.

Social media has been a pivotal tool in the investigation into Petito's disappearance and the finding of her body, as it becomes evident that it will also be fundamental in the search for Laundrie.

Chapman's social media updates come a day after Petito's mother, Nichole Schmidt, also took social media to demand Laundrie turn himself in.

'Mama bear is getting angry!' Schmidt posted on Twitter using her account for the first time. 'Turn yourself in! @josephpetito agrees.#justiceforgabby #americasdaughter.'

Within the first two hours, the tweet gathered 7.4K likes and 1.1K retweets.

She then retweeted a photo of Gabby and her stepmother, Tara Petito, shared by Joseph Petito, Gabby's father, and a photo of Gabby as a child shared by Jim Schmidt, Gabby's stepfather.

Gabby Petito's family revealed last week that they got new tattoos in her honor, including one she had on her forearm saying 'Let it be'

Laundrie's parents called 911 on Chapman last week, after he showed up knocking on their door and asking for information about their son's whereabouts.

Chapman has said that it is 'a shame,' the Laundries are not cooperating to find their son.

'The police said we were welcome to knock on the door so we did,' he told FOX. 'I wanted to tell the Laundries that our goal is to find Brian and bring him in alive.'

Chapman has focused his attention on the coastline and creeks surrounding Fort De Soto Park. The TV reality star used boats and K9 units top search the area last Wednesday.

Chapman believes it is probable that Laundrie is hiding somewhere in the 1,136 acre Fort De Soto Park area  which is made up of five interconnected islands.

During Wednesday's search, the team did not find solid evidence suggesting that Laundrie is in the woods on Egmont Key

A map shows the Fort de Soto Park campsite's location, the Laundrie family home and the Carlton Reserve where authorities have focused their search and Laundrie's parents say he was headed

'This would be and could be a perfect spot for him to hide, not too many people out here, but there's a lot of environmental things that we're gonna fight,' he said in a video posted to Twitter.

Both police and Chapman are fighting against time to find Laundrie, as chances to collect evidence in order to build a case against him decrease by the hour.

Meanwhile, the investigation was thrown a curveball by an alleged sighting in North Carolina on Saturday.

A hiker in the Appalachian Trail said 'there is no doubt in [his] mind' that he had a nighttime encounter with Brian Laundrie on Saturday morning after Lisa Chapman sent him an audio recording of Laundrie's voice and he recognized the voice as that of the man who asked him for help.

Dennis Davis said he encountered Petito's boyfriend on a deserted road close to the trail close to the Tennessee border - 700 miles away from where the 23-year-old was last seen near his home in North Port, Florida.

Dennis Davis, pictured, says he saw Brian Laundrie on a deserted trail along the Appalachian Trail in North Carolina on Saturday

A hiker near the Appalachian Trail in North Carolina claims he had a nighttime encounter with Brian Laundrie on Saturday morning, weeks after the fugitive boyfriend of slain Gabby Petito was last seen in Florida

Gabrielle Petito, 22, from her Instagram page, is seen with boyfriend Brian Laundrie, now the sole person of interest in her murder

Davis, 53, who is an engineer from Florida, says he spoke to a man who waved down his car on Waterville Road, near the Appalachian Trail and close to the border of North Carolina and Tennessee.

He says the man pulled up alongside Davis and made a bizarre request for help as he asked for directions in order to drive west to California using only back roads.

Davis, a dad-of-four, suggested he simply take Interstate 40 which runs east to west across the country from North Carolina all the way to California.

'There is no doubt in my mind I spoke to Brian Laundrie  none whatsoever,' Davis told the New York Post.

'Dog the Bounty Hunter's daughter sent me an audio file of Brian's voice and the voice was the same I heard.'

Davis was hiking the Appalachian Trail himself and noted the man he believed to be Laundrie acted nervously.

'He said 'Man, I'm lost.' I said 'What are you trying to find?' and he said 'Me and my girlfriend got in a fight but she called me, told me she loves me, and I have to get to California to see her.''

'I said 'Well, I-40 is right there and you could take it west to California' and he said, 'I'm just going to take this road into California'.

'He was worried and not making sense,' Davis added.

He did not immediately recognize him as Laundrie but is certain it was him.

Despite lighting being poor because of the night, he believes there was enough lighting from the car's headlights to make a positive identification.

Davis told Laundrie his best way to head to California would be to take Interstate 40 which runs for more than 2,500 miles from North Carolina

Brian Laundrie, 23, who was reported missing last week, remains a person of interest in the disappearance and death of fiancee Gabby Petito

Petito and Laundrie 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 man he believed to be Laundrie was driving a light-colored pickup and was wearing a bandana on his head.

It wasn't until later, with Davis having looked up photos of the man on his cellphone that he realized whom he had just spoken with.

Davis claims to have made several calls to the FBI and to 911 in the hours after the encounter but frustratingly nobody has yet called him back.

'Law enforcement is probably getting millions of leads on this guy, but I am not some goofball out there doing drugs in the middle of the night, I am a highly educated professional. 'And I know that was the guy. There is no doubt about it.

'We have this lead but no one's doing anything, not even a phone call.

'Obviously, as a father with a daughter, I want to do whatever I can to help the family find closure and get this guy off the streets,' Davis said.

Laundrie's whereabouts are unknown since September 14, when his parents said he left the family home in North Port, Florida. The Laundries said that their son was heading to a nearby nature reserve and only had his backpack.
A New York couple held their wedding at the US-Canada border after the bride's grandmother could not come to the ceremony because of the travel ban.

Karen Mahoney and husband Brian Ray, of Cadyville, originally planned their wedding on September 25 with the hopes of having her 96-year-old grandmother attend the ceremony.

Travel restrictions for Canadians to the US, which was implemented in March 2020, prevented Mahoney's grandmother from attending the wedding.

Canadians can fly into the US, but not cross the land border, with the couple deciding that Kate's grandma - who has not been named - would be safer not getting on a plane with COVID still surging.

The couple's border patrol friend, nicknamed 'Border Brian', was then asked to officiate the ceremony at the Jamieson Line Border Crossing between Burke, New York, and the province of Quebec.

Mahoney's family members, including her grandmother, and Ray's family both were able to make the attendance at the ceremony.

New York couple Karen Mahoney and Brian Ray had a US-Canada border wedding so Mahoney's 96-year-old grandmother could attend

Mahoney's grandmother was unable to fly to the US as her family members were concerned for her health and because of the border travel restrictions

'She's my only living grandparent, the only grandparent I've ever known, so it was very important for me for her to be there to watch the happiest day of my life,' Mahoney told CNN.

Despite the fact that Canadians can fly to the US and all of Mahoney's family were vaccinated, the concern for her grandmother's health during air travel was a major concern.

Both Mahoney and Ray did not want to push their wedding any further as they were eager to get married and couldn't wait any longer.

'We didnt want to wait and have a long engagement. We are so much in love that we couldnt wait another day to be married,' Mahoney told CBS News.

The couple met in 1985 after Ray taught Mahoney how to ski and remained friends even after they both married other people and had their own children.

Following both their divorces, Ray and Mahoney reconnected after she took an interest in a car that he was selling on Facebook.

Ray and Mahoney did not want to push back their September 25 wedding date as they were eager to get married

The couple had their wedding at the Jamieson Line Border Crossing between Burke, New York and Quebec

Ray proposed to Mahoney a year after dating in March on top of a mountain at a ski resort in Vermont.

After the setback of their ceremony, the couple consulted with Border Brian to discuss the rules and restrictions of a border wedding.

'He was off-duty at the time and  let the other agents who were on duty know what was going to transpire,' Mahoney told CBS News. 'He arranged so that it would be uninterrupted.'

The wedding was described as emotional for the couple as both families were able to attend the ceremony with Ray's family standing on the US side, and Mahoney's family standing on the Canadian side.

'The minister asked them if they (my parents) acknowledge that Brian was vowing to love me the rest of our lives, and did they accept him into the Mahoney clan, and they responded, 'We do' and that was extremely emotional,' Mahoney told CNN.

'I cried,' Ray said. 'It was good for me, because I knew how much it meant to her to have her parents and her grandmother here and see us exchanging vows.'

Ray proposed to Mahoney on top of a Vermont mountaintop after dating for a year and keeping a 35-year friendship

Of course, nothing was more emotional for Mahoney than seeing her grandmother in attendance.

'She was extremely excited,' she said. 'Ive seen her once in two years. So, it was very emotional. We both cried. And she expressed to me later that to witness the happiest day of my life is a moment she would never forget.'

'The most important part of the day for us was the promises we told to each other, and we wanted my parents and grandmother to witness that,' she added.

This heartwarming ceremony comes a year after another pandemic wedding on October 2020.

Nova Scotia couple Lindsay Clowes and Alex Leckie married at the border between Maine and New Brunswick so both sides of their families could be in attendance.

Clowes was originally from Maine and held the wedding at the border so her family members could watch from across the water.

'There's not an ounce of disappointment that we decided to go this route. It's definitely a story that we will remember and be telling for years to come,' Clowes told CBC.

A similar border wedding was held for couple Lindsay Clowes and Alex Leckie between the Maine and New Brunswick border

About 15 of Clowes's family members watched the couple get married across the water in Maine

The land-border travel restrictions from Canada to the US are still in place until at least October 21.

'This approach continues to confuse travelers who can fly into the United States for non-essential purposes,' Canadian Chamber of Commerce vice-president Mark Agnew told iPolitics in September.

'There is no reason why a fully vaccinated traveler can fly from Toronto to Detroit, but is not allowed to drive.'

It was also announced that the US will ease travel restrictions for those visiting from the UK and the EU in November, although a specific date has not been announced.

Those rules were imposed by former President Donald Trump in March 2020.

Noncitizens visiting the country must still show proof of vaccination and a negative COVID-19 test to enter the US.

Canada places the same restrictions for foreign visitors as both proof of vaccination and test results will be required 72 hours in advance of arrival.
Comes after it emerged PC Wayne Couzens exchanged degrading material with colleagues on WhatsApp

Nearly a thousand police officers and staff have been probed for posting offensive social media content.

Hundreds were accused of posting disturbing material on sites such as Facebook and Twitter  yet only a tiny fraction have left their jobs.

The figures came after it emerged that PC Wayne Couzens had exchanged degrading material with colleagues on WhatsApp before he kidnapped, raped and murdered Sarah Everard.

A Mail investigation found a worrying number of officers and staff have been investigated over misogynistic, sexist, racist and homophobic communications.

Others are alleged to have sent explicit photos to colleagues or even sexual content to underage and vulnerable victims.

Hundreds of police officers were accused of posting disturbing material on sites such as Facebook and Twitter  yet only a tiny fraction have left their jobs. Pictured: Under-pressure Met Police Chief Dame Cressida Dick

Yet despite the gravity of the offences, the majority  including several senior staff  escaped with only disciplinary action.

The serving police officers, including three from the Metropolitan Police, who shared messages with Couzens are now under criminal investigation.

At least 999 police officers and staff have been reported by either members of the public or colleagues for misusing social media since 2015.

However, the total is likely to be far higher as only 32 out of the 44 police forces in England, Wales and Scotland responded to freedom of information requests.

Nazir Afzal, the former chief crown prosecutor for the North West, said the findings were staggering, adding: This is misbehaviour on an industrial scale.

The figures came after it emerged that PC Wayne Couzens had exchanged degrading material with colleagues on WhatsApp before he kidnapped, raped and murdered Sarah Everard

It suggests a culture of misusing social media and WhatsApp in order to disseminate material that is offensive, gratuitous and damaging to public confidence.

If youre talking about 1 per cent of our countrys police having been investigated, you just have to wonder how many have not been caught out yet.

In July, it emerged that eight Met officers were being investigated for allegedly mocking celebrity Katie Prices son Harvey in a Whatsapp group.

She told the Mail: The fact that some of those in the police force, the very people employed to protect us against trolls, are themselves guilty of social media abuse is deeply worrying.

'They need to be setting a better example if we are trying to encourage the public to be more kind and to learn that what they say on these platforms can not only be damaging but sometimes against the law.

Sarah Everard's killer Wayne Couzens was known to have indecently exposed himself in public twice shortly before kidnapping, raping and killing her in March this year

Nearly three quarters of the allegations were deemed serious enough to require some form of disciplinary action. Yet only 53 staff left the force as a result.

Among those who kept their jobs was a constable who took a photo of a dead victim and shared it on WhatsApp and another who set the neo-Nazi SS symbol as a profile picture.

Another from West Yorkshire Police posted a sexually explicit video of themself on Twitter  but received just management action.

The Met recorded the highest number of allegations  277  despite providing data only for the past year. Although it did not give any detail about the allegations, several other constabularies did.

At Avon and Somerset, a superintendent and detective chief inspector were among those investigated for misusing social media.

The force recorded 126 allegations, including a vulnerable female complaining that an officer had been trying to contact her extensively through his force mobile phone and Instagram after meeting her at an incident.

At Cumbria Police, staff were investigated for sending sexual messages to underage girls and unsolicited follow requests to a victim on Instagram.

A special constable in Surreys force resigned after posting inappropriate and racist posts on their social media and a staff member was disciplined for racially offensive Facebook posts.

A PC at the constabulary was dismissed without notice after being found to have initiated an inappropriate relationship with a 16-year-old girl over Facebook.

Surrey Police said its staff rarely fell short of high standards and the majority of breaches involved personal accounts rather than official channels.

Avon and Somerset said it encouraged the appropriate use of social media and warned staff that any breaches could result in disciplinary action.

Chief Constable Craig Guildford, standards spokesman for the National Police Chiefs Council, said it was working to tackle social media misuse.

He added: We are aware of rare cases where inappropriate material has been posted or shared. It is concerning that a very small number of staff think this is acceptable.

Serving Met Police officer is charged with rape: Cressida Dick 'deeply concerned' as man, 46, from Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection squad faces court

ByLaurence Dollimore For Mailonline

A serving Metropolitan Police officer has been charged with rape, the Crown Prosecution Service said tonight.

David Carrick, 46, from Stevenage, will appear at Hatfield Magistrates' Court on Monday.

PC Carrick, who was off duty at the time of the alleged attack, is a member of the Met's Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command, which guards some of the UK's most secure buildings including 10 Downing Street.

Officer David Carrick, 46, will appear at Hatfield Magistrates' Court at 10am tomorrow

The CPS said: 'The CPS has today authorised Hertfordshire Constabulary to charge serving Metropolitan Police officer David Carrick, 46, with one count of rape following an alleged attack on a woman on the night of 4 September 2020.

'The defendant's first court appearance will take place via video link at 10am tomorrow at Hatfield Magistrates' Court.'

The Metropolitan Police said Pc Carrick was arrested on October 2 by Hertfordshire Constabulary. He was suspended the same day by the Met, the force added.

A referral has been made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick said: 'I am deeply concerned to hear the news today that an officer from the Met's Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command has been arrested and now charged with this serious offence. I fully recognise the public will be very concerned too.

'Criminal proceedings must now take their course so I am unable to comment any further at this stage.'

Malcom McHaffie, the chief prosecutor for CPS Thames and Chiltern, added: 'The CPS has today authorised Hertfordshire constabulary to charge serving Metropolitan police officer David Carrick, 46, with one count of rape following an alleged attack on a woman on the night of 4 September 2020.

'The Crown Prosecution Service reminds all concerned that criminal proceedings against the defendant are active and that he has a right to a fair trial.

'It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.'
A police sergeant has escaped disciplinary proceedings after being photographed while dressed as paedophile Jimmy Savile on his stag weekend alongside a group of fellow officers.

Victims of the former Top of the Pops presenter reacted with fury last night at the behaviour of Sergeant Will Hughes, 32, and at least four other officers on the holiday in Tenerife.

They were also enraged that the Metropolitan Police failed to make an example of Sergeant Hughes.

Among the Scotland Yard officers photographed with him are an inspector, two constables and a sergeant of 18 years experience, who oversaw policing at the 2019 Brit Awards at the O2 Arena in Greenwich, south-east London.

Sergeant Will Hughes, 32, was photographed while dressed as paedophile Jimmy Savile on his stag weekend in Tenerife alongside a group of fellow officers

Sergeant Hughes can be seen grinning at the camera wearing a long wig, Saviles signature tracksuit and round sunglasses and holding a cigar to his mouth while surrounded by his friends in a bar.

The officers are understood to have travelled to the Canary Islands for five days in early September for his stag party, and stayed in Playa de las Americas on the south-west of Tenerife.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said last night that rather than face a misconduct hearing, the group, based in Bexley, south-east London, would be subjected to reflective practice.

That means officers will merely have to make written submissions explaining their behaviour to their line managers.

The practice falls short of a disciplinary process, meaning the officers will not be blocked from promotions or job moves. Saviles victims reacted with disgust to the images, which have emerged days after Wayne Couzens was jailed for life.

Victims of the former Top of the Pops presenter reacted with fury last night at the behaviour of Sergeant Will Hughes, 32, and at least four other officers on the holiday in Tenerife

Caroline Moore, 62, is still haunted by the moment she was subjected to an obscene kiss by the DJ when she was a 13-year-old schoolgirl in hospital. I think it is absolutely hideous behaviour, she said. I am almost speechless.

It is terrifying that a police officer, and not just one officer but a group of them, would think this was something funny to do.

It is sickeningly creepy given everything else we have seen recently. What was the man thinking?'

Mrs Moore, who uses a wheelchair, added: It is disappointing that this wasnt enough for a proper disciplinary process and Im not sure just a slap on the wrists sends the strongest message when the police are desperately trying to restore confidence.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said last night that rather than face a misconduct hearing, the group, based in Bexley, south-east London, would be subjected to reflective practice. Pictured: Hughes outside his Rochester home

One of the more senior officers is said to have referred himself to Scotland Yards Directorate of Professional Standards after he was approached by the Daily Mail. None of the officers would comment on their behaviour.

Detective Chief Superintendent Trevor Lawry, commander for Bexley, said: While this took place when the officers were off-duty in another country, as someone who has investigated child abuse for over 20 years, I am extremely disappointed.

'This was a grave error of judgement by the officers and they need to consider the significant impact of these actions.

In July, the Mail revealed that at least eight Bexley police officers were under investigation over a Whatsapp group in which they are said to have made crude jokes about Katie Prices disabled son Harvey.

Savile died in 2011 aged 84 and a huge number of sex abuse allegations emerged the following year.

The television presenter raped and assaulted patients, staff and visitors in 41 hospitals, a childrens home and a hospice over nearly 50 years.

Victims included children as young as five, paralysed teenagers and pregnant women.
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Former President Ronald Reagan's posh movie star ranch, which once served as the 'Western White House,' opened its doors to select guests for one day only on October 2.

The guests, who attended an Americans for Reagan event, got to see the premises of the 688-acre ranch with a tiny house circa 1872, where the former president would go to relax and get away from the hustle and bustle of Washington D.C.

They paid $10,000-a-ticket for the chance to do so. The event wasn't officially sponsored by the Republican party - with guests, who included political movers-and-shakers - invited to hear key figures from the Reagan-era speak to inspire them.

The ranch sits above the Santa Ynez Mountains in Santa Barbara County, and includes a lake, a garage for his trucks and a stable for his horses.

A visitor center is located in downtown Santa Barbara, but Sunday's event gave a select few the chance to get a far closer look at he and wife Nancy's former living quarters.

Reagan was seen in photos during his time as president and governor of California riding his horses on the land, meeting with members of the press and foreign dignitaries and spending time with his family.

Former president Ronald Reagan's 688-acre ranch includes a lake, a garage for his trucks and a stable for his horses.

It sits atop sits the Santa Ynez Mountains in Santa Barbara County, California, with guests paying $10,000-a-ticket to visit on October 2

The property features a small house circa 1872, where Reagan would retreat to to get away from the hustle and bustle of DC

The property also included a garage for Reagan to store his trucks and cars

A select group of people got to tour the premises on Sunday. Normally, visitors are only allowed to attend a visitor center in Santa Barbara, complete with Reagan-themed exhibitions

The former president bought the ranch in 1974, and christened it Rancho del Cielo.

'From the first day we saw it, Rancho del Cielo cast a spell over it,' Reagan once said, according to the Young America's Foundation. 'No place before or since has ever given Nancy and me the joy and serenity it does.'

'Theres something about the wild scenery and serenity of the ranch and the easy gait of the horse beneath me that I find particularly relaxing,' he said. 'And while I loved living in the White House, I must confess that nothing in this great wide world of ours quite compares to having a home on the ranch.'

The former president would use the Santa Barbara ranch as a chance to get away from the hustle and bustle of Washington D.C. - spending his time cutting wood, clearing brushes, chopping up used telephone poles or riding his horses.

'There are things that give you a sense of accomplishment,' Reagan told Barbara Walters in 1981. 'Things like clearing a trail, pruning a section of woods that has to be done, clearing brushand then you go at it.'

But Reagan also conducted some official business in the ranch, which soon became known as the Western White House. There, he met with his White House staff, his vice president, George H.W. Bush, and heads of state, including Queen Elizabeth II.

He died in 2004 aged 93, with second wife Nancy dying in 2016 aged 94.

And from the comfort and serenity of the Western White House, Reagan signed important legislation - like the Economic Recovery Tax Act in August 1981, and his decision to fire more than 11,000 striking air-traffic controllers that same month.

The Reagans purchased the ranch in 1974 and christened it Rancho del Cielo

Reagan and his wife Nancy posed with their dog on the ranch for a picture while he was president

A portrait of Ronald Reagan with Nancy and his son Ronnie on the ranch when he was running for governor of California

In an interview, Reagan once said he and Nancy fell in love with the property the first time they saw it

Reagan is pictured enjoying his ranch during the 1980s, having branded it his favorite place to be

Reporters asked Reagan and Nancy questions at the ranch in 1980

In his downtime, Reagan liked to tend to his horses and go horseback riding

He and Nancy also used the site to greet Queen Elizabeth II in 1983

Reagan spent much of his time at the ranch chopping wood

The private tour of his property comes as Reagan's would-be assassin is facing unconditional release.

Last week, a federal judge ruled that John Hinckley Jr., now 66, could be freed from all his remaining restrictions next year.

Hinckley is now barred from owning a gun, and cannot contact Reagan's children, other victims or their families, or actress Jodie Foster, who he was obsessed with at the time of the 1981 shooting outside a Washington, DC hotel. And since he moved to Williamsburg, Virginia from a Washington hospital in 2016, he is required to see doctors and therapists for his psychiatric medication and therapy.

But he is no longer showing any symptoms of mental illness, has not exhibited any violent behavior and has had no interest in weapons since 1983, US District Court Judge Paul Friedman ruled on September 27.

'If he hadn't tried to kill the president, he would have been unconditionally released a long, long time ago,' Friedman said, according to the Associated Press. 'But everybody is comfortable now, after all of the studies, all of the analysis and all of the interviews and all of the experience with Mr. Hinckley.'

Lawyers for the federal government, though, are worried about how he may adapt to living on his own for the first time in 40 years, after he moved out of his mother's house. She died in July.

'Mr. Hinckley does have a history of turning inward, and towards isolation,' Kacie Weston argued, noting that one of his longtime therapists will soon retire, and his therapy group - which has provided him with support and social interaction - is soon ending.

'All we have to do is wait a few more months and see,' she said. 'And we'll have actual hard data. We'll have information in real time to see how Mr. Hinckley adapts.'

The plan now is to release Hinckley from all his restrictions in June 2022.

John Hinckley Jr was just 25 when he shot and injured Reagan in 1981. He is now 66 years old, and is facing unconditional release from the restrictions imposed on him

His lawyers said at the time that he was suffering from acute psychosis and he was ordered to live at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Washington

The shooting outside of a Washington hotel injured Secret Service agent Timothy McCarthy. Reagan was shot in the arm, and spent several days in hospital

He was just 25 when he shot and injured the 40th president outside a Washington hotel. The shooting left Reagan's press secretary James Brady paralyzed, and injured Secret Service agent Timothy McCarthy and Washington police officer Thomas Delahanty.

His lawyers at the time argued he was suffering from acute psychosis, and when jurors found him not guilty by reason of insanity, they said he needed treatment, and he was ordered to live at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Washington.

In the 2000s, he began visiting his parents' house in Williamsburg, and a 2016 court order granted him permission to live with his mom full-time after experts said he had been in remission for decades.

Hinckley is still barred from traveling to places where he knows there will be Secret Service, and must give officials three days notice if he wants to travel more than 75 miles from his home. He also has to turn over passwords for computers, phones and online accounts, but can now display his artwork publicly and share his music on YouTube.

He was not present at the court hearing last week, the AP reports, but his attorney, Barry Levine, said Hinckley wanted to express his 'heartfelt' apologies and 'profound' regret to the people he shot and their families, as well as to Jodie Foster and the American people.

'Perhaps it is to much to ask for forgiveness,' Levine said. 'But we hope they have an understanding that the acts that caused him to do this terrible thing [were caused by] mental illness.'

'I would hope that people will see this as a victory for mental health,' he continued. 'That is the real message in this case - that people who have been ravaged by mental disease with good support and access to treatments can actually become productive members of society.'
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US Marines who had been deployed to Afghanistan returned to the U.S. over the weekend, and were pictured enjoying an emotional reunion with their families and riends.

On Sunday, family members warmly embraced their loved ones at U.S. Marine Base Camp in Pendleton located in Oceanside, California.

Family members hugged, kissed and cheered as their loved ones exited off a military aircraft.

Others held up signs to excitedly greet their loved ones, with multiple Marines and their families filmed in tears after being reunited.

The Marines who had been deployed to Afghanistan returned to the U.S. over the weekend, and were welcomed by family members and friends as they returned to the U.S

A marine, who had been deployed to Afghanistan, greets his partner as he returns to U.S. Marine Base Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, California

Moments later, the same marine was photographed carrying his delighted-looking partner off the tarmac

Marines, who had been deployed to Afghanistan, hug and kiss family members as they return to U.S. Marine Base Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, California

President Biden, who had received criticism for his withdraw plans, announced he planned to pull both civilians and U.S. citizens from the country by August 30.

The criticism drew from the fact that Biden deployed thousands of US troops to Afghanistan which only kept more American citizens in the country and doubled the number of troops already present.

Taliban soldiers had taken over the Afghan government on August 15, two weeks before Biden was to withdraw the remaining troops home.

A Marine holds hand with his young son, as he exists off the plane at U.S. Marine Base Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, California

A Marine warmly embraces a family member at U.S. Marine Base Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, California after being greeted with a welcome sign

Family members of a Marine hold up a greeting sign at U.S. Marine Base Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, California on Sunday

A Marine kisses his wife as he, his two sons, and his wife leave U.S. Marine Base Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, California on Sunday, October 3, 2021

A Marine embraces a little girl as he returned to U.S. Marine Base Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, California from Afghanistan Sunday

Family members welcome signs as families and friends wait for the arrival of marines', who had been deployed to Afghanistan, return to U.S. Marine Base Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, California

Marines, who had been deployed to Afghanistan, are welcomed by friends and families as they return to U.S. Marine Base Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, California

Within a near two-week span, however, about 124,000 people were evacuated from the country in C-17's.

Around 79,000 of those, including 6,000 civilians, were rescued directly by the US airlift, with the remainder flown out on charter flights supervised by the military.

The last official US military airlift left Afghanistan on August 30.

Despite the impressive number of Americans lifted out of Kabul, the withdrawal was marred by tragedy on August 16 when an ISIS-K suicide bomber killed 13 US service personnel and at least 170 troops at the Abbey Gate of Kabul's Hamid Karzai Airport.

That atrocity was compounded when the US killed a family of 10 days later, with the Pentagon later acknowledging that the victims - including seven civilians - were innocent and had been mistaken for suicide bombers.

'There is no greater honor for a Marine to be called to save Americans,' Captain Geoff Ball posted on Facebook.

'To be the last on deck as those who need our help are pulled to safety. To lay down our lives for others. That is what my Marines did. They will always be my heroes.'
Many people have found themselves asking in recent days Is the Met Police institutionally misogynistic?

Notwithstanding the latest revelations surrounding Wayne Couzens  who reportedly showed off a prostitute at a party with colleagues long before he raped and murdered Sarah Everard  one statistic in particular does little to inspire confidence.

It is this  more than half of Met officers found guilty of sexual misconduct over a four-year period to 2020 kept their jobs, a total of 43 officers out of 83 or 52 per cent. This figure came to light following a Freedom of Information request.

Two Metropolitan Police officers, it should also be remembered, who swapped highly offensive messages with Wayne Couzens are still on duty as well

Some female voices, though, are finally beginning to be heard. Among them is Sue Fish, the former Chief Constable of Nottinghamshire Police, who spoke of a widespread boys club mentality

Behind the raw data, which tells you next to nothing about the actual details of the offences, are individuals like the five Scotland Yard officers who joked about getting victims of crime in the back of a police van and sexually assaulting them  including demanding oral sex.

The group, who were secretly recorded, exchanged comments such as Bring on our next duty in the van. Victim. Hot. I get to choose. In other exchanges, they chatted about one of them having sex with a stripper who had been arrested a few months earlier. One victim of crime was called a hot slag.

But, after being found guilty by a disciplinary panel of misconduct and gross misconduct less than a year ago, they have been allowed to resume normal duties.

I repeat  the men in question are still serving police officers.

Wayne Couzens reportedly showed off a prostitute at a party with colleagues long before he raped and murdered Sarah Everard

The macho locker room culture that allows such behaviour to flourish seems to be pervasive even if the vast majority of policeman, be it rank and file constables or more senior officers, more than meet the standards expected of them in a challenging and often dangerous circumstances. It is easy to forget that in the wake of the Sarah Everard tragedy.

Nevertheless, there are too many rogue officers  not psychopaths like Couzens, but those for whom casual misogyny and sexism is second nature  to ignore, both inside and outside the Met.

In light of the shocking examples we highlight today, from forces all over the country  from Sussex, Avon and Somerset, North Yorkshire to name but a few, and more of which later  it is surprising that there hasnt already been a #MeToo movement in the British police.

Some female voices, though, are finally beginning to be heard. Among them is Sue Fish, the former Chief Constable of Nottinghamshire Police, who spoke of a widespread boys club mentality which many female officers will recognise.

When I tried to address this I was denigrated, isolated, marginalised by many senior people because they didnt see it as either important or necessary, she says.

This from a former chief constable, the most senior officer in the force, the person who, more than anyone else, should have been in a position to effect change in her organisation. She has also spoken of experiencing two incidents of sexual harassment at various stages of her career.

The controversy ignited by the Couzens scandal  he rose, effortlessly it seems, up the career ladder before being assigned to the elite diplomatic protection group  coincides with rape prosecutions being at their lowest levels for years and a spike in domestic violence offences.

The perfect storm has left the Met, Britains biggest force, where men outnumber women by more than 2.5 to 1, in crisis.

Couzens, married with two children, joined the Met as a firearms officer in 2018. It is now alleged that he once showed up at a party with colleagues with a prostitute and introduced her as his bit of brass. On another occasion, an escort he used turned up at the station in Bromley, south-east London, where he was based at the time, demanding money.

Scotland Yard has also admitted that Couzens, 48, who indecently exposed himself three times (that we know of) was deployed to guard MPs at the Houses of Parliament.

He is one of 27 Met officers who have been convicted of sex crimes in the past five years, it has now emerged. The offences included rape and voyeurism.

Since May, three officers have been dealt with for sexual misconduct. Among them is a police sergeant who used vulgar language towards a female colleague and made sexual remarks about a member of the public.

He escaped with a final warning. Perhaps it was the right outcome in this instance. We cannot say for sure because no further details are available among the outcomes published on the Mets website.

But the frequency of officers being allowed to continue in their jobs in such circumstances is alarming. They say there are lies, damned lies, and statistics.

However, the statistic quoted earlier that 52 per cent of Met officers found guilty of sexual misconduct are still in the force is hard to dismiss. The apparent laissez-faire attitude is epitomised by the shocking story of the (unnamed) Met officer who has been accused of raping two colleagues but only resigned last month  nearly four years after the women came forward to report him.

The women were later awarded payouts by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority on the basis they were raped and physically abused.

The allegations were the subject of an investigation by an outside force but there were shortcomings in the inquiry, a subsequent review found, including a failure to arrest the suspect who may have been treated differently because he was a police officer. As a result, the Crown Prosecution Service did not have enough evidence to bring charges. Although he was taken off public-facing duties, he remained an officer until a few weeks ago when he left the Met. His misconduct hearing? It is due to take place in January next year, the Met confirmed yesterday. The case was uncovered by the BBC in April but was not widely reported.

The women said they were cast aside by the police. There was very little support, one of the told the BBC, [It was] very poorly managed. He massively controlled everything. He had his friends.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick delivers a statement outside the Old Bailey

He was looked after whereas we were just cast aside and not cared for. It is a view shared by many other female officers in, and outside of, the Met, who have suffered at the hands of male colleagues.

In a truly disturbing case earlier this year, five officers in Hampshire Polices serious and organised crime unit were sacked after they were recorded making sexist, racist and homophobic remarks.

Women were called or referred to as whores, sluts, sweet t*ts, or sugar t*ts, Dorises and a f****** Doris.

The officers also asked themselves if a person using the tannoy was getting any c***.

Yet in many other instances, culprits are not sacked.

In December last year, a 37-year-old police sergeant in Hastings, East Sussex, faced a misconduct hearing for sticking the face of a junior female officer on an image of a naked porn star and sending it to male colleagues as a secret Santa gift. He also shared explicit material on a WhatsApp group. The officer was given a final warning because the panel ruled his behaviour did not warrant dismissal.

He is still a police officer.

A month earlier, a detective sergeant from the same station faced gross misconduct charges for pinging a ruler across a junior colleagues buttocks, calling her sexy, and sending her crass messages. He was given a final warning too.

He is still a police officer.

A PC with Avon and Somerset Police sent more than 100 unwanted WhatsApp messages to a woman he met on duty that were inappropriate and flirtatious, a misconduct hearing was told last week. The Bristol-based officer was let off with a final written warning to remain on his record for five years.

He is still a police officer.

There is also the PC from North Yorkshire who was also given a final warning after he said a female colleague was gagging for it.

Two Metropolitan Police officers, it should also be remembered, who swapped highly offensive messages with Wayne Couzens are still on duty as well.

This will come as no surprise to Paige Kimberley, who was a detective superintendent in the Met. She exposed a WhatsApp group used by fellow officers at a recent tribunal where she is suing the force.

Undated family handout photo of Sarah Everard issued by the Crown Prosecution Service

She said they were aggressive and inappropriate  using words such as slag  and included graphic images which displayed very misogynistic and sexist attitudes towards women.

She said she raised her concerns  of what she called a flourishing sexist environment in the force  with Met Commissioner Cressida Dick in March. She claimed her warnings were ignored and she never received a response.

A spokesman for the Met Police has said: We are currently assessing the details of the tribunals finding.

We cannot comment further at this time.

The Metropolitan Police Service employs more than 40,000 officers and staff, and expects the highest standards from its employees.

'While the allegations involve a small percentage of staff, we acknowledge the impact any alleged offence will have on those involved, and will continue to take all allegations made against staff extremely seriously.

'There is no place for behaviour of this nature within the organisation.

'Where standards are proven to have fallen below what is expected, we take appropriate action to ensure both accountability and that lessons are learnt from each case. Where officers are convicted of a crime, they will also face internal misconduct proceedings.

'Matters such as these are investigated by the Directorate of Professional Standards with referrals to the Independent Office for Police Conduct as appropriate, which may independently investigate the allegations.

The police are supposed to have progressed from the Life On Mars days of officers in the 1970s.

Yet the continuing stream of revelations surrounding Wayne Couzens suggest otherwise.
A senior member of the Taiwan government has appealed to Australia for help as the small, independent territory fears an imminent invasion by China.

Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said countries such as Australia should develop closer ties with Taiwan as it faced a growing threat from its giant neighbour, which has always considered Taiwan part of its territory and not an independent nation.

Taiwan had complained of China sending huge numbers of military aircraft into its airspace over the past year, ramping up to nearly 100 incursions over a recent three-day period.

Its Defence Ministry said that 39 PLA aircraft entered the zone last Saturday alone, a development that saw Taiwan scramble its own jets in readiness for combat.

A Taiwanese F-16 jet conducting a training drill in September. The small nation was forced to scramble its jets last weekend in reaction to Chinese sorties into Air Defence Identification Zone

Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu urged countries such as Australia to develop closer ties with Taiwan as it faced a growing threat from China

One of the Chinese aircraft flown into Taiwan's Air Defence Identification Zone, posted on the Taiwan Ministry of Defence Twitter account

Taiwanese soldiers stand guard watching a military helicopter carry the country's flag over a military camp

'If China is going to launch a war against Taiwan we will fight to the end, and that is our commitment,' Mr Wu told the ABC's China Tonight program.

'I'm sure that if China is going to launch an attack against Taiwan, they are going to suffer tremendously as well.'

Mr Wu said the backing of 'like-minded' countries such as the United States and Australia, which does not formally recognise Taiwan as a sovereign nation, were needed to constrain China's territorial ambitions in the region.

'We would like to engage in security or intelligence exchanges with other like-minded partners, Australia included, so Taiwan is better prepared to deal with the war situation,' he said.

'And so far, our relations with Australia [are] very good and that is what we appreciate.'

In an October 2 Tweet about the number of Chinese planes entering the Taiwanese zone, Mr Wu said: 'Threatening? Of course. It's strange the #PRC doesn't bother faking excuses anymore.'

Taiwan recently welcomed the announcement of AUKUS, the nuclear submarines deal between the US, UK and Australia.

'We are pleased to see that the like-minded partners of Taiwan  the United States and the UK and Australia  are working closer with each other to acquire more advanced defence articles so that we can defend Indo-Pacific,' Mr Wu said.

He welcomed the fact Australia would 'shoulder more responsibility to maintain peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific'.

Australia has traditionally taken a diplomatic approach to China-Taiwan relations, not overtly backing one said over another but instead urging 'dialogue' between the pair to resolve areas of disagreement.

But after recent US-Australia ministerial meetings, both sides stated their intent 'to strengthen ties with Taiwan, which is a leading democracy and a critical partner for both countries'.

Chinese President Xi Jinping oversees a military parade. China has defended military flights near Taiwan as protecting its sovereignty

Taiwanese soldiers during the annual Han Kuang military drill in September

The US State Department issued a statement regarding China's increased incursions into Taiwan airspace.

'The United States is very concerned by the People's Republic of China's provocative military activity near Taiwan, which is destabilising, risks miscalculations, and undermines regional peace and stability,' read the statement.

'The US has an abiding interest in peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and will continue to assist Taiwan in maintaining a "sufficient self-defence capability.

'The US commitment to Taiwan is rock solid and contributes to the maintenance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and within the region.'

Taiwan's Foreign Ministry thanked the United States for its concern, and said China was increasing tension in the Indo-Pacific region.

'In the face of China's challenges, our country's government has always committed itself to improving our self-defence capabilities and resolutely safeguarding Taiwan's democracy, freedom, peace and prosperity,' it said.

Taiwan said a record 30 Chinese aircraft flew near its territory last Saturday, a move it interprets as China preparing for war

China has not offered a justification for the increased air activity but has previously said the sorties were undertaken to assert its sovereignty over the territory and ensure against 'collusion' between Taiwan and the United States.

China has never ceded sovereignty to Taiwan since the forces of Chiang Kai-shek and approximately two million Republic of China soldiers retreated to the island in 1949 after Communist leader Mao Zedong proclaimed the People's Republic of China in Beijing the same year.

Since that time, Taiwan has remained in a 'twilight zone' in which countries such as Australia do not recognise it as a sovereign nation, so they can maintain diplomatic relations with China, but deal with Taiwan 'unofficially'.
Passengers on a plane in New Jersey screamed with fear as an engine on the aircraft erupted in flames just as it was hurtling down the runway.

The Fort Lauderdale-bound plane was forced to abort its takeoff from Atlantic City after a bird strike appeared to damage the right hand engine causing flammable fuel to leak out onto the tarmac.

Those traveling could only watch on in horror and flames spewed from the rear of the engine while they waited for instructions from the crew as to what to do next.

A Florida-bound plane trying to take off from Atlantic City, New Jersey caught fire on the runway after an apparent bird strike

The incident happened on Saturday afternoon at around 6pm. Flames could be seen shooting out the rear of the engine

People sitting by the windows could be heard screaming 'fire!' as panic quickly spread throughout the cabin.

All-the-while, the crew of the Spirit Airlines jet remained calm as they told passengers to stay in their seats.

'Remain seated! Remain seated! Remain seated!' the crew begged.

'Holy s***!' yelled one woman. 'Open this door and let us out now! C'mon,' said another and they jumped out of their seats.

Very few appeared to listen with footage shot inside the cabin showing people reaching up into the overhead bins to retrieve their luggage prior to getting off the plane.

Passengers could be seen standing up before the crew had given instructions to evacuate

People reached for their bags from the overhead bins despite being ordered to leave everything behind

One man could be heard telling a passenger to 'relax' but it was clearly something that many found hard to do given the circumstances.

Flight attendants explained that airport fire crews were racing to the scene and for passengers to sit back down.

Before many could return to their seats, the captain issued an order to evacuate but to avoid using the over-wing exit where the engine had been blazing.

'Evacuate! Evacuate! Evacuate! Right hand engine has caught on fire. We hit a bird on take off. Please avoid the right hand engine,' instructed the captain.

The sight of thick black smoke at the side of the aircraft sent further panic through the cabin

As the flames were put out, black smoke began emanating from the engine

The flight attendants instructed people to leave their bags behind. 'Leave everything! Come forward quickly. Jump on to the slide!' they shouted.

Outside the window, pictured obtained by The Lakewood Scoop show thick black smoke billowing into the sky.

It only served to panic passengers further but by the time the 102 passengers and seven crew members were jumping down the emergency slides, the flames were out having been doused in foam by an airport fire engine.

The cabin of the plane never caught fire and no smoke ever came inside.

The South Jersey Transportation Authority said all 109 people on board the Airbus A320 aircraft, 102 passengers and seven crews members, were safely evacuated.

Once out of the plane, the passengers ran for cover on the grass at the side of the runway, but even once out of the stricken plane the drama was not over.

One passenger managed to shoot video as they jumped down the evacuation slide

Passengers ran onto the grass at the side of the runway as fellow travelers ran for cover

People could be seen sliding down the emergency chutes as the plane was evacuated

Plenty of people managed to take huge amounts of cabins baggage with them

At one point a small dog could be seen darting about on the tarmac as it searched for its owner, meanwhile an elderly woman who slid down the slide also landed face first on the ground.

Two people reported minor injuries 'which called for medical transportation,' the authority said.

'The captain braked safely and brought the plane to a stop, received an indication of damage to the engine, and ordered an evacuation in accordance with our standard procedures,' Spirit Airlines said, noting that the aircraft never left the ground.

The fire was extinguished and the airplane was left on the runway pending an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration.

Passengers received full refunds along with a voucher for future travel and the option of continuing to Fort Lauderdale on another plane later on Saturday, the airline said.

The plane could be seen with both forward evacuation slides depolyed

Passengers were able to stand and take in everything they had just experienced while on the grass

The airport's own emergency vehicles were quickly on the scene to put out the flames

Passengers jumped down the slide and then ran quickly from the side of the plane
Rishi Sunak will today unveil a 500million funding package to help get furloughed workers back into jobs.

During the pandemic, the 70billion furlough scheme is credited with saving millions of jobs.

But around one million workers were still on the programme when it finally closed last week, sparking fears of a surge in unemployment.

In his keynote speech to the Conservative Party conference today, the Chancellor will announce funding to 'prioritise' job support for workers coming off furlough.

The 500million extension to the Government's plan for jobs will also provide tailored packages for others hit by the pandemic, including the young and workers aged over 50.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak arrives at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester on Sunday

Rishi Sunak will today unveil a 500million funding package to help get furloughed workers back into jobs

Last night Mr Sunak declared he is 'ready to double-down' on his promise to 'do whatever it takes' to recover from Covid-19.

He said the furlough scheme protected 11million jobs and the UK is 'experiencing one of the strongest and fastest recoveries of any major economy in the world'.

He added: 'But the job is not done yet and I want to make sure our economy is fit for the future, and that means providing the support and skills people need to get into work and get on in life.'

The Chancellor will also use today's speech to set out his vision of shaping the economy around 'the forces of science, technology and imagination'.

He will pledge to 'make the United Kingdom the most exciting place on the planet' through enhanced infrastructure, improved skills and scientific investment.

Today's jobs package will see those coming off furlough prioritised for jobs support during the next three months.

Measures will include mock interviews and help with writing CVs and applying for jobs.

During the pandemic, the 70billion furlough scheme is credited with saving millions of jobs

Under the measures, the Kickstart scheme helping young people on universal credit will be extended to next March.

In its first five months, the scheme has found work placements for 76,900 young people.

The 3,000 incentive for new apprentices will also be extended until the end of January.

Treasury sources said the over-50s have seen the second largest fall in employment during the pandemic and are 'much less likely' to return to the workplace than younger colleagues.

They will also be offered tailored support to find a new job.

The Treasury said more than 500million of new funding will be used for the package, coming from the education plus the work and pensions departments.

But around one million workers were still on the programme when it finally closed last week, sparking fears of a surge in unemployment. In his keynote speech to the Conservative Party conference today, the Chancellor will announce funding to 'prioritise' job support for workers coming off furlough

Last night the Confederation of British Industry welcomed the package. Chief policy director Matthew Fell said: 'Businesses are committed to playing their full part in training and re-skilling the workforce of tomorrow as we move towards a new economy.'

The announcement of the investment comes after the Chancellor pushed ahead with the end of furlough and the cut to universal credit.

A 20-a-week increase in the benefit introduced during the Covid crisis is due to finish on Wednesday.

Since the start of the pandemic, furlough has helped pay the wages of 11.6million workers at a cost of almost 70billion.

Mr Fell added: 'Businesses will welcome the Chancellor's plan for jobs pivoting from furlough to economic recovery.

'With record vacancies and widespread labour shortages, this package's success will be measured by its ability to get people back into work.'

Labour's work and pensions spokesman Jonathan Reynolds said last night: 'The Government's struggling Plan for Jobs has failed to hit its original targets; it is not creating the number of jobs needed and has failed to address the supply chain crisis Britain is experiencing.

'Giving himself an extended deadline will do nothing to compensate for the Chancellor's tax rises, cost of living crisis and cuts to universal credit which are set to hammer millions of working families.

'Labour would create new jobs with our plan to buy, make and sell more in Britain to get our economy firing on all cylinders.'
A Swedish artist who survived two murder attempts after drawing a cartoon of the Muslim Prophet Mohammed has died in a horror car crash.

Lars Vilks, 75, was killed Sunday when the police car he was traveling in veered onto the wrong side of the road and collided with a truck.

Both vehicles caught fire and the truck driver, 45, was taken to hospital with serious injuries.

The two police officers who were tasked with protecting Mr Vilks also died, according Swedish news outlet Expressen.

The crash is being investigated by the special prosecutor's office.

The collision occurred just before 3pm in Markaryd, in the province of Kronoberg, Sweden.

It comes after Mr Vilks received numerous threats for drawing the Prophet Muhammad with a dog's body in 2007.

In 2015 lone gunman Omar El-Hussein fired shots at the front of the Krudttonden cafe where Mr Vilks was taking part in a debate on free speech.

Lars Vilk, 75, was traveling together with two police officers who also died, according Swedish news outlet Expressen

The car carrying Mr Vilks was reportedly travelling at a high speed before it veered into the other lane and collided with the truck, becoming wedged underneath it. Both vehicles caught fire (pictured)

In 2015 lone gunman Omar El-Hussein fired shots at the front of the Krudttonden cafe where Mr Vilks (pictured) was taking part in a debate on free speech

Meanwhile Colleen LaRose, 51, of Pennsberg, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to conspiring to kill Mr Vilks in 2011 and was convicted in 2014.

National Police Chief Anders Thornberg said: 'It is with dismay and great sadness that I received the news that our two colleagues and our security person died this afternoon.

'My thoughts go out to their relatives, families, friends and co-workers.

'I am also in contact with the police in the region to make sure that they get the support they need.'

The relatives of Mr Vilks and the two officers have been notified.

Head of the special prosecutor's office Anders Jakobsson said: 'With the information I have now, it indicates that it is an accident.

'But the investigation is at a very early stage.'

The horror crash occurred just before 3pm in Markaryd, in the province of Kronoberg, Sweden on Sunday (Pictured: Mr Vilks)

The truck driver was airlifted to hospital by helicopter, where he will be questioned by police over what happened.

The car carrying Mr Vilks was reportedly travelling at a high speed before it veered into the other lane and collided with the truck, becoming wedged underneath it. Both vehicles caught fire.

Police spokesman Rickard Lundqvist said: 'I can not say at the moment if there are any criminal suspicions.'

The busy E4 road where the crash occurred has been closed off while police speak to witnesses. It is set to re-open at around 3am.

According to Expressen, the rescue service and the police said it would take a lot for a vehicle to be able to pass into the other lane, given that it is separated by a wire fence.

The section of the road has reportedly been rebuilt several times in recent years to improve traffic safety.

A police press conference is scheduled for Monday.
He won his appeal against deportation notice by Priti Patel in 2019 but the blunder has only just come to light

But judge in case was told he served 12 months - when he actually did 12 years

He had been jailed for wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm

An immigration judge considering the case of a violent Jamaican robber was told that he had been jailed for 12 months  when in fact it was 12 years.

The farcical error raises serious questions about the quality of the Governments legal casework as it attempts to remove criminals from the UK.

The offender in the case, Lloyd Junior Morgan, 34, left his victim with life-threatening injuries. Home Secretary Priti Patel launched proceedings to deport him but her decision was overturned by the courts.

One stage of Morgans appeal was told he had been jailed for 12 months for wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and conspiracy to rob. But in reality he had been sentenced to 12 years.

One stage of Lloyd Junior Morgan's deportation appeal was told he had been jailed for 12 months for wounding with intent and conspiracy to rob. But in reality he had been sentenced to 12 years

The ruling with the error has only recently emerged, although it was published in September 2020.

In it, the Upper Tribunal Asylum and Immigration Chamber said: The offence is dated April 13, 2012 when Mr Morgan was convicted of wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm and conspiracy to rob. He was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment on April 16, 2019.

After the mistake was spotted, a new ruling by another judge said that although 12 months was the sentence stated in the Secretary of States grounds it was incorrect.

The error by the Home Office was quickly rectified and did not ultimately influence the cases outcome.

Morgan had received three convictions and a caution since arriving in Britain in July 2001, the ruling said. He gained a permanent residence card in 2010.

Two years later he was involved in a robbery in which the victim suffered extremely serious and life-threatening injuries, the ruling went on.

He served six years and the Home Secretary then issued a notice to deport him to Jamaica. Morgan lodged an appeal, which he won, in 2019.

More hearings took place as the Home Secretary appealed, including one with the error. Finally, an upper tribunal rejected Miss Patels appeal.

Immigration judge Fiona Lindsley ruled it would not be proportionate to deport Morgan partly because his offending did not involve violence against children or grave sexual offences or drugs.

The case follows efforts to remove Jamaican criminals on charter flights, which led to protests by celebrities, including model Naomi Campbell.

A Home Office spokesman said: Since January 2019 we have removed 8,441 foreign national offenders. Our New Plan for Immigration will expedite the removal of those who have no right to be here.
Victoria has recorded 1,377 new Covid cases as its revealed almost half of the state's new infections are under the age of 30.

Dozens of the new cases are Year 12 students who tested positive for coronavirus just hours before sitting a crucial exam.

It comes as Victorian childcare providers are forced to decide whether parents who refuse to get vaccinated should be excluded from centres.

Victoria has recorded 1,377 new Covid cases as a growing outbreak in Melbourne 's south-east threatens to force numbers even higher (pictured, people exercise in St Kilda)

Four people also lost their lives on Sunday while positive with coronavirus , bringing the state's total to 869 since the pandemic began (pictured, health workers in Melbourne)

Four people also lost their lives on Sunday while positive with coronavirus, bringing the state's total to 869 since the pandemic began.

Monday's new cases were diagnosed from 67,789 tests and 30,985 vaccine doses were administered on Sunday.

There are currently 498 people hospitalised with Covid-19 with 96 patients in ICU and 59 on ventilators.

The four new deaths include a woman in her 70s, a woman in her 60s from Hume, a man in his 80s from Moreland and a man in his 60s from Manningham.

Deputy Premier James Merlino said 45 per cent of those currently hospitalised with the virus were under the age of 30.

Deputy Premier James Merlino (pictured) announced 45 per cent of Victorians currently hospitalised with the virus were under the age of 30

He also reported 33 students have tested positive for the virus just hours before sitting their General Achievement Test on Tuesday.

The infected students were detected in a group of 8000 students in Covid-hit areas.

'We may not have found these cases otherwise, so that goes a long way to help us hold the GAT as safely as possible tomorrow,' Mr Merlino said.

'The Department of Education is contacting these students and letting them know that they cannot sit the GAT and we'll make arrangements for how they can sit their exams at a later stage, if indeed, they're unable to sit any of their exams.'

Unwell students who cannot sit the test, or any future exams will be given a derived examination score.

Monday marked the first day Victorian students will recommence face-to-face learning, with all year groups to return to classrooms in the next few weeks.

Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton also announced changes to quarantine and isolation rules in Victorian schools.

Professor Sutton said entire schools would not be locked down if a positive case emerged, with the focus instead to be on the classroom of the infected person.

The health officer said vaccination rates, mask-wearing and the length of exposure time would be considered with the aim to cause the least disturbance possible.

Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton (pictured) has announced changes to quarantine and isolation rules for schools across Victoria

Entire schools will not enter lockdown if a positive case emerges, with the focus instead to be on the classroom of the infected person (pictured, Bentleigh Secondary College in Melbourne)

He said Victorians aged between 12 and 15 will boast similar coverage to the rest of the state when the 80 per cent double dose for eligible adults aged 16 and above is reached, earmarked for November 5.

Education Minister James Merlino said he was confidence the majority of teaching staff would roll up their sleeves for a Covid jab, in line with the mandate.

Teachers and other school staff are required to receive a first dose of a vaccine by October 18 and a second by November 29 to continue working on school grounds.

Mr Merlino said from 40,000 teaching staff surveyed by the education department, 98 per cent had indicated they were vaccinated.

'I've got great confidence that the vast, vast majority of teachers and staff will get vaccinated in adherence to the requirements set down by the public health direction,' he said.

'This is a critical intervention, and teachers and staff know it. They are there to protect themselves, and to protect the kids in [their schools].

'There will be a small minority of course in every, in every single sector ... who do not want to get vaccinated, and if that's the case in schools, they will not be attending school.'

The deputy premier revealed young people from 12 to 15 years of age had come in droves to get vaccinated in the last few weeks.

State-wide 82 per cent of Victorians have received their first dose of a Covid vaccine, while 52 per cent are double-dosed.

'Interestingly if we include the total eligible population of 12 years and over, the first dose rate is very close behind at 81.1 per cent,' Mr Merlino said.

'This really does reflect the rapid and enthusiastic uptake of vaccines in the newly eligible 12-15 cohort, with 160,000 young people coming forward to get the vaccine in the last few weeks.'

The four new deaths include a woman in her 70s, a woman in her 60s from Hume, a man in his 80s from Moreland and a man in his 60s from Manningham (pictured, a resident in St Kilda)

There are currently 498 people hospitalised with Covid-19 with 96 in ICU and 59 on ventilators (pictured, people gather in St Kilda in Melbourne)

It comes as childcare centres are faced with the difficult decision of having to ban the children of unvaccinated parents from centres.

Victoria announced in its roadmap out of lockdown that between the 70 and 80 per cent vaccination rates childcare would only be available to vaccinated parents or essential workers.

The state is set to hit the 70 per cent vaccination target on October 26 and 80 per cent on November 5.

Parents who refuse to get the jab could be barred from entering centres, dropping their children off or being excluded entirely from the service.

Australian Community Children's Services national convenor Prue Warrilow said childcare providers were seeking legal advice on how to treat the unvaccinated.

'It would be great if the government gave some very clear direction, but they haven't done it for any other sector in terms of the wider stakeholder group, only the employees,' Ms Warrilow told The Age.

She noted the Fair Work Ombudsman had advised mandated vaccinations were justifiable for employees in childcare centres.

Ms Warrilow said it was unclear if the mandate would extend to parents.

There is currently no Covid-19 vaccine approved for children anywhere in the world, with experts advising adults to keep children safe from the virus by getting the jab.

The vaccine debate comes just days after Scott Morrison announced a controversial 'no jab, no pay' policy for all health workers across Australia.

Under the new rules thousands of workers within the vast health system would be required to follow the mandate or risk losing their jobs.

Mr Weimar said that of the 1,220 new Covid cases recorded on Sunday, up to 70 per cent were detected in people under the age of 40 (pictured, residents at St Kilda Beach)

Premier Dan Andrews revealed on Sunday of all the patients in Victorian hospitals only five per cent were fully vaccinated (pictured, residents at St Kilda Beach)

Professor Sutton announced the unpopular 9pm-5am curfew could be scrapped by the end of the month, coming as welcome news to locked-down Victorians.

The health officer said he was wary of new cases emerging following the NRL Grand Final, with sports games historically triggering an increase in illegal gatherings and household transmission.

A reporter questioned Professor Sutton on the effectiveness of the curfew in minimising transmission if people were already gathering illegally in homes.

'I hate to think how it might have been if there was no oversight of all movement after curfew hours were in place, there was still significant movement across households,' he responded.

Professor Sutton said the curfew had reduced 'thousands' of case numbers and pointed to modelling by the Burnet Institute.

He said the data revealed the curfew had curbed the spread of the virus, in support of other restrictions, in both Victoria and Covid-hit areas of Sydney.

Meanwhile, health officials are becoming increasingly concerned about an escalating outbreak in the city's southeast.

Professor Sutton reported 293 new cases in the southeastern suburbs on Monday, primarily in Casey, Greater Dandenong, Kardinia, Monash and Port Phillip.

Health officials have responded to the burgeoning outbreak of new infections in the city's southeast by opening pop-up vaccination clinics in the area (pictured, people in St Kilda)

Covid-19 Commander Jereon Weimar said on Sunday was particularly worried about the spread of the virus in Melbourne's southeast (pictured, health workers in Melbourne)

Health experts have remained optimistic the new cases can be controlled, due to promising vaccination rates in the area.

Between 70 and 80 per cent of residents in Melbourne's south-east have received at least one dose of a Covid vaccine.

The health department has responded to the burgeoning outbreak by opening pop-up vaccination clinics in the area in hopes to boost jab rates.

Of the 1,377 new cases, 582 were recorded in the northern suburbs.

Victoria's roadmap states only vaccinated parents will have access to childcare providers between the 70 and 80 per cent vaccination rates pictured, health care workers in Melbourne)

Hume accounted for 304 cases, with the remaining spread across Whittlesea, Moreland and Darrebin.

Mr Sutton said growing vaccination rates were curbing the virus in the state's north, with case numbers plateauing in Hume and Wyndham.

The deputy premier announced the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation had launched an initiative to boost vaccination rates in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Three of Victoria's Smile Squad dental vans will be repurposed as mobile vaccination vans with the first heading to Shepparton from Monday.

Victoria is set to hit the 70 per cent double-dose rate on October 26 and the 80 per cent target on November 5 (pictured, locals in South Yarra)

Shepparton is home to the largest Aboriginal population in Victoria outside of Melbourne, and is currently in lockdown battling an outbreak of Covid-19.

Indigenous vaccination rates are lower than the state average, with 65 per cent of the Aboriginal population having received one dose of a Covid vaccine.

Meanwhile, Melbourne has officially become the most locked down city in the world after recording its 246th day under stay-at-home orders on Monday.

The record was previously held by the Argentinian capital Buenos Aires at 245 days, followed by Dublin in Ireland at 227 days and London in the UK hitting 201 days.

Mr Andrews said he was proud of Victorians for what they have endured and for 'giving so much' to save lives.
Changes would allow double-jabbed to visit countries without having to isolate

Travel rules for people going to South Africa, Mexico and Brazil could be relaxed

Strict Covid travel restrictions are expected to be lifted on most countries this week including South Africa, Mexico and Brazil.

The Government's 'red list' of 54 countries is tipped to be reduced to just nine, just in time for families travelling during the half-term break.

It comes as travel rules are relaxed today with the scrapping of the traffic light system.

And the fully vaccinated now no longer need a test before travelling back to the UK.

Countries such as Cape Verde and Indonesia are also due to be released from the red list, which requires travellers to quarantine in hotels.

Thailand could also be removed, but sources said this was more of a borderline case.

The Government's 'red list' of 54 countries is tipped to be reduced to just nine, just in time for families travelling during the half-term break. Brazil is expected to be taken off the red list. Pictured: Copacabana Beach

The changes would allow the double-jabbed to visit these countries without having to isolate. Pictured: Cabo San Lucas in Mexico

The changes would allow fully-vaccinated people to visit these countries without having to self-isolate on their return.

The announcement is expected on Thursday as the government looks to return society to normal and boost the economy.

Britain's current red list of countries/territories The UK Government's 'red list' of 54 countries is tipped to be reduced to just nine. These are the countries currently on the red list: Afghanistan Angola Argentina Bolivia Botswana Brazil Burundi Cape Verde Chile Colombia Congo (Democratic Republic) Costa Rica Cuba Dominican Republic Ecuador Eritrea Eswatini Ethiopia French Guiana Georgia Guyana Haiti Indonesia Lesotho Malawi Mayotte Mexico Mongolia Montenegro Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nepal Panama Paraguay Peru Philippines Reunion Rwanda Seychelles Sierra Leone Somalia South Africa Sudan Suriname Tanzania Thailand Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Uganda Uruguay Venezuela Zambia Zimbabwe Advertisement

The move would lead to a flurry in bookings by holidaymakers, as many on the list are winter sun destinations.

It follows lobbying by Tory backbenchers and industry bodies, which said the draconian restrictions were strangling businesses.

In the summer, Theresa May warned that Britain was 'falling behind the rest of Europe in our decisions to open up'.

Scientists have been pleasantly surprised that Covid hospitalisation rates appeared to have plateaued this month at 600 rather than the predicted 7,000.

A Whitehall source told the Sunday Telegraph: 'We are expecting sharp reductions in the red list. It could be as few as nine countries left on the list.'

The source said ministers wanted to keep restrictions in place to guard against Covid variants, but that the government wanted to avoid an 'unnecessarily restricted' travel policy.

They added: 'Targeted quarantine will remain, but in fewer places.'

A second source confirmed the red list was due to be cut back 'substantially'.

This month, the government has been under pressure from many of the countries on its red list to ease restrictions.

Last week, Cyril Ramaphosa, the South African president, said he had been lobbying Mr Johnson to remove the country from the UK's list.

It is understood ministers have been reassured that the Beta variant has largely disappeared from South Africa.

In a separate move, today the government is due to replace the current traffic light system with a two-tier scheme that merges the previous green and amber lists into a 'rest of the world' category.

Travellers to countries remaining on the red or 'no-go' list will still need to quarantine in a hotel for 11 nights on their return to the UK - costing 2,285 for solo travellers.

However, scrapping the amber list will free travellers from those countries having to do a pre-departure test before returning to the UK.

Last night, transport secretary Grant Shapps said of the scrapping of the traffic lights system: 'We are accelerating towards a future where travel continues to reopen safely and remains open for good, and today's rule changes are good news for families, businesses and the travel sector.

The announcement is expected on Thursday as the Government looks to return society to normal and boost the economy. Pictured: South Africa is also set to have its travel rules relaxed

'Our priority remains to protect public health but, with more than eight in 10 people now fully vaccinated, we are able to take these steps to lower the cost of testing and help the sector to continue in its recovery.'

Tim Alderslade, chief executive of Airlines UK, a trade body representing UK carriers, said: 'Things are moving in the right direction and the removal of these restrictions will make it easier and cheaper for people to travel.

'We've seen a good response to the announcement in terms of bookings and given current trends.'
Surprise urban military drills in Riga have both angered and amused residents as soldiers fired blank rounds and staged training drills in the streets of the Latvian capital.

The city was turned into a simulated warzone at the weekend, with heavily armed soldiers firing weapons among startled civilians who appeared to have been given no warning of the drills.

Footage of the exercise did not show any markings or boundaries as civilians picked their way through groups of soldiers shooting rounds at one another, staging combat drills and carrying out building breaches as part of war games being conducted by NATO countries.

Though some civilians seemed to be amused and entertained by the drills, the Latvian government has faced criticism after residents said their children were terrified.

It comes as Russia stages huge war games and military raining exercises with Belarus, Armenia, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Mongolia in nine different locations.

Though many civilians seemed to be amused and entertained by the drills, the Latvian government has faced criticism after residents said their children were terrified

Following the outcry, the military gave a lacklustre apology, stating that it uses only blank cartridges for such events, and insisting that no harm was caused

Videos that surfaced on social media showed a soldier firing his weapon as a woman with her baby passed by, scaring the woman and causing the baby to cry with fear and shock

Videos that surfaced on social media showed a soldier firing his weapon as a woman with her baby passed by, scaring the woman and causing the baby to cry with fear and shock.

Other scenes showed multiple soldiers in the middle of a street, crouching behind cars and firing their weapons at a building.

While the exercise was not carried out with full force, the sight of military units firing weapons in the city's streets unsettled many residents and drew harsh criticism due to the absence of any official warnings or limitations to the drills.

Following the outcry, the military gave a lacklustre apology, stating that it uses only blank cartridges for such events, and insisting that no harm was caused.

'During such drills, we only use blank cartridges, which make noise but do not pose any danger to the health and life of others.

'In this case, blank cartridges were also used, and this situation was a bitter misunderstanding, for which we apologize.'

Meanwhile, Latvia's Defence Ministry appealed to the public for 'calm and understanding for the exercises' which it said were necessary and did not pose a threat to the city's residents, in a statement cited by the TVnet website.

The Defence Ministry added that two servicemen had been hospitalised as a result of injuries sustained in the training drills, which formed part of NATO's Namejs 2021 war games from August 30 to October 3.

The exercises involve approximately 9,300 soldiers from several NATO countries.

The exercises involve approximately 9,300 soldiers from several NATO countries

Latvia's Defence Ministry appealed to the public for 'calm and understanding for the exercises' which it said were necessary and did not pose a threat to the city's residents, in a statement cited by the TVnet website

Latvia's urban defence drills came just one day before Russian President Vladimir Putin oversaw huge military exercises in Kaliningrad on Monday

Latvia's urban defence drills came just one day before Russian President Vladimir Putin oversaw huge military exercises in Kaliningrad on Monday, including a beach invasion by the world's largest hovercraft.

Some 2,000 servicemen and more than 200 pieces of military equipment featured in the drill, as troops stormed ashore in a war game on the Russian border with the European Union.

Last week, Putin attended more large-scale military exercises which are being jointly held with Belarus, Armenia, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Mongolia at nine different ranges in Russia, including in the Baltic Sea, and five in Belarus in what has alerted the Ukrainian government. In Kaliningrad, footage showed the huge landing exercise involving the Baltic fleets and others on the Zubr-class LCAC, the world's largest hovercraft.

Intended to sealift assault units from vessels to shores, the Soviet-designed hovercraft can also transport and plant naval mines.

Russia, Belarus and others are staging huge military exercises, which included a beach invasion by the world's largest hovercraft (pictured)

In another video, Russian helicopter gunships were seen in action in the Zapad-2021 large-scale drills evolving 200,000 troops intended to highlight Russia's military readiness to the West - and neighbouring Ukraine

Tanks fire during the Zapad-2021 joint military drills at the Mulino army base in the Nizhny Novogorod region, some 350 kilometres east of Moscow

Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) was today overseeing huge military exercises at the Mulino range in the Nizhny Novgorod region

The drills are due to end on 16 September but Russia has announced that its forces will not all return to their military bases until mid-October, the defence ministry said, without providing an explanation for the delayed return.

The massive drills plus an announcement of closer ties between Russia and dictatorship Belarus have spooked Ukraine.

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba warned: 'The scenarios practiced there represent serious risks [to Ukraine].

'We understand that if Russia absorbs Belarus in one way or another, we will have 1,000 kilometres of additional danger to our sovereignty and territorial integrity.'

His predecessor Pavlo Klimkin warned that Russia was seeking to almost encircle Ukraine with forces, and called for a plea for help from NATO.

The exercises are on-going across a swathe of Russia from the Baltic to the borders of Ukraine, while separate drills are underway in the Arctic.

In exercises in the Arctic, Russian nuclear-powered submarine Oryol was shown firing a Granit anti-ship cruise missile in the Barents Sea, where waters were closed to non-naval vessels during the high-latitude war games.

Nine ranges in Russia, including in the Baltic Sea, and five in Belarus are hosting the joint military exercises which are worrying Ukraine
A woman was horrified to discover a severed human finger in a hamburger at a fast food restaurant in Bolivia.

Estefany Benitez visited a Hot Burger outlet in Santa Cruz de la Sierra on Sunday, one of her favourite food chains.

But after chewing on something unfamiliar, she was shocked and disgusted when she took out the severed finger.

A woman was horrified to discover a severed human finger in a hamburger at a fast food restaurant in Bolivia

After chewing on something unfamiliar, she was shocked and disgusted when she took out the severed finger

She wrote on Facebook: 'At the moment of eating, I chewed on a FINGER.'

She accompanied images of the rotting finger on Facebook along with videos of her waiting to speak to a company representative who offered: 'Please tell me what you want and we will give it to you.'

In the footage, the Hot Burger representative also explains that the burgers arrive at the store pre-prepared and 'nothing like this has ever happened to us before'.

Benitez says in one video viewed over 60,000 times: 'Here we are at the magnificent Hot Burger where a finger ended up in my burger. I'll post a photo of the finger right away.'

In the photo, the top of a finger is seen on the side of the woman's plate after she had apparently taken a bite of the burger.

Estefany Benitez visited a Hot Burger outlet in Santa Cruz de la Sierra on Sunday, one of her favourite food chains

She accompanied images of the rotting finger on Facebook along with videos of her waiting to speak to a company representative

She said a store representative offered to close the restaurant while she was still there, but then 'carried on serving customers like nothing had happened'.

After the woman's post was widely shared on social media, a company spokesperson called the matter an 'unfortunate incident' and explained that a worker had lost part of his index finger while preparing the meat.

Edson Claure, director of the National Police's Special Crime Fighting Force, confirmed to local media that a company employee lost part of his finger at work.

Meanwhile, the Vice Minister for the Defence of User and Consumer Rights decided to temporarily close the branch and impose a fine on the company.
Kayla Itsines went public with her new boyfriend Jae Woodroffe last month, just weeks after splitting from her ex Mitch 'G'.

And on Saturday, the fitness guru and her beau were pictured running errands in Adelaide, as their romance continues to blossom.

Jae proved to be quite the gentleman as he was spotted opening the car door for his partner while out and about in the city.

New romance! On Saturday, fitness guru Kayla Itsines was spotted stepping out with her new boyfriend Jae Woodroffe in Adelaide

Kayla opted for comfort, dressed in a grey crop-top paired with white trousers and a pair of sneakers.

Meanwhile, her beau looked equally as cool and casual in a black T-shirt, grey jogging trousers and a pair of black sneakers.

Earlier in the day, Kayla was spotted getting into her Mercedes outside a friend's house while wearing an all-black ensemble.

Prior to his new romance, Jae was dating long-term girlfriend Lauren Belotti up until earlier this year - who is believed to be one of Kayla's friends.

Nice guy! Jae proved to be quite the gentleman as he was spotted opening the car door for his lady while out and about in the city

Casual: Kayla opted for comfort, dressed in a grey crop top paired with grey trousers and white sneakers

Chic: Earlier in the day, Kayla was spotted getting into her Mercedes outside a friend's house while wearing an all-black ensemble

Little is known about Jae, who is one of the 732 people that Kayla follows on her 13.4 million-follower strong Instagram page.

He appears to love travelling and motorbikes if his Facebook page is anything to go by, yet has kept his Instagram account completely private.

However, he has been tagged in multiple posts by his ex-girlfriend Lauren on Instagram.

Brisk stroll: Kayla didn't raise a smile as she battled the brisk morning weather on the way to her vehicle earlier in the day

Outfit change: Kayla is understood to have returned home and changed her clothes before going to meet up with her boyfriend, Jae

Lauren has posted an several loved-up photos with Jae since their romance blossomed in 2016, sharing their first photo together while celebrating Christmas that year.

However, the final photo Lauren uploaded of her with Jae was on May 23 this year, which could have been close to the time that they broke up.

The image showed the duo holding hands, which Lauren captioned: 'Dinner in the Valley for our last night in Queensland.'

Interestingly, an Instagram page believed to be Kayla's private account - @kaylajamie_ - commented 'excellent photo' under the post, followed by two flame emojis.

Followers: Little is known about Jae, who is one of the 732 people that Kayla follows on her 13.4million-follower strong Instagram page (pictured)

Twist: Prior to his new romance, Jae was dating long-term girlfriend Lauren Belotti up until earlier this year - and she is believed to be one of Kayla's friends. The last photo she posted of the couple back in May attracted a comment by an Instagram page believed to be Kayla's private account - @kaylajamie

Friends: The comment was liked by both Lauren and Jae, appearing to confirm their friendship at the time

The comment was liked by both Lauren and Jae, appearing to confirm their friendship at the time.

In October 2020, Lauren shared another photo alongside Jae, with @kaylajamie_ commenting with two love-hearts underneath.

In March, the account also commented 'Good photo!! excellent photo' under an image of the couple at a fairground. Again, Lauren gave the comment a 'like'.

Pals: In March, the account also commented: 'Good photo!! excellent photo' under an image of the couple at a fairground. Again, Lauren gave the comment a 'like'

Over: Lauren still follows Kayla's public Instagram page - however, she does not follow Jae's (pictured) account or Kayla's private account

Love: Lauren would regularly post sweet messages about Jae, after the pair went Instagram official in 2016

Lauren still follows Kayla's public Instagram page - however, she does not follow Jae's account or Kayla's private account.

Daily Mail Australia are not suggesting any party has ever been unfaithful, and have contacted Lauren, Jae and a representative for Kayla for further comment.

Kayla, who is believed to have split from videographer Mitch in August, was spotted out and about for the first time with Jae last month in Adelaide.

The pair were seen leaving a kebab restaurant when Kayla's new man cheekily patted her on the bottom.

Clearly enjoying the tactile display, Kayla was seen smiling as the pair made their way through the parking lot arm-in-arm.

First outing: Kayla, who is believed to have split from videographer Mitch in August, was spotted out and about for the first time with Jae (pictured) last month in Adelaide

Not present for the outing was Kayla's two-year-old daughter Arna, who she shares with her former fiance, Tobi Pearce.

The sighting came just weeks after photos surfaced of Kayla's ex-boyfriend, who is known as 'Mitch G', packing personal belongings into a moving van outside of her home earlier this month.

At the time the photos surfaced, it was unclear whether Mitch was in fact moving out following a breakup.

However Kayla's loved-up display last month now confirms she and Mitch did indeed part ways.

Furthermore, Mitch has recently deleted the initials 'KI' from his Instagram page - another indication that the pair have called it quits.

Mitch and Kayla reportedly dated for several months this year, and were last photographed together on July 3.

Past romance: Kayla and her ex-boyfriend Mitch reportedly dated for several months this year, and were last photographed together on July 3

It was Kayla's first known romance since her split from fiance Tobi in August last year.

'After eight years together, Tobi and I have come to the difficult decision to separate as a couple. We will always be family, and remain good friends and devoted parents to Arna,' she said at the time.

The former couple co-founded the Bikini Body Training Company after meeting in late 2012.

They were later named joint fifth on the Australian Financial Review's Young Rich List for 2018, making them the wealthiest self-made twenty-somethings in Australia.

That year, Forbes estimated the then-couple's shared net worth to be $696million.

In May this year, Kayla announced she'd found love again in an interview with Australian Women's Health.

'It's early days, so I won't share too much. But I'm super happy. We have a strong sense of family and a love for fitness [in common],' she said at the time.

While Kayla stopped short of revealing the mystery man's identity, it is believed the man to whom she was referring was Mitch.
Samuel Johnson has revealed that he almost died when he was accidentally struck by a car in Melbourne in June this year.

On Sunday, the actor spoke about the terrifying incident for the first time in an interview with The Herald Sun, saying it left him with several major injuries including a fractured skull and neck vertebra.

Samuel, 43, said his survival from the accident was a 'miracle'.

In recovery: Samuel Johnson (right) has opened up for the first time about his 'miracle survival' in the aftermath of his horrific car accident. Pictured with his sister Hilde Hinton (left)

'It was near death, it was really close,' he said. 'I am a little bit of a miracle child and I dont use the M-word lightly.'

Johnson was driving to a relative's house on June 19 when he pulled over and crossed the road to relieve himself, because he was 'bursting' and didn't think he could wait an extra half hour.

As he went to return to his vehicle, he was accidentally struck by a car.

'I am a little bit of a miracle child and I dont use the M-word lightly': The Gold Logie winner and cancer research fundraiser believes his survival from the accident was a complete 'miracle'

What happened: Johnson was driving to a relative's house on June 19 when he pulled over and crossed the road to relieve himself. As he went to return to his vehicle, he was accidentally struck by a car

Sam says he suffered bleeding on the brain, injured the ligaments in his neck, partially dislocated his jaw and suffered deep bruising down the side of his body.

'I had a 13mm fracture to my skull and I fractured my C1 vertebra in my neck, but luckily my face bore the brunt of the impact,' Sam continued.

He was placed into an induced coma after arriving at The Alfred Hospital, which was around the same time his sister and family had arrived.

Serious: The charity fundraiser was placed into an induced coma after arriving at The Alfred Hospital, which was around the same time his sister and family had arrived

His recovery was slow; spending two weeks at The Alfred Hospital and four and a half weeks at the The Epworth Hospital in rehabilitation.

Sam states he was more than grateful for the doctors, nurses, specialists and staff who cared for him during his lengthy recovery.

'I saw them as real heroes before I had the accident; you can imagine how heightened I feel about them now,' he added. 'I had the best care in the world and I have had great outcomes so I am feeling pretty gushy right now.'
Zoe Foster Blake and her comedian husband Hamish moved into a $8.925million home in Sydney's Vaucluse earlier this year.

And it appears the beauty mogul and radio star have well and truly settled into their new neighbourhood.

On Saturday, Zoe, 41, appeared in high spirits as she and her partner took their two children Sonny, seven, and Rudy, four, to their local park.

Local digs: Zoe Foster Blake and her husband Hamish recently moved with their two children to Sydney - and it appears the family have well and truly settled into their new neighbourhood

Zoe opted for a casual chic vibe for the outing, wearing a white button-up shirt teamed up with black pants.

The best-selling author teamed her look with oversized sunglasses, gold jewellery and slide on sandals.

Her cropped brunette locks were loose and she appeared to go makeup free.

Out and about: On Saturday, the 41-year-old appeared in good spirits as she took her children Sonny, seven, and Rudy, four, to their local park

Keeping an eye out: The mother-of-two watched on as her children appeared to be having a great time playing on the equipment

Style: Hamish was dressed in a maroon coloured T-shirt, shorts and black sneakers

The doting mum watched on as her children appeared to be having a great time playing on the equipment.

Hamish was dressed in a maroon coloured T-shirt, shorts and black sneakers.

Little Rudy looked adorable in a pink dress featuring anchors and boats, which was teamed with sneakers and a hat.

Keeping an eye out: The mother-of-two watched on as her children appeared to be having a great time playing on the equipment

Playtime! After arriving at the park, Hamish was seen making the most of his time outdoors and seen playing on the equipment

Fun in the sun: Hamish raised a smile as he sat on the swings for the fun-filled day out

Sonny was dressed in a white long-sleeved shirt paired with grey shorts.

After arriving at the park, Hamish was seen making the most of his time outdoors - and was even spotted playing on the swings.

The Blakes spent $8.925million on a property in the upmarket suburb of Vaucluse just before Christmas last year, after previously living in Melbourne.

Casual chic: Zoe looked casual chic in a white button-up shirt teamed up with black pants

The five-bedroom, six-bathroom estate sits on 885 square metres and features two sets of garages.

While the four-level home does not have ocean views, it is considered architecturally noteworthy and was featured on Grand Designs Australia in 2013.

Zoe and her husband, 39, inspected 'a number of properties' across the eastern suburbs before finally settling on their home.
She recently launched a joint online fitness website called The Pilates Class with fellow influencer Jacqui Kingswell.

But Natasha Oakley's exciting new venture has been waylaid by a bizarre scandal involving a white bangle.

As reported by The Sydney Morning Herald on Sunday, the bikini model raised eyebrows last week after she posed for an Instagram selfie to document her at-home Pilates session.

#Banglegate: Natasha Oakley (pictured) has been accused of wearing a knock-off version of Bala's iconic weighted bangle on Instagram

On Natasha's wrist was a chunky weight bangle - an accessory often used by Pilates enthusiasts to increase the difficulty of their workouts.

Natasha's eye-catching accessory quickly sparked backlash, with some fans believing the bangle was actually a knock-off of an original design by fitness brand Bala.

Natasha's post, which was originally uploaded to The Pilates Class' Instagram Stories, has since been deleted.

Is it a knockoff? As reported by The Sydney Morning Herald on Sunday, the bikini model raised eyebrows last week after she posed for an Instagram selfie to document her at-home Pilates session. A critic re-uploaded her photo with annotations that claimed the bangle was a Bala copy

Indeed, there appears to be some differences between Natasha's bangle and the patented Bala design, which has earned a cult following in recent years.

While the Bala bangle's design features oblong segments, the segments on Natasha's bangle appear to be triangular.

However, the apparent difference between the two designs could simply be a trick of the light, and Natasha could well be wearing an original Bala bangle.

Hmm: Indeed, there appears to be some differences between Natasha's bangle and the patented Bala design. While the Bala bangle's design features oblong segments (right), the segments on Natasha's bangle appear to be triangular (left)

Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald, Bala founder Natalie Holloway said she felt 'disheartened' about copycats selling knock-offs of her bangles, which retail for $75.00.

'To see people come along and just rip us off is disheartening,' Ms Holloway lamented.

'Luckily, customers and true fans of the brand hate to see this, so they always tell us.'

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Natasha for comment.

Luxury: Beloved by Instagram influencers and Pilates enthusiasts alike, the trendy Bala bangle retails for a cool $75.00 per pair
Jacob Elordi was all smiles as he attended the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic event in Los Angeles on Saturday.

The Australian actor, 24, looked dapper in a black suit jacket and grey trousers as he posed on the red carpet.

The Kissing Booth star teamed his stylish ensemble with a white buttoned shirt and white shoes.

Stylish: The Kissing Booth star Jacob Elordi (pictured) looked dapper in a suit as he attended a polo event in Los Angeles on Saturday

He also wore black glasses as he arrived to the event.

Jacob's outing comes after he made his very first red carpet appearance with his girlfriend Kaia Gerber after one year of dating.

Last week, the couple attended the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Opening Gala in Los Angeles.

Style statement: The Australian actor wore a black suit jacket and grey trousers as he posed on the red carpet

The happy couple were first spotted together last September when they were seen at various locations in New York City and Los Angeles.

After they were seen together, they joined the Kaia's parents during a trip to Mexico.

The pair also made several other public appearances upon their return to the United States, and they were spotted kissing last October, seemingly confirming that they were dating.

It's offical! Jacob's outing comes after he made his very first red carpet appearance with his girlfriend Kaia Gerber after one year of dating

A source spoke to Us at the time and noted that the two were thoroughly enjoying their newfound romance.

The insider also expressed that the model's 'family thinks [Elordi] is a stand-up guy and a breath of fresh air.'

A separate insider also spoke to Us in April and expressed that while the two were having a good time together, they were taking things slowly at first.
Hayden Panettiere is back on Instagram after a six-month absence.

The 32-year-old Nashville actress returned to her social media account on Friday, October 1 to show off her new hair cut, and to give a shout out to the Pink Cheeks Salon, which is in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Panettiere can be seen in the selfie snap standing outside the salon with one arm raised enthusiastically into the air, towards the establishment's sign just above the entrance.

Back! Hayden Panettiere is back on Instagram after a six-month absence

'My go to place since I was a teenager!' she began in the caption.

'Cindy's the owner and my go to girl! Her girls and Cindy herself always make me feel fresh, new and beautiful every time I see them!'

She ended the post by adding, 'They're my secret weapon. #PinkCheeks #Cindy Check out what they have to offer.'

The New York native had her blonde tresses styled with major bangs and a slight part in the middle.

Hiatus: The Nashville actress had last posted on Instagram back in April

The length of her locks still appears to be flowing well past her shoulders, while wearing a green sweatshirt.

The post is the first for Panettiere since April 18, when she raved about the Disney+ documentary Secrets of the Whales.

It also comes in the wake of a turbulent few years that involved her being an abusive relationship with ex-boyfriend Brian Hickerson, who was arrested and charged with felony assault back in July 2020.

As a result, she has been working on making some changes in her life during the past year or so.

Former flame: Panettiere shares her six-year-old daughter Kaya with ex-fiance Wladimir Klitschko; the former couple are seen together in December 2015

Back in March, a source told People that things were looking up for Panettiere and that she had been excited about what lays ahead personally and professionally.

'Hayden is in a wonderful headspace. Things are so much better and she's really excited about her future. She's got a few projects in the works,' the source told People, adding, 'And she's spending time with her daughter. She has an amazing relationship with Wlad. Things are going really well.'

Panettiere is the mother of a six-year-old daughter Kaya that she shares with ex-fiance Wladimir Klitschko, who's a retired boxer and former heavyweight champion of the world.

The former couple reportedly have a solid relationship as co-parents.

In recent weeks Panettiere has been seen with Hickerson, which included an outing with friends at an upscale Italian restaurant, where the exes each arrived and left separately.
Amie Rohan has bravely opened up about the loss of her daughter Willow just five hours after the infant was born with her surviving twin Bella.

The former AFL WAG told the Herald Sun on Sunday, she suffered separation anxiety from her surviving twin daughter.

'It is still raw and everyone heals differently but I feel like from the moment I found out about her I wanted her legacy to live on in the hope of helping others who have been there and bottled up emotions,' she said.

Candid: Gary Rohan's ex-wife Amie (pictured) has said the loss of her daughter Willow is 'still raw' - as the former AFL WAG revealed how she's honouring her three years on

'There's so much healing that comes from sharing. There was a moment where I wasn't opening up to how much I was struggling and I had separation anxiety from Bella,' she added.

Amie went on to reveal how she's honouring her daughter, three years on from Willow's tragic death.

She has teamed up with children's ballet brand Flo Dancewear to release a red tutu dress to raise awareness for October's Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness month.

Tribute: On Sunday, the former AFL WAG revealed she has teamed up with children's ballet brand Flo Dancewear to release a red tutu dress to raise awareness for October's Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness month

Amie and her ex-husband Gary Rohan suffered unimaginable grief in 2018 when Willow, Bella's twin, died five hours after birth due to a defect causing babies to be born without parts of the brain.

The Rohans' marriage reportedly ended just months after their daughter Sadie was born in March last year. They are also parents to three-year-old Bella.

They split after four years of marriage, shortly after he entered the AFL's Gold Coast coronavirus hub.

Heartbreaking: Amie suffered unimaginable grief in 2018 when Willow, Bella's twin, died five hours after birth due to a defect causing babies to be born without parts of the brain

While in the hub, he hooked up with club staffer Madi Bennett after his marriage broke down.

Madi had been flown cross-country to use her physiotherapy skills to help Geelong Cats legend Gary Ablett Jr see out his final season.

She'd been working as a physiotherapist at BodyLab Health and moonlighted as a Cats trainer and physio.
The Bachelorette's Brooke Blurton put on a brave face and rolled up her sleeve to receive her first Covid-19 vaccine on Sunday.

Posting to Instagram, the 26-year-old influencer proudly told fans she got the jab despite her crippling 'needle phobia'.

'Hey, I'm getting my first vaxx, I've brought [my friend] Jarrad along for moral support because I actually hate needles,' she told her followers.

'For the nans, pops and for community!' The Bachelorette's Brooke Blurton, 26, has proudly displayed her vaccinated shoulder - just hours after Channel 10 dropped a new trailer

She then captioned a photo of her vaccinated arm: 'For the nans, pops and for community!'

Brooke didn't reveal which vaccine she had opted to get in the footage.

It comes just hours after Channel Ten shared a glimpse at this year's season of The Bachelorette, starring Brooke as its first bisexual suitress.

The new trailer reveals a first look at some of the male and female contestants vying for her heart, as well as a very steamy red carpet encounter that left her blushing.

'Hey, I'm getting my first vaxx, I've brought Jarrad along for moral support because I actually hate needles,' she told her followers in a video shared to her Instagram story

The trailer begins with a slow-mo shot of Brooke getting dressed for her red carpet arrival at the Bachelor mansion.

'Being the Bachelorette, I get teary, I get emotional, I get goosebumps, because I'm the first Indigenous, bisexual Bachelorette,' Brooke told producers.

'The barriers that have been broken just by doing this, I think is huge,' she continued.

The trailer then flashed to throwback footage from Brooke's appearance on The Bachelor mansion as a contestant back in 2018.

Brooke's big moment! It comes hours after Channel 10 shared a glimpse at this year's saucy season of The Bachelorette, starring Australia's first bisexual suitress, Brooke (pictured)

It begins: Released on Sunday, the new trailer reveals a first look at some of the male and female contestants vying for Brooke's heart, as well as a very steamy red carpet encounter that left her blushing

'I am just a girl trying to fall in love': Brooke briefly reflected upon her failed romance with Alex Nation (left) on Bachelor In Paradise 2019 in the trailer

'I first came into the mansion in Nick Cummins' season of The Bachelor and genuinely thought I was I was going to be the girl at the end,' she said, as scenes of played of Brooke breaking down in tears after splitting from Nick on the show.

'It didn't work out... I gave it another shot in Paradise,' the brunette continued, referring to her stint on Bachelor In Paradise 2019.

Throwback footage of her ill-fated romance in Paradise with fellow female contestant Alex Nation flashed across the screen, including the heartbreaking moment Alex brutally dumped her for co-star Bill Goldsmith.

Beefcake in beige! Viewers then see Brooke meeting a gaggle of attractive men and women on the red carpet, including a handsome, dark-haired man dressed in a beige suit

Lovelorn: 'I just want to find my person,' Brooke can be heard saying

'I am just a girl trying to fall in love. But, it's not about gender, it's always about connection. A partner that is on the same team as me, that's what I want,' she tearfully told producers.

Viewers then see Brooke meeting a gaggle of attractive men and women on the red carpet, including a brunette woman dressed in a white, figure-hugging gown.

Next down the red carpet was a handsome, dark-haired man dressed in a beige suit and green tie, followed by a man dressed in a black suit driving a tractor.

Heating up: Finally, Brooke is seen slow-dancing on the red carpet with a blonde woman dressed in a red gown

Getting close: The pair smile at each other as they enjoy the intimate moment

'I just want to find my person,' Brooke can be heard saying.

Finally, Brooke is seen slow-dancing on the red carpet with a blonde woman dressed in a red gown.

Uncontrollably blushing after the sultry dance, Brooke told the cameras. 'I am mind-blown. Let's just pack it up. We're done!'

The Bachelorette will premiere on Channel 10 in October

Already smitten! Uncontrollably blushing after the sultry dance, Brooke told the cameras. 'I am mind-blown. Let's just pack it up. We're done!'
Jordan Barrett had his supermodel looks on display on Friday.

The Australian catwalk star looked chic in a black suit at the launch of Ralph Lauren's Club Eau de Parfum at Paris Fashion Week.

The 24-year-old fittingly donned a black ensemble from Ralph Lauren, the slim-fit suit consisting of high-fashion, clean lines.

Looking good: Jordan Barrett (pictured) had his supermodel looks on display on Friday. The Australian catwalk star looked chic in a black suit at the launch of Ralph Lauren's Club Eau de Parfum at Paris Fashion Week

He added a white shirt underneath, which was open at the neck, and skipped the tie or bow tie.

Jordan also had on a waistcoat, and a pair of suede dress shoes, which he accessorised with a dainty choker.

The model additionally sported his new, retro shaggy haircut - getting on board the 1970s coif trend doing the rounds of late.

Looking good: The 24-year-old fittingly donned a black ensemble from Ralph Lauren, the slim-fit suit consisting of high-fashion, clean lines

The appearance comes after Jordan married his partner Fernando Casablancas.

The couple tied the knot in an intimate wedding in Ibiza in August.

The ceremony was attended by no more than 15 of Jordan's closet friends.

Catwalk king: Jordan recently signed to Kate Moss' modelling agency and walked at the Balmain show at Paris Fashion Week earlier this week

Among them was Kate Moss and her daughter Lila, Georgia May Jagger and American playwright Jeremy O. Harris.

Jordan, who was scouted at the age of 14, has modelled for the likes of Versace, Tom Ford and Moschino.

He recently signed to Kate Moss' modelling agency and counts the British supermodel among his close friends.
Maya Jama wiped away tears as she discussed how her first boyfriend was shot dead and how she thought her father being in and out of prison was 'normal'.

The 27-year-old TV star's boyfriend Rico Gordon was killed aged 21 by a ricocheting bullet meant for someone else during a fight in Bristol in 2011.

Maya, who is appearing in Foxy's Fearless 48 Hours, also touched on how she felt her father being jailed at such a young age has made her stronger now.

Emotional: Maya Jama wiped away tears as she discussed how her first boyfriend was shot dead and how she thought her father being in and out of prison was 'normal'

Maya was just 16 when her boyfriend was killed during the summer she was due to move to London to pursue her now flourishing TV career.

She said: 'So then your whole world just changes as you're a little girl and you realise, 'All right, this is adult stuff going on.' I was devastated, I was so sad', reports The Sun.

Emotional Maya also reflected on her jailbird father Hussein, who was sent to prison for bottling a man.

Heartbreaking: The 27-year-old TV star's boyfriend Rico Gordon was killed aged 21 by a ricocheting bullet meant for someone else during a fight in Bristol in 2011 (pictured)

She added: 'I had a situation where my dad was in and out of jail from three. At the time, I didn't think it bothered me. It was all I knew so that was normal, I don't like crying about that stuff. I have to laugh or I get emotional.

'I'm OK now, but obviously I'm sad for my little, younger self that I had to deal with that.'

Maya previously said that growing up without her father present was not something she 'sat at home and cried about', during an interview with Marie Claire.

Opening up: Maya, who is appearing in Foxy's Fearless 48 Hours (pictured), also touched on how she felt her father being jailed at such a young age has made her stronger now

She said: 'Anything that seems tragic or could make people feel sorry for me, I make a joke out of. I guess it's because I'm OK with it. I've accepted it and I don't want you making me feel like you're sorry for me.

'If people said, 'Where's your dad?' I'd say, 'Oh, he's in jail' and I'd laugh about it. It wasn't something I sat at home and cried about.'

Maya added that she enjoys a good relationship with her stepfather and is grateful she got to see a 'loving relationship' play out between him and her mother Sadie.

She said: 'When I was 10, my mum met my stepfather and he is the loveliest man. So I got to see a loving relationship, which I think is what can affect young women growing up without a dad  not experiencing love first-hand and seeing how a healthy relationship should be. Dad wasn't around, but I had all the love I needed from elsewhere.'

Born and raised in Bristol, Maya told how she had a group of older boys that her mother used to babysit who would look out for her.

She said: 'Every woman in my family is super-strong and a go-getter. Because my mum used to babysit boys in our area, I had older boys who would look out for me.

'If they saw me out, they'd be like, 'Maya, we're dropping you home'. It was a community and that really impacted who I was as a person growing up, especially with men.'

The TV star became a millionaire at the tender age of 24 and purchased a house in the same year.

She said: 'It wasn't a life goal of mine  maybe because I didn't think it was in reach. People don't think about buying houses where I came from until you're like 45.

'But I think I'm smart with money and I don't really spend on anything other than food and travel. And I work my bloody arse off, so I save loads.'
She confirmed her split from Liam Beaumont in August.

And Charlotte Crosby, 31, appeared to be enjoying the single life as she was spotted linking arms with a mystery man while out in Manchester on Saturday night.

The former Geordie Shore star looked glamorous as she gave onlookers a glimpse at her taut midriff in a hot pink mini-dress with cut away detail.

Moving on? Charlotte Crosby, 31, flashed her taut midriff in a hot pink mini-dress as she was spotted out with a mystery man while in Manchester on Saturday night

The garment covered her arm and shoulder to one side, leaving her decolletage exposed to the cool evening air.

The skirt section of her dress was ruffled and it featured a bow to the bottom left which hung down as she walked.

She added a few inches to her stature in a pair of lilac high-heeled shoes and carried a small white bag packed full of belongings in her hand.

Stepping out: The former Geordie Shore star looked glamorous in the garment which featured cut away detail, while she wore a pair of lilac heels to add a few inches to her stature

Linking up? Charlotte could be seen linking arms with a mystery man who wore a grey T-shirt and black trousers

The one-time Celebrity Big Brother champion accessorised with a gold chain around her neck and a simple bracelet, and her long brunette hair gently reseted on her shoulders.

Charlotte could be seen walking alongside a mystery man who wore a grey T-shirt and black trousers.

The sighting comes just months after she split from ex Liam Beaumont this summer.

In style: The one-time Celebrity Big Brother champion accessorised with a gold chain around her neck and a simple bracelet, and her long brunette hair gently reseted on her shoulders

It was reported she broke up with the hunk, who she started dating in February last year, following a slew of furious arguments and it was claimed she booted him out of her Newcastle home.

However, Charlotte later insisted their relationship ended on good terms, with the television personality telling MailOnline: 'Me and Liam shared some amazing memories together and the split is amicable.

'We have just realised we are both two very different people. I have learnt so much in this relationship and am thankful that it happened.'

Silent: Charlotte has made no mention of her mystery man on social media, sharing only snaps from before her outing in Manchester

Charlotte defiantly maintained the split was on friendly terms and told MailOnline that she wanted to 'take back the narrative' surrounding their split.

She said: 'Were there furious rows? No. Did I kick him out of the house? No. Its sad to see this negativity put on what was a good relationship. So Id like to take back some control of the narrative, get some truth out there and draw a line under this.'

Suspicions about their split were first sparked among fans when Charlotte removed all images of Liam from her Instagram account.

Her love: Charlotte Crosby confirmed her split from her boyfriend Liam Beaumont in August this year

It was then that reports surfaced regarding the row, with insiders telling publications that a row had descended into chaos and she had ejected him from her home.

Charlotte and Liam started dating in early 2020 after meeting in Dubai during their respective vacations.

In July, Charlotte admitted that lockdown had impacted her 'wild' sex life with her videographer beau.

Tough: Charlotte and Liam started dating in early 2020 after meeting in Dubai during their respective vacations (Liam pictured last year)

Charlotte said that they used to have 'fireworks' in the bedroom but said they struggled to make the effort to be intimate after spending so much time together.

Speaking on her podcast, Values & Vibrators, with her Geordie Shore pals Sophie Kasaei and Holly Hagan, she said: 'Me and Liam, when we first met and had sex, we were wild. Oh my god, there was fireworks honestly.

'There was all sorts going on. But now mine and Liam's sex in a relationship is okay when we can be bothered. But it's very much just bleurgh.'
Strictly Come Dancing's Giovanni Pernice is said to be utterly 'love-struck' by his Love Island girlfriend Maura Higgins, so much so that the professional dancer's friends are convinced he's going to 'pop the question'.

New reports about their hot-and-heavy romance confirm Maura, 30, 'comes before anything else' in 31-year-old Giovanni's life, with a source close to the Italian hunk saying the brunette bombshell 'is the one'.

A source told The Sun: 'None of his mates have seen him like this before and Maura has become really close to Giovanni's friends as well.'

True love: Giovanni Pernice, 31, is said to be utterly 'love-struck' by his girlfriend Maura Higgins, 30, and the dancer's friends are convinced he's going to 'pop the question'

They added: 'Nobody would be surprised if they end up getting married because Giovanni has been saying she is the one he wants to be with forever.'

The source also noted that Maura is 'always' on the set of Strictly Come Dancing supporting her new beau.

They added that Giovanni has fallen for the Irish stunner with 'incredible' speed.

It comes after Maura shared a snap of a sweet romantic note left for her by her dancer boyfriend on Saturday.

Sweet: A source said: 'None of his mates have seen him like this before and Maura has become really close to Giovanni's friends as well'

The former Love Island star took to her Instagram Story to show her followers the letter from Giovanni as he went to prepare for his dance with EastEnders' Rose Ayling-Ellis, 26.

He wrote: 'Have a good day princess! I love you so much.

'Ti ado di piu (I adore you more) !! Yours forever.'

Love: Maura shared a snap of a sweet romantic note left for her by her dancer boyfriend Giovanni on Saturday

Also on Friday she shared a cute snap with her beau as they both donned all-black outfits and kissed in the rain during a recent date night.

She simply captioned the picture: 'Moments' along with a black heart emoji.

Maura has thrown her support behind Giovanni and Rose, wishing them luck ahead of the first dance of the series last week.

Alongside a photograph of the pair, she said: 'The very best of luck to you both tonight. I know you will absolutely smash it.'

Cute: He wrote: 'Have a good day princess! I love you so much. Ti ado di piu [I adore you more]!! Yours forever'

Rose received a silent applause from the live audience as she became the first ever deaf contestant on Strictly Come Dancing last Saturday.

After performing the Jive, the star made her way over to the judges where she was met by Tess Daly using sign language to applaud and congratulate her.

Rose made history on the first live show of the series as she danced to Shake It Off by Taylor Swift with Giovanni.

Kind: Maura also shared a snap of Rose and Giovanni ahead of their salsa performance

Rose is learning the routines by 'feeling the vibrations' and 'reading her partner's body language'  after admitting she can barely hear music.

She told told MailOnline that while she enjoys listening to music, she can't identify lyrics so, will rely on the beat and counting in her head to master timings.

On the show, while she admitted to disliking the energetic dance, which she learned with the help of an intepretor, Rose was praised for being 'full of personality' and having 'very good' feet, and earned 22 points out of 40.

One wrote: 'rose just broke boundaries for the deaf and hearing impaired people everyhwere and i'm so proud of her #strictly 's inclusiveness is growing' [sic]

Wow: Rose received a silent applause from the live audience as she became the first ever deaf contestant on Strictly Come Dancing last Saturday

Another penned: 'She's breaking boundaries and looking gorgeous whilst doing it so what a queen.'

'How incredible were Rose and Giovanni!' another wrote.

One viewer glowed: 'So impressed with Rose. How she dances just on vibration and beat without hearing the music is totally amazing. Needs to be really brought out by the judges how remarkable this lady and Giovanni are.'

Another fumed about Shirley's low scoring of four for the dance by writing: 'I think we can all agree that rose was absolutely robbed with shirley's scoring tonight... it's so clear which young woman she has unfortunately chosen to dislike for no reason this yea [rolling eyes emoji]'

Impressive: Rose made history on the first live show of the series as she danced to Shake It Off by Taylor Swift with Giovanni

Anton Du Beke said: 'I find feet very difficult, I thought this was the most fun I've had watching a dance for a long time, you dance solo beautifully, you take that enthusiasm with that partner a full performance well done.'

Giovanni took to Instagram after the dance to post a heartfelt message to his partner.

He wrote in the caption alongside a picture of Rose: 'The most proud teacher I have been in a long time !! You are a beautiful and talent human @rose.a.e.!! Well done on our fist dance !! Week 2 here we come ..'

Other viewers agreed by writing: 'Shirley was so harsh on Rose & I don't think she was given enough credit for her timing which was on point!'

Another said: 'Rose absolutely looked the part and danced brilliantly considering it's week one.'

'How incredible were Rose and Giovanni!' Another simply said.

Amongst the Twitter reaction another wrote: 'This dance of rose's has made me quite emotional. Go you xx' [sic]

They are not the only partnership making history as John Whaite, 32, and Johannes Radebe, 34, were unveiled as the first all-male pairing as the 2021 series of the BBC competition.
Dr. Hilary Jones' quaint country home has been targeted by a 'vicious group of anti-vaccine protestors' after he publicly advocated the COVID-19 jab on Good Morning Britain.

Residents in the peaceful Kent village woke to an army of enraged protestors, who describe themselves as 'soldiers of truth', wielding placards and megaphones as they gathered outside his sprawling property on Saturday.

A source told MailOnline: 'A vicious bunch of protestors turned up on the driveway outside Hilary Jones' Kent home. They blasted unpleasant messages through loudspeakers.'

Protest: Dr. Hilary Jones' quaint country home has been targeted by a 'vicious group of anti-vaccine protestors' after he publicly advocated the COVID-19 jab on Good Morning Britain

Outspoken: The TV doctor, 68, had previously been the subject of an Ofcom report after his criticism of those refusing the vaccine prompted 152 complaints to the TV regulator

Footage posted on social media shows the mob gathered outside the property's gravel driveway and forming a gauntlet on the country road that leads into the village.

Local police later attended the scene, with protestors claiming Hilary had refused to open the door as they attempted to 'serve' him with legal documents.

It is not known if father-of-five Jones, who regularly appears on ITV's Good Morning Britain and Lorraine, was at home during the protest.

Getting the message: Residents in the peaceful Kent village woke to an army of enraged protestors wielding placards and megaphones as they gathered outside his sprawling property on Saturday (pictured)

Angry: Local police later attended the scene, with protestors claiming the TV doctor had refused to open the door as they attempted to 'serve' him with paperwork

A statement from the Learn Something New group, shared alongside a video of the protest on Brand New Tube read: 'Let the truth be heard, it's starting to warm up in Britain, there are a lot of people being paid to push this vaccine and they are happily taking the money to push it!

'It is important before you allow anyone to inject you with this substance that you do YOUR OWN RESEARCH never ever trust what you have been told its YOUR BODY and once you make that choice there is NO GOING BACK.

'It's time to wake up and see who is fighting for humanity a time of great importance is upon the earth and the soldiers of truth are fighting against the evilest plan ever waged on MAN. We need to save humanity; we need to wake people up and show them the TRUTH that is being HIDDEN from THEM!'

Speaking out: Jones has regularly used his platform to promote the vaccine, while being critical of those who oppose it

Jones has previously been the subject of an Ofcom report after his criticism of those refusing the vaccine prompted 152 complaints to the TV regulator.

He has regularly used his platform to promote the vaccine, while being critical of those who oppose it  but his comments during an appearance on Lorraine in August divided viewers.

'We are going to rely on the common sense of the British people,' he said. 'While most people do have common sense, some don't though and have to be protected from themselves.'

Of the vaccine, he added: 'It doesn't affect the DNA of your cells, it can't affect your fertility, it can only protect you, it's a win, win, win, win, win. There's no downside.'

Support: Good Morning Britain presenter Kate Garraway has previously praised the doctor's quick thinking after he urged her to take COVID stricken husband Derek to a hospital at the height of the pandemic (pictured in 2019)

More recently Jones took aim at BBC show Strictly Come Dancing after three unnamed professional dancers refused to have the jab.

Speaking on Loose Women about the 'duty of care' that is required when your job involves close contact with others, he openly criticised the Strictly stars for not getting vaccinated and increasing the risk of infection among the shows cast and crew.

Good Morning Britain presenter Kate Garraway has previously praised the doctor's quick thinking after he urged her to take COVID stricken husband Derek to a hospital at the height of the pandemic.

Writing for the Mail On Sunday, she recalled: 'Eventually I did what every single person who has ever worked in breakfast TV does at some point, I called Dr. Hilary Jones, GMB's resident health expert.

Speaking out: A statement from the Learn Something New group, shared alongside a video of the protest on Brand New Tube, urged people to make their own decisions regarding the vaccination process

'He asked me to get Derek on the phone. I could hear him putting Derek through a couple of tests, holding his breath for certain amounts of time.

'But I will never forget what I heard next. ''You need to call an ambulance. Now," said Dr Hilary.

'He was completely serious, which I was not prepared for. Even as I was dialling 999, I felt guilty that I might be wasting their time. But Dr Hilary had left no room for doubt, and now an ambulance was on its way.'

MailOnline has contacted a representative for further comment.
They both failed to find lasting romance on this year's edition of Love Island.

Yet AJ Bunker and Aaron Simpson set tongues wagging about a budding relationship between the pair, as they left a night out hand-in-hand on Saturday night.

The reality personality, 28, and her Love Island alum, 24, looked cosy as they wrapped their arms around each other outside Liberation nightclub in Peterborough.

More than pals? AJ Bunker and Aaron Simpson set tongues wagging about a budding relationship between the pair as they left a night out hand-in-hand on Saturday night

AJ left the villa alongside Danny Bibby after she failed to find a romantic connection with anyone on the ITV2 show.

Meanwhile, Aaron was dumped from the island with Mary Bedford just days before the final, however the couple split almost immediately after leaving the show.

Neither AJ or Aaron have been linked to anyone else following their exits, so it seems that the door is open for potential romance between the pair.

Aw! The reality personality, 28, and her Love Island alum, 24, looked cosy as they held hands outside Liberation nightclub in Peterborough

Stepping out: During the evening, AJ sent temperatures soaring as she stepped out for the meet and greet in yellow keyhole bodycon dress

During the evening, AJ sent temperatures soaring as she stepped out for the meet and greet in yellow keyhole bodycon dress.

The dress featured a ruffled texture and a string halterneck, which ran up from the front.

She could be seen carrying a large black clutch purse in her hand and she teetered on a pair of high-heeled shoes with clear straps as she made her way inside the club.

In style: The dress featured a ruffled texture and a string halterneck which ran up from the front

Posing up: They were also joined by their former co-star Sam Jackson, 2

The television personality wore her long highlighted hair in curls, with her tresses tumbling down to one side.

Aaron donned casual attire in charcoal grey trousers and a khaki hoodie for his night out.

He wore a pair of comfortable white trainers and had a Balenciaga bumbag to his front.

Dancing queen: The television personality wore her long highlighted hair in curls, with her tresses tumbling down to one side

Fashion forward: She could be seen carrying a large black clutch purse in her hand as she made her way into the venue

They were also joined by their former co-star Sam Jackson, 23.

AJ was seen posing with Sam and Aaron inside the venue before Aaron took to the DJ booth.

The trio could be seen standing in the VIP booth and, although AJ had an eye injury, she still happily met fans before heading back to her Travelodge hotel.

She made her way to Peterborough from the star-studded Boxxer Fight Night at Wembley Stadium in London earlier in the evening.

Star power: AJ was seen posing with Sam and Aaron inside the venue before Aaron took to the DJ booth
Davina McCall has told how she felt 'violated' after her boyfriend Michael Douglas' home was burgled before they flew abroad.

The TV presenter, 53, described the 'horrible feeling' after thieves broke in and stole a safe filled with valuables from the celebrity hairdresser's house.

The burglary took place before Davina and Michael, 47, jetted to Spain to film Davina's new show, Language of Love.

Scary: Davina McCall has told how she felt 'violated' after her boyfriend Michael Douglas' home was burgled before they flew abroad

According to The Sun, Davina said: 'It's just feeling violated. Anyone who's been burgled knows what that feels like. It makes you want to move out. I hate it. It's a horrible feeling.'

Michael, who has since had CCTV installed at the property, added: 'It's got a motion detector and night vision. If anyone enters my house day or night, I get a ping on my phone.'

The couple, who have been dating for two years, were not in London at the time of the break in, according to reports.

Break in: The TV presenter, 53, described the 'horrible feeling' after thieves broke in and stole a safe among other valuables from the celebrity hairdresser's house

It comes after Davina marked World Alzheimer's Day on Tuesday with a heartfelt Instagram post, which detailed her dad Andrew's struggle with the neurological disorder.

The sweet snap showed the 76-year-old 'total legend' alongside her beaming step-mum Gaby, who cared for her husband before admitting him to a care home.

'This is my Mum and Dad .. Dad ( Andrew  total legend ) has Alzheimers,' she began.

Cute: The sweet snap showed Andrew alongside her beaming step-mum Gaby, who cared for her husband before admitting him to a care home

'My mum has cared for him so brilliantly. He is now in a wonderful home, where they take amazing care of him. Its been hard on my mum but she was at breaking point.

'He is ok, but it is f****** heartbreaking this illness. The worst thing is the loss of dignity there are great inroads being made into new treatments 

'I heard of great hope of a new one in Australia very recently. 2/3 rds of Alzheimers patients are women  taking HRT is known to reduce your risk of getting it,' she claimed.

Opening up: 'My mum has cared for him so brilliantly. He is now in a wonderful home, where they take amazing care of him. Its been hard on my mum but she was at breaking point,' she said

HRT (hormone replacement therapy) is a treatment used to control common menopausal symptoms and can be obtained via a GP prescription.

'If you know anyone with Alzheimers, @alzheimerssoc are so helpful, my heart goes out to anyone supporting a loved one with Alzheimers or anyone thats lost someone to this cruel illness.

'And a heartfelt thank u to my my mum x you are the best Gabba  love u .'

Davina wished her father a happy birthday in November, where she took to Instagram to write his 'soul is still shining through' amid a 'cruel' Alzheimer's battle.

Beloved: The TV presenter took to Instagram to share a snapshot of her beloved parent as she said his 'soul is still shining through' amid 'cruel' Alzheimer's battle

Devoted: She wrote this caption to accompany the snap

Captioning an image of a bespectacled Andrew posing for the camera, she wrote: 'Happy birthday Daddy!!!! Sorry I cant be with you... but thank you for giving the Best Hugs! And always picking up the pieces when my world fell apart.'

She continued: 'You have taught me so much... Alzheimers is a very cruel illness, but your soul is still shining through ... love you so . And thank you mumma for taking such beautiful care of him and auntie Becca too  love you both x.'

Three years ago, Davina spoke emotionally about the tell-tale signs she picked up on which made her suspect her father had Alzheimer's.

The former Big Brother host said the family started noticing Andrew, who was diagnosed aged 73, was showing subtle changes in his behaviour and personality.

Signs: Three years ago, Davina spoke emotionally about the tell-tale signs she picked up on which made her suspect her father had Alzheimer's

They picked up on him repeating a story he had told only 15 minutes earlier and how he had forgot about events that happened in the previous few days.

Eventually, Andrew started struggling to find the words he wanted to say and to find everyday items around the home, as well as making odd remarks.

Davina said at the time: 'My dad has always been my rock. He's way smarter than me, funnier, stronger. I've always slightly hero-worshipped him.

'So when he started saying funny things like, "I took the overland train" and "Call me when your work is less explosive", it didn't take us long to all come together and ask each other if we should be concerned.

'The psychologist that first assessed him said that he could have been affected for a while  but he is so clever that he had come up with strategies. That's my dad  see a problem, come up with a strategy.'

She continued: 'My dad is very charming, everyone he meets falls in love with him. That's one thing that hasn't changed.

'He still gives the best hugs and my kids adore him. Since he's had Alzheimer's, he has become calmer and kids respond very well to that.

'I have grieved the loss of my old dad. But we are forging a new relationship, a different one  one where perhaps he might need me more. Our dynamic has changed, but he's still my dad.'

Parents: Davina's father Andrew was diagnosed with Alzheimer's last year at the age of 73, while her late grandmother Pippy also battled dementia (both above)
Lisa Wilkinson struggled to get through a story on Sunday night.

The TV host broke down in tears on The Sunday Project following a story on a young woman, Karyn, suffering from breast cancer.

Given a terminal diagnosis, the segment detailed Karyn's life with her newborn baby girl, Billi, who is supported by a night nanny and donated breast milk.

Hard: Lisa Wilkinson (pictured) struggled to get through a story on Sunday night. The TV host broke down in tears on The Sunday Project after her package on a young woman, Karyn, suffering from breast cancer

After the story played, Lisa began to speak but had to stop, turning to her co-stars and saying, 'sorry'.

Lisa tried to compose herself as tears visibly formed in her eyes and her voice broke.

'There is a GoFundMe set up to help Karyn and Billi, and all of the money raised will go towards getting Karyn a night nanny for one year to help cover Karyn's medical costs,' she began.

Empathy: The TV host was broke down in tears on The Sunday Project after her package on a young woman, Karyn (pictured), suffering from breast cancer

'I'm so sorry...' Lisa said, stopping again, before she once more managed to compose herself.

'And to set up Billi for the future. You can find the link on our website,' she added after a pause.

Her co-star Hamish Macdonald gave her some encouragement, saying: 'See you got through it'.

Struggle: After the story played, Lisa began to speak but had to stop, turning to her co-stars and saying, 'sorry'. She then tried to compose herself as tears visibly formed in her eyes and her voice broke

Lisa then reminded viewers that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

She encouraged people to purchase the 2022 Women's Health Diary, which raises money for research into breast cancer.

Lisa said the funds raised, 'help improve the lives and outcomes of the estimated 20,000 women and 167 men who, in the next 12 months, will hear the words, 'You have breast cancer'.
Hollyoaks couple Daisy Wood-Davis and Luke Jerdy have welcomed their first child.

Actress Daisy, 30, announced the arrival of their baby son Asa on her Instagram page with a series of sweet photographs and a heartfelt caption.

The former soap star revealed that their son had been born on Tuesday morning, which was slightly earlier than his October due date.

Baby boy! Hollyoaks couple Daisy Wood-Davis and Luke Jerdy have welcomed their first child

Daisy, who played Kim Butterfield until 2018, met fiance Luke, 31, who portrayed Jesse Donovan until last year, on Channel 4 show Hollyoaks.

Alongside a snap of the baby's tiny foot, Daisy wrote: 'On Tuesday morning our world changed forever. So proud to announce that we have a beautiful baby boy.

'Asa, you have changed everything.'

In another snap, the baby name Asa was underlined with a note which said: 'I'd like this one for myself'.

New arrival: Actress Daisy, 30, announced the arrival of their baby son Asa on her Instagram page with a series of sweet photographs and a heartfelt caption

Daisy explained that the note was taken from a book her father had bought for her mother when she was pregnant with her.

She said: 'Pic 2: The note my Dad wrote in the book he bought my Mum when she was pregnant with me, I was very close to being called Asa myself!'.

Daisy also noted: 'Pic 3: Grandad had this on the windoe of his shop within hours of Asa being born', referrencing a window display which said: 'It's a boy'.

She said: 'Pic 2: The note my Dad wrote in the book he bought my Mum when she was pregnant with me, I was very close to being called Asa myself!'

Daisy also noted: 'Pic 3: Grandad had this on the windoe of his shop within hours of Asa being born', referrencing a window display which said: 'It's a boy'

Sharing the same images, Luke wrote: 'Asa Sean Wood-Mehdizadeh was born on Tuesday 28th September at 9:50am - the same date as my Grandad, who died in the same month Asa was conceived.

'The song playing on our speaker when he was born was 'Back to Life' by Soul II Soul, which was completely random as Spotify had started to shuffle songs similar to last played.

'Asa means 'healer' in Hebrew and I feel like he has already brought so much healing to me and my family.'

Hollyoaks star Jazmine Franks wrote: 'So so happy!' while Alex Fletcher, who previously acted in the soap, added: 'Congratulations!'

Sharing the same images, Luke wrote: 'Asa Sean Wood-Mehdizadeh was born on Tuesday 28th September at 9:50am - the same date as my Grandad, who died in the same month Asa was conceived'

Congratulations: Daisy and Luke announced they are expecting their first child in May

Rachel Leskovac added: 'Wow - amazing work Daisy! Many congratulations to you both and welcome to the world Asa.'

Daisy and Luke announced they were expecting their first child together in May.

The couple confirmed the exciting news with a series of snaps of their sonogram and Daisy's growing baby bump.

The actress revealed she was 19 weeks pregnant and the couple's baby was due in October. She wrote: 'We have been keeping the biggest (smallest) secret of our lives!

Heartwarming: The couple, who both starred on Hollyoaks, confirmed the exciting news with a series of snaps of their sonogram and Daisy's growing baby bump

'We couldn't let Covid get in the way of any more of our plans so instead of saying 'I do' this year, we've been growing and preparing for our precious baby son or daughter (still can't believe those words are coming out of my mouth!)'

'Cannot wait to tell you all more about our journey so far #19weekspregnant #nearlyhalfwaythere #dueoct2021'.

Luke, who played Jesse Donovan on the show from 2016 to 2020, shared the same snaps and wrote: 'Just call us Mum and Dad'.

Exciting: The actress, revealed she was 19 weeks pregnant and the baby was due in October

The couple were inundated with congratulations from friends and some of their former co-stars.

Hollyoaks' Chelsee Healey who plays Goldie McQueen wrote: 'yeasssa' along with love emojis.

Mandip Gill, who starred as Phoebe McQueen, wrote: 'Oh my gawddddd. Congratulations to you both !!! This is just beautiful. I'm so happy for you.'

Blue's Duncan James, who played Ryan Knight wrote: 'Amazing news guys! Massive congrats'.

She wrote: 'We've been growing and preparing for our precious baby son or daughter (still can't believe those words are coming out of my mouth!)'

Father-to-be : Luke, who played Jesse Donovan on the show from 2016 to 2020, shared the same snaps and wrote: 'Just call us Mum and Dad'

Reaction: The couple were inundated with congratulations from friends and some of their former co-stars

Luke and Daisy got engaged in August 2019 when he popped the question to his former co-star during a holiday in Greece - after he got down on one knee with a ring he designed himself.

He penned: 'She said yes @daisy_wood_davis is going to be my wife. I'll take that.'

Daisy shared the same pictures and added: 'On Thursday evening @lukejerdy asked me to marry him by the beach in front of my family.

'I've never felt a happiness like this. It's so surreal but nothing has ever felt more natural. I can't wait to marry my best friend and celebrate how lucky we are to have found what we have.'

The cute couple met on the Hollyoaks set and quickly became inseparable.

Daisy starred Kim on the Channel 4 soap, playing a feisty nurse, but left in 2018 when her character went on the run after taking the blame for Glenn's murder.

Luke joined the show in 2016 playing Jesse, the half-brother of Grace Black.

Daisy gushed: 'I've never felt a happiness like this. It's so surreal but nothing has ever felt more natural. I can't wait to marry my best friend and celebrate how lucky we are'

Daisy previously admitted she wasn't a big fan of sharing scenes with her significant other.

She told OK! magazine: 'We've only had one or two scenes together, I get nervous. I don't like it.

'I'm not used to behaving myself around him or being serious. He was at my [character's] wedding to Esther.
Kate Moss cut a stylish figure as she stepped out in Paris during Fashion Week on Sunday.

The supermodel, 47, wore a red pinstripe shirt with a plunging neckline which was covered by a piece of material which wrapped around her neck and hung down to the front.

She wore an edgy cropped black leather jacket which she teamed with a pair of baggy black trousers.

Life on edge: Kate Moss, 47, showcased her edgy sense of style in a cropped leather jacket and red pinstripe shirt as she stepped out during Paris Fashion Week on Sunday

Kate could be seen teetering on a pair of polished black platform heels as she walked along a tiled pavement in the French capital.

She had a small black bag on a silver chain on her shoulder and completed her look with a pair of round sunglasses.

The fashionista could be seen carrying a small blue envelope in her hand as she made her way to her destination.

Fashion forward: She carried the chain of a small black bag and completed her look with a pair of round sunglasses

Walking tall: Kate could be seen teetering on a pair of polished black platform heels as she walked along the streets of the French capital

She accessorised with a pair of pendulum earrings which were visible when she swept her hair to the side.

The outing comes after Kate's daughter Lila celebrated her 19th birthday at a spectacular Disney-themed party last month, where she channelled the spirit of Tinker Bell.

The supermodel was once known for her wild ways, but her longtime friend, DJ Fat Tony, revealed last year that she is now clean.

Family affair: The outing comes after Kate's daughter Lila celebrated her 19th birthday at a spectacular Disney-themed party last month

Her producer pal - who himself has been sober for 13 years - said in an interview: 'Kate's been clean for over two years. Me and my sober mates now have a better time than we ever did when we used to drink and take drugs.'

Kate was a member of The Primrose Hill Set - a name given to the all-star group of edgy residents of the leafy neighbourhood, who were known in their heyday for their raucous behaviour with stories of their antics becoming the stuff of legend.

But the catwalk queen previously admitted she's tried to cut down on caffeine and nicotine, and enjoys having more quiet nights in with her photographer beau Nikolai von Bismarck.
Amber Heard nailed Parisian chic when she stepped out in the French capital on Sunday.

The actress, 35, teamed a low-cut jumper with black cigarette trousers and wrapped up beneath a sweeping trench-style coat while taking shelter beneath a black umbrella.

Doting mother Amber's outing comes after her ex-husband Johnny Depp was granted permission to continue with his $50million defamation lawsuit against her in August.

Chic: Amber Heard, 35, nailed Parisian chic when she stepped out in the French capital on Sunday

Low-cut: The actress, 35, teamed a low-cut jumper with black cigarette trousers and wrapped up beneath a sweeping trench-style coat while taking shelter beneath a black umbrella

For her fashionable Sunday outing, Amber teamed her trousers with statement lace-up black-and-white shoes and wore her glossy blonde hair loose.

She carried her belongings in a luxury padded handbag.

The star appeared in high spirits despite the drizzle and beamed from ear to ear for photographers.

In September, Amber issued a subpoena toward the Los Angeles Police Department amid her ongoing legal issues with Johnny, 58, in his $50 million defamation suit against her.

Lawsuit: Amber's outing comes after her ex-husband Johnny Depp, 58, was granted permission to continue with his $50million defamation lawsuit against her in August (pictured last month)

Heard's legal team on September 20 had their subpoena cleared by Fairfax County courts clerk John Frey, according to Deadline.

Heard's lawyers have requested information regarding LAPD officers who responded to a domestic disturbance between the former couple in Downtown LA in 2016.

In legal docs reviewed by Deadline, Heard's legal team requested authorities 'produce the books, documents, records, electronically stored information and tangible things' as well as body-camera footage, in connection with a May 21, 2016 visit police officers Melissa Saenz and Tyler Hadden made to the former couple's apartment at the Eastern Columbia Building.

Outing: For her fashionable Sunday outing, Amber teamed her trousers with statement lace-up black-and-white shoes and wore her glossy blonde hair loose

Immaculate: Amber was also sporting an immaculate bright red manicure

High spirits: The star appeared in high spirits despite the drizzle and beamed from ear to ear for photographers

Heard's lawyers asked for 'all documents and communications of any nature respecting any investigation into whether Officers Saenz and Hadden followed LAPD policy, procedures and/or protocols' in the incident.

LAPD Public Information Officer Jeff Lee told the outlet that the department does not 'comment on open or pending litigation,' while another police source informed the outlet that police have gotten the subpoena.

Heard's legal team has specifically requested 'all documents and communications of any nature respecting any investigation of, and any disciplinary actions taken against' the aforementioned officers linked with their conduct spanning through December of 2016.

The latest: Amber issued a subpoena toward the Los Angeles Police Department amid her ongoing legal issues with Depp in his $50 million defamation suit against her

Court case: Heard and her partner Bianca Butti were seen in London last year

The subpoena requests 'the audit trails for any deletions, modifications, or viewing of the body camera footage uploaded to evidence.com by Officers Saenz and Hadden during the period October 1, 2015 through August 1, 2016' as well as any related documents, according to the outlet.

Both officers gave testimony (via satellite) last year during Depp's libel suit against the outlet The Sun over their reporting of the split, in which he was labeled him a 'wife-beater.'

In the 2020 trial, Saenz told the court she 'did not see any injuries' on Heard amid her claims Depp had hit her face with a cell phone. Photos of Heard sporting injuries were seen publicly amid the marital split.

Last seen: Depp was seen at the San Sebastian Film Festival in Spain last month

London: Heard was seen on London in July of 2020 following a court outing in a previous Depp case

The actor, known for playing Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean series, subsequently settled to pay Heard $7 million to donate to the American Civil Liberties Union and to Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

Heard's lawyer Elaine Bredehoft told the outlet in January that the Austin, Texas-born actress 'has already been responsible for seven figures in donations to charitable causes and intends to continue to contribute and eventually fulfill her pledge.'

Heard in January had requested the LAPD provide 'all documents and communications of any nature with Mr. Depp, and/or any of Mr. Depp's agents, attorneys or others acting on his behalf from May 21, 2016' through the present, according to the outlet.

Legal case: 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

Depp spoke publicly about his legal troubles last month while in Spain, saying that 'it doesn't matter if a judgment, 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.'

The Kentucky-born actor, who lost his role in Warner Bros' Fantastic Beasts, was in Spain accepting the Donostia Award honors at the San Sebastian Film Festival.

'It takes one sentence and there's no more ground, the carpet has been pulled,' the actor said. 'It's not just me that this has happened to, it's happened to a lot of people. This type of thing has happened to women, men. Sadly, at a certain point they begin to think that it's normal - or that it's them. When it's not.'
Professor Green and his actress girlfriend Karima McAdams are engaged seven months after welcoming their son Slimane into the world.

The rapper, 37, asked Karima, 36, to marry him on Saturday, with doting mother Karima taking to Instagram at the time to share a romantic black-and-white photo of the hit-maker planting a kiss on her cheek while she showed off her huge ring.

The Jungle hit-maker - real name Stephen Manderson - also shared the news on his own social media page, posting a gorgeous snap of Karima alongside the caption: 'You call me easy love. I call you my gorgeous thing. Loving me isn't always easy, but you are always gorgeous.'

Incredible news: Professor Green, 37, and his actress girlfriend Karima McAdams, 36, are engaged seven months after welcoming their son Slimane into the world

Sweet: The Jungle hit-maker - real name Stephen Manderson - also shared the news on his own social media page, posting a gorgeous snap of Karima

Surprised that her husband-to-be had shared the candid snap of her, Karima wrote beneath the snap: 'Stephen! This picture was for your nan.'

He hilariously replied: 'Just realised it's taken as a selfies it looks like it's on the wrong hand too.

'It was between this and the one where you're using the headstand thing naked - thought it best not to show that to the world. Great pic though!'

Pro Green was previously married to reality star Millie Mackintosh.

Surprise! Surprised that her husband-to-be had shared the candid snap of her, Karima wrote beneath the snap: 'Stephen! This picture was for your nan'

Hilarious: The rapper hilariously replied: 'Just realised it's taken as a selfies it looks like it's on the wrong hand too'

The couple tied the knot at Babington House in Somerset in September 2013, but announced their split after two and a half years of marriage in February 2016.

The duo finalised their divorce in May 2016, the same week that Millie chose to go public with Hugo Taylor, her former Made In Chelsea co-star boyfriend with whom she had reunited.

Pro Green previously admitted his divorce hasn't put him off getting married again.

He said in an interview with Closer magazine in March 2018: 'I'd love to be dad one day, but I'm not broody yet - I can have them until I'm 50!

Family: Stephen and Karima welcomed Slimane Ray Manderson in March after announcing the pregnancy in January

'I've definitely learned something from every relationship I've had. If you don't learn something then it is time wasted. But Millie hasn't put me off tying the knot again.'

Stephen and Karima welcomed Slimane Ray Manderson in March after announcing the pregnancy in January.

Professor Green and actress Karima were first linked in July 2019, after he quietly split from PR executive Milly Gattegno.

Timeline: Professor Green and actress Karima were first linked in July 2019, after he quietly split from PR executive Milly Gattegno

They were reportedly introduced through mutual friends and made their public debut at Glastonbury Festival in late June, earlier that summer.

Karima is best known for starring in the spy series Deep State alongside Game Of Thrones actor Joe Dempsie.

The actress, who is half Moroccan and half Irish, was born in Bethnal Green, east London. The star spent her childhood in Morocco before moving to London when she was seven.

She previously dated George Lamb for almost six years, before the couple parted ways in 2014.
Megan Barton Hanson has revealed she underwent a corrective breast surgery after weight loss left her implants uneven.

The former Love Island star, 27, cut a casual figure as she departed The London Clinic private hospital on Sunday following the procedure.

Speaking to MailOnline, Megan said: 'Since losing weight my implants looked uneven not how they did in Love Island and I wanted a correction.

Procedure: Megan Barton Hanson has revealed she underwent a corrective breast surgery after weight loss left her implants uneven

'I want to be honest open and transparent with my followers not set unrealistic expectations.

'There's no shame in surgery if it makes you happy and you've researched a good trusted surgeon and know the risks.'

Megan's surgery was carried out by Dr Paul Harris who she praised as one of the best surgeons in the UK.

She added: 'Hopefully me actually sharing it will make girls feel it's nothing to be embarrassed of.'

Glamorous: Speaking to MailOnline, Megan said: 'Since losing weight my implants looked uneven not how they did in Love Island and I wanted a correction

Surgery: The former Love Island star, 27, cut a casual figure as she departed The London Clinic private hospital on Sunday following the procedure

Way back when: Megan shot to fame on the 2018 series of Love Island

Megan donned a white T-shirt and a matching pair of tracksuit bottoms as she left the hospital.

The reality star also sported a pair of black slides with white socks while she carried a white hoodie on her arm.

Letting her blonde locks fall loose down her shoulders, Megan also sported a face mask for the day.

Megan has spoken openly about her previous cosmetic procedures which include breast augmentation, a nose job and having her ears pinned back.

The outing comes after Megan packed on the PDA with James Lock as they shared a steamy kiss during a boozy night out on Thursday.

Pictures obtained by The Sun showed Megan and the TOWIE hunk, 34, leaving Amazonico restaurant in London's swanky Mayfair district.

Megan was seen laughing and hugging James on the street after departing from the eatery before the pair engaged in a passionate smooch.

She added: 'I want to be honest open and transparent with my followers not set unrealistic expectations'

New romance? Megan packed on the PDA with James Lock as they shared a steamy kiss during a boozy night out on Thursday (pictured August)

An onlooker told the publication: 'Megan and James looked inseparable. You couldn't have squeezed a cigarette paper between the two of them.

'They were clearly having a great time and seemed very taken with each other.'

It is understood the pair, who are both single, met while filming Ex on The Beach.

It comes after James enjoyed a brief fling with TOWIE's Chloe Brockett, 20, which has caused quite the stir on the latest series of the drama-filled show.

Chloe recently came face-to-face with James at a swanky bar as she confronted him over rumours of having regrets about a recent hook-up.

It came after the lothario enjoyed a secret fling with the influencer, despite her close friendship with his ex-girlfriend Yazmin, 27, who also made a spectacular surprise return in the episode.

Meanwhile Megan, who is bisexual, has previously dated James's co-star Demi Sims and Chelcee Grimes.

However she revealed in December that she is open to dating men again after swearing off them.
Coronation Street's Will Mellor was spotted filming for the long-running soap on Monday after making a dramatic departure earlier this year.

The actor, 45, who plays Harvey Gaskell in the ITV favourite, looked tense as he shot explosive scenes in Manchester as part of his bombshell return to the show.

Armed with a handgun, the angry-looking drugs kingpin stormed his way along a riverbank in the late hours of the night upon his escape from a prison van.

Hard at work: Coronation Street's Will Mellor was spotted filming for the long-running soap on Monday after making a dramatic departure earlier this year

He was thrown behind bars after his criminal ways were exposed by Leanne Battersby after she decided to team up with police to protect her son Simon from becoming one of his drugs mules.

His fate was left up in the air as viewers never learned the full length of his sentence.

The wardrobe department had certainly gone to town, with Will donning a grey prison-style trackuit, complete with a broken pair of handcuffs.

Setting the scene for a distressing storyline, the heavens opened and rain fell upon the henchman who crawled on his hands-and-knees in the mud.

Angry: The actor, 45, who plays Harvey Gaskell in the ITV favourite, looked tense as he shot explosive scenes in Manchester as part of his bombshell return to the show

Convincing: The wardrobe department had certainly gone to town, with Will donning a grey prison-style trackuit, complete with a broken pair of handcuffs

Tense: Armed with a handgun, the angry-looking drugs kingpin stormed his way along a riverbank in the late hours of the night upon his escape from a prison van

It wasn't long before a passing cyclist was mugged of his mobile phone along with his bike, which the criminal used to ride off with.

Will was spotted reprising his role in September, in scenes which saw him escaping from a prison van in handcuffs, while sporting a bandaged hand.

He also had fake blood covering the side of his face and his clothes were left wet after it had been raining during the takes.

Some of the pictures showed him climbing out of the side of a prison van which had tipped over during an accident in the bad weather.

Wet: Setting the scene for a distressing storyline, the heavens opened and rain fell upon the henchman who crawled on his hands-and-knees in the mud

Talented: Will was spotted reprising his role in September, in scenes which saw him escaping from a prison van in handcuffs, while sporting a bandaged hand

Arduous: He was seen scrambling out while struggling with his handcuffs and bandages before taking a break and chatting with the crew

He was seen scrambling out while struggling with his handcuffs and bandages before taking a break and chatting with the crew.

Harvey terrorised Leanne (played by Jane Danson) and her family for months by forcing her to deliver drugs in a desperate bid to protect her son Simon.

Still grieving the loss of her son Oliver, Leanne, was devastated to learn Simon had become involved in drug dealing, and attempted to take over the job.

Eventually Leanne teamed up with police to try and expose Harvey's drugs operation, but her plot was nearly thwarted by Harvey's aunt Sharon Bentley.

Rabbit in the headlights: It wasn't long before a passing cyclist was mugged of his mobile phone

Oh no! His bike was also nicked, which the criminal used to ride off with

A terrified Leanne later refused to give evidence in court, but eventually stood up to Harvey, and provided the truth that sent him down.

It's thought that Corrie is in the middle of filming its annual Big Week that will air this autumn, so it's likely Harvey's return will spell trouble for Leanne and her family.

Elsewhere, actress Jane has hinted that fans could see Leanne reunited with her on-off flame Nick Tilsey once again, adding that there could be another soap wedding on the horizon.

Speaking to TV Times Magazine, she said: 'After everything they've been through, that would be lovely. But only if it ended a nice way, because usually when they get married, it doesn't!

'We've seen the reasons they are together, and they do love each other. They've grown up and they're not having affairs anymore, so if they're going to share their lives together, it would be lovely.'

Coronation Street airs on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 7:30pm and 8:30pm on ITV.
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It was purchased by Edward Scissorhands superfans last year for $230,000.

Now the new owners of a Florida home used in the 1990 Johnny Depp hit have converted the suburban house into a museum filled with memorabilia from the original film shoot.

The owners, Joey Klops and his wife, have renamed the property Scissorland and decorated with props used in the filming of the Tim Burton classic from neighbors who lived nearby during the original production, according to TMZ.

New look: The Boggs house featured in the Johnny Depp classic Edward Scissorhands has been turned into a museum dedicated to the 1990 Tim Burton film, according to TMZ

The house, which is located near Tampa, played home to the Boggs family in Edward Scissorhands.

Peg Boggs, played by Dianne Weist, initially met Edward (Depp) at his otherwise-abandoned mansion while selling cosmetics door-to-door.

She offered the scissor-handed loner a place to stay at her home with her husband (played by Alan Arkin) and daughter Kim (Winona Ryder).

The home's exterior has been transformed with zany landscaping including potted shrubs that twirl upward and slim trees with Dr. Seusslike tufts of leaves.

A photo of the house prior to its sale shows it painted a drab olive color, which contrasts with the more vibrant lavender the new owners adopted.

It's also closer to the pale blue shade that some house were painted for the film.

Iconic location: The house, which is located near Tampa, was the home to Peg and Bill Boggs (Dianne Wiest and Alan Arkin) and their daughter Kim (Winona Ryder) who became the love interest to the razor-fingered loner Edward (Depp); still from Edward Scissorhands

Before: A photo of the house prior to its sale shows it painted a drab olive color, which contrasts with the more vibrant lavender the new owners adopted

Original kitchen: The original kitchen featured light-colored wood-print cabinets and countertops, which appear to have survived from filming, while the living room area was painted beige on one wall and red on another with gray tile floors

After: Now the house has been outfitted with a bizarre mushroom wallpaper covering the kitchen and other rooms to match the film's vibe. Owner Joey Klops also has an Edward Scissorhands mannequin with his signature outfit

The home's previous interior gave no hint that it once served as a location for Edward Scissorhands.

The original kitchen featured light-colored wood-print cabinets and countertops, which appear to have survived from filming, while the living room area was painted beige on one wall and red on another with gray tile floors.

Now the house has been outfitted with a bizarre mushroom wallpaper covering the kitchen and other rooms to match the film's vibe.

One photo shared to Klops' Instagram account details the walls and featured an Edward Scissorhands mannequin.

It bears little resemblance to Depp's character, aside from its pale skin and facial scars from accidental nicks, but it appears to have a black suited perfectly matching the characters iconic outfit.

The bondage-inspired suit is covered with gold-studded belts and buckles and has its own pair of scissorhands.

Playful: The home's exterior has been transformed with zany landscaping including potted shrubs that twirl upward

Letting loose: The colorful landscaping also includes plenty of flowers and Dr. Seusslike tufted trees in pots

Packed with character: In addition to the playful shrubbery, the backyard boasts decorations used in the film, including large colorful letters hung on the wooden picket fence

Original location: There's also a tall ladder with chicken wire to help vines grow up it. The vine-covered ladder was featured in a scene where Depp's character climbs up it to use his scissor hands to chisel a block of ice into an angel

In addition to the playful shrubbery, the backyard boasts decorations used in the film, including large colorful letters hung on the wooden picket fence.

There's also a tall ladder with chicken wire to help vines grow up it.

The vine-covered ladder was featured in a scene where Depp's character climbs up it to use his scissor hands to chisel a block of ice into an angel.

According to Klops, one neighbor gave the couple a license plate they had kept from the original production.

In order to cut down on interruptions and gawkers, the production gave everyone in the neighborhood special license plates indicating they had access to the area.

Some of the props were personally used by Depp, including a set of scissor gloves used in a scene in which he carves a dinosaur shrub.

Klops also managed to get his hands on a pack of cigarettes misplaced on set by Depp, which were part of his personal stash and are now displayed prominently in the kitchen.

The owner claimed that Depp was the only person on set given permission to smoke on the Boggs house set.

Celebrity encounter: Some of the props were personally used by Depp, including a set of scissor gloves used in a scene in which he carves a dinosaur shrub. Klops also has a pack of cigarettes left on set by Depp; Arkin and Depp seen in Edward Scissorhands

In addition to keep the countertops and cabinets as they were, Klops said he and his wife tried to keep as many of the elements that were present in Edward Scissorhands as possible, though they did paint some rooms.

The new owner had his own connection to the film, as he says he worked as a dishwasher for the production's food services while it was in town.

Although the house is already well-stocked, Klops added that he's always looking for new donations from the film to add to the collection.

He's currently offering free tours of the home to fans as long as they're 'respectful' to the neighborhood, though his Instagram account warns fans that they don't accept 'walk ups.'

According to the Tampa Bay Times, the 1,432 square foot home was originally listed for $224,000, but TMZ reported that Klops and his wife paid $6,000 more, for a total of $230,000.
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Sharon Stone looked incredible as she took part in a stunning beach photoshoot in the South of France on Saturday.

The actress, 63, showcased her modelling skills as she posed in a gold top with an eye-catching floral embellishment and strap detail.

The garment highlighted the star's toned physique while she also wrapped up in a black cloth in between takes.

Outfit: Sharon Stone looked incredible as she took part in a stunning beach photoshoot in the South of France on Saturday

Sharon's platinum blonde locks were slicked back for the day while she wore a light pallet of makeup for the shoot.

The film star was joined by several crew members during the outing as she was seen being helped off a boat.

The actress went barefoot for the photoshoot and later wrapped up in a grey jumper and matching tracksuit bottoms.

Starting her acting career in the 1980s, Sharon became a Hollywood star when she won the role of Catherine Tramell in the 1992 thriller Basic Instinct.

Stunning: The garment highlighted the star's toned physique while she also wrapped up in a black cloth in between takes

Pose: Sharon's platinum blonde locks were slicked back for the day while she wore a light pallet of makeup for the shoot

On location: The film star was joined by several crew members during the outing as she was seen being helped off a boat

The leg-crossing and uncrossing moment in the erotic thriller, in which  on close inspection  Sharon wasn't wearing any underwear as she toyed with a roomful of male police officers, was instrumental in making her a superstar and one of Hollywood's most intimidating sex symbols.

The actress recently wrote in her memoir The Beauty of Living Twice that she was told the audience wouldn't 'see anything' and she was tricked.

'"I just need you to remove your panties, as the white is reflecting the light, so we know you have panties on,"' Sharon wrote [director] Paul [Verhoeven] told her on set.

'Yes, there have been many points of view on this topic, but since I'm the one with the vagina in question, let me say: The other points of view are bulls***.'

Travel: Sharon has been in Europe often in recent weeks and was previously seen in Venice in early September

Looking good: The Basic Instinct actress went barefoot for the stunning photoshoot

History: She signed with an agency in New York in 1977 before working in Paris and Milan

The director said that his 'memory is radically different from Sharon's memory' and her version of the story is 'impossible.'

'She knew exactly what we were doing,' Verhoeven told Variety while promoting his film Benedetta.

'I told her it was based on a story of a woman that I knew when I was a student who did the crossing of her legs without panties regularly at parties. When my friend told her we could see her vagina, she said, "Of course, that's why I do it!" Then Sharon and I decided to do a similar sequence.'

The Cesar Award-winning producer added: 'That does not stand in the way and has nothing to do with the wonderful way that she portrayed Catherine Tramell. She is absolutely phenomenal. We still have a pleasant relationship and exchange text messages.'

Icon: Sharon appeared to recline on a lifeboat for some of the photoshoot

Career: Sharon ultimately decided to quit modelling full-time in favour of an acting career

Scene: The leg-crossing and uncrossing moment in the erotic thriller was instrumental in making her a star

Filming: The actress wrote in her memoir The Beauty of Living Twice that she was told the audience wouldn't 'see anything' and she was tricked

She added: 'Yes, there have been many points of view on this topic, but since I'm the one with the vagina in question, let me say: The other points of view are bulls***'

'Different': The director said that his 'memory is radically different from Sharon's memory' and her version of the story is 'impossible'

Success: It comes after Sharon was awarded the Golden Icon Award at this year's Zurich Film Festival

It comes after Sharon was awarded the Golden Icon Award at this year's Zurich Film Festival.

Sharon was honoured with the Golden Icon Award at Saturday night's glittering ceremony - the highest accolade the Zurich Film Festival bestows.

The award was presented ahead of a screening of Martin Scorseses classic thriller Casino, which Sharon was nominated for an Oscar for in 1996.

'Sharon Stone is a true icon of the seventh art,' the festival's artistic director Christian Jungen told the Hollywood Reporter.

Award: Sharon was honoured with the Golden Icon Award at Saturday night's glittering ceremony - the highest accolade the Zurich Film Festival bestows

Honour: The award was presented ahead of a screening of Martin Scorseses classic thriller Casino

He continued: 'She is a woman that Hitchcock would have loved. Her distinguishing qualities include an irresistible charm, a great human depth, the talent to play a whole range of roles and the ability to captivate an audience like no other.

'At a time when the film business was dominated by men, she stood her ground to fight against sexism and in doing so became a major role model for many women in the film business.'

Sharon looked over the moon as she accepted the award with a huge grin on her face.

The actress held the award up proudly as she made a heartfelt acceptance speech and laughed with joy at her achievement.

Legend: 'Sharon Stone is a true icon of the seventh art,' the festival's artistic director Christian Jungen told the Hollywood Reporter

'It is an honor to engage with the global community and celebrate the profound depth of our art. I am thrilled to be recognized in this capacity.,' Sharon said of the award ahead of the event.

The Golden Icon accolade has previously been won by Juliette Binoche, Cate Blanchett, Glenn Close and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Sharon is mother to three sons - 21-year-old Roan, 16-year-old Laird and 15-year-old Quinn.
Kirsten Dunst Benedict Cumberbatch and Kodi Smit-Phee walked the red carpet for the New York City screening of their forthcoming Netflix movie The Power of the Dog on Saturday.

The 39-year-old blonde beauty looked classy in a navy monochrome ensemble complete with a Chanel jacket with the fashion label's signature double C's embossed throughout.

The well-established actress wore a crew neck shirt tucked into high-waisted, flared dress pants.

Costars: Kirsten Dunst, 39, Benedict Cumberbatch, 45, and Kodi Smit-Phee, 25, walked the red carpet for the New York City screening of their forthcoming Netflix movie The Power of the Dog on Saturday

The new mother's locks were styled in a side part and fell just above her shoulders in a sleek, flipped curl.

Dunst polished off the look with a pair of sparkling drop earrings and a red lip.

Cumberbatch, 45, and Smit-McPhee, 25, were casual and well-put-together, both in slacks, white footwear, and unbuttoned shirt jackets.

The youngest castmate, Smit-McPhee chose to layer a black and white long-sleeve graphic shirt with his look, and added dark, belted pants.

For his part, the English actor went with a white shirt and light blue trousers.

Dressed to impress: The blonde beauty, 39, looked classy in a navy monochrome ensemble complete with a Chanel jacket with the fashion label's signature double C's embossed throughout; with Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos

The event took place at Paris Theater in the Big Apple.

As the trio gathered for photos on the step-and-repeat, they took a moment to pose with Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos, 57.

Later they each took seats on a stage for a Q&A panel about the film, which was directed by Jane Campion.

Polished look: The new mother's locks were styled in a side part and fell just above her shoulders in a sleek, flipped curl

The stars of the drama also attended its New York Film Festival premiere Friday night, where they answered questions about their roles, along with Campion.

In the feature, Benedict plays 'sadistic rancher' Phil Burbank who strikes up a relationship with Peter, played by Kodi.

The Power of the Dog will arrive in theaters November 17 before becoming available on Netflix December 1.

Finishing touches: Dunst polished off the look with a pair of sparkling drop earrings and a red lip

Business casual: The well-established actress wore a crew neck shirt tucked into high-waisted, flared dress pants
Netflix bosses have reportedly ensured the set of Bridgerton has its own private fuel supply amid the country's ongoing fuel crisis.

According to The Sun, the series has access to at least four 'bowsers', tank trailers bought from fuel companies that the cast and crew can use.

The production crew are said to be eager to avoid staff members car sharing due to Covid fears, with the measure in place since April.

Set: Netflix bosses have reportedly ensured the set of Bridgerton has its own private fuel supply amid the country's ongoing fuel crisis (Phoebe Dynevor, left, and Ruth Gemmell, right, pictured)

A source said: 'The last thing anyone wants is any further delays, which has been challenging with the backdrop of Covid.

'They have managed to fill up at least four mini tankers, known as bowsers, which are being made available to staff.

'They are trying to avoid several members of the crew or cast having to share taxis, buses or cars as Covid is likely to quickly spread if they spend too much time in close proximity.'

The fuel is being used for the trucks, generators and transport while bosses buy it directly from fuel companies so it should not affect the public.

Supply: The Netflix series has access to at least four 'bowsers', tank trailers bought from fuel companies that the cast and crew can use (stock image)

MailOnline has contacted a representative of Netflix for comment.

It comes as the fuel crisis was branded 'absolutely horrendous' in London and the South East by industry leaders on Sunday as panic-buyers continue to leave forecourts dry and petrol prices soar.

Army personnel are poised to start delivering fuel from Monday.

The Petrol Retailers Association, which represents thousands of independent forecourts across the UK, has welcomed the introduction of the military as it said fuel shortages are getting worse in some parts of the country.

Safety: The production crew are said to be eager to avoid staff members car sharing due to Covid fears, with the measure in place since April (Rege-Jean Page and Phoebe pictured)

Chairman Brian Madderson called the situation in the South 'absolutely horrendous', telling LBC: 'Early signs from our polls this morning show again that the Midlands, North and Scotland, are doing pretty well, and more and more of their filling stations are getting stock.

'There is far less stock out and far less surge buying. Normality is creeping in to that party of the country, but London and the South East are absolutely horrendous.'

He told the broadcaster that people are 'desperate' to get fuel to do normal every day things, such as taking children to school and getting to work.

Data from the PRA on Saturday showed that 16 per cent of petrol stations have no fuel  an improvement on more than a quarter on Friday.
Three people  Arbaz Seth Merchant, Munmun Dhamecha and Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khans son Aryan Khan have been arrested after the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) raided a cruise ship and busted a drugs party on Saturday. They will be produced before the Holiday Court for remand.

According to sources, two weeks ago the officials had a tip-off following which they sent a few of their agents to the ship called Cordelia Cruises Empress. They knew of a party taking place with a lot of drugs and the officer who had turned up for the party helped bust the party and found drugs ranging from cocaine, Mephedrone and Ecstasy to charas, adds our source.

The cruise ship, which had left Kochi with 1,200 people on 22 September, was on the way to Goa after a stopover in Mumbai and had a music programme going on for around three days. The NCB was informed about a large consignment of drugs reaching the ship for the party.

Sources also inform us that the NCB officers in disguise were waiting for the party to begin before they could catch them. Once the bust began, the undercover officers identified themselves to the captain of the ship and eight of the people at the party were taken in for questioning. They included Aryan Khan. Munmun Dhamecha, Nupur Sarika, Ismeet Singh, Mohak Jaswal, Vikrant Chhoker, Gomit Chopra and Arbaaz Merchant.

Leads and follow-ups

A few weeks ago Sameer Wankhede, Zonal Director of the NCB had told us that he was on the verge of making more arrests as investigations were on in a case he was following up last January when he was posted in the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI).

One such person arrested by Wankhede had turned an informer and has been often notifying Wankhede about the drug trade and rave parties, our source adds. A peddler called Sikander too had been arrested with `30 crore worth of drugs at Navi Mumbai and the NCB has been keeping an eye out for the offenders.

While Wankhede has not commented on the issue yet, NCB Chief Director General Satya Narayan Pradhan, informed that they had got the information around two weeks ago, around the time the cruise docked in Kerala. It took a lot of work to get the details and ensure that we were able to put the entire effort into action. We knew this had some Bollywood links too, adds Pradhan.

Interestingly an old video of Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan being interviewed by Simi Garewal on her show Rendezvous with Simi Garewal has started doing the rounds, in which Shah Rukh Khan is seen talking in jest about his advice to Aryan. I have just told him that he can run after girls, smoke as much as he wants, do drugs and can have sex! he says to Simi in the video. Trolls have immediately latched on to the video.
In a quiet Hyderabad bylane, tucked away in the plush locale of Jubilee Hills, is an imposing 15,000-sqft minimalist home. Ghattamaneni, reads the nameplate. This is the home of Mahesh Babu, a superstar of Telugu cinema, former actor and model Namrata Shirodkar and their two children.

As you enter the private sanctum, you are immediately greeted with two large statues of Shirdi Saibaba and Ganesha. The man of the manor walks up to greet us with a warm smile. Namrata, perched on a highchair in a compact make-up room adjacent to the living space, looks up and greets us. This is the couples first shoot together after nearly 18 years of marriage.

The two met on the set of Vamsi in 2000. It was one of the biggest disasters, Mahesh laughs. But I met her, we fell in love on the sets and started seeing each other. We dated for five years before we got married, but we pretty much knew that this was serious after two years.

Inside their stylish, informal office room, a large, gold-framed Ramesh Gorjala, with a bold, red visage splashed across half the painting, occupies the pride of place. Sunlight filtering in through the windows accentuates the laughing buddhas. Here, Mahesh and Namrata complement each other effortlessly not just in looks, but also in their easy banter. Her body language is poised and confident, while he  both literally and figuratively  takes a backseat, happy to let his glamorous partner take centre stage.

The road to stardom

Theres nothing starry about this superstar, whose estimated worth is around $1.13 billion. I attained this temperament with experience. I do have a temper; its a high-pressure job, and I flare up sometimes. But with experience, I noticed that if youre calm, its easier to get the work done.

Acting has always been an intrinsic part of his life. Mahesh was bitten by the bug as a child artiste, when he made his debut in his father and veteran actor Krishna Babus film Needa. Today, the 46-year-old has over 25 films to his name, eight of which won him prestigious awards.

I have been blessed with an amazing career, but it is a challenge to maintain this status as expectations increase with each film. I select my scripts (on my own) and have been doing so since the beginning of my career, he explains. As a policy, I dont discuss the films I sign even with my wife. Ive made mistakes that have helped me evolve.

If a film doesnt do well, it hurts. Ive had a good phase in the recent past, but it was inconsistent earlier. There were experimental films that didnt work, like Spider. You get carried away, but not looking back puts many people at risk, which is unfair. Its not just me (involved in a film), but distributors, exhibitors and others. Now the stakes are so high and budgets have risen, upwards of `200 crore.

In sync in every way

The lady of the house is in total command, slipping into her persona from her super-modelling days with ease. We hear her speak to the photographer and instruct her staff around the house and commend her fluent Telugu.

I was not planning to learn Telugu, but I felt that it was important to learn the language since his fans here look up to him so much. I got a tutor, but it was so overwhelming initially. One day, I broke down when I felt I could not do it. That was when Mahesh asked me to stop stressing and begin by speaking to the staff, she explains.

As the interview unfolds, Mahesh is comfortably ensconced on a sofa, slowly opening up. Though he relaxes further when Namrata walks in. Twenty years ago, was it love at first sight? Yes. He was so endearing when I met him. Vulnerable, innocent and polite. You dont find men like that (anymore). I was ready to marry him after two years of dating him. But we had a baggage of films to complete before we could tie the knot, Namrata says.

The strong bond the couple shares is unmissable. There is an understated affection that comes across to any outsider. When you compliment their strong marriage, Namrata touches wood instinctively.

Partners through thick and thin

To the outside world, Mahesh is a good-looking actor, but his heart belongs to his family. He loves travelling to Europe and Dubai with his wife and children and plans family holidays during their vacations.

Baden-Baden in Germany is one of our favourite locations. It is a small town, but the kids love it, he reveals. Even while parenting 15-year-old son Gautham and 9-year-old Sitara, the two are in complete sync. The couple has kept them grounded, giving them as normal an upbringing as they could.

We dont take fan worship seriously. Outside, I may be a big star, but at home, Im just a husband, Mahesh shrugs. My wife keeps me grounded, and my kids treat me like a regular dad.

Namrata chimes in, in good humour: Mahesh spoils our kids rotten! While they may be used to flying First Class and accustomed to luxuries, I try to create a balance in their lives. They often fly Economy with me. They must learn to sustain themselves in all circumstances. Im from a very middle-class family and know the real world.

So our daughter Sitara buys herself expensive stuff through brand endorsements [she has 443K followers on Instagram). But, of course, she goes running to her dad for an iPad, and all my efforts go down the drain.

(Excerpts from an interview published exclusively in HELLO! MAGAZINE, October issue)
He said in the last one year, there had been huge development in infrastructure by India and it also deployed the latest weapons on its side. (Twitter)

New Delhi: Army chief General M.M. Naravane on Saturday said China had deployed its troops in considerable numbers all across the northern front which remained a matter of concern for India. He was on a two-day visit to the Ladakh sector to review the operational situation as tensions with China continue to remain high.

He also said in the last 10 days, there had been two ceasefire violations by Pakistan at LoC and there had been an increase in infiltration attempts by terrorists from across the border in the last two months.

"The Chinese have deployed troops in considerable numbers all across Eastern Ladakh. Not only in Eastern Ladakh, but all across the northern front, right up to our Eastern Command," the Army chief told a news agency. He said definitely there had been an increase in their deployment in the forward areas which remains a matter of concern for us. He said the Chinese had developed infrastructure at its side of the LAC to deploy more troops.

Gen. Naravane said the Indian Army was regularly keeping an eye on Chinese movements. "Based on whatever inputs we get, we are also carrying out matching development both in infrastructure as well in terms of troops that are needed to counter any threat," said the Army chief. He said in the last one year, there had been huge development in infrastructure by India and it also deployed the latest weapons on its side. Gen. Naravane said the Indian army was quite poised to meet any eventuality.

He said the Indian Army had inducted made-in-India K-9 Vajra howitzers in high altitude locations in Eastern Ladakh. The 13th round of Corps Commander meeting between India and China could take place in the second week of October, he said, adding that he was hopeful that by and by all friction points would get resolved.

Gen Naravane said the situation in Ladakh in the last six months had been normal. "We are confident that as we discuss things with each other, we will be able to reach consensus on how disengagement is to take place. By and by, all the friction points will get resolved," he said. The Army chief said even when the talks had started with China, people were doubtful whether talks would resolve anything, "but I am of the firm opinion that we can resolve our differences with dialogue and that is what has happened in the past few months."

While there has been disengagement between Indian and Chinese troops on the banks of Pangong Tso and Gogra Post, the two armies are still in stand-off in the Hot-Springs area. Moreover, China has shown no interest to further de-escalate the situation in Depsang plains where it is blocking Indian troops from patrolling. China is intruding in new areas along the LAC to put pressure on India.

Some 100 Chinese soldiers reportedly crossed the Line of Actual Control at Barahoti in Uttarakhand on August 30 and returned after a few hours.

India has already deployed around 50,000 troops in Ladakh. India has also deployed tanks, armoured vehicles, heavy artillery guns and air defence missiles there. China is also upgrading its airbases in the sector and has also deployed Russian Air Defence Systems.

On Pakistan, Gen. Naravane said till June end there was no ceasefire violation by Pakistan nor there was any infiltration attempt. But, he said, in the last two months there had been an increase in infiltration attempts by terrorists which could happen only with Pakistan Army's knowledge and local support. He said India had conveyed to Pakistan at local and DGMO level that this would affect the ceasefire agreement between the two countries.

Earlier this year, Indian and Pakistan armies announced that they would observe a ceasefire along the Line of Control and all other sectors from February 24 midnight in a major de-escalatory move.
The proposal for the council has the backing of Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi and Congresswoman Robin Kelly.  DC Image

NELLORE: Noted ophthalmologist from Chicago in USA, Dr. Sriram Sonti, an ardent follower of Gandhis principles, has started a Global Gandhi Youth Council on Saturday for those between 1530 years of age to reawaken Mahatmas spirit and values within the current generation of youth within the USA, South Africa, India and the UK.

It is Dr Srirams initiative that let to the United States Postal Service releasing a stamp in honour of Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th Birth Anniversary in 2019.

Now, for getting the council approved, he has collected about 5,000 signed letters from people across the USA. The proposal for the council has the backing of Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi and Congresswoman Robin Kelly.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle over phone from USA, the noted ophthalmologist, an alumnus of All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi who has his roots in Ramachandrapuram of East Godavari, said: We have appealed that Pietermaritzburg Gandhi Memorial be converted into a pilgrimage site for believers of Gandhian values of peace through non-violence. Many Indians visit Chicago. Similarly, Pietermaritzburg Railway Station needs to be visited by all Indians as a most revered site, where the movement of non-violence started on June 7, 1893, when Mohandas Gandhi was evicted from the first-class compartment due to the apartheid culture prevalent within the local British government.

Dr. Sriram said he had attended the 150th Birth Anniversary Celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi organised by Pietermaritzburg Gandhi Memorial Committee under the leadership of David Gengan at the railway station. Those present included Indian High Commissioner Jaideep Sarcar, Ela Gandhi and Sarvodaya Prasad.

The noted ophthalmologist is a recipient of Mahatma Gandhi Service Award presented by Integrated Telugu Cultural and Literary Association to mark the 75th Anniversary of Indian Independence celebrations.

In 1999, Dr. Sriram had visited Gandhijis Tolstoy Farm and Phoenix Settlement in Durban, South Africa. His Gandhian mission started when he visited the Pietermaritzburg Railway Station.
The more you try to suppress me, the more I rise. I have been bearing personal attacks on me as I want to continue in politics.  DC Image/A. Manikanta Kumar

VIJAYAWADA: Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan declared a political war on the ruling YSR Congress Party and called upon the people belonging to Kapu, Telaga, Ontari, Balija and other social groups to be united together to fight against it and predicted his partys victory in the next elections in Andhra Pradesh.

Addressing a public meeting in Rajahmundry in East Godavari district on Saturday, the Jana Sena chief slammed the state government for failing to take up repairs to the badly damaged roads, set up industrial units and generate employment and raised objection to providing financial aid instead of providing employment to the people. He flayed the YSR Congress leadership for encouraging only a select few from its own social group to reach higher positions while trampling on some from its own community like J.C. Diwakar Reddy and those from other social communities and also activists of Jana Sena.

He said, I have been in politics since 2009 and have set up a political party with a vision for 25 years. I want people from all castes and religious groups to enjoy political power. To realise it, especially people from Kapu, Telaga, Ontari and Balija should be united to play a big brother role, to fight for political power along with other communities. I offered my support to the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) keeping in mind the Kamma community. As the TDP is no longer able to fight against the YSR Congress, our party has taken the responsibility.

The more you try to suppress me, the more I rise. I have been bearing personal attacks on me as I want to continue in politics. If not, I should have given tit for tat for all those who targeted me. I wish to continue in politics until my last breath. If I lose my life, I want you to spray my ashes all over, he added.

He listed out those who targeted and abused him without any provocation including Kakinada City MLA Dwarampudi Chandrasekhar Reddy, government advisor Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy and others.

Referring to remarks of Action, Camera and Cut from Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy, he said he was pained at such remarks on him and asserted that his toleration for criticism should not be construed as timidity. He blamed the police for stopping people from reaching the venue of his public meeting.
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee comes out of a polling station after casting her vote during the by-election to the Bhabanipur assembly constituency, where the TMC leader is contesting, in Kolkata, Sept. 30, 2021. (PTI/Swapan Mahapatra)

Kolkata/Berhampore: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was leading by 31,645 votes in the Bhabanipur bypoll after the tenth round of counting on Sunday afternoon, as per the Election Commission.

The TMC was also leading in Murshidabad's Samserganj and Jangipur where votes were counted for assembly elections.

Banerjee, the TMC candidate in the Bhabanipur seat in south Kolkata, secured 42,122 votes, as per official data after the tenth round of counting.

Her nearest rival, BJP's Priyanka Tibrewal, secured 10,477 votes, while Srijib Biswas of the CPI(M) secured 1,234 votes.

Total 21 rounds of counting will be held in Bhabanipur.

In Samserganj, TMC candidate Amirul Islam was leading by 3,768 votes after the fifth round of counting. He secured 19,751 votes, while his nearest rival, Zaidur Rahaman of the Congress, received 15,983 votes.

Jangipur's TMC candidate Jakir Hossain was leading by 15,643 votes after the second round of counting. Hossain secured 25,572 votes, and his nearest rival, BJP's Sujit Das, got 9,929 votes.

Voting in the seats was held on September 30.

As the reports of Banerjee's massive lead came in, TMC supporters hit streets across the state to celebrate with green "abir".

On the other side, the BJP and the CPI(M)'s state offices wore a deserted look.

Tibrewal on Saturday night wrote to the Acting Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court Rajesh Bindal, urging him to give orders to the police to take preventive steps to avoid incidents of violence after the results are declared.
HYDERABAD: TPCC president A. Revanth Reddy on Saturday said that the 'jung siren' launched by Congress against TRS government's anti-student and anti-youth policies would reverberate across the state in the next 67 days.

Speaking to reporters here on Saturday, he said that Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and KT Rama Rao cannot stop the Congress party from fighting for the rights of lakhs of students and jobless youth.

Alleging that the TRS government was acting like 'Taliban', he asked whether paying tribute to Telangana martyr Srikanth Chary was banned in the state.

"Why are we being stopped from remembering Srikanth Chary, who laid down his life for the cause of statehood? Are we paying tributes to Kasab or some other terrorists? He questioned the deployment of hundreds of policemen at Dilsukhnagar and LB Nagar crossroads.

With such actions, Rao has declared a war against all students and jobless youth and is trying to prevent Congress from seeking justice for them," he said.

Revanth Reddy, along with several leaders, including Mohammed Ali Shabbir, staged a sit-in protest at his residence for quite a long time.

Earlier, Revanth Reddy paid tributes to the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi on his birth anniversary in Gandhi Bhavan. He also paid tributes to former prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri. AICC Telangana in-charge Manickam Tagore and other senior leaders were present on the occasion.
TPCC working president T. Jayaprakash 'Jagga' Reddy, Sangareddy DCC president Nirmala, Jaya Reddy and other Congress leaders were also arrested and shifted to Kondapur police station.  DC Image

HYDERABAD: The Congress conducted its 'Vidyarthi, Nirudyoga Jung Siren' agitation amid the arrests of its leaders and activists and a lathicharge which left many of them injured. Police said they had denied permission for the protest.

Hundreds of Congress activists went in a procession from the Rajiv Gandhi statue at Dilsukhnagar to LB Nagar crossroads and garlanded the statue of the statehood movement's first martyr, Srikantha Chary and bathed it in milk.

TPCC president A. Revanth Reddy was arrested along with Congress MLAs, MLCs and frontal organisation leaders and shifted to police stations across the twin cities. Saroornagar, Uppal, Chaitanyapuri and other police stations were packed with arrested Congress leaders.

Earlier, tension prevailed at the TPCC chief's residence at Jubilee Hills as the police took custody of Revanth Reddy when he set off to participate in the agitation. Activists argued with the police and raised slogans against the TRS government for stopping them. A large number of police personnel was deployed at Revanth Reddy's residence.

Revanth Reddy criticised the police for blocking him and asked to see the order to arrest him. He said the TRS government was suppressing the voice of Opposition parties. "We decided to conduct an agitation programme on a peaceful note on the eve of Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary on October 2, but the police created problems", he alleged and sat on the floor in protest.

Vehicular traffic was affected on the LB Nagar-Secunderabad roade. As a precautionary measure, officials shut down the Metro Rail station at Dilsukhnagar.

TPCC working president T. Jayaprakash 'Jagga' Reddy, Sangareddy DCC president Nirmala, Jaya Reddy and other Congress leaders were arrested and shifted to Kondapur police station. Speaking to reporters, Jagga Reddy said youths played a key role in the achievement of Telangana state aspiring government jobs. For the last seven years, the TRS government utterly neglected the employment issue, he said. He condemned the arrest of Congress leaders during the peaceful agitation programme.

Meanwhile, TPCC state leadership called upon its cadre to burn the effigies of Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao and minister K.T. Rama Rao on Sunday in protest against the police hurdles for the Jung Siren agitation programme.

Congress leader Amer Javed was seriously injured in a police lathicharge. A sub inspector allegedly beat him with lathi at LB Nagar. Youth Congress national president B.V. Srinivas, TPCC spokesperson Kuruva Vijay Kumar, activist Mohan Naik, NSUI state president Balmuri Venkat and others were also injured.

Osmania University student Delhi Kalyan set himself on fire in protest against police highhandedness. Revanth Reddy spoke to the injured activists, who were admitted in private hospitals.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle from Chaitanyapuri police station, TPCC working president B. Mahesh Kumar Goud alleged that police behaved rudely with the Congress men.
In his fictionalised autobiography, The Insider, former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao had a senior Congressman complaining that prime ministership has now become a proprietorship (Page 675). That is what dynastic succession had done to the Indian National Congress after it became the Indira Congress in 1969. When Mrs Sonia Gandhi took charge as its president, the party constitution was amended with Clause 5 of the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) constitution reading: The chairperson shall have the authority to name the leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party to head the government, if necessary. The roots of the present crisis gripping the Sonia Congress lie in this unfortunate reality and inheritance from what came to be known as the Indira Congress that then became the Sonia Congress.

In 1969, Indira Gandhi split the Indian National Congress, the party she had inherited from her fathers generation, and created what came to be known as the Indira Congress, or Congress (I). She used the pedestal of ideology, purged the party of the conservative old guard and allied with the Left, giving an ideological twist to a political coup. In doing so she converted a political party into a family proprietorship.

Mrs Gandhi succeeded in staging her political coup not only because she was already Prime Minister and had the power of office to retain adequate support, but also because she correctly captured the mood of the nation. After the 1967 general elections the old Congress was seen losing heft and the Left was in ascendance with the Communists, socialists and an assortment of populists capturing the Congress bases. Mrs Gandhis tilt to the Left helped her retain and enhance her power.

In 2021, it appears, Rahul Gandhi is trying to mimic his grandmother by seeking to split the party once again, attacking the old guard and tilting Left. A senior Congressman recently explained to me that Rahul Gandhis strategy is to rid the party of the deadwood like Amarinder Singh and the so-called Group of 23, and revitalise it with fresh blood, preferably young and Left-leaning, like Kanhaiya Kumar. So if it was the likes of a Nijalingappa and a Sanjiva Reddy that had to go in 1969, it is a Jyotiraditya Scindia and an Amarinder Singh who have to be shown the door now; and if it was Communists like Mohan Kumaramangalam and K.V. Raghunatha Reddy who were inducted then, it is a Kanhaiya Kumar who is inducted now. Old whine for new battles.

Addressing a student gathering at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi over a decade ago, Rahul Gandhi revealed his political game thus: What is the option for me? I can either propagate the system or change it. I am not the one to propagate it so I am trying to change it. By positioning himself as an agent of change rather than of continuity, Mr Gandhi had hoped to distance himself from the negative baggage of the Manmohan Singh government. However, by taking on the position of party vice-president he happily accepted his proprietorial inheritance as future party president and Prime Minister. It is this strategy of playing both dissenter and inheritor that is now under final testing and most political pundits believe that its a game whose time is long over.

If Indira Gandhis split and rule strategy worked in 1969, the younger Gandhis inherit and dissent strategy is unlikely to work now. The reason is simple. Mrs Gandhi was bolstering her political base within at a time when the opposition to the Congress was still splintered and weak, and the Congress itself was in a much stronger position. Mr Gandhi is seeking to establish his leadership over a much weakened and dispirited party that is also poorly funded. That at a time when the ruling side led by a powerful Prime Minister is well-funded.

What the Congress Party needs today is a closing of ranks, not a division of the benches. Many within the Congress who wish to build a strong Opposition alliance for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections now believe that rather than splitting the party, what the Congress leadership should undertake is a reunification of the party, bringing together all the ex-Congress persons from across the country. However, any such unification strategy will have to clarify the roles of the Nehru-Gandhi family. An unwillingness to do so has already cost the party dear with the exit of several party members like Jyotiraditya Scindia and Jitin Prasada.

Moreover, ex-Congress persons who have set up their own platforms, like Mamata Banerjee, Sharad Pawar, Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and so on will no longer be willing to play second fiddle to the younger Nehru-Gandhis.

If the Sonia Congress enters the fray for the coming state Assembly elections on its own it may have less to show than if it were to do so in alliance with strong regional players. Bringing regional parties opposed to the BJP on to its side can create a formidable alliance. However, its strength will depend on the ability of the Congress leadership to manage the individual egos of its own party members and, more importantly, those of powerful regional leaders like Ms Banerjee.

Indeed, of all the potential prime ministerial aspirants around, as of now, Ms Banerjee is the most credible. Her political credibility rests on three pillars. First, she has demonstrated her capacity to defeat the Modi-Shah combine. Second, she is the only woman political leader of any stature today in the country. Third, she has the experience to deal with political leaders of different parties from Sharad Pawar to Arvind Kejriwal, K. Chandrashekhar Rao to Akhilesh Yadav. While Sonia Gandhi demonstrated the ability to relate to a wide range of politicians in 2004, Rahul Gandhi has singularly failed in this respect. He does not seem to have the emotional quotient required. A healthy and vibrant democracy needs a vibrant and active political opposition. The Congress, under its present leadership, has not been able to play that part. It needs new thinking and a new leadership.
At least five civilians have been killed after a bomb blast at the entrance of a mosque in the Afghan capital of Kabul on Sunday, a Taliban Interior Ministry spokesman said.

Qari Saeed Khosti confirmed the deaths. Initial reports indicate the explosion was caused by a roadside bomb. Three suspects have been arrested, Bilal Karimi, Taliban official spokesman said.

The bomb targeted the sprawling Eidgah Mosque in Kabul, where a memorial service was being held for the mother of Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. He later tweeted the attack had claimed civilian lives.

Taliban fighters were not harmed in the attack, Taliban spokesman Bilal Karimi told The Associated Press. Those killed in the attack were civilians standing outside the mosque gate. He did not provide a figure for the number killed and said an investigation was ongoing.

An Italian-funded emergency hospital in Kabul tweeted it had received four people wounded in the blast.

Following the blast, the area around the mosque was cordoned off by the Taliban, who maintained a heavy security presence. Later in the afternoon, the site was cleaned.

The only signs of the blast was slight damage to the ornamental arch by the entrance gate.



Taliban fighters walk at the entrance of the Eidgah Mosque after an explosion in Kabul, Afghanistan. Credit: AP/PTI Photo



No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. However, since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in mid-August, attacks by Islamic State group militants against them have increased. The rise has raised the possibility of a wider conflict between the two extremist groups.

IS maintains a strong presence in the eastern province of Nangarhar and considers the Taliban an enemy.

IS has claimed several attacks against the Taliban, including several killings in the provincial capital of Jalalabad.

Sunday's attack is the first to target the capital since late August when an IS suicide bomber targeted American evacuation efforts outside Kabul's international airport.

The blast killed 169 Afghans and 13 US service members and was of the deadliest attacks in the country in years.

It was claimed by IS-affiliated, the Islamic State in Khorasan Province.

Attacks in Kabul have so far been rare, but in recent weeks IS has shown signs it is expanding its footprint beyond the east and closer toward the capital.

On Friday, Taliban fighters raided an IS hideout just north of Kabul in Parwan province. The raid came after an IS roadside bomb wounded four Taliban fighters in the area.

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The US presidential election of 2000 hinged on a few votes in Florida and was ultimately decided in the Supreme Court.

The 2020 White House contest gave birth to the "Big Lie" and saw supporters of the losing candidate storm the US Capitol.

Just wait and see what 2024 has in store.

Read more: As Democrats feud over historic spending plans, Biden vows to 'get this done'

Donald Trump, the first president in US history to refuse to accept the outcome of an election, is flirting with another White House run in what could be a make-or-break moment for American democracy.

Robert Kagan, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, set alarm bells ringing in political circles last week with a chilling doomsday scenario opinion piece in The Washington Post.

"The United States is heading into its greatest political and constitutional crisis since the Civil War," Kagan wrote.

The neoconservative scholar warned of a "reasonable chance over the next three to four years of incidents of mass violence, a breakdown of federal authority, and the division of the country into warring red and blue enclaves."

Polls suggest a majority of Americans share at least some of Kagan's concerns: 56 per cent of the respondents in a recent CNN-SSRS survey said US democracy is under attack.

Thirty-seven percent said it is being "tested." Only six percent said it is in no danger.

Trump's unceasing and unfounded claims that the November 2020 presidential vote was "stolen" by Democrat Joe Biden have seeped into the political bloodstream.

Seventy-eight per cent of the Republicans surveyed by CNN-SSRS said they do not believe Biden legitimately won the presidency, a figure in line with the findings of other opinion polls.

"It's a new phenomenon in American elections," said Edward Foley, a constitutional law professor at The Ohio State University.

"There have been fights over hanging chads -- like Bush vs Gore in 2000 -- and there have been recounts for as long as there have been elections in America," Foley said.

"But the 'Big Lie' is a new thing. It's disconnected from reality and it's kind of a social pathology."

Richard Hasen, a law and political science professor at the University of California, Irvine, said in a recent research paper that the United States finds itself in a moment of "democratic peril," facing an unprecedented danger of "election subversion."

Read more: Trump asks Florida judge to force Twitter to restart his account

"The United States faces a serious risk that the 2024 presidential election, and other future US elections, will not be conducted fairly, and that the candidates taking office will not reflect the free choices made by eligible voters under previously announced election rules," Hasen wrote.

In his opinion piece, Kagan said the 75-year-old Trump and his Republican allies are laying the groundwork to ensure a 2024 victory "by whatever means necessary."

Trump, who retains an iron grip on the Republican faithful and is all but certain to be the party's presidential nominee if he does decide to run, appears to be setting the stage for the "Big Lie 2.0," said Foley.

The strategy involves restrictions such as voter identification laws passed by the legislatures of some Republican-led states which Democrats claim are intended to suppress the minority vote and Republicans say are designed to protect the integrity of the ballot.

It also includes replacing Republican state election officials such as Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia secretary of state who refused to do Trump's bidding in 2020 and "find" 11,780 votes, with candidates who are diehard supporters.

"Once you have that person in charge you have somebody who has great influence on how the election is conducted, how the votes are counted, who's declared the winner, how the Electoral College votes align," said Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia.

While it would spark Democratic outrage, Republican-controlled state legislatures could potentially ignore the popular vote in their states if it goes against Trump and appoint their own electors to the Electoral College, the final arbiter of who wins the presidential race, Sabato said.

Republicans are also well-positioned to win a majority in 2022 in the currently Democratic-controlled House of Representatives, giving them another potential lever of power in 2024.

"As ugly as last January 6 was with bloodshed and insurrection the outcome was never in doubt," Foley said, as then vice president Mike Pence ultimately refused to go along with Trump's demands that he reject the Electoral College slates from several states they lost to Biden.

"But if members of Congress on January 6, 2025 are predisposed to the 'Big Lie' approach, and are willing to repudiate election results just for the sake of pure political power, that would be the ultimate perversion of democracy," Foley said.
A large oil spill off the California coast began washing ashore at Huntington Beach over the weekend after an oil rig pipeline was breached, leaving dead fish and birds strewn on the sand, local and federal officials said.

An estimated 1,26,000 gallons had spread into an oil slick measuring about 13 square miles since it was first reported on Saturday morning, according to Katrina Foley, the Orange County supervisor.

"The impact to the environment is irreversible," she said in a statement. She said the spill was caused by a breach connected to the Elly oil rig and stretched from the Huntington Beach Pier down to Newport Beach.

Beaches were closed to swimming and a local air show was canceled.

Officials from the US Coast Guard, working with local and state agencies, flew airplanes to assess the spill and had hired contractors to clean it up.

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Pope Francis on Sunday called for more humane prison life in the wake of bloodshed in a prison in Ecuador in which 118 people died and dozens more were injured.

Francis told the public in St. Peter's Square that he was very pained by what happened last week in Guayaquil prison.

He lamented what he called a terrible explosion of violence among inmates belonging to rival gangs."

May God help to heal the wounds of crime that enslave the poorest,'' Francis said. He also prayed that God help all those who work every day to render life in prisons more humane.

Also Read | Death toll in Ecuador prison clash tops 100: Officials

The pontiff, who is from South America, prayed for the dead and the wounded and their families.

Last week, Ecuador's president declared a state of emergency in the prison system following a battle among gang members that killed at least 118 people and injured 79 in what authorities said was the worst prison bloodbath ever in the country.

Officials said at least five of the dead were found to have been beheaded.

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The United States on Sunday slammed China for "provocative" and "destabilising" military activity, after Chinese fighter jets and bombers made their largest-ever incursion into Taiwan's air defense zone.

"The United States is very concerned by the People's Republic of China's provocative military activity near Taiwan, which is destabilising, risks miscalculations, and undermines regional peace and stability," US State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.

"We urge Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic, and economic pressure and coercion against Taiwan."

Beijing marked its National Day on Friday with its biggest aerial show of force against Taiwan to date, buzzing the self-ruled democratic island with 38 warplanes, including nuclear-capable H-6 bombers.

Read | Record 38 Chinese jets enter Taiwan defence zone on National Day

That was followed by a new record incursion on Saturday by 39 planes, said Taiwan, which accused Bejing of "bullying" and "damaging regional peace."

"It's evident that the world, the international community, rejects such behaviors by China more and more," Premier Su Tseng-chang told reporters on Saturday.

Democratic Taiwan's 23 million people live under the constant threat of invasion by China, which views the island as its territory and has vowed to one day seize it, by force if necessary.

Beijing has ramped up pressure on Taipei since the 2016 election of President Tsai Ing-wen, who has said she views the island as "already independent" and not part of a "one China."

Also Read | Evoking Mao, China likens Taiwan foreign minister to a 'shrilling' fly

Under President Xi Jinping, Chinese warplanes are crossing into Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on a near-daily basis.

In the last two years, Beijing has begun sending large sorties into Taiwan's ADIZ to signal dissatisfaction at key moments  and to keep Taipei's ageing fighter fleet regularly stressed.

Xi has described Taiwan becoming part of the mainland as "inevitable."

US military officials have begun to talk openly about fears that China could consider the previously unthinkable and invade.

Protection of Taiwan has become a rare bipartisan issue in Washington and a growing number of Western nations have begun joining the United States in "freedom of navigation" exercises to push back on China's claims to the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait.

Price reiterated that the United States would "continue to assist Taiwan in maintaining a sufficient self-defense capability."

"The US commitment to Taiwan is rock solid and contributes to the maintenance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and within the region," he said.

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Relations between Algeria and former colonial power France have hit a new low, with Algiers recalling its ambassador from Paris this week.

On Sunday, Algeria banned French military planes from its airspace, which they cross to fly to the Sahel region where troops are helping to battle jihadist insurgents, the French army said.

Here's an overview of what led to these tensions, just months ahead of the 60th anniversary of Algeria's independence from France.

Algeria recalled its ambassador Mohamed Antar-Daoud from Paris over what the presidency late Saturday said were "irresponsible" remarks and "inadmissible interference" by French President Emmanuel Macron.

The remarks to French daily Le Monde were widely picked up by Algerian media, and came during a meeting Thursday between Macron and descendents of figures from the 1954-1962 war of independence.

Macron said Algeria was ruled by a "political-military system", Le Monde said.

He also reportedly criticised what he called the "official history" which Algeria had written for itself, saying it was "not based on truths" but "on a discourse of hatred towards France".

Macron said a French decision announced days ago to drastically slash the number of visas it grants to citizens of Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia would have no impact on students or business figures.

The move -- denounced by Algeria -- was aimed at "annoying people in leadership", he said.

He also irked Algiers by describing President Abdelmedjid Tebboune as being "trapped in a system which is very tough".

And he mocked the way Algerians consider France as the only colonial power to have ruled them, while forgetting Ottoman domination over North Africa between the 16th and 17th centuries.

A row erupted in February 2005 after the French parliament adopted a law recognising "the positive role of colonisation".

Although it was later abrogated, it led to the cancelation of a treaty of friendship between Algeria and France.

Tensions rose again in May 2020 after French public media broadcast a documentary about the Hirak pro-democracy protest movement which had forced Tebboune's veteran predecessor Abdelaziz Bouteflika from power the previous year.

At the time Algeria also recalled its ambassador for consultations.

And in April this year, French Prime Minister Jean Castex scrapped a visit to Algiers after it had criticised the "small" size of his delegation, informed sources told AFP.

Before Macron's latest comments -- which Algerian media slammed as "vitriolic" -- relations between France and its former colony were not so bad.

In November 2020, Macron had praised Tebboune's governance in an interview with the pan-African weekly news magazine Jeune Afrique.

But he sparked the fury of Algerian civil society and expatriates when he added that he would "do everything possible" to help Tebboune deal with the Hirak protest movement.

Earlier that year, however, France took two steps that were highly appreciated by Algeria.

In July 2020, Paris returned to Algeria the skulls of 24 resistance fighters who had been shot and decapitated in the early years of the French occupation.

Previously, in March, Macron had admitted that French soldiers had murdered top Algerian lawyer Ali Boumendjel in 1957 and then covered up his death.

Algeria media on Saturday also noted that Macron had declared Algeria's colonisation a "crime against humanity" during his election campaign while visiting Algiers.

In 2020, Algeria and France agreed to task experts to draft a report aimed at forging "reconciliation".

In January, French historian Benjamin Stora handed to Macron his report, which made a series of recommendations including "symbolic acts" or reconciliation and the creation a "memory and truth commission".

However, the French presidency said there was "no question of showing repentance" or of "presenting an apology" for France's colonial past.

Algiers rejected the Stora report saying it was "not objective" and failed to proved an "official recognition by France of war crimes and crimes against humanity, perpetrated during the 130 years of the occupation of Algeria".

In his report Stora said France and Algiers were locked in a "never-ending memory war" and competing claims of victimisation.

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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was leading by 31,645 votes in the Bhabanipur bypoll after the tenth round of counting on Sunday afternoon, as per the Election Commission.

The TMC was also leading in Murshidabad's Samserganj and Jangipur where votes were counted for assembly elections.

Banerjee, the TMC candidate in the Bhabanipur seat in south Kolkata, secured 42,122 votes, as per official data after the tenth round of counting.

For latest updates on bypolls in West Bengal, click here

Her nearest rival, BJP's Priyanka Tibrewal, secured 10,477 votes, while Srijib Biswas of the CPI(M) secured 1,234 votes.

Total 21 rounds of counting will be held in Bhabanipur.

In Samserganj, TMC candidate Amirul Islam was leading by 3,768 votes after the fifth round of counting. He secured 19,751 votes, while his nearest rival, Zaidur Rahaman of the Congress, received 15,983 votes.

Jangipur's TMC candidate Jakir Hossain was leading by 15,643 votes after the second round of counting. Hossain secured 25,572 votes, and his nearest rival, BJP's Sujit Das, got 9,929 votes.

Voting in the seats was held on September 30.

As the reports of Banerjee's massive lead came in, TMC supporters hit streets across the state to celebrate with green "abir".

On the other side, the BJP and the CPI(M)'s state offices wore a deserted look.

Tibrewal on Saturday night wrote to the Acting Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court Rajesh Bindal, urging him to give orders to the police to take preventive steps to avoid incidents of violence after the results are declared.

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Ruling BJD candidate Rudra Pratap Maharathy on Sunday widened his lead over nearest rival Ashrit Pattanayak of the BJP to 11,196 votes at the end of the eleventh round of counting in the Pipili by-election, the Election Commission said.

Maharathy secured 42,774 votes, while Pattanayak bagged 31,578 votes, and Congress nominee Bishwokeshan Harichandan Mohapatra got 2,602 votes.

Of the 78,675 votes counted till the end of the eleventh round, 401 people chose the NOTA (none of the above) option, it said.

Also Read | Mamata Banerjee to retain CM crown, sweeps Bhabanipur with record margin of 58,832 votes

Around 78.24 per cent of over 2.29 lakh voters had exercised their franchise in the by-poll on September 30. A total of 25 rounds of counting will be held.

Ten candidates are in the fray for the by-poll which was either countermanded or deferred thrice before September 30. The by-election was necessitated by the death of sitting BJD MLA Pradeep Maharathy in October last year.

Incidentally, the date of counting of votes coincides with the first death anniversary of the sitting MLA, who had succumbed to Covid-19. He had defeated Pattanayak by 15,787 votes in the 2019 elections.

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Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Sunday will visit the capital of Sri Lanka's northern province, Jaffna dominated by the Tamil minority, and will also travel to the historic Temple of the Tooth, the foremost shrine of the islands Buddhist majority, officials said.

Shringla on Saturday began his four-day visit to Sri Lanka during which he will meet the top leadership, including President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, and review the bilateral ties between India and the island nation.

Also Read | Quad now has a definite shape, and it calls for more work from India

He would travel to the central provincial capital of Kandy where he will be received at the historic Temple of the Tooth, the foremost shrine of the islands Buddhist majority, they said.

He will then proceed to the eastern port district of Trincomalee and the northern capital of Jaffna dominated by the Tamil minority.

At all three provincial visits, Shringla would be visiting the Indian-funded projects supervised by the Indian mission in the country.

Officials said his high-level engagements in Colombo are scheduled for tomorrow.

He would be calling on the three Rajapaksa brothers who are the President, Prime Minister, and the Finance Minister of the country.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who was in the US for the UN General assembly sessions, will return today.

In addition to the Rajapaksa trio, Shringla would receive a delegation of the main Tamil party, Tamil National Alliance for discussions.

Also Read | Foreign Secretary Shringla begins 4-day visit to Sri Lanka on Saturday

India has been consistently calling upon Sri Lanka to fulfill its commitments to protect the interests of the Tamil community and preserve the island nation's character as a multi-ethnic and multi-religious society.

The Tamil community in Sri Lanka has been demanding the implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution that provides for devolution of power to it. The 13th amendment was brought in after the Indo-Sri Lankan agreement of 1987.

He would also call on the Foreign Minister GL Peiris.

The Indian foreign secretary who is on his first visit to Sri Lanka was received at the airport by his counterpart Jayanath Colombage last night.

The visit will contribute towards the long-standing multifaceted relations and enhance bilateral partnership between the two countries, the foreign ministry said.

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India's army chief has said China is sending troops to their disputed border in "considerable numbers", prompting a matching deployment by New Delhi in a development he called a "concern".

Tensions have been high between the nuclear-armed neighbours following a deadly border battle in June last year in the strategically important Galwan river valley in India's Ladakh region, near Tibet.

The world's two most populous nations poured tens of thousands of extra troops into the high-altitude region in the Himalayas after the clash.

General Manoj Mukund Naravane told reporters in Ladakh on Saturday that the Chinese troop presence along the 3,500-kilometre (2,200-mile) border had increased in "considerable numbers" and it was a "matter of concern".

Read | India, China militaries may hold talks next week, says Naravane

Naravane said the Indian military was building up its forces along the border in response.

"We have also inducted advanced weaponry. We are strong, quite well-poised to meet any eventuality," the Times of India newspaper quoted him as saying.

India and China have been holding high-level military talks since the June clash and Naravane said another meeting was expected next week.

His comments came days after Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying accused Indian soldiers of illegally crossing the border into Chinese territory, a charge that New Delhi said had "no basis in facts".

Local media reported last week, citing unnamed sources, that nearly 100 Chinese troops had crossed the border into Uttarakhand state for several hours in late August.

India and China, which fought a full-scale border war in 1962, have long accused each other of trying to take territory along their unofficial border known as the Line of Actual Control.

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Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla is on a visit to Colombo and an Indian Army contingent will start a military drill with the Sri Lankan Army on Monday as New Delhi is trying to claw back the ground it lost to China in the neighbouring Indian Ocean island nation.

Shringla is likely to call on Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, Foreign Minister G L Peiris during his stay in Colombo, apart from having a meeting with his Sri Lankan counterpart Jayanath Colombage.

He arrived in Colombo late on Saturday and formally commenced his visit on Sunday, with a tour to the oil storage facility built in Trincomalee during World War II and a temple containing Lord Buddhas relics in Kandy. He also visited Jaffna, the capital of Sri Lankas Tamil-majority Northern Province, where the Government of India is funding development of an airport in Palaly. He announced that New Delhi would provide funds for maintenance of the Jaffna Cultural Centre for five years.

An all-arms contingent of 120 personnel of the Indian Army also arrived in the island nation to take part in the exercise, Mitra Shakti, along with a battalion of the Sri Lankan Army from Monday. The aim of the exercise is to promote close relations between the armed forces of the two countries and enhance interoperability and to share best practices in counter insurgency and counter terrorism operations, the Ministry of Defence stated in New Delhi.

The exercise will involve tactical level operations at sub unit level in an international Counter Insurgency and Counter Terrorism environment and will go a long way in further strengthening the relationship between both the South Asian Nations and will act as a catalyst in bringing synergy and cooperation at grass root level between both Armies.

The Foreign Secretarys visit comes just days after Indias Adani Ports and Special Economic Zones Limited clinched a $700 million deal with Sri Lanka Ports Authority to develop and operate the West Container Terminal of the Colombo Port. The deal was significant as the Sri Lankan government had a few months back scrapped a trilateral agreement it had signed with the governments of India and Japan for development of the East Container Terminal of the Colombo Port.

New Delhi suspects that Sri Lanka scrapped the East Container Terminal deal due to pressure from China, although the government led by Gotabaya and Mahinda Rajapaksa maintained that it was cancelled in view of the protests by the port workers.

The government led by the Rajapaksas earlier this year got Sri Lankan Parliament pass the Colombo Port City Economic Commission Bill, which drew flak for allegedly allowing China to set up a colony in Sri Lanka undermining the sovereignty of the country.

Shringlas visit to World-War-II-era oil storage tanks in Trincomalee on Sunday was also significant. The Sri Lankan government had leased out the tanks to the Lanka Indian Oil Corporation (LIOC)  a subsidiary of the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC)  in 2003.

The LIOC worked on 14 tanks in the Lower Tank Farm, but 84 tanks in the Upper Tank Farm remained undeveloped and unused.

The LIOC officials briefed the Foreign Secretary about the development undertaken at the Lower Tank Farm and the possibilities for further strengthening India-Sri Lanka energy partnership to enhance SLs energy security, according to a tweet by the High Commission of India in Colombo.

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The Congress on Sunday alleged that the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Aam Admi Party (AAP) were backed by the BJP in Goa, where these two parties want to contest the upcoming Assembly elections to divide secular votes.

All India Congress Committee's Goa desk in-charge Dinesh Gundu Rao also said that his party was open for alliance with the "like-minded parties and people who are secular and have local connect".

Addressing a press conference in Panaji along with the party's state unit chief Girish Chodankar and Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat, he said, "The parties like TMC and AAP are in the state to divide the votes. They are backed by the BJP."

Rao accused these parties of indulging in corrupt practices before the elections, scheduled to be held in February next year.

The TMC has recently announced that it plans to contest the Goa Assembly polls on all 40 seats, while AAP, which had contested the election in the state in 2017, is also in the power game.

Rao said the phenomenon of dividing the Congress's votes was not limited to Goa alone, but is found across India.

Responding to a question, the Congress leader said, "The party is open to alliance with like-minded, secular parties and people with local connect." The Congress looked forward to having a "proper and stable alliance", he said.

The Congress had emerged as the single largest party by winning 17 seats in the last Assembly election held in 2017. However, the BJP, which had bagged 13 seats, acted swiftly and came to power with the support of a few regional parties.

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Hitting out at the BJP after eight people were killed in violence in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri during a farmers' protest, the Left parties on Sunday said such "barbarity" will not stop the movement.

The violence broke out after two SUVs allegedly ran over a group of anti-farm law protesters who were demonstrating at the Tikonia-Banbirpur road. Two SUVs were set on fire by angry farmers.

Lakhimpur Kheri District Magistrate Arvind Kumar Chaurasia said four farmers and four others were killed in the incident. An Uttar Pradesh government official in Lucknow said four of the dead were travelling in the vehicles.

The farmers had assembled there to oppose UP Deputy Chief Minister Maurya's visit to Banbirpur, the native village of Union Minister of State for Home and MP Ajay Kumar Mishra.

The CPI(M), in a tweet, condemned the incident and said such "barbarity" will not stop the movement.

"Shocking news from Uttar Pradesh! Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra's son runs over protesting farmers with his car in Lakhimpur Kheri. Three dead. This is the BJP. This is how they treat our 'annadatas' (food providers). Such barbarity will not cow down the farmers' protests," it tweeted.

Union Minister Ajay Mishra, however, has claimed that his son nor he was present at the site when the incident occurred.

Three BJP workers and a driver were beaten to death by "some elements" in the protesting farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri after a car in which they were travelling turned turtle following pelting of stones, he claimed.

Mishra told PTI over the phone that two farmers had died after coming under the car.

CPI(M) Politburo member Brinda Karat said that her party colleagues are going to Lakhimpur Kheri.

"Our comrades are going. I strongly condemn the incident. It is a shocking example of arrogance and hatred towards the farmers by BJP leaders.

"Farmers are fighting not for themselves but for India and food security. We stand with the farmers. The killing of four farmers is an unforgivable crime by the BJP government," she alleged.

CPI MP Binoy Viswam hit out at the BJP and said that people will take revenge for the "bullets" through the "ballot".

Bullets for Peasants, garlands for killers! Modi-Yogi raj is blood-thirsty raj. The people will take revenge on them through ballots. Sometimes ballots of the poor are more powerful than the bullets of the oppressors. Nothing can stop the farmers, They will fight, they will win.  Binoy Viswam (@BinoyViswam1) October 3, 2021

"Bullets for peasants, garlands for killers! Modi-Yogi raj is blood-thirsty raj. The people will take revenge on them through ballots. Sometimes ballots of the poor are more powerful than the bullets of the oppressors. Nothing can stop the farmers, They will fight, they will win," he tweeted.

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The Congress is under siege on multiple fronts, battling dissidence in three states  Punjab, Chhattisgarh and Meghalaya  in a reflection of the state of affairs in the party. As Congress grappled with the crisis in Punjab, trouble was brewing in Chhattisgarh, with MLAs loyal to Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel camping in Delhi to thwart any attempts at a leadership change.

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After making his presence felt in Mamata Banerjee's territory, political strategist Prashant Kishor seems to be out to poach leaders from the Congress outside West Bengal.

In fact, he has successfully poached two prominent leaders of the grand old party.

Both Sushmita Dev from Assam and Luizinho Faleiro from Goa, who joined the Trinamool Congress in recent times, were considered close to the Gandhi family. It was Faleiro who publicly said that he was approached by none other than Kishor and his team to join the Banerjee-led Trinmool Congress.

Read more: Mamata takes massive lead in Bhabanipur, TMC ahead in two Murshidabad seats

After winning the elections in West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress is also trying to make an impact in the national arena now.

"We have to see who has got the power to face the current dispensation which is ruling in Delhi and Goa. Definitely, I will support Mamata because she has fought, she has succeeded... She symbolises women's empowerment which can bring this country back on the track of development and progress," Faleiro said, describing the Congress as a "divided house".

Now, the Congress, which was trying to protect the party from poaching by the BJP, needs to keep its guard active against the Trinamool as well.

Even former Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma has been approached by the Trinamool and he had also held a meeting with the party leaders.

Sangma, however, has been approached by the Congress not to leave the party. He is likely to meet Sonia Gandhi soon.

Not only this, Abhishek Banerjee, Trinamool's national General Secretary, has said that the Congress should leave arm chair politics while his party is capable of fighting the BJP.

Responding to this, Congress secretary-in charge of communications, Pranav Jha, questioned if the change in heart is due to the ED's summons.

The Congress has been taking inputs on Prashant Kishor joining the party from the members of the Congress Working Committee (CWC).

Even as several Congress leaders are divided over Kishor's role in ticket distribution, none is averse to the idea of the political strategist joining the party. They believe that he should be made in-charge of the election management department without the candidate selection authority.

Congress leaders do agree that his inputs should be considered in the party, but suggested that state leaders as well as the former and incumbent Chief Ministers should have a say in the ticket distribution process.

The Congress has been consulting the CWC members to revamp the party structure after losing two consecutive general elections.

Sources said the CWC members have been asked to give their feedback on the process. Sonia Gandhi's loyalists and two of the party's senior-most leaders -- Ambika Soni and A.K. Antony -- are involved in the process.

Congress General Secretary (Organisation), K.C. Venugopal, has also been roped in for the purpose.

Kishor has been meeting the Congress leaders informally in the poll-bound states as his induction into the party is still under consideration by Sonia Gandhi.

At the same time, he has also met a couple of leaders and gave his personal state-specific inputs to them.

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The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday raided multiple locations in Jammu and Kashmirs Poonch district in connection with unauthorised trade through Line of Control (LoC), which was purportedly being used to fund terrorism.

Officials said the premier probe agency sleuths accompanied by police and CRPF personnel, conducted raids at nine locations in Poonch at the premises of the suspected LoC traders. The case was registered on December 9, 2016 by NIA under Section 17 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967.

The cross-LoC trade was started in 2008 as a part of a confidence-building measure between J&K and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK). It was based on a barter system and third party origin goods were not allowed.

The instant case is related to the large scale transfer of funds from Pakistan to India through the import of California Almonds (badam-giri) and other items via the cross LoC Trade Facilitation Centres (TFCs) located at Salamabad in Uri area of Baramulla district and Chakkan-Da-Bagh in Poonch district, a spokesperson of the NIA said in a statement.

These funds were purportedly being used for fomenting terrorism and separatism in Jammu and Kashmir. Investigation into the case revealed that some of the traders having excess imports were channelizing the surplus profit generated to terror organisations while others are suspected to have links and connections with proscribed terrorist organisations, he added.

During the searches conducted on Sunday, the NIA recovered documents, digital devices and other incriminating materials from the premises of the suspects.

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Eight persons, including at least four farmers, were killed as violence erupted in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur-Kheri district, about 150 kilometres from here, on Sunday, when hundreds of farmers tried to waive black flags and block Union minister Ajai Mishra and UP deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya's visit to a function at Tikonia in the district.

Farmer leaders claimed that four farmers were killed after being knocked down by a vehicle belonging to the union minister's convoy and around a dozen others injured. They also alleged that the vehicle was being driven by Ajai Mishra's son Ashish.

Mishra, however, rubbished the charges and said that his son was not even present on the spot and claimed that one of the vehicles carrying some BJP leaders was attacked by ''anti-social'' elements with bricks and overturned, and as a result crushing some of the protesters to death.

Police sources here said that eight persons were killed in the violence but they refused to reveal if the deceased included four farmers. Senior police officials have rushed to the spot from Lucknow.

Also Read | Lakhimpur Kheri: Ajay Mishra says 3 BJP workers and driver lynched, stone-pelting led to car accident

A Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) tweet said that the farmers were killed after being knocked down by the vehicle driven by Mishra's son. It also said that BKU leader Rakesh Tikait had rushed to the spot from Ghazipur border, where he and hundreds of other farmers had been holding a protest against the farm laws for the past several months.

Enraged over the incident, the farmers torched several vehicles of the convoy and also allegedly assaulted some local BJP leaders, according to sources.

Police said that the farmers had announced to hold a protest before the union minister and UP deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, who were scheduled to attend a function at Tikonia in the district.

Maurya was initially scheduled to land at a makeshift helipad near the venue but was forced to take the land route after hundreds of farmers barged into the helipad and pitched tents there.

Also Read | Farmers leaders want to oust BJP. Will they take the political plunge?

The farmers were angry with Mishra after the latter had allegedly threatened them with serious consequences if they tried to show him black flags during his visit. Lakhimpur Kheri is the native district of the minister.

Security personnel in strength were deployed at Tikonia and other parts of the district to maintain order, sources said.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav condemned the incident and demanded the resignation of chief minister Yogi Adityanath.

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The Rashtriya Janata Dal on Sunday announced its candidates for bye-elections to Tarapur and Kusheshwar Asthan assembly segments of Bihar, in what is being seen as a snub to the Congress, its junior ally, which wants to contest one of the seats.

At a press conference addressed jointly by state RJD president Jagadanand Singh, national general secretary Alok Mehta and state spokesmen Mrityunjay, the names of Arun Kumar Sah and Ganesh Bharti were announced for Tarapur and Kusheshwar Asthan, respectively.

Bye-elections to the two seats, which were won by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U), have been necessitated by deaths of the incumbents.

Unlike the NDA, which presented a picture of cohesion two days ago when leaders of all the constituents jointly announced the coalition's candidates, the RJD, which helms the five-party Grand Alliance, declared nominees without any of the partners by its side.

Kusheshwar Asthan, a reserved seat in Darbhanga district, was contested by the Congress in the assembly polls last year when it lost the seat by a margin of less than 7,000 votes.

Although the party has so far not come out with any reaction on the development, Congress sources affirmed there were plans to field Ashok Ram, the candidate in the assembly polls, or some close member of his family.

RJD sources said the decision to contest both seats followed the dismal performance of the Congress in the assembly seats when it fought 70, won less than 20, and was blamed by all partners for the Grand Alliance falling short of a majority.

Meanwhile, the BJP came out with another take on the development which is likely to put some strain on the Congress-RJD ties.

The RJD is jittery over attempts by the Congress to come out of its shadow by inducting people like Kanhaiya Kumar, BJP spokesman and national general secretary of the party's OBC wing Nikhil Anand said in a statement.

The RJD has, by announcing its candidates for both seats, killed two birds with one stone. It has shown the Congress its place in the state and also obviated any possibility of Tejashwi and Kanhaiya sharing the stage during bypolls, said Anand.

Perceived rivalry between Tejashwi Yadav and Kanhaiya has been a matter of much speculation in political circles of Bihar.

It is widely believed that Yadav is not very uncomfortable with the former JNU student leader, who belongs to an upper caste and is known for his crowd-pulling abilities.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, when Kanhaiya was fielded by the CPI from his home town Begusarai, the RJD had nominated one of its veteran leaders Tanveer Hasan, which had caused a split in anti-BJP votes and helped Union minister Giriraj Singh to win the seat by a staggering margin of over four lakh votes.

It was rumoured that the RJD went for the move since it was wary of Kanhaiya bursting on the national political scene with an electoral victory, which would have helped him wash off the taint of the sedition case that was the first occasion for him to hit headlines.

Both the CPI and Congress are junior partners of the RJD in Bihar. However, in the Congress, the fiery young leader is expected to get a much wider exposure than it would have been possible in the moribund Left party.

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Colleges in Kerala will reopen for the first time since the devastating Covid-19 second wave on Monday.

While classes will begin for final year degree and post-graduate students who have taken both doses of vaccination from Monday, regular classes for all batches will begin from October 18.

State Higher Education Minister R Bindhu today, in a video message, welcomed the students to the colleges and reminded them to give up violence while he referred to an incident of a girl murdered by her estranged boyfriend on a college campus at Pala in Kottayam two days ago.

Health Minister Veena George urged the students to carefully follow the Covid-19 health protocol while attending the colleges as, the Minister said, the pandemic has not gone.

Also Read | Cinemas to reopen in Kerala from October 25

Committees comprising teachers and students are being set up in all institutions to ensure Covid protocol is being followed. Classes will be conducted in batches to ensure social distancing in classrooms. The state Health Department will organise special camps for vaccinating students above the age of 18.

The Health Department has also asked the students and staff not to go to the institutions if they have fever, cough or any similar symptoms. The students and staff are also directed to wash their clothes worn to the college as soon as they reach their residence.

Meanwhile, the number of fresh Covid-19 cases in Kerala remained comparatively high with 12,297 cases reported on Sunday. The test positivity rate was at 13.8 per cent. The active cases in the state stood at 1.37 lakh. The number of persons requiring hospitalisation, however, was very few.

The state also announced further relaxations on Saturday. Cinema theatres and auditorium will be allowed to function from October 25 with 50 per cent of the total seating capacity. Maximum participation at marriage and funerals was also increased from 20 to 50. Enforcement against flouting of social distancing norms at public places has been eased.

(With PTI inputs)

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The third session of the 15th Kerala Assembly is scheduled to commence from Monday and controversial issues like Monson Mavunkal's alleged links to police officers, guidelines on reporting of Covid deaths and reopening of schools are expected to be raised during its sitting by the UDF-led opposition.

Congress leader and Thrikkakara MLA P T Thomas told PTI that besides these, another matter which may be raised during the assembly sitting was women's safety and a final decision on issues to be taken up will come after discussions with Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan.

Some other issues on which the opposition has criticised the Left government include the delay in completion of the Vizhinjam port project undertaken by Adani Group and the alleged impracticality of the ambitious SilverLine project of the state.

At the same time, the opposition may have to be prepared to defend the allegations against KPCC president K Sudhakaran in connection with Mavunkal and the internal problems and differences in the Congress party, which could be used by the government to counter the criticism aimed at it.

The assembly, which will sit for 24 days from October 4 to November 12, is also expected to take up for discussion the Supplementary Financial Statement for the financial year 2021-22, according to the calendar of sittings, Speaker M B Rajesh said recently.

Of the 24 days, 19 days have been allotted for legislative matters, 4 days for non-official matters and one for consideration of supplementary requests. The 3rd session, which is going to be paperless from November 1 as part of the 'E-Assembly project, has been convened primarily for the purpose of making laws as due to the Covid-19 pandemic several bills could not be passed to replace around 45 ordinances, which were issued due to lack of adequate number of sittings.

Some of the bills which would be considered during the first two days of the assembly session are - Kerala Employment Guarantee Workers Welfare Fund Bill 2021, Kerala Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Bill, 2021, Kerala Urban and Rural Planning (Amendment) Bill, 2021, Kerala Municipality (Amendment) Bill, 2021, Kerala State Goods and Services Tax 2021 (Amendment) Bill and Kerala General Sales Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2021, he had said in a release.

A bill for ensuring good quality of fodder will also be introduced in the present session, State Animal Husbandry Minister J Chinchu Rani had said. The Speaker, in the release, had also said that allowing public access to the assembly's visitor gallery was also being considered in view of the slight decline in Covid infection numbers.

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In a major swoop, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) busted a rave party onboard a cruise ship in Mumbai in an operation that started on Saturday afternoon and still continues.

NCB Mumbai Director Sameer Wankhede said that eight persons including Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan and Arbaaz Merchant are currently being questioned in connection with the raid.

Some celebrities, DJs and social media influencers too have been detained.

Munmun Dhamecha, Nupur Sarika, Ismeet Singh, Mohak Jaswal, Vikrant Chhoker, Gomit Chopra are others who are being quizzed by the anti-drug agency.

Eight to 10 persons have been detained and huge quantities of narcotics were seized.

The ship, currently at the Mumbai International Cruise Terminal, was to cast off for Goa when NCB sleuths swooped in.

Party organisers and cruise line representatives have also been summoned.

"Its a result of a painstaking investigation that went on for two weeks. We acted on specific intelligence inputs, involvement of some Bollywood links has come to light," NCB chief SN Pradhan told ANI.

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Up until the mid-1980s, the Indian government, which monopolised telecommunications equipment and infrastructure, considered telephones to be luxuries rather than necessities. As a result, few people owned telephones and the rest had to walk miles to find public pay phones to stay in touch with family and friends. In the 15 years that followed, the establishment of public call offices with STD (subscriber trunk dialling) facilities across the country drastically altered the communications landscape.

The evolution of computers followed a similar trajectory  mainframe computers followed, in sequence, by minicomputers, personal computers/desktops, and laptops. Indias adoption of various technologies has always been one or two generations behind. Compare this with Myanmar, which went from few telephones and even fewer computers spanning a 50-year period, directly into the smartphone era.

With the advent of wireless communication technology and a concomitant increase in internet usage over the past 15 years, we now have over 500 million Indians and 25 million Myanmar citizens in proud possession of smartphones. According to the US networking giant Cisco, smartphone usage in India is slated to double in the next five years. Staying in touch 24/7. You couldnt ask for more, could you?

Which brings me to the main issues that I wish to address in this article. The acronym STD may stand for sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS, or subscriber trunk dialling. The latter usage is, of course, passe and needs to be updated. I would suggest smartphone-transmitted diseases as a possible substitute. Before identifying and discussing these new diseases, I present some background information which may be helpful.

The wellbeing of a country is often measured in terms of its per capita GDP while its connectedness is based on internet usage and social media participation. Using IMF economic data and global internet statistics data, here are some important numbers for select countries: Compared to 95 per cent of the population using the internet in the US and Germany, both high per capita GDP countries, internet usage is only around 40 per cent in India and Myanmar, two countries that rank in the bottom 25 per cent of per capita GDP. However, social media access in India, China and Myanmar is very high, compared to Germany or the US. In Myanmar, it is 100 per cent.

Globally, Google is the search engine of choice on smartphones. Likewise, Facebook for social media. Google and Facebook operate the worlds most sophisticated dragnet surveillance system, be it to show ads or as a tool of social control by keeping tabs on entire populations. In countries such as Myanmar and Qatar, the default homepage is Facebooks website. It is a given that users rarely change the default settings on computing devices  either due to ignorance or indifference.

A list, by no means complete, of smartphone-transmitted diseases, is the following  conspicuous consumption, narcissism, nationalism, religious bigotry, ethnic hatred, xenophobia, homophobia, misogyny, misinformation, and fake news.

Conspicuous consumption is at top of the list because Google and Facebook make enormous amounts of money promoting products, irrespective of whether people really need these products or not. A good way to boost both the nominal and per capita GDPs of any country, dont you think? The coronavirus pandemic and the resulting quarantines have only served to increase online shopping even more  be it shopping for groceries, toys or electronics. And fancy clothes and plastic surgery so that you look good while video-conferencing.

The remaining items on the list all have to do with social media platforms, especially Facebook and Twitter.

In a pathbreaking May 2018 study, Fanning the Flames of Hate: Social Media and Hate Crime, authors Karsten Muller and Carlo Schwarz of the University of Warwick analysed over 176,000 posts, 290,000 comments, and 500,000 likes by 93,000 individual Facebook users in Germany before reaching the conclusion that anti-refugee hate crimes increased disproportionally in areas with higher Facebook usage.

The fact that volatile, short-lived bursts in sentiment within a given location substantially affects peoples behaviour, which is then propagated across regions and time by social media, is quite worrisome since it can be very damaging to society, irrespective of country.

Isnt it curious that Myanmar, which entered the information age only a decade ago, did not take advantage of the many benefits of computers; instead, it allowed radical Buddhist monks such as Ashin Wirathu to use inflammatory postings on Facebook to egg their followers on to commit numerous acts of violence against the Rohingya minority; similar postings in Sri Lanka have resulted in mob violence directed against Muslims.

One can only imagine the after-effects of promoting disinformation on coronavirus vaccines if they become globally available. And affordable. Brand name or generic, your choice.

Perhaps you are an anti-vaxxer? Hopefully not.

(Roger Marshall is a computer scientist, a newly minted Luddite and a cynic.)
Wedged between the two largest areas of illicit opium production  the Golden Crescent and the Golden Triangle  India has long figured as an important transit point in the international drug trade.

Along the border with Pakistan, Jammu & Kashmir and Punjab are particularly vulnerable, with sophisticated technology like drones being increasingly used to smuggle drugs.

The Union Territory of J&K and Punjab have seen large narcotic seizures in recent years, particularly of high-value drugs like heroin.

This rising narcotic trade is the latest threat in Jammu & Kashmir, which has seen over three decades of cross-border terror.

After the Talibans takeover of Afghanistan, there is now concern that there could be a surge in drug smuggling. A report by the Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction in 2018, estimated that the Taliban earned 60 per cent of its revenue from the drug trade.

The latest UN World Drug Report estimated that in 2020, Afghanistan had 2.24 lakh hectares area under opium cultivation, representing over 75 per cent of illicit opium cultivation worldwide.

It is this opium that makes its way into India, via Pakistan.

A senior police officer in Kashmir said that after the serious crackdown by law enforcement agencies against hawala operators in recent years, Pakistani agencies used cross-LoC trade and narcotics to fund terrorism and unrest in the Valley.

In 2019, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had cited funneling of illegal weapons, narcotics and fake currency as reasons for shutting the cross-LoC trade.

When cross LoC trade was shut down, narco-trade seems to have become the exclusive route to finance terrorism, the officer revealed.

Some of the people arrested in the drug trade seem to be linked to terror outfits like the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen.

Though no definite money trail linking the drug trade and terrorist outfits has been established in the court of law so far, investigation into some cases by J&K police and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) indicate that the money generated from heroin smuggling is being utilised to finance terrorist activities.

In April last year, the NIA arrested a bank manager, Afaq Ahmad Wani, from Handwara in north Kashmir.

Around 21 kg of heroin and over Rs 1.35 crore cash was seized from the drug syndicate he was part of. The total cache was said to be well over Rs 200 crore. J&K police had said this drug network was working for the LeT.

Police raids also uncovered a cash counting machine  usually used in banks  which indicates the huge amount of money changing hands in this narco-terror network.

According to the MHA data, in 2015, a total of 72.07 kg of heroin was seized in J&K.

In 2019, data from the J&K police shows over that 200 kg of heroin was seized. Last year, 152 kg of heroin and 49 kg of brown sugar were confiscated from different parts of the Union Territory.

In 2015, law-enforcement agencies had arrested 708 people involved in drug trafficking in J&K, which rose to 1,672 people in 2020.

Read | Jammu and Kashmir ANTF recovers 1,000 kg poppy straw

Drug abuse

As early as July 2018, the then J&K police chief Sesh Pal Vaid had termed drugs a bigger challenge than terrorism in the region. His successor, Dilbagh Singh, echoed more or less the same sentiment.

Narcotics is the biggest challenge after terrorism. It keeps alive terrorism (by financing it) and second, it destroys youth, Singh said.

Gauging the gravity of the problem, the J&K government set up Anti Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) last year to tackle the emerging threat of narco-terrorism in the region. But despite sustained campaigns, heroin abuse has reached alarming levels in the Valley.

The extent of the problem can be gauged from admissions at the drug de-addiction centre (DDC) of the Government Medical college in Srinagar. Over 95 per cent of the 6,234 patients admitted here during the lockdown (April 2020 to June 2021) were heroin users.

The number of people seeking treatment for heroin abuse is just the tip of the iceberg. Easy availability of heroin is a major reason for the steep rise in such cases in the last two or three years, said Dr Yasir Rather, in-charge of the DDC at Srinagar.

Dr Arshid Hussain, a professor of psychiatry at GMC Srinagar, is among the first doctors in Kashmir to work on drug addiction.

He said even when the subcontinent was dealing with an opioid boom in the 1980s, Kashmir had largely stayed drug-free.

According to him, before 2015, there were hardly any heroin users in the state. Medicinal opioids, cannabis, shoe polish, and correction fluids were used as drugs and most of the addicts then had a dark past, were affected by violence and belonged to a particular socio-economic background, Dr Hussain told DH.

But cases of heroin addiction among youth, especially those from well-off families, skyrocketed since 2018.

Now, there are educated people, including children of government officials, who are heroin addicts, he said.

Read | Drug menace could get worse, with Taliban ruling Afghanistan

Effect on youth

One such case is that of Bilal Ahmad (name changed), a young professional from Pulwama, who worked for a multinational company in Gurugram.

Ahmads tryst with drugs started in 2013, when he was pursuing an MBA degree in Delhi. He was introduced to heroin in 2018 when he returned home to Kashmir on a two-week holiday.

Some of my childhood friends had started abusing heroin and they gave me the first two doses free of cost. First time I inhaled it and the second time it was injected into my veins, Ahmad, who was recently brought to a de-addiction centre in Srinagar by his parents, told DH.

By 2019, Ahmad had become a regular user and lost his job in the process. He said that is when he received a call from an old acquaintance, who had joined the militants.

He offered me Rs 2 lakh for delivering one kg of heroin in Shopian. I agreed, Ahmad claimed.

At the address where I delivered the packet, I was given Rs 18 lakh, which I gave to my militant friend. He then gave me Rs 2 lakh as a reward, Ahmad said. After a few weeks, the militant was killed in an encounter with security forces.

Ahmads parents grew suspicious after the Covid-19 lockdown in March last year. Still, he continued using heroin till last month, when his parents finally got him admitted at the de-addiction centre at Srinagar.

Twenty-seven-year-old Manzoor Dar (name changed) from North Kashmirs Baramulla district has a similar story. He was introduced to medicinal opioids while pursuing a B.Tech course in a private college in Punjab in 2014.

Since both his parents were middle-rung government officers, Dar says money was never an issue.

I would make different excuses to my parents to get more money. Then, one day in September 2017, one of my friends gave me a dose of heroin. While I inhaled it, I felt I was in heaven, said Dar, who is accompanied by his mother at the de-addiction centre.

Dar too had landed a job at an MNC in Mumbai but had to quit after a year due to his drug use.

When asked about where he was getting the heroin, Dar said, I used to travel to border areas of Baramulla on my bike where it is easily available. They are cheaper there compared to towns and cities.

Dar added that in his neighbourhood alone, there were at least 20 youth who were consuming heroin.

Read | Sidhu questions Punjab govt's 'inaction' on drug smugglers

Punjabs narcotics trade

In Punjab, most of the narcotic smuggling takes place along the states 545-km-long border with Pakistan with the active collusion of locals.

In addition to drugs smuggled from across the border, the influx of heroin from Jammu & Kashmir, as evident in recent drug bust cases, is also causing concern among Punjabs enforcement agencies and the police. And there has been little improvement after the change of government in the state.

Under the Congress, which rode to power with a promise to eradicate the drug trade, heroin seizures rose to 2,089 kg, with 46,273 cases being registered.

During the 51-month period until 2017 when the last Akali Dal-BJP combine government was in power, the state saw seizures of 1,683 kg of heroin with 46,273 cases being registered under the NDPS Act.

In Gujarat, officials in security agencies and the state police say the state has always been considered a transit point for smuggling drugs from Pakistan and Afghanistan.

This was also indicated by the recent record seizure of 3,000 kg of heroin at the Mundra port in the state by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence. This is Gujarats largest drug bust since 2017, when 1,500 kg of heroin was

seized by the coast guard.

Officials said that from Gujarat, the consignments are transported to various parts of the country, from where they are smuggled to Europe and elsewhere.

Officials also said that the volume of smuggling through sea routes (Afghanistan to Bandar Abbas port in Iran to Gujarat coast) has increased over the last couple of years due to heightened security at the international border between India and Pakistan following terror attacks.

The smugglers are trying hard but even the sea route may not be viable for them as they have lost so much manpower. The smugglers may not be worried about their consignments getting seized. But it is the number of their men who are frequently getting arrested, which we think, could be hitting them hard, said an ATS official.

A senior police officer in Kashmir said heroin was coming into J&K from Pakistan and Afghanistan as drug dealers have a network spread from the Line of Control to the mainland, which is spreading across India too.

(With inputs from Gautam Dheer in Chandigarh and Satish Jha in Ahmedabad)
Cant give a count how many times I met Rahul Gandhi, was the refrain of Kanhaiya Kumar in a private chat with AICC-beat journos a day after he joined the party Wednesday last calling for the need for Bhagat Singhs courage, Mahatma Gandhis unity and BR Ambedkars quest for equality in the ideological positioning against RSS-BJP.

Well, there are unmistakable signs that Team Rahul is a shaping; but the slow and silent emergence of a new Congress is going to be tumultuous bringing forth the old versus the new generation fight, which had taken a backseat for some years after the massive electoral debacle of the party in the 2014 general elections.

With Kanhaiya, who became rallying point for Opposition in 2016 after the sedition case against him, the other young leader Jignesh Mevani, a prominent Dalit face from Gujarat, also shared dais with Congress leaders, promising to fight the 2022 state polls as party candidate. Congress is a marginal force in Bihar  Kanhaiyas home state; and the party has not been able to defeat BJP in Gujarat for nearly 25 years. Can the new youth leaders help Congress fortunes change?

Read | Dissidence woes mount for Congress

Congress is the main Opposition party. Party leader Rahul Gandhi has been strongly taking on RSS. Whoever has the target to defeat the BJP should join hands with Congress under Rahul Gandhi. Strengthening the hands of the Congress is a must now to save democracy, Kanhaiya, who contested Lok Sabha polls from Bihar as CPI candidate in 2019, has been maintaining. This is a narrative that suits Congress when multiple prime ministerial ambitions appear, raising head from regional parties. The whole-hearted welcome and the celebratory mood that marked the joining of these leaders with a pronounced left tilt (Kanhaiya was with CPI), indicated the party led by Rahul Gandhi (though he is not the President) has shed the inhibition about going for a strident anti Hindutva (not Hinduism). Congress flags the difference between the two, calling Hindutva, a political distortion by BJP and RSS narrative.

The comeback of Digvijay Singh, who had asked Rahul to take over full time charge, into a prominent role this month has not gone unnoticed. Singh was made chairman of a party panel with Priyanka Gandhi as a member to plan sustained agitations on national issues. Singh has once again begun speaking openly on party issues, after refraining from it for quite some time especially during polls, as it was believed that his remarks often get interpreted as anti-Hindu.

Rahul Gandhis all-out attack last month on RSS-BJP, alleging that they are fake Hindus who use religion to further their political interest, which drew sharp reactions from the BJP, has also given an inkling of the future course of the party narrative and leaders like Kanhaiya and Jignesh, known for their strident anti-RSS stand, will take it forward.

Many in the Congress, especially among the old guard, are not open to this left-of-the-centre tilt of Congress under Rahul, who had time and again showed this trait-whether it was backing the tribals protest in Niyamgiri hills in Odisha against the setting up of bauxite mining plant of Vedanta in 2010 or his visit to JNU in 2016, slamming as anti-national those suppressing the voice of the campus.

Hours before Kanhaiya joined Congress, former Union Minister Manish Tewari, a prominent face of G-23, the group of Congress leaders which has kept the heat on the leadership, insisting on the need for radical changes in the party, tweeted saying it would be worthwhile to look at the history of the Communists presence in the party.

Some in Congress feel that a direct confrontational approach with RSS, which has a vast karyakarta base and which is directly not in politics is not pragmatic and the Congress should instead focus on targeting to oust BJP from political power by raising other issues like economic mess, loss of employment and farm distress. However, many even within the G-23 are trenchant critics of the RSS; approaches differ from individual to individual in both camps.

Read | Congress leaders cannot even coordinate their lies properly: Amarinder Singh

Mark the words of Rahul Gandhi in July this year: there are many people who are not in Congress, but are very fearless in speaking the truth. Such people should be inducted into the party while those who are in the party but are scared to speak the truth should go away.

Congress has also shown in recent times that it is not averse to lateral entry from the BJP to shore up its talent pool in states and is not minding out of turn promotions to youngsters and effecting leadership changes in the state, keeping in mind future politics.

So not only Navjot Singh Sidhu, an import from BJP (57) for whom Rahul Gandhi was his captain, was made Punjab PCC chief, Revanth Reddy (53) with previous association with TDP, TRS and ABVP was made Telangana Congress chief just three years after having joined the party. Nana Patole (58) moved from Congress to BJP and then back to Congress. In Assam, Bhupen Kumar, a strong critic of Congress alliance with AIUDF, was made party chief as the party plans to rebuild itself in the Opposition for next five years. Old leadership in Kerala went for a complete toss and new PCC chief and CLP leaders were appointed in the state from where Rahul Gandhi is a Lok Sabha MP.

Dalit CM

Punjab got its first Dalit Chief Minister in Charanjit Singh Channi, who lost no time in hailing Rahul Gandhi as revolutionary leader. Team Rahul is hopeful that the echo of Channis appointment will be heard way beyond Punjab even in Uttar Pradesh, where Dalits are politically more assertive and have drifted away from Congress to BSP long ago.

The joining of Kanhaiya Kumar and Jignesh Mevani need to be seen in sync with Rahuls attempt to deepen not only the Dalit but also youth messaging from the party--the constituencies in which BJP under Modi has managed to make deep inroads since 2014. Rahul who started his politics in Congress as in-charge of Youth Congress and NSUI, is keen to get that space back, latching on to the issue of unemployment. Kanhaiya with sound oratory skills, belongs to the dominant upper caste group Bhumihar in Bihar, who are now largely with the BJP.

Read | Congress replaces 4 vice-presidents, 3 general secretaries in Chhattisgarh unit

Clearly, Rahul is seeking to re-orient the political narrative of the party, which had gone into a shell after the 2014 historically low tally of 44 Lok Sabha seats for the party and A K Antony Committee set up to probe the reasons for the debacle, laying substantial emphasis on perception of being pro Muslim fuelled by the BJP had hurt the party. In 2017 itself in the run up to Gujarat state polls, Congress said Rahul Gandhi was a janeudhaari Brahmin and an ardent Shiv Bhakt.

The new focus in the Congress is not to get into traps like Hindu terror (a remark made by then Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde in January 2013 latching on to which BJP had tried to paint Congress anti-Hindu and Shinde had to tender an apology) but at the same time ensure that the BJP does not monopolise the Hindu space.

Having done the course correction on correcting the accusation that Congress was not bothered about Hindu sentiments, the party gradually got back into aggression against RSS and BJP, seeking to deny them the ownership of Hindu Hriday even as the BJP kept on raising issues to paint Rahul as pro-Pakistan.

With Sonia Gandhi reluctant to continue at the helm for long and the party not being able to name an alternative to the Gandhis in the leadership, indications are Rahul will be back. If Rahul is back, his political narrative will be back irrespective of whether the veterans accept it or not.

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The seeds of Quad were sown in December 2004 when the navies of India, Japan, Australia and the United States closely cooperated in rescue and relief operations after the tsunami wreaked havoc across the Indian Ocean region.

But it died in the crib and was reborn over the next 13 years. The Quad finally came of age last month when the leaders of the four nations met in Washington DC for its first in-person summit, which followed a video-conference among them on March 12.

The September 24 ceremony was, however, overshadowed by the birth of a new coalition, which two of the Quads four constituents  Australia and the US  forged with the United Kingdom. The AUKUS  Australia, UK and US  came into existence just 10 days before US President Joe Biden hosted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and Australian PM Scott Morrison in the White House.

No matter what the leaders and diplomats in New Delhi, Washington DC, Canberra, Tokyo and London argue, it was not lost on anyone that the raison detre that the AUKUS has been born with is the same as that of the Quad  countering Chinas expansionist and hegemonic aspirations in the Indo-Pacific region. So, why did Australia and the US launch the AUKUS with the UK, leaving aside India and Japan, their partners in the Quad?

Read | AUKUS complements Quad; warm embrace of it by India, says Australian PM Morrison

The answer partially lies in New Delhis approach to the Quad and its quest for strategic balancing.

India led the resistance within the four-nation coalition against the US bid to turn the Quad into an Indo-Pacific Nato.

It insisted that the Quad must keep pursuing a benign agenda to counter Chinas geopolitical influence in the Indo-Pacific, like dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic and supplying vaccines to countries in South Asia, South-East Asia and the Pacific, helping revive economies in the region, ensuring supply chain resilience, supporting construction of infrastructure, educational initiatives and humanitarian assistance.

The AUKUS, on the other hand, is unabashedly a security organisation focused on development of joint military capabilities and defence technology sharing among its three partners and on creating a framework for the US and UK to support Australia in acquiring a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines and build a deterrent against an increasingly aggressive China in the Indo-Pacific region.

Quad 1.0 had a rather short life. Just after it took shape with a low-key meeting of the US, India, Australia and Japan in Manila on May 24, 2007 and the four nations had the war drill with Singapore a few months later, China served demarches to the five nations, accusing them of ganging up against it. The four-nation initiative soon fizzled out.

Read | A mixed bag from Washington

Quad 2.0 was born in November 2017, a few months after the Indian Army had a 72-day stand-off with the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) at Doklam Plateau in western Bhutan. New Delhi was then trying to mend its ties with Beijing. While the US referred to the shared democratic values and principles of the four nations, New Delhi carefully avoided referring to the Quad as an alliance of democracies against communist China. It also avoided officially referring to the relaunched version as Quad and instead called it just the Consultation on Indo-Pacific  till the second ministerial meeting of the bloc in Tokyo in October 2020, nearly a year after the first in New York.

By the time the meeting of Quad foreign ministers in Tokyo took place, New Delhis hope for bringing its ties with Beijing back on track had already been dashed by Chinas attempt to change the status quo along the border. The stand-off had reached a flashpoint, with 20 Indian soldiers and at least four of the PLA being killed in a clash in Galwan Valley. But External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar still resisted his counterpart and the then US Secretary of State Mike Pompeos push to turn the Quad into a Nato-like security bloc for the Indo-Pacific. So did Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi.

New Delhi was reluctant to be a part of an Indo-Pacific security architecture that would appear to be overtly adversarial to China. The Modi government was cautious about the implication of such a move on its long-standing partnership with Russia. Moscow had earlier denounced the Quad as a divisive and exclusivist tool being used by the US to implement its devious policy of engaging India in games against China. Besides, New Delhi was also apprehensive about the implication of formalising Quad on its own negotiations with Beijing to resolve the stand-off along the LAC.

So, the Biden administration elevated the Quad to the level of leadership with virtual and in-person summits, but at the same time also launched the AUKUS as a separate security bloc to counter China in the Indo-Pacific region.

New Delhi made it clear that it had nothing to do with the AUKUS and the new bloc would not have any impact on the Quad. The Quad is for things, its not against somebody, said Jaishankar, indicating that the coalition should not end up being seen as some kind of ganging up against China.

Read | Some countries are hyping 'China threat': Beijing on Quad summit

Beijing is not convinced though and, as the prime minister attended the Quad summit, Chinas spokespersons stepped up the rhetoric against India. The border stand-off has not yet been completely resolved. The Indian Army is reviewing its preparedness to deal with any eventuality as China is not only continuing to deploy a large number of troops along the boundary, but also building barracks and other military logistics infrastructure, signalling its intent for a long haul.

Indias strategic convergence with the US in the Indo-Pacific grew further over the past one and a half years since the tension escalated along the LAC. Indian Navy had a series of war drills with the US Navy carrier strike groups, as they sailed into and out of the South China Sea, challenging exaggerated maritime claims of China. The navies of India, Australia, Japan and the US also participated in the annual Malabar drills in 2020 and 2021, although Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla recently said the exercise should not be linked with the Quad.

India has so far managed to retain its strategic balance even as it faced growing belligerence of China. That is why it is still not part of a military alliance in the region. But New Delhi will always have the option of reviewing its approach if China continues to flex its military muscles and keep supporting its iron brother Pakistan even as it keeps exporting terror to India.

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Adding another blow to the ecologically sensitive Western Ghats, 7,000 trees are being cleared to make way for the widening of National Highway 766E between Sirsi and Kumta as the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MOEF&CC) gave a green light to the project recently.

The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) had cited that limited right of way and poor road geometry at several stretches of the highway and "heavy traffic" were leading to accidents. "As per traffic assessment, the existing road warrants two lanes with paved shoulder configuration (as per Indian Road Congress standards) to cater to the traffic for upcoming years," the NHAI said.

The NHAI had sought to divert 99 acres of the forest land, most of it classified as pristine forest. The Forest Department's stance, however, helped in reducing it to 54 acres.

A forest officer said the project involves clearing of 5,000 trees in Honnavar division and 2,000 trees in Sirsi division. "The Forest Department had red-flagged the project, particularly the work in Honnavar division as the entire stretch will impact precious evergreen forest. However, our concerns have been overruled," an official said.

Read | Regional panel nod to widen Karnataka-Goa border road draws flak

Activists, however, said the road widening project is being taken up to help the vested interests. "Sand mafia, timber mafia and stone crushers are pulling the strings. Anyone who opposes felling of trees is being branded anti-national. Unfortunately, politics have divided the people. The people who fought against felling of any tree in Devimane Ghat during the Congress regime are now silent spectators of the large-scale destruction," an activist from the area told DH.

However, for some activists like Akhilesh Chipli who took the project to high court, the fight is not over. ""It's true politics has hit conservation efforts. But for a tree, it doesn't matter which party is in power. Similarly, when trees are gone, people of all parties are bound to suffer. We are planning to approach the Supreme Court," he said.

He said officials and the government have failed to learn anything from the disasters in Kodagu, Chikmagalur and Kerala. "Climate change has already brought us to a point of no return. The government's push for linear projects in Western Ghats will exacerbate the matters in the coming days," he added.

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The state government on Saturday said that it has been aiming to bring 30 per cent of Karnatakas geographical area under forest cover.

Taking part in the 67th Wildlife week celebration in Bengaluru, Forest minister Umesh Katti said that the forest department is taking steps in that regard to increasing the forest cover in the state.

Currently the state has 20.11 per cent of its geographical area under the forest cover. Our (Government) aim is to increase it to 30 per cent in the coming days. To achieve the desired target, the department has been planning a variety of programmes, Katti said even as the state is witnessing constant legal fights to safeguard the existing forest cover.

Also Read | Now, an OTT platform for Indias wildlife

Batting for more and more awareness about forest and wildlife conservation, Katti pointed, We need to educate more and more people about the importance of wildlife and forest. If we protect forests, it will protect us in the future. Karnataka is hailed as the land of Sandalwood and it is the responsibility of all of us to take it forward. The department has been contemplating to make Karnataka one of the largest forest cover states in India in the coming days.

On the occasion of Wildlife Week celebrations, a special postal cover on one of the endangered fish species and a walkathon to create awareness on wildlife conservation from Cubbon Park to Lalbagh was flagged off by Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot.

Shivajinagar MLA Rizwan Arshad, Bangalore Central Parliamentarian PC Mohan, ACS Forest Department Jawaid Akhtar, PCCF (HoFF) Sanjai Mohan, PCCF(Wildlife) Vijay Kumar Gogi and others were also present during the event.
Insisting that there is a need to reopen schools to children below 12 years, Health Minister K Sudhakar on Sunday said the government will take a call after discussion with parents and experts.

"We were to reopen schools for classes 1-5 because medically speaking immunity in children up to 12 years is highest," Sudhakar told reporters here.

The state government will take a decision on reopening of schools for classes 1-5 after Dasara festival, he said.

He also said that the state government has reopened educational institutions in a phased manner and not in a "hurry."

The Minister, who was in the national capital to meet Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, said: "we will make a decision shortly after the festival season. Let the Dussehra vacation get over," he said.

Read | Paediatric Covid-19 testing still at 3% in Karnataka

Sudhakar said that a final call will be taken after consultation and the Cabinet''s decision.

He also said that the government is aware that several children tested Covid-19 positive in a school in Bengaluru. One incident cannot determine whether to reopen schools for classes 1-5, he said.

Though it has been more than a month that schools were reopened for classes 6-8 in the state and "we have not received any reports of concerns from schools so far", he added.

He said in the state the first dose has been administered to over 80 per cent of the entire eligible population of 4.98 crore in the state, while the second dose to 37 per cent so far.

"In September, the state administered the highest single-month vaccine doses of 1.48 crore. The government is planning to complete the entire eligible population by the end of December 31," he said.

The government is taking special initiatives to encourage all public to get vaccinations. To end vaccine hesitancy, the government is organising programmes in association with religious leaders.

The Minister said the government is taking steps to upgrade 250 primary health centres and is appointing 3 specialist doctors in each hospital.

To ensure availability of doctors and nurses, the government will build residential quarters for them in the hospital premises.

North Karnataka region has less number of hospitals and the government has taken a number of steps to open new hospitals under National Rural Health Mission.

Watch latest videos by DH here:
Kangana Ranaut thinks 'Bollywood divorce expert' Aamir Khan is behind Naga Chaitanya & Samantha Ruth Prabhu's separation

Kangana Ranaut on Saturday took a slant dig at a Bollywood superstar for being the reason behind actors Naga Chaitanya and Samantha Ruth Prabhus separation. The two actors announced their separation after months of speculation on October 2. Kangana penned a long note on social media without mentioning any names and called the Bollywood star she blamed a divorce expert.

Whenever divorce happens, fault is always of the man. may sound orthodox or too judgemental but this is how God has made man and woman their nature and dynamics Primitively, scientifically, he is a hunter and she is a nurturer. Stop being kind to these brats who change women like clothes and then claim to be their best friends, Kangana wrote in one note.

She further spoke about the divorce rates growing in the country and said, Shame on these brats who get encouragement from the media and fans. They hail them and judge the woman Divorce culture is growing like never before.

Talking about Naga Chaitanya and Samanthas separation, she took a dig at Aamir Khan for causing their divorce. This south actor who suddenly divorced his wife was married for 4 years and in a relationship with her for more than a decade recently came in contact with a Bollywood superstar who is also known as Bollywood divorce expert Has ruined many women and childrens lives, is now his guiding light and agony aunt so it all went smoothly This is not a blind item we all know who am talking about.

Naga Chaitanya worked with Aamir Khan on Laal Singh Chadha in July. The Bollywood star also attended a special event in Hyderabad for the release of the actors Telugu film Love Story post which he was hosted for a special dinner by Chays father and Tollywood star Nagarjuna Akkineni.
NCB busts a cruise party off Mumbai shores, Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan questioned by the agency

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) raided a cruise party off the shore of Mumbai and detained 8 people for the party for questioning. The raid was conducted after the agency was tipped off about the drugs being circulated at the party.

The raid conducted was conducted on the night of October 2 and reports suggest that the son of a Bollywood superstar was at the party and has been called in for questioning at the NCB office. The agency detained 8 people including two women after recovering drugs like cocaine, MDMA, Charas and Mephedrone at the party.

#WATCH | Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) detained at least 10 persons during a raid conducted at a party being held on a cruise in Mumbai yesterday



(Visuals from outside NCB office) pic.twitter.com/yxe2zWfFmI  ANI (@ANI) October 2, 2021

"So far no arrest has been made by us. We have intercepted some persons. The probe is underway. Drugs have been recovered. We are investigating 8-10 persons," said Sameer Wankhede, the NCB zonal director in a statement to the press.

Sameer Wankhade later confirmed Shah Rukh Khans son Aryan Khan was detained for questioning. Bollybood superstar Shah Rukh Khans son, Aryan Khan is being questioned by Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in its Ballard Estate office at south Mumbai. He was on cruise ship where agency raided in the night and busted rave party," Wankhede said according to Hindustan Times.

According to another report, there is no involvement with drugs suspected. Apart from Aryan, another Bollywood actors son is among those detained. The detained individuals were taken to the NCB office for questioning. The party members suspected of intoxication were sent to hospitals for medical examination.
Suniel Shetty reacts to SRK's son Aryan Khan's detention in drug raid by the NCB: 'Let's give that child a breather'

After eight people were detained following a raid by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) allegedly in connection with a drug seizure on a cruise ship off the Mumbai coast on Saturday night, actor Suniel Shetty urged people to wait for the truth to come out.

"When a raid is conducted at a place, many people are taken into custody. We assume that a particular boy must have consumed it (drugs). The process is on. Let's give that child a breather. Let real reports come out," Suniel said at an event.

In a conversation with ANI, NCB Chief S N Pradhan said that further action will be taken based on whatever inputs are received from the detainees.

#WATCH | When a raid is conducted at a place, many people are taken into custody. We assume that a particular boy must have consumed it (drugs). The process is on. Let's give that child a breather. Let real reports come out: Actor Sunil Shetty on NCB raid at an alleged rave party pic.twitter.com/qYaYSsxkyi  ANI (@ANI) October 3, 2021

"The proceedings were already taking place. We are constantly gathering intelligence. We took action once the inputs that we received were confirmed. Wherever information is received, action will be taken and it does not matter with whom there is a connection. Our aim is a drug-free India," Pradhan said.

According to the NCB sources, drugs including cocaine, ganja, MD and other intoxicants were recovered from the party.
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Work on the final SEEK 2021 mural has gotten underway in Dundalk today, outside St Patricks Cathedral.

The mural, which is set to be an interpretation of the life of famous Dundalk botanist, Dr Thomas Coulter, is being designed and painted by Sardinian artist Tellas.

The mural itself is on the side of a building beside St Patrick's Cathedral, with the work set to be complete before the end of next week.

St Patricks Cathedral Dundalk, where the new mural is being painted

Speaking to the Democrat, Dundalk BIDS manager and organiser of the SEEK Contemporary Arts Festival, Martin McElligott said that there was great excitement over the final mural of the programme.

Were looking forward to this one This guy [Tellas] is completely different, he has a different style to everybody really and thats why he was selected for the person were talking about, Thomas J Coulter, a very famous botanist from Dundalk, said Mr McElligott.

Its a completely different style, its unique.

Dr Coulter, who is from Dundalk, was born in 1793 and travelled across the world, cataloguing plants in Mexico, Arizona and California, before returning to Ireland and founded the herbarium in Trinity College Dublin.

He passed away in 1843, with numerous plants being named in his honour since.

This is set to be the final mural of the 2021 SEEK programme, following the record-breaking mural of Lugh painted on the side of the Crowne Plaza Dundalk by Australian artist Smug One.
A circus is appealing for recruits as Ireland experiences a shortage of clowns.

David Duffy, co-owner of Duffy's Circus, said the circus is reaching out to those around Ireland who feel that they can give it a go as the Covid pandemic causes a shortage of performers.

Many clowns returned to their home countries when the first lockdown came into force in early 2020, Mr Duffy told BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme.

With Duffys Circus now returning to touring after more than 500 days of closure, the family-run business is struggling to find recruits.

"Because all the circuses in Europe and in England have been up and operational for the past six months, that huge pool of EU artists are already back at work and up until last week we haven't been able to even get visas issued for non-EU artists and entertainers," Mr Duffy said.

"That's why we're trying to reach out for any of our folks at home who feel that they can give it a go."

Clowning abilities

In order to be a clown, Mr Duffy says you have to be "really, really adaptable" and be able to think on your feet.

"When you go into the circus ring and you've got 700 to 800 people looking at you, no matter what sort of mood you're in you have to light up that circus ring," he said.

"A clown actually can be the loneliest place because you're in there on your own and you have to be able to read your audience, in a short couple of minutes you have to be able to get a rapport going with them and interact and feed off them."

Those unsure of their clowning abilities can also apply for job opportunities for HGV drivers, billers, mechanics, electricians and general circus operatives.

Anyone interested can see Duffys job appeal here or email info@duffyscircus.com.
Have Covid FEARS Stopped Your Dental Care? Time to Take Action Says Michigan Dentist, Dr. Timothy Kosinski

He's Seeking 15 Patients for Dental Implants for his Teaching Program

Bingham Farms, MIIt's no secret that people postponed their dental care due to COVID. Now with 67.8% of Michigan vaccinated and the new treatments available, it's time to get the dental care they need.

Dr. Timothy F. Kosinski, a Bingham Farms, Michigan dentist, is looking for individuals who are willing to be evaluated to see if they are eligible for dental implants at greatly reduced prices.

Dr. Kosinski is seeking 15 patients to be involved in his teaching program for dentists learning his techniques in implant dentistry.

Candidates must be missing upper or lower back teeth and have no uncontrolled medical problems. A no-fee evaluation will be completed to determine if they are candidates for this teaching program.

Once selected, the individuals will receive a dental implant and abutment for $699  an incredible $1,500 savings. After healing, a CAD/CAM zirconia crown over the implant will be created by Dr. Kosinski, also for a reduced fee. All patients accepted in this program will receive a CT scan, or three-dimensional X-ray to idealize their situation.

Kosinski says, "This is a very cost-effective way for patients to receive a high-quality dental implant at about the lowest fee possible" The process is affordable because dentists are paying tuition to his practice thereby subsidizing the implant work. "It's important that people not let fear run their lives and to seek dental care now and take advantage of this special offer," stressed Kosinski.

Covid FEARS have Stopped Many People from Seeking Dental Care

"We follow all the recommendations from the CDC and have not only adopted them we've actually increased our safety protocol," says Dr. Kosinski. "Besides all technicians and staff being vaccinated for COVID 19 we are also following the tightened protocols from the Michigan Dental Association and the American Dental Association including this 13-point plan"

1. All patients are screened days prior to scheduled appointment and are asked to reschedule if risk factors apply.

2. All patients and all staff are screened upon arrival each day

3. Fewer patients are permitted in the reception area at any given time

4. Increase in touchless technology in the reception area

5. Sneezeguards have been placed at the front desk

6. Increase in PPE within the office. All patients and staff are required to wear a face mask

7. Pre-procedural mouth rinses prior to the start of appointments in an effort to keep air cleaner

8. Honeywell HEPA filters in every operatory and reception room

9. Well Air filters that kill 99.9% of virus particles, including Covid-19, are operating in hallways

10. UV light disinfection in all areas when patients and staff are not present

11. A Disinfectant Fogger is used on a regular basis

12. An HVE Suction Intra-oral Mirror is deployed

13. Each dental chair has an Extraoral Dental Suction device to collect aerosols

Dr. Kosinski is a Dental Practitioner who has established himself in the dental implant field and has trained hundreds of professional dentists and dental students in the best techniques for successful implants. Dr. Kosinski has placed well over 15,000 dental implants in his dental career and did over 1,100 implants in the past 12 months alone.

Dr. Timothy Kosinski uses the latest technology including the Vatech dental CT scan and the Medit digital scanner. These tools allow him to evaluate spaces in the mouth to determine the available bone in three dimensions and to create crowns digitally. This allows for more accurate placement of dental implants and ideal crown fabrication. Other health issues can also be evaluated including decay and abscesses.

Interested participants should contact Dr. Kosinski's office, SmileCreator of Bingham Farms. To find out if you qualify, please call 248-646-8651 to schedule a free, no cost or obligation appointment.

The SmileCreator of Bingham Farms office is located at: 31000 Telegraph Rd., Suite 170, Bingham Farms, MI 48025. For more information call: 248-646-8651 or visit: http://www.SmileCreator.Net or www.MichiganImplantDentist.com.

About Dr. Timothy F. Kosinski, DDS, MAGD:

Dr. Timothy Kosinski is an Affiliate Adjunct Clinical Professor at the University Of Detroit Mercy School Of Dentistry and serves on the editorial review board of Reality, the information source for esthetic dentistry and is the Associate Editor of the Academy of General Dentistry journals. Most recently he was named the Editor of Dentistry Today Implants. He is a Past President of the Michigan Academy of General Dentistry. Dr. Kosinski received his DDS from the University of Detroit Mercy Dental School and his Mastership in Biochemistry from Wayne State University School of Medicine. He is a Diplomat of the American Board of Oral Implantology/Implant Dentistry, the International Congress of Oral Implantologists and the American Society of Osseointegration.

He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Implant Dentistry and received his Mastership in the Academy of General Dentistry. Dr. Kosinski has received many honors including Fellowship in the American and International Colleges of Dentists and the Academy of Dentistry International. He received the "Humanitarian Award" from the Academy of Dentistry International in recognition of significant contributions to the enhancement of quality of life and the human condition.

He is a member of OKU and the Pierre Fauchard Academy. Dr. Kosinski was the University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry Alumni Association's "Alumnus of the Year" In 2009 and 2014 he received the Academy of General Dentistry's "Lifelong Learning and Service Recognition" Dr. Kosinski has placed more than 15,000 dental implants, published over 210 articles on the surgical and prosthetic phases of implant dentistry and was a contributor to the textbooks, Principles and Practices of Implant Dentistry, and 2010's Dental Implantation and Technology. He was featured on Nobelbiocare's Nobelvision and lectures extensively.

Media Contact: Scott Lorenz, President of Westwind Medical Marketing 248-705-2214, scottlorenz@westwindcos.com or www.WestWindCos.com
Local advocates and faith-based leaders warned Friday that Bexar Countys domestic violence rate is at unprecedented levels, describing the situation as an epidemic.

The warning comes at the start of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, which aims to raise awareness about family violence and connect victims, survivors and perpetrators to resources.

As incredibly difficult as COVID has made life for all of us, it was many times worse for the victims of abuse, said Marta Pelaez, president and CEO of Family Violence Prevention Services, a San Antonio nonprofit that provides services to victims and suspects of family violence.

They found themselves isolated in the company of the perpetrator with their children, between four walls, withstanding unthinkable indignities, terror, abuse and manipulation, Pelaez said.

On ExpressNews.com: Award-winning investigative journalist discusses domestic violence during fundraiser for San Antonio shelter

At least 38 people died because of domestic violence in Bexar County in 2020, many of them women slain by their intimate partners, such as husbands or boyfriends, according to data collected by the San Antonio Express-News. The year prior, at least 30 died from domestic violence.

Statistics on fatalities differ, depending on the source, due to differences in the way deaths are tracked and defined. The Texas Council on Family Violence, a nonprofit based in Austin, will release its statistics on fatalities throughout the state next week, Pelaez said.

Also on Friday, city leaders announced that several downtown buildings  including San Antonio City Hall, the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center and the Tower of the Americas  will be illuminated in purple to raise awareness about domestic violence.

The local push to raise such awareness comes more than two years after city and county leaders formed a commission made up of judges, prosecutors, policymakers and leaders in health care, law enforcement and nonprofits to address the spike in fatalities.

Unveiled in 2019, the Collaborative Commission on Domestic Violence identified a host of gaps  everything from a lack of prevention programs and community-awareness campaigns to inadequate data collection and insufficient housing for victims fleeing violence.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio officials describe wins, challenges in plan to combat domestic violence

The collaborative launched about 10 initiatives in its first year, including a pilot program to identify victims most at risk of being killed, though much of the collaboratives progress was hindered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Domestic Violence Awareness Month Here are some ways you can get involved: The Collaborative Commission on Domestic Violence is asking the public to install purple porch lights or hang purple decor in their entryway to raise awareness about family violence. Share photos with the hashtag #PurpleSA, #DVAMSA or #PurplePorchSA. The Bexar County Child Welfare Board is seeking volunteers to assemble backpacks that law enforcement officers give to children in times of crisis. Volunteer on Monday from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at 118 S. Sabinas, San Antonio, TX 78207. Family Violence Prevention Services is hosting its ninth annual Purple Run on Oct. 16 at 8 a.m. at Our Lady of the Lake University. Register at www.thepurplerun.org. See More Collapse

Pelaez said progress is slow, but thats to be expected.

This is a very, very insidious situation, Pelaez said. It is a process to establish these conversations, and direct these initiatives with the stakeholders that need to be at the table.  Its a zig-zag pattern of progress, but it is progress nevertheless.

Pelaez remains hopeful, despite the rising number of fatalities, that Bexar County will be able to curb domestic violence locally.

She hopes the collaborative will mirror the success of Bexar Countys Childrens Court, which State District Judge Peter Sakai helped create and guide into national acclaim.

That model, like the collaborative commission, was founded on the idea that key stakeholders need to work together to better support families and ensure cases dont fall through the cracks.

One of the significant paradigm shifts that happened was getting Child Protective Services and family violence advocates to work together, to not compartmentalize, to not treat everyone in separate worlds, Sakai said. What we developed was a model program for the state, for the nation to recognize that domestic violence and child abuse need to be looked at in one integrated process.

eeaton@express-news.net
Experts believe theyve discovered the location of the first church and cemetery of the mission that became the Alamo.

A draft report on possible boundaries of cemeteries at the Alamo suggests the first mission church at the site was on the north end of the city-owned plaza at the southeast corner of the Hipolito F. Garcia Federal Building.

Archaeologists have known of at least three church sites at the Mission San Antonio de Valero  the first permanent local mission. It would later become a Spanish military outpost and the site of an 1836 siege and battle for Texas independence. An archival investigation seeking to locate burials in Alamo Plaza now suggests a fourth site, the missions original church of the 1720s, was in the area of the federal building.

The report, which examines mission-era burial practices and synthesizes all known data on burial records and discoveries of human remains since the mid-1800s, will be publicly released when completed. Officials have not given a timeline for its release. The Center for Archaeological Research at the University of Texas at San Antonio is preparing the report as part of a nearly $400 million Alamo Plaza makeover that includes constructing a museum and visitor center.

On ExpressNews.com: Science being used to save Alamo Church

There was also likely a cemetery, or campo santo, in the area near that first church, Clint McKenzie, staff archaeologist with the UTSA center, recently told members of the Alamo Citizens Advisory Committee. The site is close to narrow canals, known as acequias, that provided water from the San Antonio River to the mission.

That campo santo would have to have been near the church, adjacent to the church, and it wouldve been limited in its extent because of the acequias that ran around it, McKenzie said in a briefing last month that can be viewed on the citys YouTube channel.

An early clue about the first church and cemetery may have been left in 1764 by local soldier and rancher Luis Antonio Menchaca, whose map of San Antonio showed an area marked with a cross on the north side of the mission.

Nearly two centuries later, the 1935 discovery of a cluster of graves at what now is the southeast corner of the federal building suggested there were burials packed beneath a church floor, McKenzie said. The Spanish-Indigenous missions also were known to place burials near church structures that were considered holy places.

This is one of the reasons why we think that first church was in this particular area  not necessarily this particular footprint but nearby, McKenzie said.

Experts have said the early mission likely had a church made of timbers or adobe before the limestone church that still stands was completed in the mid-1700s. According to the draft report, the first church would have been used from 1724-1727. Archaeologists have documented the use of a north room of the Convento/Long Barrack as a church from 1728-1749. The third location, the stone church, was used from 1749 to 1750, when its roof collapsed. Worship activities in the fourth location, a north room of the stone church known as the sacristy, occurred from 1750 to 1793, when the mission was secularized.

What we can say is that this review suggests that burials of clothed or shrouded bodies were made within the subfloors of those four churches, as well as the campo santos associated with those churches, McKenzie said.

At least 1,200 people, many of whom died from cholera and other epidemics, are believed to have been buried under church floors or in cemeteries at the mission. But McKenzie said there appears to be a separate set of burial records for the Puebla de Valero  the community that existed after the mission and until about 1808 when its occupation as an outpost had begun. By then, many people were being buried at a new campo santo, west of the river and San Pedro Creek, in the area of todays Santa Rosa Hospital.

Ramon Vasquez, an executive member of the Tap Pilam Coahuiltecan Nation and member of the advisory committee, said the report begins to answer questions that have long lingered about the site.

It was well overdue, and its never been done in the history of the Alamo, Vasquez said.

Another committee member, Christine Jacobs, superintendent of the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, said using oral histories from descendants of mission inhabitants and other living community members would help engage local residents and tourists at the Alamo.

Peoples personal histories in their own words are incredibly compelling for visitors, Jacobs said.

On ExpressNews.com: Alamo breaks ground on new collections building

The committee will meet at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday to discuss how history will be interpreted in the Alamo project. The meeting will be streamed live at youtube.com/cosagov.

The Alamo recently announced the selection of Gensler, a global design firm with offices in San Antonio, and locally based GRG Architecture to provide design services to convert the Woolworth, Palace and Crockett buildings into a new $140 million museum and visitor center on the west side of the plaza.

The Gensler/GRG design team, selected out of 13 applicants and six finalists for the museum, already has done work for a new $15 million, 24,000-square-foot Alamo Exhibition Hall & Collections Building on the east end of the Alamo complex. That building broke ground in August and is set to open in fall 2022.

shuddleston@express-news.net
In 2003, I interviewed Karl Rove in the White House. At the height of his powers as President George W. Bushs political guru, he consented to what was his first filmed interview because the subject wasnt Bush but how he helped make the Republican Party dominant in Texas.

He described the GOP ascent, running candidates who articulated a message that appealed to the states conservative tilt. But he acknowledged that Democrats might have a hope someday if they were able to identify races where a good candidate with a strong and powerful message might get elected, perhaps by accident, perhaps as an upset, perhaps looking for opportunities that might not be easily seen.

Two decades later, as unlikely as it might seem, 2022 may be that time.

When the Supreme Court declined to halt Texas new abortion law, on top of a new voter restriction law, our state became the epicenter of national attention. This came as the end result of Republicans in the Legislature, emboldened by their wins in 2020, passing perhaps the most ideologically right-wing set of bills in the history of the state.

In the face of this, what can Democrats in Texas do? Donors were demoralized after the expectations that Democrats would build on their 2018 gains were totally dashed this last year. Partisan gerrymandering wont help either. But even with Democrats fearful of COVID and abandoning door-to-door contacts, flipping just over 10,000 votes statewide would have given them control of the state House. Joe Biden came 6 percent short against President Donald Trump, the Democrats best result in more than two decades.

So how can Democrats win in 2022? Look at the issues and how next years political messaging might work.

Texans froze and died when the states energy grid failed in February, but despite promises, the Republican-controlled Legislature did virtually nothing.

After the killing of 23 innocent victims in an El Paso Walmart, the Republican Legislatures response was to allow anyone to buy and display handguns without a permit.

After a state election that the GOP won, which saw increased voter participation and no evidence of voter fraud, sweeping measures that will decrease minority turnout were passed. Partisan poll watchers were also empowered to harass poll workers doing their jobs

Conservatives used to believe in local control whenever possible. Now the desperate attempts of local school boards and city governments to protect children in public education with mask mandates in schools have been overruled by a defiant governor and his attorney general.

And now we have the Texas GOP allocating $1 billion to keep building a Rio Grande wall that is an environmental disaster and does virtually nothing, along with legislation that empowers neighbors and strangers to sue anyone abetting abortions after six weeks with a bounty as their reward.

Gradually, what the state Republicans have done this year is sinking in. The latest UT Texas Policy Project poll showed that 52 percent of Texans think the state is headed in the wrong direction, the worst recorded percentage since 2008. Abbotts disapproval rating has risen to 50 percent.

The issues are there for Democratic candidates who are skillful enough to use them. But in a country and a state suffering from two viruses, COVID and political polarization, both of which are killing us, perhaps this is also the moment for a message that transcends pure politics.

Can a message of working together, not hating those you disagree with, cut through in Texas? A message of acknowledging and pledging to try and cure the sickness of division? Can we do better than pit Texan against Texan for ideological and partisan gain?

This message, on top of a reaction to the divisive actions taken by our states elected leaders, just might resonate, delivered by candidates capable of gaining the attention of Texans. Its a message that just might win.

Paul Stekler is a documentary filmmaker who teaches at the University of Texas at Austin.
What former Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart once said about pornography is also true of gerrymandering: You may not be able to define it, but you know it when you see it.

And, so, here we are in the Legislatures third special session, where the first redistricting maps put forth by the Republican Party already are making waves. After all, we are talking about maintaining political power.

The Republican Party ended the second special session with a score of partisan victories, including the passage of the election integrity bill, changing the conditions of bail, putting restrictions on social media companies and limiting health care for women. If anything, this should be a very interesting special session ending with what promises to be a series of legal challenges.

Now that the 2020 census is behind us, the Texas Legislature is required to reapportion our congressional seats based on population changes. The U.S. Constitution calls for reapportionment of congressional seats at least once after every decennial census. This by no means limits the number of times the Legislature can reapportion seats.

Two terms are usually used to describe this process: reapportionment and redistricting. Reapportionment refers to the process of allocating representatives to districts; redistricting is the drawing of district boundary lines. What makes the process of redistricting political is gerrymandering.

On ExpressNews.com: Editorial: Third special session won't be a charm for Texas

There are two types of gerrymandering. Political gerrymandering is the practice of drawing boundaries or electoral districts in a way that gives one political party an unfair advantage. Racial gerrymandering is the practice of creating districts with the intent of achieving a particular racial makeup.

Under the best of circumstances, the redrawing of legislative and congressional districts is a political process. Various special interests within the state attempt to gain as much as possible from the process.

In the most recent maps, Republicans are protecting their political advantages by ensuring their incumbents are re-elected and cracking other districts. Cracking is a strategy used to dilute the voting power of the opposing partys supporters among many districts. The primary issues raised by redrawing of district lines are equity of representation, minority representation and political/racial gerrymandering.

What makes this redistricting process so different from previous ones? The Republican Party has discretion to redraw district seats as it sees fit without federal oversight from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Historically, Texas was one of a number of jurisdictions required under Section 5 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act to submit redistricting maps, or any other attempted change in election rules or procedures, for federal approval, or preclearance, because of a history of discrimination in voting and elections. Under this act, redistricting could not discriminate in either intent or impact against minority populations.

Not anymore.

On ExpressNews.com: Garcia: San Antonio senator preemptively challenges GOP on redistricting

The legal landscape this time around is more ominous. Map drawing in 2021-22 will take place within the legal framework weakened by two major Supreme Court rulings. In the first, the court in 2013 gutted core protections of the Voting Rights Act in Shelby County v. Holder. The court determined that Section 4(b), which laid out the formula used to determine which states were subject to preclearance, was unconstitutional.

Without a formula in place to identify jurisdictions subject to preclearance, neither Texas nor any other previously covered jurisdiction needed to get federal approval for its district maps.

In the second case, the court in 2019 closed the door to federal court challenges to partisan gerrymanders in Rucho v. Common Cause. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that partisan gerrymandering claims present political questions that fall beyond the jurisdiction of the federal judiciary. In addition, the Supreme Court remanded the case to the lower court with instructions to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction.

Texas is now the wild, Wild West.

In the Rucho case, the Supreme Court ruled that gerrymandering is considered nothing more than a political issue and no limited and precise standard exists to determine when partisan gerrymandering is too partisan.

What we see in these first maps are communities of color bearing much of the brunt, facing outright discrimination in some places and being used as a convenient tool for achieving unfair partisan advantage for others. And because Texas is required to draw maps in a special session, there are typically far fewer procedural protections and oversight opportunities than in a regular session.

If gerrymandering does happen, you will know it when you see it.

Sharon A. Navarro is a political science professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio.
Alexandra Perez was one of thousands who took to the streets of downtown Saturday afternoon to march for abortion rights.

As a San Antonio mother of a 4-year-old daughter, Perez, 24, said she feels the need to stand up for her little girl as laws regarding abortion become more restrictive.

Were really not moving forward; were moving back, Perez said. I need to do something to fight for her so that she doesnt have to live that way.

Perezs friend Rick Capone, 25, stood by her side. He said that though he is a cisgender man, he wanted to march for loved ones who are sexual assault survivors and those he doesnt know who may need access to abortion services.

I know how important this can be and how it feels to have other people trying to micromanage something that is yours, he said.

Sam Owens /Staff photographer

The Saturday Bans Off Our Bodies march that started and ended in Milam Park was one of hundreds of similar events put on this weekend across the country. The marches were held to call for the protection of abortion rights amid conservative efforts to restrict access, including Senate Bill 8. The Texas law, the strictest of its kind in the country, effectively bans abortion by prohibiting it after six weeks of gestation, before most women know theyre pregnant. There are no exceptions for rape or incest.

Tahira Mammen, chair of Womens March of Central Texas, said the event is meant to show that American women are paying attention and are not going to allow others to take away the control they have over their bodies. She said that gathering was important so people could connect and because there is power in our voices when we are together.

The crowd was largely made up of people wearing orange, harking back to 2013 when former state Sen. Wendy Davis wore orange during a 13-hour filibuster to block abortion restrictions.

Sam Owens /Staff photographer

With her 6-month-old on her hip, Ali Perez shared her story of having an abortion when she was 19. Perez recalled being able to receive the care she needed and having her mother take care of her. But through tears, Perez said she was always worried about how telling someone about her abortion would affect her life.

Perez, now a 41-year-old mother of four, said the idea of forcing women to carry children to term is horrible to her.

Abortion should just be something that we choose in our health care, she said. It doesnt have to be an issue, and we dont have to go around feeling ashamed and scared of what people will say to us.

Carol Soules, 30, marched with a poster that read anti-abortion = pro-death with a decorative hanger that belonged to her late grandmother taped to it.

Sam Owens /Staff photographer

I dont believe that women can be equal in society unless we are able to make our own decisions regarding our reproductive rights, she said.

Marilyn Harrington, vice president of Boerne Area Democrats, said she was encouraged by the turnout and by the articulate, brilliant, passionate young women who led the gathering. Harrington came downtown with her husband, Mike Smith, 81, to take part in the rally.

Being 74, I look back and Im worried about who is going to carry on, whos going to fight, she said. Are we going to give up? What are we going to do? After today, I think weve got a good group of women following, and Im much more confident.

About a dozen counterprotesters with Rattlers for Life attended the event. The group is an anti-abortion club at St. Marys University. Cathryn Baird, the organizations pregnant and parenting student coordinator, said the group of a dozen people arrived at Milam Park toward the end of the event. They carried signs that featured phrases such as the future is anti-abortion and I am the pro-life generation. Baird, 26, said the group was there in part to show there are resources for pregnant women.

Sam Owens /San Antonio Express-News

The San Antonio march was organized by a broad coalition of organizations including Womens March of Central Texas, Planned Parenthood, Texas Organizing Project and more.

Vanessa Martinez, one of the speakers at the event, said organizers estimated there were about 3,000 attendees Saturday. Martinez is a board member with the Lilith Fund, which helps people pay for an abortion.

Mara Posada, director of public affairs for Planned Parenthood South Texas, told attendees that the organization has received hundreds of calls in the past month asking about abortion services. She said theyve been dealing with a wide range of emotions  including despair and anger  when they tell the callers about the restrictions on the procedure.

As a result (of SB8), the vast majority of Texans needing abortion right now are unable to get one within the state, she said. That is an assault on our bodily autonomy and our human rights to make decisions that are best for ourselves and for our family.

megan.rodriguez@express-news.net
As Congress considered a massive COVID-19 relief package earlier this year, hundreds of mayors from across the U.S. pleaded for immediate action on billions of dollars targeted to shore up their finances and revive their communities.

Now that they've received it, local officials are taking their time before actually spending the windfall.

As of this summer, a majority of large cities and states hadn't spent a penny from the American Rescue Plan championed by Democrats and President Joe Biden, according to an Associated Press review of the first financial reports due under the law. States had spent just 2.5% of their initial allotment while large cities spent 8.5%, according to the AP analysis.

Many state and local governments reported they were still working on plans for their share of the $350 billion, which can be spent on a wide array of programs.

Though Biden signed the law in March, the Treasury Department didn't release the money and spending guidelines until May. By then, some state legislatures already had wrapped up their budget work for the next year, leaving governors with no authority to spend the new money. Some states waited several more months to ask the federal government for their share.

Cities sometimes delayed decisions while soliciting suggestions from the public. And some government officials  still trying to figure out how to spend previous rounds of federal pandemic aid  simply didn't see an urgent need for the additional cash.

Its a lot of money thats been put out there. I think its a good sign that it hasnt been frivolously spent, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said. He was president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors when more than 400 mayors signed a letter urging Congress to quickly pass Biden's plan.

The law gives states until the end of 2024 to make spending commitments and the end of 2026 to spend the money. Any money not obligated or spent by those dates must be returned to the federal government.

The Biden administration said it isn't concerned about the early pace of the initiative. The aid to governments is intended both "to address any crisis needs and to provide "longer-term fire power to ensure a durable and equitable recovery, said Gene Sperling, White House American Rescue Plan coordinator.

"The fact that you can spread your spending out is a feature, not a bug, of the program. It is by design, Sperling told the AP.

The Treasury Department set an aggressive reporting schedule to try to prod local planning. It required states, counties and cities with estimated populations of at least 250,000 to file reports by Aug. 31 detailing their spending as of the previous month as well as future plans.

More than half the states and nearly two-thirds of the roughly 90 largest cities reported no initial spending. The governments reported future plans for about 40% of their total funds. The AP did not gather reports from counties because of the large number of them.

To promote transparency, the Treasury Department also required governments to post the reports on a prominent public-facing website, such as their home page or a general coronavirus response site. But the AP found that many governments ignored that directive, instead tucking the documents behind numerous navigational steps. Idaho and Nebraska had not posted their reports online when contacted by the AP. Neither had some cities.

Officials in Jersey City, New Jersey, required the AP to file a formal open-records request to get its report, though that shouldn't have been necessary. City employees in Laredo, Texas, and Sacramento, California, also initially directed the AP to file open-records requests. Laredo later told the AP it had spent nothing. Sacramento relented and eventually provided a short report stating it had spent nothing but might put its entire $112 million allocation toward replacing lost revenue and providing government services.

Among states, the largest share of initial spending went toward shoring up unemployment insurance trust funds that were depleted during the pandemic. Arizona reported pouring nearly $759 million into its unemployment account, New Mexico nearly $657 million and Kentucky almost $506 million.

For large cities, the most common use of the money was to replenish their diminished revenue and fund government services. San Francisco reported using its entire initial allotment of $312 million for that purpose.

Those reporting no initial spending included Pittsburgh, whose mayor joined with several other Pennsylvania mayors in February on a column urging Congress to pass crucial aid for state and local governments.

Congress must act, and they must act soon. Our communities cannot wait another day, the Pennsylvania mayors wrote.

Pittsburgh ultimately ended up waiting to spend the money until the Treasury guidelines were released, community members had a chance to comment and the City Council could sign off on the spending plans. In the future, the city plans to use part of its federal windfall to buy 78 electric vehicles, build technology labs at recreation centers and launch a pilot project paying 100 low-income Black women $500 a month for two years to test the merits of a guaranteed income program.

The federal money also will help pay the salaries of more than 600 city employees

Even though the money hadnt technically been expended by the Treasury Department's reporting timeline, "the receipt of the money was enough for us to hold off on major layoffs, said Dan Gilman, chief of staff to Pittsburgh Mayor William Peduto.

Some officials are intentionally taking their time.

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican, opted not to call a special session to appropriate money from the latest federal pandemic relief act. So far, he's publicly outlined just one proposal  $400 million for broadband.

Parson's budget director said the administration will present more ideas to lawmakers when they convene for their regular session in January. Until then, the state should have enough money left from a previous federal relief law to cover the costs of fighting the virus, budget director Dan Haug said.

We want to try to find things that are going to benefit Missouri not just next year or the year after, but 10 or 20 years down the road," Haug said. "That takes some thought and some planning.

Republican state Rep. Doug Richey, who leads a House panel on federal stimulus spending, said he's not convinced Missouri needs to spend all of its American Rescue Plan funds.

To the extent that we spend these dollars, we are participating in an ever-increasing federal debt or bad monetary policy, Richey said.

Missouri was one several states that waited to request its initial allotment. Five other Republican-led states  Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee and Texas  waited so long that they weren't required to file reports by the Treasury's Aug. 31 deadline.

Tennessee wanted to make sure small cities were prepared for a 30-day clock that starts ticking for them to seek funding once the dollars arrive at the state, said Lola Potter, a spokesperson for the state Department of Finance and Administration. A South Dakota official cited similar reasoning for the delay. Financial Systems Director Colin Keeler said it's difficult for small towns to take the steps needed to apply.

The state was in no rush at all," he said. The cities wanted to get theirs, but we needed to be prepared.
MILFORD  A 26-year-old Pennsylvania woman is accused of carjacking a Milford homeowner and assaulting another, according to police.

Police said Selin Sakarcan, 26, of Villanova, Pennsylvania, walked down a residential driveway around 9 p.m. Sunday and demanded that the owner of the home get out of their car.


Next Story : Pakistan Set To Have Its First Woman Chief Justice

The ability to express myself and my vision without holding back is the absolute form of freedomVida HeydariIn December last year, one of Punes biggest art spaces was launched in Koregaon Park  Vida Heydari Contemporary (VHC). It is a gigantic space sprawling across 3,000 square feet and looks like something of high international standard. Vida Heydari, the founder of this gallery is an Iranian-Canadian art curator and gallerist, who has been working in the art industry for almost 15 years.Heydari has spent most of her life working with and around art, and this is something that was close to her since her childhood owing to her family and their love for creativity. I was born into a creative family and was always assisting my mom in her artistic projects since a very young age. Her influence and attention to art had me signed up in adult painting classes as a child and was oil painting at five years old, Heydari informs on how she got into art at a very young age. This had a life long impact on me and inspired me to want to be as involved as possible and surround myself by art and artists.Image: Instagram Originally living in Iran, Heydari moved to Pune almost four years ago after being inspired by a book given to her by a friend. Talking about how it exactly happened, she says, I was gifted a book by a dear friend who strongly thought that I would find it inspiring, which I didnt at the time since it was a translated book to Farsi, and I found it a bit on the heavy side to understand. She further added, About three years later, the same friend read me a page of the same book on the phone which brought my thought sand mind to a stand still for a moment upon hearing those words.That very same evening Heydari found the book again and finished it entirely. She realised that the address behind the book was that of Osho Meditation Resort in Pune, and decided to visit it immediately. Upon moving to Pune, she fell in love with city so much that she wanted to give something back to it in return. I fell in love with the landscape, trees, birds and people of Pune and they became an important part of my life which I have always wanted to give back to. So, opening up the gallery in Pune came naturally to me since I felt I could help with and add to the culture and art scene of the city, she informs.Image: Instagram Obviously, Heydari has worked with a great number of artists in these 15 years, mainly Indian, Iranian and Chinese contemporary artists. Even with the VHC Gallery she intends to continue working with contemporary art, and her main focus is going to be Indian and Iranian contemporary artists across all mediums.On what kind of pieces, she would like to display in the gallery, Heydari says, Given what we have all been going through collectively with the pandemic, I am more interested in showing works that evokes the sense of possibilities, hope and optimism at this point. She further adds, Artworks that build people to a positive space or thoughts or bring attention to an issue that can ultimately uplift their lives are ones I am aspiring to exhibit and promote in this space.Heydari mentioned that she hoped to collaborate with the unknown and young artists whom she hasnt met and discovered yet. Finding those talents, nurturing them and helping them realise their potential gives me great joy, she says about working with up-and-coming artists. Apart from this Heydari also wishes to collaborate with museums such as the Kiran Nadar Museum in Delhi and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York on the artists that she works with.Most of the artists that Heydari has been working with, have been with her for over a decade, which makes her develop close bonds with these wonderful artists and their work. Some of her favourite artists that she has worked with include Khosrow Hassanzadeh, Pooya Aryanpour, and Kambiz Sabri. Currently, Heydari is obsessed with the work of M Pravat, and says, He has a very impressive practice where he utilises natural materials such as brick, dust, slate, wood, metal, ink, graphite, and pigments by using intricate techniques to produce the stunning sculptural works or drawings on paper or canvas.Image: Instagram The decor of the VHC Gallery has followed a very minimalist aesthetic. The appearance looks grand and expensive to the eye, but it does so without being loud and gauche. The colours palette used throughout is very subtle and greenery plays a big part in the ambience. Simplicity and clean aesthetics really attract me, also the feeling of comfort is of utmost importance, Heydari states.Attached to the gallery is an exquisite fine dining restaurant that serves contemporary European cuisine, which will also have musicians performing from time-to-time. At VHC we express art through multiple mediums, food being one of them, the curator informs. The restaurant was added to add to the overall experience of the people who visit the gallery, Heydari hopes that it could serve as the area where the inspiring conversations amongst artists and art lovers take place.Another thing that is on on her mind is a about the time after the pandemic restrictions in the country relax. Heydari hopes that she can invite and host prominent artists from across the country at events suc as exhibitions, art talks, educational programmes and dialogues. It will serve as a much-needed platform to create more chatter around art and its applicability in everyday life. She also hopes that some day she can produce projects that would bring together Indian and Iranian artists and curators with their unique ideas.
Image: Twitter



Sneha Dubey is a young diplomat who took on Pakistan's Prime Minister for spewing falsehood on the world stage. She strongly called Pakistan out for not taking a stance against terrorism and even mentioned how it harbours terrorists within the country.

I am taking the floor to set the record straight: regrettably this is not the first time the leader of Pakistan has misused platforms provided by the United Nations to propagate false and malicious propaganda against my country (Hes) seeking in vain to divert the worlds attention from the sad state of his country where terrorists enjoy a free pass while the lives of ordinary people, especially those belonging to the minority communities, are turned upside down, Dubey said in her fiery speech. The young lady was expressing a truth that the world has been witnessing for a long time.

Dubey became an IFS officer in 2012 after achieving her MPhil from the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi. The first in her family to become an Indian diplomat, she aspired to enrol in the Indian Foreign Services from a young age. She even passed her civil services examination on the very first attempt.

In her speech at the UN, she added, We keep hearing that Pakistan is a victim of terrorism (but) this is the country which has an arsonist disguising itself as a firefighter; Pakistan nurtures terrorists in their backyard in the hope that they will only harm their neighbours. She also touched upon the issue of minorities in Pakistan not being given equal rights; "there is not even an acknowledgement, much less accountability today. The minorities of Pakistan, the Sikhs, the Hindus, and the Christians live in constant fear and state-sponsored suppression of their rights."

Her strong conviction, articulation and fiery personality is proving to be an inspiration for the youth of today
1969 F100 360 Cylinder Head Woes

So I have owned this truck for a few months and I never got it to run good. Took it to a shop and the mechanic did a compression test and informed me I had two cylinders low on compression. Number 4 was at 65 and number 7 was at 70. Pulled the valve covers to start to investigate and had five MANGLED pushrods one was snapped in half. Then I got the intake off and finally pulled the heads. Sure enough in cylinder 4 and 7 I founded something I cannot begin to explain. The question now is, with the top of the combustion chamber looking like that is that cylinder head salvageable for a rebuild or not? I found a pair with the same casting number for $150 that are "reconditioned" although the seller cannot tell me the extent of the rebuild work as it was purchased as part of a donor motor.So options as I see it.1. recondition the existing heads i have2. purchase the "reconditioned" pair and send them to a machine shop to have looked over and have any additional work done to make them actually reconditioned3. pull a pair from a junkyard maybe even a 72 or later for the hardened valve seats?Any input would be appreciated.
Paxton, IL (60957)

Today

Chance of a shower or two during the evening, followed by partly cloudy skies overnight. Low 57F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Chance of a shower or two during the evening, followed by partly cloudy skies overnight. Low 57F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
SARASOTA, Fla., Oct. 03, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Roper Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: ROP), a leading diversified technology company, today announced that it has reached a definitive agreement to divest its TransCore business to Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd (ST Engineering), a global technology, defense, and engineering group, for $2.68 billion in cash. TransCore is expected to generate approximately $545 million of revenue and $135 million of EBITDA in 2021. Roper will retain its DAT and Loadlink network software businesses, which it acquired together with TransCore in 2004.



ST Engineering will be a great owner for TransCore and will support the business as it pursues the next phase of its innovative work in traffic management, tolling technology, and smart city infrastructure, said Neil Hunn, Roper Technologies President and CEO. We are grateful to Tracy Marks, TransCores President, and the entire TransCore team for their many contributions to Roper.

Over our 17-year ownership period, Ropers governance and incentive system has enabled the TransCore leadership team to meaningfully improve project capabilities and product innovation, resulting in market share growth and sustained leadership within its niche market, said Mr. Hunn. Also, during this time, Roper added significant value to the DAT and Loadlink network software businesses by providing long-term investment support and an independent operating structure that enabled these businesses to substantially improve and expand their networks, resulting in attractive growth profiles that will continue to benefit Roper.

The divestiture of the project-oriented TransCore business will enhance our mix of predictable, high-margin, recurring revenue businesses and notably reduce our working capital requirements. Additionally, the after-tax proceeds of the transaction will accelerate and amplify our ability to deploy capital toward our robust pipeline of high-quality acquisition opportunities, concluded Mr. Hunn.

TransCore has established a premier business, demonstrated by its industry leading solutions and backed by a talented workforce, in which we will continue to invest. With the addition of TransCore, ST Engineering will be uniquely positioned as a sustainable Smart Mobility market leader, underpinned by our strengths in technology and innovation, said Vincent Chong, Group President & CEO of ST Engineering.

Roper retained Evercore and BofA Securities as financial advisors in connection with this transaction. Roper expects to account for the results of TransCore as discontinued operations when it reports its third quarter 2021 financial results. The Company expects this transaction to close in the first quarter of 2022, subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals.

About Roper Technologies

Roper Technologies is a constituent of the S&P 500, Fortune 500, and the Russell 1000 indices. Roper operates businesses that design and develop software (both license and software-as-a-service) and engineered products and solutions for a variety of niche end markets. Additional information about Roper is available on the Companys website at www.ropertech.com.

About TransCore

TransCore has been a leader in the transportation industry for more than 80 years. With a mission solely focused on transportation, the company develops and continually innovates traffic management and tolling systems across the globe. TransCore is Headquartered in Nashville, TN.

About ST Engineering

ST Engineering is a global technology, defense, and engineering group with offices across Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the U.S., serving customers in more than 100 countries. The Group uses technology and innovation to solve real-world problems and improve lives through its diverse portfolio of businesses across the aerospace, smart city, defense, and public security segments. Headquartered in Singapore, ST Engineering reported revenue of $7.2b (about US$5.4b) in FY2020 and ranks among the largest companies listed on the Singapore Exchange. It is a component stock of the FTSE Straits Times Index, MSCI Singapore, iEdge SG ESG Transparency Index and iEdge SG ESG Leaders Index.

The information provided in this press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These forward-looking statements may include, among others, statements regarding operating results, the success of our internal operating plans, and the prospects for newly acquired businesses to be integrated and contribute to future growth, profit and cash flow expectations. Forward-looking statements may be indicated by words or phrases such as "anticipate," "estimate," "plans," "expects," "projects," "should," "will," "believes," "intends" and similar words and phrases. These statements reflect management's current beliefs and are not guarantees of future performance. They involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. Such risks and uncertainties include any ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business, operations, financial results and liquidity, which will depend on numerous evolving factors which we cannot accurately predict or assess, including: the duration and scope of the pandemic, new variants of the virus and the distribution and efficacy of vaccines; any negative impact on global and regional markets, economies and economic activity; actions governments, businesses and individuals take in response to the pandemic; the effects of the pandemic, including all of the foregoing, on our customers, suppliers, and business partners, and how quickly economies and demand for our products and services recover after the pandemic subsides. Such risks and uncertainties also include our ability to identify and complete acquisitions consistent with our business strategies, integrate acquisitions that have been completed, realize expected benefits and synergies from, and manage other risks associated with, the newly acquired businesses. We also face other general risks, including our ability to realize cost savings from our operating initiatives, general economic conditions and the conditions of the specific markets in which we operate, changes in foreign exchange rates, difficulties associated with exports, risks associated with our international operations, cybersecurity and data privacy risks, including litigation resulting therefrom, risks related to political instability, armed hostilities, incidents of terrorism, public health crises (such as the COVID-19 pandemic) or natural disasters, increased product liability and insurance costs, increased warranty exposure, future competition, changes in the supply of, or price for, parts and components, environmental compliance costs and liabilities, risks and cost associated with litigation, including asbestos related litigation, potential write-offs of our substantial intangible assets, and risks associated with obtaining governmental approvals and maintaining regulatory compliance for new and existing products. Important risks may be discussed in current and subsequent filings with the SEC. You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. These statements speak only as of the date they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update publicly any of them in light of new information or future events.
London, UK, Oct. 03, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Coolcharmgold mining Corporation is a United Kingdom focused company, that holds portfolio of projects ranging from early Gold exploration to production and having our gold mining farms located in the heart of several of the worlds most sought out gold mining districts.



Coolcharmgold started life as a gold exploration company in 2004 and have been able to successfully transition from gold explorer to gold producer. And is proud to celebrate the partnership and Investment Contracts with the Investors, who are well established and committed to responsible and sustainable mineral exploration and adhere to a corporate sustainability policies, which include community relations, environmental responsibility and labour relations.

Coolcharmgold Mining Districts

On record, Coolcharmgold have 9 active gold mining projects located in different countries and on a mission to acquire five additional undeveloped mining districts located in Germany, Canada, China, Australia, Switzerland and Indonesia. This Undeveloped mining sites is expected to boost the Companys revenue by over 300% in the next coming years while providing the project investors with a lifetime investment returns.

Coolcharmgold mining focuses on operating Tier One mining assets:

1. Able to produce more than 500,000 ounces of gold per year.

2. Unlimited years of gold Production

3. Operational at low cost, as defined by total cash costs per ounce.

4. Advancing the Manitoba Gold Project - one of few gold development projects that can produce 300,000+ ounces per year in a Tier One jurisdiction

5. Significant and growing royalty portfolio presents longer-term upside value

6. Active partner-driven project portfolio providing further upside and catalysts

By focusing on operating large mines with significant resources, Coolcharmgold is likely able to produce gold at a relatively steady pace for years. The company expects the average annual gold output of its mines through 2030 will be about Four million ounces. Coolcharmgold will continue to rise even if gold prices decline modestly.

Coolcharmgold complements its top-tier gold mining portfolio with a strong balance sheet. By focusing on paying down debt over the past several years, which has increased the Investors returns tremendously over the years and have enabled Coolcharmgold to pay a growing profit returns.

The Insights on Coolcharm Gold Mining Corporation

1. Advancing the Manitoba Gold Project - one of few gold development projects that can produce 300,000+ ounces per year in a Tier One jurisdiction.

2. Over 2 Billion Dollars Market capitalization.

3. Pre-Feasibility Study completed with a NPV5% of US$995 million at US$1,600/oz. gold.

4. Long list of Active private Investors, Venture capitalists, Institutions, Individuals and Partnership deals.

5. Fully funded through Feasibility and Permitting.

6. Exploration upside in under-explored Birch-Uchi Greenstone Belt.

Investment Instruments and Procedure

In line with Coolcharmgold commitment to provide a favourable compensation returns for its investors, shareholders and venture capitalists, Institutions and Corporate bodies are allowed to invest in the investment instruments, which includes gold mining activities, capital projects, equities, bonds, trading on digital currencies and so many others.

Coolcharm Gold Mining Corporation Audited Websites

Bloomberg Business News: https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/0361199D:LN

Aihit Data: https://www.aihitdata.com/company/02A6A7BF/coolcharm-mining-corporation/overview

Brokersnavigator: https://www.brokersnavigator.com/companies/profile/04888978

Media Contact:

Company: Coolcharm Gold Mining Co Ltd

Contact Name: Bazyli Armandek

E-mail: laudiciavaldez@outlook.com

Website: https://www.coolcharmgold.com/
SYDNEY, Oct. 03, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NP Digital, a leader in performance marketing, announces Samantha Edwards as its new Group Business Director of NP Digital Australia. Edwards will lead and oversee Australian business development.

Edwards brings over 15 years of SEO, communications and marketing experience with her to the role, a decade of which was in the Australian market. Prior to joining NP Digital, Edwards spent seven years at iProspect Australia holding the roles of a Client Partner/Group Business Director and Digital Performance Director.

Samantha brings diverse skillsets in performance execution for clients and monitoring agency growth in Australia, said Dan Kalinski, President of NP Digital Australia. Were lucky to have her joining the team as the demand for digital marketing services from Australian businesses continues to propel our growth forward.

Edwardss extensive experience in digital business, marketing, SEO campaigns, performance and client relationship management will be critical in this role. Edwardss strategic oversight of Australian clients will span growth, development, customer relationships and internal processes.

Im very excited to be joining NP Digital as the demand for best-in-class digital marketing in Australia increases, said Edwards. My goal is to create an environment of motivated performers dedicated to equipping our Aussie clients for digital growth.

About NP Digital:

NP Digital is a global performance marketing agency focused on enterprise and mid-market challenger brands. Underpinned by its proprietary technology division and platform Ubersuggest, NP Digital is regarded as one of the fastest-growing, award-winning performance marketing agencies in the industry. NP Digital views marketing through a consultative lens that takes a holistic view when applying specialist execution to build meaningful partnerships. These partnerships include some of the worlds most prominent Fortune 500 brands in addition to mid-size, DTC challenger-type organizations.

NP Digital spans across the globe with 450 employees, seven offices and a headquarters in San Diego. For more information visit npdigital.com or neilpatel.com/Ubersuggest.

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GREENWICH  Greenwich Hospital has earned the prestigious Magnet designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center for the second time.

It is among only 8 percent of the more than 5,600 hospitals nationwide  and one of seven in Connecticut  to achieve this honor.

The ANCC awarded the Magnet redesignation with six exemplars, commending Greenwich Hospital for its professional nursing practices, career development and safety.

Our Magnet redesignation reinforces the message that Greenwich Hospital ranks nationally for the best nurses in the nation. Our excellent patient care and clinical outcomes reflect that level of expertise and dedication of our nursing staff throughout every corner of the organization, said Anna Cerra, who is a registered nurse and a doctor of nursing practice. She serves as senior vice president of patient care services and chief nursing officer at Greenwich Hospital.

Magnet designation is the highest honor of nursing excellence that any hospital can achieve, according to a statement from Greenwich Hospital. This Magnet redesignation is the culmination of several years of preparation and commitment to evidence-based nursing practices and patient care, according to the hospital.

This achievement is a testament to our consistent culture of excellence and the great team who made it happen, led by Priscilla Sterne, RN, DNP, director of nursing operations and our Yale New Haven Health partners, Cerra said.

The Magnet Recognition Program recognizes health-care organizations for quality patient care, nursing excellence and innovations in professional practice. To achieve Magnet status, Greenwich Hospital submitted a comprehensive manuscript in June 2020, during the height of COVID-19, which included scores of documented examples of nursing excellence and quality patient outcomes at Greenwich Hospital.

This past May, three Magnet appraisers conducted a three-day virtual visit at the hospital, assessing patient care and outcomes. Magnet hospitals must undergo re-evaluation every four years to retain the designation.

To achieve this honor during an international pandemic underscores Greenwich Hospitals ongoing commitment to provide the best possible patient experience in any situation, said hospital President Diane Kelly, who is also a registered nurse and a doctor of nursing practice.

Magnet designation provides the ultimate benchmark for patients and their families to measure the quality of care they can expect at a hospital. The hard work and dedication of our nurses ultimately elevates the work environment of all staff and physicians, Kelly said.

According to ANCC, Magnet recognition provides a road map to advance nursing excellence. Optimum job satisfaction results in lower nurse attrition and an improved patient experience.

To attract and reward the best in nursing talent, Magnet-recognized organizations embody a collaborative culture, where nurses are valued as partners in the patients safe passage through their health-care experiences. The culture is supported by investment in nursing education and development, ensuring that nurses are supported in their career. Interprofessional collaborative practice is nurtured, with a focus on respect, autonomy and shared values.

Greenwich student enrolls at Honors College at Charleston

Mary Connolly of Greenwich is attending the Honors College at the College of Charleston starting this fall.

Connolly is a graduate of Greenwich High School. She is undecided on a major at the College of Charleston, which is in South Carolina.

Greenwich student named to Deans List at St. Lawrence

Kalyna Carroll from Greenwich has been named to the Deans List at St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y., for the summer 2021 semester.

Carroll, who attended Sacred Heart Greenwich, is a member of the Class of 2022 at St. Lawrence and is majoring in English. To be eligible for the Deans List, a student must have an academic average of 3.6 for the semester.
MIAMI (AP)  Authorities say they have found the body of a missing Florida college student who disappeared a week ago. A maintenance worker who entered her apartment unauthorized the day she disappeared and later killed himself is the prime suspect.

Orange County Sheriff John Mina said Saturday that authorities found Miya Marcanos body in a wooded area near an apartment building. Authorities said the 19-year-old vanished on the same day a maintenance man improperly used a master key to enter her apartment. Her family reported her missing after she missed a flight home to South Florida on Sept. 24.

The sheriff previously said Armando Caballero, a maintenance worker at the apartment complex where Marcano lived and worked, is considered the prime suspect. Caballero, 27, apparently killed himself; his body was found three days after Marcano was last seen.

Marcano had repeatedly rebuffed romantic advances by Caballero. Detectives spoke to Caballero after the Valencia College student was reported missing, but had no evidence to detain him at that time. They obtained a warrant for his arrest after learning he had entered her apartment before she disappeared. His body was then found inside a garage.

Cellphone records from Caballero led them to the apartment complex near where Marcano was found and showed he was there for about 20 minutes the night she was reported missing, Sheriff Mina said. At one point, Caballero also previously lived at that apartment complex.

Nothing in the records indicate that he ever returned there before he killed himself, he said, adding deputies are not looking for any other suspects.

The FBI and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement were among the hundreds of authorities searching for Marcano. Meanwhile, friends and family held a prayer vigil and passed out flyers desperate to find the missing teen.

At this time, we cannot identify a cause of death, so I dont want to speculate on that, Mina said of Marcanos death during a news conference Saturday.

Mina says they notified her parents just hours ago, adding our hearts are broken.

Everyone wanted this outcome to be different," he said. As a sheriff, as a father, obviously we are grieving at the loss of Miya.

Caballero's criminal history revealed one prior arrest in 2013 for using a destructive device resulting in property damage and discharging a weapon on school property, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

An arrest report said Polk County sheriffs deputies were called to the campus of Warner University after a report of a bomb going off inside a dorm. The explosive turned out to be a toilet bowl cleaner concoction inside a plastic drink bottle. The report said Caballero admitted to using the improvised explosive as a prank on other residents of the dorm. No one was injured.

The apartment complex where Marcano and Caballero worked, Arden Villa, released a statement saying all potential employees are vetted through a national background check services provider, and no records of burglary or sexual assault were found involving Caballero.
ATLANTA (AP)  Four parents are suing the Cobb County school district on behalf of their children, saying the failure of Georgia's second largest school district to require masks means their students cannot safely attend in-person classes because of their disabilities.

The suit was filed Friday in federal court in Atlanta. It says the 107,000-student suburban Atlanta district is violating federal law, including the Americans with Disabilities Act and section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Those laws govern how students with disabilities are treated in public schools.

Rather than using the known and available tools to mitigate the threat of COVID-19 and protect plaintiffs access to school services, programs, and activities, the district has acted with deliberate indifference to plaintiffs rights to inclusion, health, and education, the complaint alleges.

Earlier this week, when the Southern Poverty Law Center threatened the lawsuit on behalf of the students, Cobb schools told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that as is the case with any issue, individual student needs are supported on a student-by-student basis and we actively encourage any student or family to discuss their needs with their local school.

The lawsuit asks that U.S. District Judge Timothy Batten Sr. order the district to follow CDC guidelines, including not only on masks but on issues like ventilation, physical distancing and contact tracing. It also asks for monetary damages and attorneys fees. It also asks Batten to issue a temporary restraining order as soon as possible.

Numerous lawsuits have been filed nationwide seeking to force schools to require masks under federal disability law.

Whether to require masks in Cobb schools has been the focus of protest for months. Like many in Georgia, Cobb lifted its mask order at the end of last year. But many districts reimposed mask orders as school began this August, because of the rapid spread of the delta variant of COVID-19. Although some districts have since lifted mask orders, an Associated Press count found that more than half of Georgia's 1.7 million students were required to wear face coverings in school at the peak of the most recent COVID-19 surge in the state.

Cobb, though, dug in saying that masks would only be strongly recommended. Superintendent Chris Ragsdale last month delivered a ringing defense of the policy, noting cases were declining in Cobb schools  as they were in schools and among the general population statewide  and saying there was no proof that requiring masks lowered cases in schools.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued two studies in recent months finding masks were effective in lowering cases and advises that masks should be mandatory for all in schools when the virus is spreading rapidly, regardless of vaccination policy.

The suit said Ragsdale's position is based on dubious research and cherry-picked data.

Cobb wasn't alone in this stance. Cherokee and Forsyth counties never imposed mask orders last year, when Cobb did. But Cobb has been riven by conflict, with a narrow conservative majority on its school board holding the line against groups demanding masks. The suit alleges the four white Republican members of the school board form a politically and race driven majority voting bloc that is disregarding the position of three Black Democrats on the board.

The lawsuit says the students are more at risk from COVID-19 because of their medical conditions. One has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, one has compromised immune system stemming from earlier leukemia, one has an airway clearance impairment called bronchiectasis and one has severe asthma and a history of pneumonia.

Plaintiff children have requested that defendants implement effective COVID-19 safety protocols  like they did last year  so that they can go to school. But those requests have been denied or ignored," the lawsuit states. "Now, plaintiffs are at home, isolated away from their peers, where they receive an inadequate virtual education or no education at all.

Georgias recent peak was especially bad among children. A roaring epidemic that coincided with the start of school saw a two week-period before Labor Day when nearly 1 in 50 school-age children statewide recorded confirmed infections and 1 in 70 in Cobb. For the the first time in the pandemic, the per-capita rate among children ages 5-17 exceeded the per-capita rate among adults 23 and older. Although new cases are falling sharply, data released Friday shows school-age children still have a higher per capita infection rate than adults. The statistics also show case rates remain nearly three times as high than before school started.

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Follow Jeff Amy on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jeffamy.
On Sept. 16, a woman whose lifetime contained two pandemics and two world wars died from the coronavirus at 105.

Her daughter, Dorene Giacopini, 61, said she shouldnt have died; Primetta Giacopini may have had a few years left.

I cant believe I have to say my 105-year-old mother died a needless death, Dorene said. Because this should not still be happening.

Primettas COVID-19 test results came back positive, and she was admitted to the emergency room Sept. 11. She died five days later at around 10 p.m.

When the coronavirus pandemic started, Dorene recalled her mom mentioning how weird it was that there was another pandemic happening in her lifetime. Primetta also couldnt help but talk about her own mother dying from the last pandemic 103 years prior.

People dont believe in science anymore, she said. In her mothers generation, science is what solved problems, the reason people lived longer and the reason I lived more than a few days, Darlene said.

In June, Dorene celebrated her mothers 105th birthday. Primetta was a card shark, regularly beating people half her age in Shanghai Rummy.

Primetta was born in Torrington on June 9, 1916. She knew first-hand the effects of a pandemic, as the flu killed about 675,000 Americans, including her mother, Pasquina Feia, when Primetta was just 2 years old.

After her mothers death, Primettas father didnt want to raise her nor her younger sister. Primetta was given to a couple in Torrington while her sister lived in Italy. At age 13, Primetta and the couple moved to a small village called Marchirolo in Italy near the Switzerland border.

She was a seamstress, sewing clothes for mainly wealthier people. Once Italy entered into World War II, the government wanted American citizens out of the country. She didnt want to leave, though. Her boyfriend was an Italian fighter pilot, she couldnt speak much English and leaving would prove to be a logistical nightmare.

My mother was not a shrinking violet, Dorene said.

But her town wasnt doing too well; people were mixing saw dust with flour to stretch out the bread supply. In early 1941, state police told her to get out of the country if she knew what was good for her, or shed end up in a concentration camp, Dorene said.

At the age of 25, Primetta traveled in a small boat with a group of strangers, carrying a suitcase full of Swiss francs, and moved back to Torrington. She had various jobs because she was not easily satisfied, Dorene said, before nabbing a good paying job at a General Motors factory in Bristol working on Norden bombsights.

In Torrington, Primetta bought a 1940 Chevrolet sedan for just $500, according to the Associated Press. Primetta believed she was the first woman in the town to buy her own car, Dorene said.

Primetta drove her Chevrolet to work, serving as a carpool for others who shared her shifts. One day a blizzard canceled an upcoming shift, leading her co-worker and later husband, Umbert Bert Giacopini, to ask her out for the first time.

Primetta was a strong woman with strong female role models, Dorene said. Primetta didnt want to get married for the support; she wanted to support herself. Primetta married him in May 1945. Using her seamstress skills she learned in Italy, she made her own wedding dress for just $11.

While at General Motors, Dorene said the two also went on strike quite a bit, but growing up during the Great Depression, Primetta knew how to save money.

When Dorene was born in 1960, Primetta quit her job to be a stay at home mother. The family of three lived on Sunny Lane in Torrington.

Dorene said it was the first street that got swept every spring.

She would call the city and raise holy hell until they got up there, Dorene laughed.

Dorene was on crutches for most of her life as she was born with spina bifida, a birth defect in which the spinal cord doesnt fully develop, the Associated Press said. Primetta was a headstrong activist for her daughter before people with disabilities were protected by law.

Dorene, who later went to Harvard University, remembers being in junior high in Torrington. The school asked the adolescent to take a lower-level class since they were on the first floor, instead of the accelerated class.

Through Primettas persuasion, though, the principal moved the accelerated class to the first floor on the first day of school so Dorene could attend.

She was a force of nature, Dorene said.

While a stay-at-home mother, Primetta served as the Torrington chairwoman for the March of Dimes, a nonprofit that was formed to fight polio, Dorene said.

She used to always raise more per capita than any town, Dorene remembered.

In October 1975, the family of three moved from Torrington to San Jose, Calif., thinking the warmer climate would make life easier for Dorene.

In her later years, Primetta mainly lived by herself. She did have a brief stint at a nursing facility, but was kicked out for not following the rules, and setting her own rules instead.

She was in charge, Dorene said.

Primetta spent the rest of her time living in her California home with the help from a caregiver. She made a delicious spaghetti sauce, had a sharp memory, but no filter.

She was very unique, Darlene said.

On Sept. 8, Dorene received a phone call that the caregiver was feeling sick, so she asked the caretaker and her mother to both get tested.

The next day, Dorene brought homemade bread and grapes from her backyard to her mother, putting them on the front porch. They spoke for about half an hour while socially distanced even though all three had been fully vaccinated. Dorene showed Primetta her new, wheelchair-accessible van.

Twice during that conversation, Dorene heard her mother cough in a way she had not heard before.

Thats when I was pretty sure she had it, she said.

Thats the last time Dorene saw her mother in person.

Dorene hasnt made funeral arrangements yet for her mother. Funeral directors have suggested if she does have a ceremony that there shouldnt be food or drink.

She knows her mother wouldnt want that. So, in the meantime, shes doing small toasts here and there celebrating Primetta.

I do not want to be responsible for more people getting COVID and possibly dying, Dorene said.

So, Dorene, friends and family are waiting until they can have a more normalized celebration for Primetta.

Plus, I want to make her spaghetti sauce, Dorene said.

liz.hardaway@hearst.com
SOUTHINGTON, Conn. (AP)  Police are investigating the stabbing of a teenager at an apple festival in Southington.

The 16-year-old boy was stabbed at about 8 p.m. Saturday at the Southington Apple Harvest Festival.
WASHINGTON -- Dr. Anthony Fauci says hes worried that people resisting COVID-19 vaccine shots based on religious grounds may be confusing that with a philosophical objection.

Fauci, who is President Joe Bidens chief medical adviser, says getting the COVID-19 vaccine is no different in concept than receiving other vaccines such as for measles, which have been done for many years. He says a public health review found very, very few, literally less than a handful of established religions which actually oppose vaccinations.

Religious exemptions have been on the rise since Biden last month announced sweeping new COVID-19 vaccine mandates covering more than 100 million Americans.

Fauci acknowledges the challenges of businesses to determine if an employees claimed religious exemption is more an excuse to bypass legal requirements.

He told CNNs State of the Union: I would hope that people would understand that all of this is for their benefit, for the safety of themselves, their family and their societal responsibility.

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MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:

 Distribution problems, hesitancy slow Uganda vaccination bid

 Israel tightens COVID green pass rules, sparking protest

 Russia: Antibody tests for COVID-19 remain popular, factor in low vaccine rate

 Far-right protesters in Romania reject virus restrictions

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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:

MOSCOW  Russia has reported a record daily death toll from COVID-19. Its the fifth time in a week that deaths have hit a new high in the country.

The national coronavirus task force said Sunday that 890 deaths were recorded over the past day. That exceeds the 887 reported on Friday. The task force also said the number of new infections in the past day was the second-highest of the year at 25,769.

But officials say there are no plans to impose a lockdown. Mask-wearing regulations are in place but loosely enforced.

The country of 145 million has recorded about 7.5 million infection cases and nearly 210,000 deaths during the pandemic.

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JERUSALEM  Israel has restricted its COVID Green Pass to allow only those who have received a vaccine booster dose or recently recuperated from coronavirus to enter indoor events.

Under Sundays new guidelines, people eligible for a green pass  a kind of digital vaccination passport  must have received a booster shot.

Those who have received two doses, or those who have recovered from coronavirus, are only eligible for six months after the date of their vaccination or recovery.

Technical problems hamstrung the Health Ministrys rollout of the updated pass as millions of Israelis tried to reissue digital documentation that would allow entry to restaurants, bars, cultural venues and other indoor activities.

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GULU, Uganda  The remote Ugandan district of Gulu is currently a COVID-19 hot spot in the East African country.

There are repeated and sudden power failures that plague the vaccine storage unit. That adds to the logistical challenges facing efforts to ramp up vaccination across the country.

Officials must first account for every dose previously received. So shortages are rampant despite the presence in the country of over 2 million vaccine shots.

The growing supply is giving a headache to health officials who are trying to whip up enthusiasm for vaccines. But many living in rural areas cite safety fears and would rather wait.

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SYDNEY  Australias New South Wales state has recorded 10 new deaths and 667 locally acquired COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, as its outbreak continues to ease.

Three weeks ago we had 1,599 cases, state Health Minister Brad Hazzard said Sunday. And just three weeks later today I am very pleased to be able to tell the community that we are down, I wanted it down to zero if we can get it there, but 667 today locally acquired cases.

Meanwhile, the state of Victoria recorded 1,220 new community acquired cases of COVID-19 and three deaths in the past 24 hours. The state, Australias second most populous, set a record of 1,488 new cases on Saturday.

I want to thank each and every one of those more than 71,000 Victorians who went and got tested, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said Sunday. It is critical to us, knowing where this virus is, where it isnt.

There were 71,275 tests conducted Saturday in Victoria and 36,248 vaccine doses administered. There are now 11,785 active cases in the state.

The Australian Capital Territory recorded 38 locally acquired cases in the past 24 hours.

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ANCHORAGE, Alaska  Alaska on Saturday activated emergency crisis protocols that allow 20 health care facilities to ration care if needed as the state recorded the nations worst COVID-19 diagnosis rates in the U.S. in recent days, straining its limited health care system.

The declaration covers three facilities that had already declared emergency protocol, including the states largest hospital, Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage.

Among the factors that led the state to activate the crisis of care standards include scarce medical resources within some facilities, limited staff and difficulty transferring patients to other facilities because of limited bed availability. Other factors included limited renal replacement therapy and oxygen supplies.

According to data collected by Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, one person in every 84 in Alaska was diagnosed with COVID-19 from Sept. 22 to 29. The next highest rate was one in every 164 people in West Virginia.

Statewide, 60% of eligible Alaskans are fully vaccinated.
What comes after One? Well, the HTC One (M8), of course! If we havent made our feelings clear, One is a terrible name. But we wont go into that again, the HTC One was a promising phone that did things its own way. The M8 is the sequel to that and introduced a camera feature that is still very popular today. Or should we say common since popular implies that people like it.

We often mention the HTC EVO 3D (from 2011) as one of the first dual camera phones (along with the LG Optimus 3D). However, that wasnt very useful since 3D was a gimmick that only seems to work in movie theaters (and even that is debatable). So, phones went back to a single camera for a few years.

The HTC One (M8) from 2014, a sequel to the original One

Then in 2014 HTC released a sequel to the well-reviewed One. The HTC One (M8) had two cameras, but not for 3D  this was the first phone to use a camera as a depth sensor, which enabled all kinds of depth of field effects. Today you may roll your eyes at the words depth sensor, but back then it was a genuine innovation.

The Duo Camera brought back the UltraPixel module, HTCs attempt to convince the world that fewer, bigger pixels are better than more, smaller pixels. So, the 4MP sensor had 2.0m pixels despite being only 1/3.0 in size. Few phones these days get close, e.g. the new iPhone 13 Pro has 1.9 m pixels, the Galaxy Z Fold3 1.8 m pixels.

Another interesting thing to note is that this was a 16:9 sensor. Is your camera set to 4:3 or a wide aspect ratio? Because if its the latter, you are not using the sensor in your phone to its full potential (the top and bottom parts of the image get cropped). Not so with the HTC Ones, they gave you their best in wide mode.



HTC One (M8) camera samples

The second module also had a 4MP sensor that captured the scene from a slightly different perspective. This allowed the phone to calculate a depth map, basically a reading of how far away each part of the image is. This is what allowed it to render artificial bokeh  the soft, out of focus background that makes your subject pop.

Alternative modes tried to separate the subject from the background in other ways, e.g. putting a sketch or a cartoon effect on the background.

You didn't have to decide on the spot, the depth information was stored alongside the photo, so you can go back and tweak the depth of field later. This is similar to how the new iPhones can adjust the focus in videos (they have much more processing power at their disposal, of course, which improves the effect significantly). Here is a before and after example:



UFocus photo effect: Before and After

The bokeh effect from M8's camera was... not great. The depth map calculated by the phone just wasnt very accurate and it would blur part of the subject or miss applying the effect to parts of the background. Usually it happened around the borders of the subject, making the defects quite noticeable.





Photo effects: Normal  UFocus  Foregrounder  Colorize  Seasons  Stereoscopic

Nokia was experimenting with refocusable photos in 2013. The Nokia Refocus app was released separately and wasn't part of the Lumia camera app. It allowed you to pick which part of the image will be in focus (even after the fact) and there was an option to have everything in focus. And not just you - you could share the photos on the Internet and let everyone play with them. Unfortunately, this required a special viewer, which no longer works.

Nokia would attempt a much more advanced version of this with the Nokia 9 PureView and in our testing we found the results to be the best on mobile. It was difficult to pull off, however, requiring multiple cameras. Google showed that you can capture depth of field with a single sensor (thanks to the data normally used by the Phase Detection autofocus system).

By the way, here is what a depth map looks like:

Moving on, there were other issues with M8's camera setup too. First, it couldnt record 4K video  not enough resolution, despite the sensors aspect ratio being perfect for video. This was bad because the first 4K-capable phone arrived the year before and in 2014 most high profile flagships advertised that feature.

Second, HTC removed the Optical Image Stabilization from the main camera. Rotating the lens of this camera would have thrown off the depth calculation. The new custom image processor, the ImageChip2, promised to handle stabilization (in addition to creating sharper images), but that didnt work out. This harmed low-light photography as images with a slow shutter speed suffered from handshake.

But if you have a steady hand (or a tripod), the sensor did pretty well in the dark. Here is the shot we used for the Photo Comparison tool back in the day (note: you can click on the compare button on the right and pick two images for a side-by-side view).



HTC One (M8) (cropped to 4:3)  Samsung Galaxy S5 (cropped to 4:3)  Apple iPhone 6 Plus

The M8 looked very similar to the original HTC One (aka M7). It had a lovely metal exterior and front-facing stereo speakers, something of a trademark for the series. There were some internal improvements, though. For starters, HTC used more metal (90% vs. 70%) compared to the M7 and less polycarbonate. It made the phone heavier, but sturdier.



There are three available colors at launch

Also, the chipset was a top of the line Snapdragon 801. It made Android fly and not just Googles OS  there was a second OS option for this phone, do you remember which one? Well get to that in a moment, lets finish off with the hardware first. The new chipset also enabled Qualcomms Quick Charge 2.0, allowing the relatively large at the time 2,600mAh battery to charge at 18W.

The endurance rating was massively improved over the M7 (77h vs. 48h), despite the bigger 5.0 display (up from 4.7). The larger M8 also found room to include a dedicated microSD slot, whereas the M7 had none.



The HTC One (M8) (2,600 mAh) had much better battery endurance than the M7 (2,300 mAh)

The HTC One (M8) had some features that still feel modern. For example, it would live up to the current push for healthy living through smartphone tools with its pre-installed Fitbit app. It worked as a pedometer, allowing you to check how many steps youve taken today.

The HTC DotView case is a design that is still popular today:



HTC One (M8) DotView case  Galaxy S21 Ultra LED Wallet Cover

There were some interesting variants of the HTC One (M8). The Google Play Edition cost $700 (the regular version was $650) and ran stock Android, without HTCs SenseUI. GPE preceded the Android One program, but unfortunately wasnt very successful (not that Android One phones are a hit). Check out our review if you are curious about this one. People soon figured out how to install the GPE ROM on regular M8 units, but you had to unlock the bootloader first.



HTC One Google Play Edition official photos

There was also the Harman/Kardon edition, which launched on Sprint in the US. It featured a 24-bit, 192 kHz DAC for lossless HD audio playback. To fully appreciate the quality, a pair of Harman/Kardon AE-S headphones was included in the retail package. Also, the Harman Clari-Fi app made its debut on mobile, it promised to rebuild compressed audio to its original form. This version cost a total of $680 and came with a free six-month subscription to Spotify. Plus, you could get a huge discount on the Harman/Kardon Onyx Studio speakers  paying just $100, instead of the full $400.



HTC One (M8) Harman/Kardon edition official photos

Then there was the HTC One (M8 Eye). This weird name was an admission that a 4MP sensor isnt a good idea, so instead the phone came with a 13MP main sensor. It still couldnt record 4K video, though. Also, the depth sensor was demoted to 2MP. Here are some photo samples from our review:



HTC One (M8 Eye) camera samples: a regular 13 MP sensor instead of the 4 MP UltraPixel sensor

We will quickly mention a few more fun versions like the Phunk edition of which only 64 were made as build up for the upcoming exhibition by the design studio. The S.H.I.E.L.D One M8 edition was even more limited - there were 10 units for the US and 4 for Canada. This was after Chris Evans was cast as Captain America, so we don't know what was up with that dorky wallpaper.



HTC One (M8) Phunk  S.H.I.E.L.D. One (M8)

Most interesting of the bunch was the HTC One (M8) for Windows. As the name suggests, this was the M8 hardware but with Windows Phone 8.1 pre-installed. This model arrived a few months after the Android version and offered users a choice: Microsoft or Google. It was an interesting experience  check out our review if youre curious  but it suffered from all the same issues as the original M8.

HTC was in a tough spot in 2013. The HTC One was praised by reviewers and while it sold well, supply chain issues limited its success. This led to HTCs first ever quarterly loss. The first of many, unfortunately. The One (M8) was an attempt by the company to get back on its feet, but the once dominating Android maker was in a decline and the M8 (and the phones that followed) wasnt enough to turn things around.

The HTC brand is still alive, though its focus has shifted towards Virtual Reality. Part of HTCs phone division was bought by Google to continue development of Pixel phones in-house, so in a way the Pixels carry on the HTC phone legacy.
We're sending off September with a busy week, so let's recap. Xiaomi unveiled its Civi with a Snapdragon 778G chip, 6.55-inch 120Hz OLED display, 55W charging and a 64MP main camera. The Civi comes in Pink, Blue and Black and is on sale in China from CNY 2,600 ($400/345/30,000).

Oppo brought its K9 Pro, featuring a Dimensity 1200, a 6.43-inch OLED that does 120Hz, 64MP main cam and a 4,500mAh battery with 60W charging. The Oppo K9 Pro is out in China, starting at CNY2,199.

The vivo X70 Pro and X70 Pro+ are rolling out globally. In India, the vivo X70 Pro will be offered in Black color or an Aurora Dawn gradient and will cost INR46,990 ($630/545) for 8/128 GB, INR49,990 ($670/580) for 8/256 GB, or INR52,990 ($715/615) for 12/256 GB. The vivo X70 Pro+ will be sold in Black, the Orange vegan leather option is still limited to China. It will cost INR79,990 ($1,075/930) and will arrive with 12/256 GB memory.

The Fairphone 4 was announced. It allows you to change the battery or any of the cameras. It comes with a 5 year warranty and starts at 579/499 for a 6/128GB model.

The Sharp Aquos zero6 was another phone to go official. Its claim to fame is a 240Hz IGZO OLED display and being the lightest 5G phone with a screen larger than 6-inch and a battery that is 4,000mAh or higher. It will ship in Japan from October.

We may have learned the prices of Google's Pixel 6 series. The Pixel 6 will allegedly start at 650, while the Pixel 6 Pro is expected to cost 900. The Pro should bring a 6.7-inch QHD display, 120Hz refresh rate and a zoom camera, while the regular will be 6.4-inch 1080p, 90Hz and zoom-less.

Finally another rumor on next year's iPhone lineup. The mini will be discontinued and replaced with a 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Max. Meanwhile the Pro models will have a punch-hole camera and move away from Face ID in favor of Touch ID.

See you in a week!



Bloomberg: the iPhone 14 series will be a major redesign, will include a new entry-level model The 12-series was dedicated to bringing 5G to the iPhone, the 13-series focused on 120Hz displays. With that in place, the 14-series can swing for the fences.





Xiaomi Civi unveiled with Snapdragon 778G, 6.55" 120Hz OLED display and 55W fast charging Civi is the new CC line. This model (just the one for now) has a 64 MP main camera and an 8 MP ultra wide cam.





Samsung Galaxy S21 FE launch reportedly canceled Chip shortage and better-than-expected sales of Galaxy Z Flip3 are cited as reasons.





Apple uses three new Sony camera sensors in the iPhone 13 Pro Max All three cameras got improved, the ToF and the front-facing camera remain the same as the predecessor.





Apple iPhone 13 in for review Apple's 13th iteration brings hardware refinements and camera improvements.





Nokia Purebook S14 with 11th gen i5, Windows 11 is coming to India The Purebook S14 will be more powerful, though also heavier than the X14 that launched last year. The TVs will run Android 11.





Nokias upcoming tablet appears in new teaser It's expected to carry a 10.36-inch display, Unisoc chipset and will come in 4G and Wi-Fi only trims.





More iOS 15 bugs discovered as iOS 15.1 release imminent iOS 15.1 beta 2 has already been released and addresses some of the issues.





The Honor 50 is coming to Europe soon, with Google Play Services The exact details are unknown, but rumor has it that the launch is set for October 27.





Samsung Galaxy M52 5G launched in India It comes with the Snapdragon 778G chip, 120Hz AMOLED screen, and 5,000 mAh battery.





The Sharp Aquos zero6 has a 240Hz IGZO OLED display and is one of the lightest 5G phones yet Also, the Aquos sense6, which has a 120Hz IGZO OLD panel and a similar 48MP main, 8MP tele and 8MP ultra wide camera setup on the back.





Samsung Galaxy F42 5G debuts with a 64MP main camera The phone is identical to the Galaxy Wide5 that launched in South Korea recently.





Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max in for review Bigger batteries and better refresh rate than the predecessor at the same price.






Haiti - Migration crisis : Meeting of the Secretary of Internal Security with the Ambassador of Haiti





This week in Washington, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas met with Haitian Ambassador to the United States Bocchit Edmond to discuss our nations continued cooperation.



"I appreciated the opportunity to speak directly with Ambassador Edmond about our shared commitment to ensuring that Haitian migrants are treated with dignity and respect," said Secretary Mayorkas. "I look forward to continuing to work with the government of Haiti and other partners throughout the hemisphere as we work toward safe, orderly, and humane management of migration in the region."



Secretary Mayorkas thanked the Government of Haiti for supporting the safe return and re-integration of Haitian nationals. The two men agreed that much work remains to be done to address the drivers of migration, and both acknowledged that the displacement of people is a global crisis and needs worldwide attention.



Mayorkas assured the Ambassador that the dignified and humane treatment of all individuals, regardless of their immigration status, is his top priority. Secretary Mayorkas shared that the investigation into mistreatment of migrants in Del Rio is ongoing.



Furthermore, the Department of Homeland Security continues its engagement with partners in the hemisphere, including Brazil and Chile, to ensure they too are doing their part to offer protection for vulnerable populations and receive individuals who had legal status there.



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34894-haiti-news-zapping.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34887-haiti-flash-special-assistant-to-president-biden-apologizes-for-mistreatment-of-haitian-migrants.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34878-haiti-flash-more-than-1000-haitians-could-be-repatriated-every-day.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34863-haiti-migration-crisis-the-usa-repatriated-more-than-3-700-haitians-in-8-days.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34830-haiti-flash-biden-denounces-the-treatment-of-haitians-at-the-border-and-takes-responsibility-for-it.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34820-haiti-flash-us-special-envoy-to-haiti-daniel-foote-resigns.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34812-haiti-migration-crisis-congresswoman-maxine-waters-revolted-and-angry.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34807-haiti-politic-dhs-does-not-tolerate-abuses-against-migrants.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34799-haiti-usa-democrat-nancy-pelosi-in-defense-of-haitians-stranded-at-the-mexican-border.html



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - News : Zapping...





Back home for Martine Moise

On Friday evening, the former First Lady Martine Moise landed in Cap-Haitien after receiving treatment for nearly three months in the United States. "I am back in the country. I couldn't stay there any longer. I missed the country too much. I have to go to the Presidents grave so that we can talk to each other about the situation in the country. I'm back because I missed people [...]" declared Martine Moise in front of a crowd of supporters who had been waiting for her for several hours. His return to the country will also allow the examining magistrate Mathieu Chanlatte to collect the important testimony of the only witness to the assassination of President Moise.



Colombia : Promise of Minister Quitel

Julio Santa, the Honorary Consul of Colombia in Port-au-Prince, met the Minister of Justice Liszt Quitel, to reiterate the request for legal assistance from the former Colombian soldiers detained, suspected of having participated in the assassination of President Jovenel Moise https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34351-haiti-flash-all-the-arrested-colombian-ex-soldiers-were-aware-of-a-plan-to-kill-president-moise.html . In addition, Minister Quitel has promised to repatriate the bodies of the two Colombians who died in the operations launched after the assassination of President Moise, these are First Sergeant Mauricio Javier Romero and Deputy First Sergeant Duberney Capador Giraldo



Fuel : Chambers of Commerce would have a solution

The employers' associations the Association of Industries of Haiti (ADIH), the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the West (CCIO) and the American Chamber of Commerce in Haiti (AmCham) wish a meeting with Prime Minister Ariel Henry , with a view to discussing the scarcity of petroleum products in Haiti and their proposed solution. "The current situation, which can only be catastrophic, is getting worse every day. The natural course of things takes us straight towards an unprecedented economic and social catastrophe" write these associations in a correspondence dated October 1st, 2021, addressed to the Prime Minister.



The Digicel Foundation has invested $ 3.64 million

On Thursday September 30, the Digicel Foundation inaugurated the Notre Dame de l'Assomption Mixed School Institution located on rue Baussan in Turgeau. This is the 187th school built by the Foundation which recalls that for the fiscal year 2020-2021, it invested 3.74 million : 5 school constructions completed, 17 projects financed via the 4th edition of "Konbit Pou Chanjman" and 35 other social enterprise projects in schools built by the Foundation.



Debates and reflections on tourism

As part of the World Tourism Day (WYD) (September 27) at the Maison Dufort premises, Prime Minister ai Ariel Henry, as well as the Minister of Tourism, Luz Kurta Cassandra Francois kicked off the debates and various in-depth reflections on themes ranging from "Tourism and regional recovery", to "benefits of inclusion for growth", including "the effects of turbulence and natural disasters on Haitian tourism".



CSC/CA : Resumption of the work of the Court

The President of the Office of the Council of the Superior Court of Accounts and Administrative Disputes (CSC/CA) recalls that the resumption of the judicial work of the Court will take place on Monday, October 4, 2021 from 11:30 am.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















The crisis that began on March 15th, 2011, turned into a crisis that continues for the present day, a ground for military battles and a proxy war in which Syrians have no benefit of this war is just in serving those who call themselves "opposition" to foreign interests and agendas, primarily regional States, such as Turkey and Qatar, and the Government of Damascus's commitment to all its security minds and dealings.

In this context, the Austrian politician and member of the board of directors of the Austrian Association for Studies, Thomas Schmidinger, stressed that external interference, particularly the Turkish occupation, has prolonged the life of the crisis, and that the solution lies in its exit from Syrian territory, leaving the decision to the Syrians.

Thomas Schmidinger said in an interview with ANHA agency about the reality of the Syrian crisis and ways to solve it: "The Turkish forces must leave Syria as a whole. The Turkish attacks are continuing, and they are still occupying the Syrian lands, and they want to occupy it like" Afrin and Serekaniye, and any solution to the Syrian war must include a withdrawal Turkish forces from Syria.

Speaking about the Turkish intervention and its attacks on Syrian territory, Schmidinger indicated that the Turkish occupation, in addition to fighting the Syrians militarily, is using water as a weapon in order to put the region under pressure.

He pointed out that what complicates the Syrian crisis, and the Turkish presence, is the conflict and competition between Russia and the United States of America over the region, and said: "If any kind of consensus is reached, such as any kind of power-sharing between the two parties here regarding the region, then that will be a solution, the problem will be solved easily."

He stressed that the solution to the war in Syria needs a solution based on decentralization, referring to the need to adopt the model of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, for the whole of Syria, to solve the existing crisis in the country.

The regions of north and east Syria depend in managing their regions on an experience and a political-administrative model (Autonomous Administration), which includes all segments of Syrian society and its components, through which they were able to stay away from all forms of civil wars, which made them a difficult number in the Syrian equation as Syrians, unlike the rest of the Syrian regions.

T/S

ANHA
On the sidelines of the Water Forum held in the city of Hasaka Tony Robleon asw interviewed by ANHA who confirmed Turkey by reducing the water of Euphrates seeks to ignite a civil war in the region.

On the reasons behind water cut by the Turkish occupation state Tony Robelon says they are merely politically instigated '' this is to be analyzed in connection with what happens inside Turkey for the 20 years Turkey by controlling water tries to control the Kurdish areas in Turkey and connects it to the center''. He added Turkey wants to rule the Turkish culture instead of the Kurds'.

The process is to control the political process, food and energy.

The action by Turkey is a blatant breach to the tripartite agreement between Syria, Turkey and Iraq signed 1987 relevant to water rations and allocations for each.

The Turkish penetration into Iraq territories and setting up military bases there and even in Syria via the so-called Euphrates Shield 2018.

Robelon noted that Turkish occupation state uses the water as a weapon '' via water Turkey wants to create a war between minorities and between the state and minorities this is a kind of weapon for tension to keep the region in a state of instability.

Robleon said the classic wars are obvious while the water had repercussions that would last for a very long period of time, it is worse than classical wars for it infiltrates the society and effects all classes.

As a solution to the crisis Robleon proposed to exploit the underground water and do not depend on the rivers that are being used as weapons.

In spite of the grave effects and repercussions it had and the calls made by the AANES the international community preserves silence towards all Turkish state.

L..A

ANHA
All county second graders learning 'Safety Around Water'

Instructors teach children water safety at the Hendersonville YMCA pool.

During a bright and sunny late summer day at the Hendersonville YMCA, 8-year-old Coa Myers proudly announced that he had learned how to cup water with his hands to swim back to safety.

His classmate, Lauren Miller chimed in, Its really important to know because it helps you tread water if you get tired.

These students from Mills River Elementary School, along with every other second grader in Henderson County Public Schools, are learning life-saving and life-changing water safety skills, thanks to a collaborative partnership between the Hendersonville Family YMCA and the district.

Designed to collaboratively prevent drowning incidents, the YMCAs national Safety Around Water program reaches children who are statistically at the highest risk of drowning and teaches them how to stay safe in and around water. And now, its being incorporated into HCPS whole-child education programming.

We recognize that providing equitable access to this program is a way we can proactively support the safety of our students, even when theyre not in our care, by instilling potentially life-saving lessons at a critical age, said Superintendent Dr. John Bryant. Thats why HCPS is covering both the transportation and registration costs for all our 2nd graders to participate, at no cost to them or their families.

In June, the Henderson County School Board reviewed and approved the Safety Around Water program presented by Hendersonville Family YMCAs executive director, LoriKay Paden, voting to cover the costs for all 914 second-graders in the district to participate.

Incorporating water safety lessons into our schools regular programming is something Ive been passionate about for a while, so its very exciting to work with the local YMCA to make this possible for our kids, School Board Chair Blair Craven said.

As a result, students with widely varying levels of swimming experience or exposure to water are learning important skills, including basic and survival swim skills, like pushing off the bottom of the pool to resurface (Jump, Push, Turn, Grab) and a method of swimming on the front and on the back, (Swim, Float, Swim).

Drowning is one of the leading causes of death in children, said Amy Lynn Holt, the School Board's vice chair. I'm so proud of our district for working with the YMCA and Ms. Paden to make it safer for our students to be in and around water."

As the nations leading swim instructor, the YMCA is committed to giving kids the tools they need to prevent tragedy. The YMCAs Safety Around Water program is different from a standard learn to swim class in that it focuses on teaching young children what to do if they unexpectedly find themselves in the water.

They learn what to look for in a safe place to swim, how to swim a short distance on their front, how to roll over onto their back to rest and then roll on their front again to reach safety, said Eryn Thostenson, the YMCA's aquatics director.

Sessions occur over four consecutive weeks with up to 40 students per session. In the first session, instructors visit the classroom, cover water depth, safety markings, pool rules, and the concepts of Swim, Float, Swim and Jump, Push, Turn, Grab. The remaining sessions are all held at the YMCA Hendersonville campus and include comfort in the water, and stroke development.

The course is taught by certified instructors and lifeguards and every child receives a certificate of completion and a considerable dose of new confidence around the water.

Take for example, Cooper Hartle, a second grader from Mills River Elementary. I received a note from his mom that he was really terrified of the water, said Sarah Clayton, Coopers teacher. That first week, he hung on to the sides of the pool, and the second week he slowly progressed a bit more. We didnt push him. We just let him find his own comfort level, and now there he is this week out there swimming with the instructor."

Its so impressive what these instructors can do with this many kids in these 40-minute sessions, said Ryan Mitchell, another second-grade teacher at Mills River Elementary. Ten years from now these kids are going to be somewhere at a lake or a pool, and they may be in a situation where what theyve learned here will be invaluable."

Having Henderson County Public Schools provide this opportunity to our community's youth will be beneficial beyond the obvious life-saving skills, said Thostenson. Today, we worked with 77 kids with a variety of comfort levels and the highlights were that we had one student who was reluctant to work with our instructors, but today he left the edge of the pool with us.

Thostenson said another student learned how to slide in and out of the pool on her own. For these and so many other achievements, we are grateful to Henderson County Public Schools for their vision and we look forward to fostering these relationships for years to come," she said.
Legislators seek answers on liquor delivery problems

Spiritous liquor is still in short supply in ABC stores across the state, and supply still isnt keeping up with demand. Republican lawmakers say things are getting even worse.

Rep. Tim Moffitt, a Henderson County Republican who has emerged as a leader in the House ABC reform, and other members of the N.C. House Alcoholic Beverage Control Committee spent more than two hours Wednesday, Sept. 29, trying to determine whats going on with the N.C. ABC Commission and warehouse operator LB&B Associates.

Moffitt, after the meeting, said he now has more questions than answers.

This issue has really been compounded itself for the past four or five months.

Moffitt, who chairs the ABC committee, says lawmakers will continue to dig deeper, and the issue was referred to the Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations. The ABC committee was scheduled to consider a pair of bills Wednesday, but neither was heard.

Moffitt related a story of his own businesses, saying his company is updating database software in place for decades. But, he said Moffitt, the company isn't doing it in front of the customer, who ultimately suffers.

Such is now the case with LB&B.

ABC chairman A.D. "Zander" Guy Jr. resigned as chairman of the ABC Commission more than a week ago. ABC spokesman Jeff Strickland offered no additional information. Guys resignation came amid liquor supply shortages, in part because of problems with the global supply chain but largely because of issues with LB&B Associates.

The ABC Commission in March voted unanimously to recommend that the state award a new 10-year contract for warehouse services to LB&B, the target of an audit in 2018 that has, over previous years, cost the state about $13.5 million. The ABC concurred with the audit and promised to fix the myriad issues, including a focus on accountability and efficient delivery.

The agreement, the ABC says, includes a requirement of nearly error-free and on-time deliveries as well as increased delivery frequency to the states 171 local ABC boards. LB&B has operated the state warehouse system since 2003, Thompson said. The state has two warehouses, in Garner and, most recently, Clayton.

Wednesdays meeting touched on the audit but also the continuing problems with supplies at local ABC stores, which the warehouse operators blame on a new software system implemented by LB&B in early July, now some three months ago.

The problems are getting worse, Moffitt said during the hearing. Lawmakers for months now have fielded complaints from most types of private entities that serve alcohol, including bars and restaurants. ABC store shelves are bare across the state, even as neighboring states arent seeing issues anywhere near as severe as North Carolinas.

Moffitt and fellow lawmakers have taken the questions, but the answers are few. Benjamin Thompson, outside counsel for LB&B, and Terrance Merriweather, who stepped in for Guy, tried to answer lawmakers questions. The hearing led to little news, as the problems with the warehouse and state-controlled system are widely known and much talked about.

The real problem is a monopolistic, antiquated system established some 85 years ago to appease towns and counties resisting the sale of alcohol by, in essence, buying them off with a cut of the proceeds.

The answers from lawyers and ABC officials who addressed the committee carried a similar thread: blame.

Blame that focused on issues with the global supply chain, on an increase in volume partly because people are drinking now because of the pandemic, on a shortage of workers, on an older warehouse and on drivers.

The biggest alleged culprit? A new software system was implemented in early July and, says Thompson, customers are still learning to use it. Some local ABC boards are reluctant to use the new system at all, continuing to use the older system, which connects suppliers and customers with the warehouse.

Sen. Todd Johnson, R- Union, told Thompson the lawyer offered many reasons for the issues but failed to articulate the biggest failure.

Which one is it? asked Johnson, who Moffitt invited to the meeting.

Its all of them, answered Thompson.

Merriweather, for his part, said the ABC is committed to solving the issues and has implemented training sessions for the software, as well as focus groups that bring up issues and problems. He says the ABC is committed to full transparency.

Which does little to fix things, however.

Johnson said he sees billboards and banners sending people to South Carolina to get rare liquor.

There, the shelves are full, he said. Whats the difference?

Thompson debated the point and told a story of being taken to the back of one South Carolina store, which was piled with what he called junk. He said he was told the store had to buy the junk so it could, in turn, buy the rare bourbon.

Thompson says the state keeps $40 million to $60 million worth of liquor in the two facilities, and the LB&B contract stipulates the operator must take inventory by July. That was delayed because of the Independence Day holiday and didnt start until July 5. Deliveries fell behind, and we could not catch up and keep up on those five days, Thompson says.

The loads from the warehouse doubled in August over July.

We believe the delivery issues are now on track, said Thompson, who blamed a learning curve. He said the state is delivering more liquor than the contract stipulates, but its still not enough. He said many provisions in the new contract are difficult to meet.

Committee Co-Chair Rep. Jamie Boles, R-Moore, said LB&B probably waited too long to teach people to use the system.

Nobody likes change, Boles said, but I dont think there was enough time prepared on behalf of LB&B  to work with local boards in teaching the new computer system.

Moffitt visited the ABC warehouses about three weeks ago, he said.

No shopping bags, and no register to buy anything. The buildings, he said, were full.

But I did find the missing alcohol, including cases of Buffalo Trace and Weller bourbons, which are difficult if not nearly impossible to buy throughout most of the year in North Carolina. The bourbons, made at the Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky, simply sat there, Moffitt said. No one seemed to be readying it for sale or distribution.
Pipeline

16 September 2021

Six Senses to Add Second Branded Property in the Maldives - Kanuhura - on the Private Island Hideaway of Lhaviyani Atoll

Encompassing three private islands - two deserted neighboring islands and Kanuhura itself - this laid-back retreat is the epitome of white sands, turquoise lagoons, lush tropical greenery and gently swaying palm trees to doze under. This second collaboration with Singapore-based Hotel Properties Limited (HPL) will adopt the Six Senses brand in late 2022 as a northerly sister to the popular Six Senses Laamu. Until then, it is available for bookings through www.kanuhura-maldives.com and www.ihg.com, and guests can earn and spend IHG Rewards points and experience exclusive benefits as the resort joins the award-winning loyalty program.

When it adopts the Six Senses brand, the resort will offer 80 private overwater, beach and spacious family villas offering sunset or sunrise views. A 40-minute seaplane flight from the main international airport on Male, the untouched paradise vibe is rivaled only by two completely deserted islands, Jehunuhura and Masleggihuraa. This is about as far away from it all as is possible without forgoing Instagram or uninterrupted sleep.

The mesmerizing natural beauty of the Maldives demands high design standards and Kanuhura has already been recognized as the Best Luxury Resort in the Maldives at the Luxury Lifestyle Awards and Best of the Best in the TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice. Sensitive enhancements are planned over the coming months including an upgrade of the overwater villas to include private pools, new family suites, new dining concepts and a pioneering wellness offering - all with the Six Senses brand's sustainability ethos in mind.

The boutique will also provide a new space dedicated to sustainable fashion. Everything has arrived at the door as mindfully and consciously as possible with a focus on creativity, forward-thinking design, and attention to detail. In short, Six Senses Kanuhura will provide the romantic setting, discreet wining and dining, star-filled skies, deserted beaches, and pioneering wellness for a restful and restorative stay.
Texas is tied for fourth place in total venture capital investment, according to a new report from investment tracking outlet Crunchbase, but its nothing to crow about.

Yes, Texas companies that received a piece of the $4.4 billion invested in 2020 are happy. Tying with Washington, where Amazon and Microsoft have headquarters, is respectable. But all-time champion California raked in $84.3 billion last year.

The state our leaders love to hate attracted 19 times more venture capital. New York attracted $17.8 billion, and VCs spent $15.9 billion in Massachusetts. With the nations second-largest population, Texas should do better.

Wealthy individuals, private equity funds and other venture capitalists invest their money in emerging businesses that show potential for rapid growth and significant profits. Venture capital is critical to developing a growing economy built on innovation, high-paying jobs and the businesses of tomorrow.

TOMLINSONS TAKE: Entrepreneurs fight climate change with new battery raw materials, recycling

When successful, a venture capitalists $1 invested in a promising start-up will return $10 or more within three to five years. When VCs put money in a state, its a vote of confidence.

Larry Cochran, a San Antonio-based serial entrepreneur and venture capitalist, is bullish on Texas. He says the state is beginning to make suitable investments in developing talent, and the COVID-19 pandemic has made it easier for VCs to do business here.

You need to build a community of trust and experience, and I can tell you that is changing rapidly in Texas, and its coming from the network of great talent thats flowing from different companies, said Cochran, who founded insurance technology firms Claimatic and Semo.

The fact VC investment in Texas has doubled in five years is proof that conditions are changing.

Cochran has witnessed the evolution. After graduating with a business degree from Texas A&M, he joined the consulting and accounting firm Arthur Andersen, specializing in turning around bankrupt and failing businesses.

He gave oil and gas a try as CEO of Pure Energy Group, an exploration and production company. But in 2006, he acquired IAS Claims Services, which he grew with the help of outside investors into one of the largest independent claims adjusting organizations in the United States.

I really jumped in and digitized that business and scaled it up, Cochran said. Several years into that business, we developed some technology to automate claims processing, and we spun that out into its own business, that became a software-as-a-service company called Claimatic.

Cochran then took a turn as a venture capitalist by investing in ID.me, a technology company that allows people to prove their identity to government agencies and businesses using an online tool. The firm just raised another $100 million in venture capital, at a valuation of $1.2 billion.

Now hes raising money from other VCs for his newest businesses. So far, its been a great experience, Cochran said. Were going to raise another round of funding here in the next three months or so.

Cochrans met with a lot of VCs over the years, and he knows the criticisms. They only want to invest in companies willing to relocate to California or the East Coast. They take a big chunk of the company and want to run it. They hate doing business in flyover states like Texas.

Texass low cost of living, however, is attracting businesses. Tech workers are moving here, and entrepreneurs are starting more tech companies. With everyone growing accustomed to teleconferencing and talent fleeing expensive coastal cities, VCs cannot skip over Texas any longer.

All these great companies coming from California to Texas are bringing loads of capital with them, and in a few years time, youre just going to see an explosion of venture-capitalized companies in Texas, Cochran said.

TOMLINSONS TAKE: High-risk, novel assets attracting investor interest could spell trouble

Texans, though, need to step up too. Cochran said oil and gas investors accustomed to risk need to diversify into startups, which can offer better returns. Opportunities are growing as Texans move back home from Silicon Valley, Cochran said.

San Antonio is becoming a tech hub thanks to the talent working at Rackspace, USAA and H-E-B. Texas A&M and the University of Texas at San Antonio are expanding computer science programs. Rice University has created the Ion tech hub in Houston.

Cochran said he is building his next company to operate without a physical space to attract the best talent. VCs are growing accustomed to virtual companies; if for no other reason, they have lower overhead.

Texas still needs to spend more on education and tech infrastructure to catch up with California when it comes to VC money. But the next tech wave is swelling, and with the right investment, the state will prosper.

Tomlinson writes commentary about business, economics and policy.

twitter.com/cltomlinson

chris.tomlinson@chron.com
Their family vacation quickly turned into their worst nightmare.

Ken Early, of Oklahoma City, and his family were in Taos, New Mexico, for vacation when he had a heart attack in the middle of a supermarket.

"I saw my mother kind of flagging me down, and my father, I could see, on the floor," Elizabeth Kolliopoulos said.

Kolliopoulos rushed over to her father.

"I immediately went in and did CPR," Kolliopoulos said.

The ambulance arrived and rushed Early to the local hospital, but they quickly realized that the rural hospital didn't have the capabilities to care for Earlys dire condition.

"The idea was, 'Let's get him Medevaced to Oklahoma City.' That's what we had to do. No hospital rooms. Not one ICU bed that could take my dad," Kolliopoulos said.

They tried other states.

"They looked in New Mexico, not a single hospital bed, ICU, that could take my father. In Kansas, nothing. In Arizona, nothing. In Texas, nothing," Kolliopoulos said.

His condition started to worsen as he started getting a fever.

"The doctor just came into the room with that look on her face where you just know, you know. That it's bad news," Kolliopoulos said.

Early, a beloved husband and father, a retired CPA who loved to travel and wear funny socks, died in Taos, New Mexico.

"It's heartbreaking to me. I just feel like we're in some sort of human crisis," Kolliopoulos said. "Because people will not get vaccinated and because people will not wear their masks this happened to our family."

In the past month, according to the state health department, more than 90% of hospitalized COVID-19 patients were not fully vaccinated.

"My father was vaccinated. My mother was vaccinated. My husband and I, we're all vaccinated," Kolliopoulos said.

Kolliopoulos said taking COVID-19 precautions could also be freeing up a hospital bed for someone else like her dad.

"If you care about your neighbor, if you care about your parents, your grandparents, please just get vaccinated," Kolliopoulos said. "Maybe my father would have died anyway. Maybe he would've died in Oklahoma, but he would have died in Oklahoma."
OnScene TV

A man visiting from the Dallas area was shot to death Sunday morning at a party in the Five Corners neighborhood of southwest Houston.

The man, believed to be in his early 20s, got into an altercation with another person at the party about 2:20 a.m. in the 4500 block of West Orem Drive, according to Houston Police Lt. Emanuel Pavel.
A 25-year-old man who entered his former southwest side high school and shot the principal Friday was targeting a counselor whom he had been holding a grudge against since 2015, according to a Harris County judge.

Dexter Kelsey's bail was set at nearly $5.3 million on combined charges of aggravated assault and deadly conduct. He remains in custody at the Harris County Jail, court records show.
As violent crime spikes in Houston, and the toll of lost lives, grieving families and fearful neighbors grows, ordinary citizens and public officials are scrambling for explanations.

Too many, however, have cast blame in the wrong direction, toward a series of badly needed  and constitutionally required  reforms to Harris Countys bail bond system. Formally implemented as part of a 2019 settlement in a federal lawsuit, the changes sought to abolish a system of poverty jailing that a judge twice concluded was unconstitutional.

As a result of the case, misdemeanor defendants awaiting trial in Harris County are no longer jailed simply because they cant afford bail. This is a hard-won accomplishment for justice and it shouldnt become lumped in with the myriad factors fueling a rise in violent felony cases.

Public officials who conflate the issues arent helping a dire situation. They are diverting attention away from the real problems that urgently need solutions.

That includes Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg. An initial supporter of misdemeanor bail reform, Ogg has added her voice to the chorus of critics pointing a finger at the reforms as a driving factor in the crime crisis gripping our community.

Ogg and her staff assert that two recently issued separate analyses of the same crime data were wrong to conclude misdemeanor bail reforms are working as intended and not responsible for the surge in violent crime, which they noted is happening in nearly every large American city. Ogg told this board last month that the way the reforms have been implemented has not protected the public.

But the district attorneys 56-page report last month to the Harris County Commissioners Court fails to substantiate that claim. Among its fundamental flaws is the lack of any mention of the countys crisis-level backlog, which Ogg herself has been emphasizing for months.

The backlog, dating back to Hurricane Harvey-related closures and exacerbated by more than a year of pandemic-related closures and delays, has resulted in as many as 139,000 cases languishing, including 73,000 involving felonies. Thats left defendants, including those released on their own recognizance or after posting bond, waiting months or years for a trial.

Oggs report also mischaracterizes key data to skew the picture of how often defendants out on bond  including those on cashless bond awaiting trial on misdemeanor charges  re-offend or miss their court dates.

Before bail reform, very few misdemeanor offenders were freed on bond, so naturally the numbers of those who commit new offenses while on bond would be less than now, when most defendants in similar cases are free while awaiting their court dates. The numbers also show there are fewer defendants facing misdemeanor charges in the first place. The number fell from 50,000 in 2015 to just over 38,000 in 2020.

Monitors appointed by the federal court overseeing the bail settlement concluded in their Sept. 3 report that the rate of re-offending among those freed on bond had fallen or stayed steady since 2015. Ogg disputes that in large part by claiming the monitors included thousands of cases involving defendants who were kept in jail  and thus unlikely to re-offend  or whose charges had been dismissed. But the monitors were right to include those cases, too, because it gives a more complete picture of the public safety problem before bail reform was implemented.

Whats more, in analyzing recidivism among misdemeanor defendants free on bond, Ogg ignores that roughly two-thirds of the misdemeanor cases filed in 2019 and 2020 were dismissed. Thats relevant because many defendants facing equally weak cases prior to 2019 pleaded guilty in order to avoid having to spend days or weeks in jail for lack of money to bond out.

Ogg also clouds the picture by noting that increasingly, judges are granting cashless, personal bonds to defendants charged with felonies. Judges issued four times as many personal bonds in felony cases from 2017 through 2020, for instance, which Ogg cites as evidence that bail reform, or at least the spirit of it, has not been solely confined to misdemeanors. She may have a point there, and there is a case in federal court seeking to reform bail in felony cases. Those changes should be debated. So should a Texas constitutional amendment that would give judges more discretion to deny bail to people posing a serious risk.

But none of that is relevant to whether the misdemeanor reforms are working in misdemeanor courts, nor whether theyre responsible for rising violent crime rates.

There is no question that violent crime is up in Houston  there have been 350 homicides in 2021, a 27 percent increase from last year  but it is also clear that this is a nationwide phenomenon. Homicides in the United States increased 29 percent from 2019 to 2020, the largest single-year increase since the FBI began tracking such statistics. This uptick has affected cities big and small, the vast majority of which have not implemented any semblance of bail reform. Many experts believe the COVID-19 pandemic is causing the uptick, but it will take much more time and data to be sure.

By singling out bail reform as a root cause of violent crime, Ogg is tailoring a conclusion to fit her thesis, and were frankly perplexed as to why. We have supported the DA in her request for more prosecutors because the case she makes for needing staff to clear the backlog makes sense. Her assault on misdemeanor bail reform is just senseless. .

We are just two years into a new bail system that was once hailed as a model for the nation. While there is still much work to be done to improve the misdemeanor system  the independent monitors note, for instance, that homeless and mentally ill people are still often kept in jail for too long before trial  what we do know is racial disparities in pretrial release have diminished. The county has saved millions in jail costs. We cant let this progress become a casualty of a political debate over crime.

Violent crime is a terrible problem in our city and it deserves urgent action from law enforcement, prosecutors and judges to address. But falsely blaming bail reform wont fix the problem. It just changes the subject.
You might think it was a crime, but last week, a grand jury did not.

The reference is to the case of one Jared Lafer. He is a white man in his 20s who, in September of last year, was driving in Johnson City, Tennessee, when he came upon a small group of Black Lives Matter protesters in a crosswalk. According to witnesses, Lafers SUV bumped a man named Johnathon Bowers, whereupon Bowers, standing directly in front of the vehicle, smacked the hood to get Lafers attention. In response, Lafer allegedly accelerated, plowing through the group and leaving Bowers with two broken legs  all of it captured on cellphone video.

Instead of stopping, Lafer continued home to Bakersville, across the border in North Carolina. There, he hired a lawyer and turned himself in two days later. His level of contrition might be judged from his social media activity afterward. The Tennessee Holler, a self-described progressive news site, grabbed a screenshot of a since-deleted posting: a meme of a relieved-looking man with the caption, When you thought you hit a dog but turns out it was just a looter.

To which someone named Jared Lafer responds, This is GREAT! with a laughing-till-you-cry emoji. Lafer is also reported to have called Black Lives Matter a Marxist group.

Yet the grand jury declined to indict him, determining that  the video and the eyewitnesses notwithstanding  there was insufficient evidence to do so. This is not a case about racism, defense attorney Mac Meade said. Because of course not. It never is. The attorney, according to WLOS-TV in Asheville, explained that Lafer simply did what he felt was necessary to get out of a situation that he felt was dangerous to his family.

So, just to make sure weve all got the picture: Hes the one who was armed with over two tons of motor vehicle while the protesters were armed with signs, peaceably using a crosswalk. But hes the victim. Hes the one who was so threatened he was entitled to use potentially lethal force.

As signs of the times go, this one is neon.

It is impossible to separate this from a spate of laws recently passed or under consideration in Republican fiefdoms to protect motorists who drive through  or over  protesters. But more broadly, what happened here is reflective of what is happening in this country as it abandons the process of seriously grappling with its heritage of racial oppression  and with the effort to repair the damage thereof  that began in the civil rights years. We have slid from that lofty peak of aspiration and idealism to this marshy ground of delusion and lies where many white people now firmly believe they are the true victims of racial oppression, where it is a matter of controversy just to declare that Black lives matter, where Jared Lafer walks free.

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That process has gone on for decades, but it accelerated under the last president, who coddled white supremacy, who gave it a platform and a sheen of respectability it had not enjoyed since the 1950s. Now its theories are promoted on cable news and embraced by Republican lawmakers. The motto of these last years might as well have been Make Bigotry Great Again, because thats what the GOP did.

And this is the price we pay. A white man with a demonstrated antipathy toward Black Lives Matter protesters drives through them in a crosswalk, injures a man  and flees the scene. Youd think that would be a crime. But this is America in 2021.

So you would be mistaken.

Leonard Pitts is a columnist for the Miami Herald.
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About This Property You know what they say about location. Sherwood Forrest is a private community about an hour's drive from Albany, 2 hours from Boston, and 3 hours from NYC. You are almost home when you turn off the Jacob's Ladder Scenic byway. Feel your blood pressure descend as you wind your way through the Berkshires and make your final approach to Big Robin Lake. The lake is perfect for swimming, fishing, or watching wildlife. Trolling motors and pontoons are allowed on this no wake lake! Details: This 4 season home sits on over half an acre with 160' of private frontage right on Lake. With over 1,400 SF of space and a three season enclosed deck with skylights, there is plenty of space to gather or seek solitude.



Land Details Community Details Acres Apx: 0.54

Parking Type: Off Street

Region: Berkshire - South

Elem School: Becket Washington

Middle School: Nessacus Regional

High School: Wahconah Regional

Exterior Details Interior Details Color: Blue

Style: Cottage

Construction: Wood Frame

Exterior: Shingle,Wood

Water: Private,Well

Sewer: Private

Underground Oil Tank: No

Views: Hill/Mountain,Scenic,Water

Waterfront: Dock,Frontage on Water,Lake,Lake View,Motorized Vehicles

Garage: None

Total Rooms: 6

Total Full Baths: 1

Fuel: Propane,Wood

Hot Water: Electric

Electric: 100 Amp

Floor: Laminate,Wood

Lead Paint: Unk

Heat/Cool: Forced Air,Wood Stove

Appliances Incl: Dishwasher,Range/Stove,Refrigerator

Accessibility: 1st Fl Bdrm,1st Flr Full Bath



Search More Properties With these Features Dock Outbuilding Porch Privacy
The arched entrance into that parking lot of the Cooper Center, known as a Palace Park, will be demolished in the coming week because of structural issues.

Pittsfield's Palace Park Arch Retiring Due to Structural Settlement



The old Palace Theater's distinctive entry arch. The building was demolished years ago.

PITTSFIELD, Mass.  The masonry arch at Palace Park on North Street will be taken down because of structural settlement that could potentially pose safety hazards.

Manager of the Cooper Center LLC  the park's owner  Robert Shan said public safety is the main concern.



"We've got some settlement, obviously we don't know how it was built but there are concerns that there's just too much settlement going on and we're concerned that the arch is getting into an unsafe condition," he explained.



"So we are removing the arch, we're not removing anything else at this time, we're going to assess what other things we can do with that area."



The work is expected to take place during the week of Oct. 4 and the timeline is set for a maximum of two days. Only the arch will be removed at the park, the surrounding brick semi-walls will stay because they do not pose a threat.



"While the foundation and the walls are settling, we're not worried about the walls falling over," Shan explained. "But as the walls sink, that arch could become disengaged and fall and we just cannot have that."



The arch is currently sectioned off with caution tape so that people do not pass under it.



Shan said there is an opportunity to do some art installations by the sidewalk in the future. The Cooper Center will be working with Pittsfield Director of Cultural Development Jennifer Glockner over the winter on a design that could enhance the aesthetics of the park and go along with the city's Downtown Streetscape Project. A peace dove at the pinnacle of arch is part of an art project in 2019.



The structure at 116 North St. dates back to the mid-1990s. It was built to commemorate the Palace Theater, a Pittsfield landmark that formerly stood on the lot.



The theater was taken down in 1993 and, in 1994, City Savings Bank purchased the property for parking. Around this time, the arch that is the pedestrian entrance to the parking lot was built.
Television and streaming platforms have made our pandemic-induced lockdown a delightful one. Now we all can be at the comfort of our homes and enjoy every drama genre and be entertained.

However, if you feel fatigued because of investing long hours in a show that has endless seasons, the concept of miniseries will make your life easier.

Twitter

Mini-series is a new concept that a lot of streaming platforms have been trying. A miniseries is a television show that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes, so you don't have to dedicate more hours to watch the story unfold.

Twitter

Without having to include or promise a long-term commitment, miniseries offer the same level of exciting storytelling, dramatic beats and give you the closure that any other show or film would promise you.



Netflix

As they say, the shorter, the sweeter! So if you're not willing to invest a hefty amount of time on a show and would instead want one that you could binge-watch and get it over with, here's a jackpot.

These shows listed below will give you adequate time to get invested and a safe amount of time to detach and hop on to another show!

1. When They See Us

The series is inspired by the infamous Central Park jogger case from 1989. The case involved Trisha Meili, a 28-year-old investment banker who was raped and assaulted as she went for a jog in Central Park, Manhattan, on 19 April 1989. Trisha was brutally beaten to death, and she slipped into a coma for 12 days. That very night, five young men  four African American and one Hispanic  were arrested in connection series of attacks in the area committed by 30 teenagers. Created and co-written, and directed by Ava DuVernay, a Golden Globe and Oscar-nominated filmmaker, Oprah Winfrey was also one of the executive producers.



Where to watch: Netflix

2. Unorthodox

Esty, a 19-year-old Jewish woman, is unhappy in her arranged marriage among the Satmar sect of the ultra-Orthodox community in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York City. Chasing her freedom, she runs away to Berlin, where her estranged mother lives.

She tries to start afresh by navigating a secular life and finally discovering that there's been a life outside her community. She rejects all beliefs she grew up with to embrace her new life. However, her estranged husband decides to travel to Berlin after he discovers that Esty is pregnant.

Where to watch: Netflix

3. Midnight Mass

The series is one of the most talked-about series on the internet right now. It revolves around the life of a minor, isolated island community and how their existing divisions get aggravated after the return of a disgraced young man and the arrival of a charismatic priest.



Where to watch: Netflix

4. Defending Jacob

This Apple TV original series will keep you hooked from the word go. This character-driven thriller is based on the 2012 New York Times best-selling novel of the same name by William Landay. An assistant DA's world changes in an instant as his beloved son gets charged with the murder of his classmate in school. The show captivates you to the world of Barber's as they go on a journey to explore the dark truth of their past and present.

Where to watch: Apple TV

5. Unbelievable

Everyone should watch this show! One of the most feminist shows you'll ever watch; this show is based on real-life events. The story starts with a teenager named Marie who reports her assault, but as her circumstances unfold, she withdraws her claim. She loses her job, friends and is shamed and accused of fabricating the whole incident. However, when two female detectives in other parts of the USA investigate different cases, it corroborates her story. The show will need your attention, empathy, and sympathy to understand the ordeal of women who suffer such attacks.

Where to watch: Netflix

6. Clickbait

Clickbait is a story that takes a closer look at modern-day living, and it will feel so authentic and apt that you could easily believe that it's based on a true story. The show revolves around the disappearance of Nick Brewer, who is abducted by a mysterious online presence. While the police and Nick's family struggle to figure out who seized him, there is some bitter truth that everyone has to gulp down!



Where to watch: Netflix

7. Scenes From A Marriage

Written, directed, and executive produced by Hagai Levi (Our Boys, The Affair, HBO's In Treatment), the show is a modern adaptation of Ingmar Bergman's classic Swedish series of the same name.

The show is focused on Mira (Jessica Chastain), a confident, ambitious tech executive who is dissatisfied in her marriage to Jonathan (Oscar Isaac). Oscar is an accommodating, hyper-intellectual philosophy professor who is hell-bent and desperate to keep his marriage intact. The five-part limited series is an open day on the modern-day marriage of an American couple.

Where to watch: Disney+Hotstar

8. Maniac

When two strangers give their nod for a mysterious pharmaceutical trial for a drug, they're assured there would be no complications or side effects. However, as their story unfolds, you realize a lot wasn't told to them.



Where to watch: Netflix

9. Collateral

This British drama and thriller series was written and created by David Hare and directed by S.J. Clarkson. This series is a four-part show, i.e., it contains only four episodes. The series is "a police procedural without any of that police attitudinizing." The show gives you a closer look at four tense days in the capital, and the Home Counties as the news of the cold-blooded shooting of a pizza delivery man breaks on the streets of South London.

The victim is a Syrian asylum seeker, but his killing makes everyone doubtful of a professional assassination.

Where to watch: Netflix

10. I May Destroy You

Netflix

The show looks like a commentary on facts based on sexual consent in contemporary life. The series gives you a closer look at the landscape of dating and relationships and is a legit handbook on drawing the thin line between liberation and exploitation.

Where to watch: Disney+Hotstar


The June 7, 1893 train incident that took place at the Pietermaritzburg train station in South Africa, is often cited as the turning point in the life of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.

The much-cited and equally dramatised incident has been documented not just in the official records of the Government of India, but even by the Mahatma himself in his autobiography - My Experiments with Truth.

Wikipedia

In the June of that year, the London-trained, Gujarati-speaking lawyer from Porbandar was on his way to Pretoria to settle a dispute pertaining to his client Dada Abdullah Jhaveri.

"I sat and shivered"

Despite having the tickets for the First Class, Gandhi was thrown off the compartment, which, the authorities claimed, was reserved only for the white.

My overcoat was in my luggage, but I did not dare to ask for it lest I should be insulted again, so I sat and shivered... There was no light in the room, Gandhi wrote in his autobiography. In what undoubtedly hints that it could have been at this point that the thoughts of fighting for his rights were born.

2nd October Gandhi Jayanti Holiday | Photo: TOI Bangalore

Gandhi goes on to say - "Should I fight for my rights and go back to India or should I go on to Pretoria without minding the insults... It would be cowardice to run back to India without fulfilling my obligation."

The humiliation during the night spent at the Waiting Hall of the empty station led to the mobilisation of Indians in Durban and Gandhi formed the Natal Indian Congress.



Protests by the white community

Though he returned to India in 1896, he was called by the Natal Indian Congress to Durban. The Indian High Commission in Pretoria notes that there were -massive protests by the white community - who did not allow Gandhi to disembark the ship.

"The ship was kept in quarantine for three weeks and when he was finally allowed to come ashore he was attacked by a mob and brutally beaten," it says. Gandhi then went on to form the Ambulance Corps of around 1100 strength with a motive to support the British in the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902. He hoped that that supporting the British could mean a better life for Indians in Transvaal and South Africa. He was, however, disappointed.

TOI

Landed him in jail

In the year 1902, after a brief return to India, Gandhi formed the Transvaal British Indian Association in Johannesburg. His refusal to leave Transvaal landed him in jail for two months.

This was the first of his four terms in jail at the Old Fort Prison Complex in South Africa. Besides this, Gandhi was imprisoned in Volksrust [1908], Pretoria [1909] and Volksrust [1913].

"In 1910, Mahatma Gandhi founded the Tolstoy Farm on the outskirts of Johannesburg to prepare satyagrahis... In 1912, the South African Native National Congress [pre-cursor to ANC] was formed with John Dube," the High Commission in South Africa notes.

Rare Photo of Indian Freedom Fighter Mahatma Gandhi | funalive

Launched Volkrust Satyagraha

In the year 1913, Gandhi launched the famous Volkrust Satyagraha, protesting against the humiliating pass laws, disobeying which had landed him in jail. It was here that Gandhi, as well as Kasturba Gandhi, were imprisoned again.

Ultimately, however, the Indian Relief Act was passed, thrashing the discriminatory pass laws. The professional stint, for which Gandhi, the lawyer, landed in South Africa in 1883, stretched to 21 long years, that shaped the experiments which he once again unveiled against the British rule in India upon his arrival at Mumbai on January 9, 1915.
A member of the Slaintecare Implementation Advisory Council (SIAC) says he is "not surprised" the council has been disbanded by the Minister of Health.

Stephen Donnelly wrote to members last night informing them the council would be disbanded and a new group would advise the Department of Health on the regional health areas only, a controversial part of Slaintecare, which has so far not been implemented.

The Implementation Advisory Council, was hit by multiple resignations recently, including that of its Chairman Tom Keane, Dr Anthony O'Connor and Executive Director Laura Maghey, over dissatisfaction with progress in reforming Ireland's healthcare system.

Mr Donnelly and Secretary General of the Department of Health Robert Watt, have both come under fire for their attitude towards the project and council in recent weeks.

Dr Anthony O'Connor said in his resignation letter that he felt the project "was doomed to fail" after a meeting with Robert Watt.

Liam Doran, a member of the council, received a letter from Minister of Health Stephen Donnelly last night, informing him about the establishment of the new group.

"Obviously it's one of disappointment, the council has asked for an extension of this term of office for three months in light of the recent difficulties which became public," he said on Sunday.

"So it's disappointing to see that the minister, who has his prerogative, has decided not to grant our request.

I'm not really surprised, I think nobody likes criticism and we obviously have been critical in recent weeks about the pace of progress and the nature of progress.

"So, not surprised but disappointed because at the end of the day the Council were set up to monitor and comment on the ongoing implementation of the totality of this Slaintecare report, that's what we've always tried to do.

"Members of the Council, including the chair, have said recently that they view progress as impossible because of the lack of governance and accountability and commitment. We can't ignore that.

"In our engagement over the last couple of weeks, we've had no explanation from the government, or from senior management as to how very, very excellent people like Tom Keane can arrive at that conclusion.

"But we now have a minister who has decided to dispense with our services and set up a group which has a one item agenda, of monitoring the regional health authorities, which is not the totality of Slaintecare and that of itself is disappointing as well."

Liam Doran, a member of the council, said: "Members of the Council, including the chair, have said recently that they view progress as impossible because of the lack of governance and accountability and commitment. We can't ignore that." Picture: Sam Boal/Photocall Ireland

Mr Doran says he wishes "the new group well" however has concerns that the entire Slaintecare report will now not be implemented.

"To have a narrow focus like that, that one of the difficulties about the implementation of Slaintecare since the report was born, is that the political oversight at the highest level has been lacking, the original report called for a cabinet subcommittee to monitor implementation," he said.

"The report called for the office of the Slaintecare to have access to the Taoiseach, as well as reporting to the Department of Health.

"The other type of high level structures, which will ensure the totality of the report is implemented, and regional health authorities critical and vital as they are, are not the only part of Slaintecare which is in difficulty as far as we can read at the moment.

"So, there's a need for a council, if the minister doesn't like this council. Well then, I still would hope that notwithstanding his initial decision, this will be reviewed."

Responding to the letter sent by Mr Donnelly, Social Democrats co-leader Roisin Shortall says describing the resignations as "casting a shadow" is really insulting.

"I think it was misplaced and I also think that there is an attempt here to silence those people and to gloss over the fact that the reform programme is being delayed and being blocked," said Ms Shortall.

She said all those who have resigned from Slaintecare did so out of pure frustration.

They are all saying that there is no commitment within the Department of Health to implement it and senior officials are working to block it, Ms Shortall said.

"I believe those people," she added.

Unless the minister and the Taoiseach actually stand up to those people who are blocking the reform then Slaintecare will be dead."

They are all saying that there is no commitment within the Department of Health to implement it and senior officials are working to block it, Roisin Shortall said. Picture: Damien Storan.

Labour's health spokesperson Duncan Smith said news of the new group is a worrying development.

"Its worrying to see that a new group will be set up to just deal with regionalisation  this flies in the face of the original aims of the Slaintecare Advisory Group," he said.

"Rather than instructing new people, the most common sense thing to do would be to extend the lifetime of the Advisory Group and ensure they have the political support required for change."

He said the recent resignations made it clear there is a communication breakdown between Mr Donnelly and the group adding that the new group is likely to run into the very same issues unless there is meaningful change.

Mr Smith called on the health minister to give an honest and full account on the future of Slaintecare and echoed Roisin Shortall's calls for the Taoiseach to intervene in the matter.
Two men have been arrested after a man was allegedly stabbed in the face during a violent row in Longford last night.

It's understood a Lithuanian man in his late 30s was allegedly attacked in an apartment on the Strokestown road area of the county town at around 10pm.
Theyre coming home. In April 2021, for the first time since 1851, the population in what's now the Republic of Ireland was estimated to have passed the five million mark. Part of this story has to do with returning Irish nationals.

According to CSO findings last month, 65,200 people immigrated to Ireland in the year to April 2021, 30,200 of whom were returning Irish nationals, the highest number of returning Irish nationals since 2007.

The numbers returning (30,200) almost coincides with the amount by which our population increased in the 12 months to April 2021  34,000. However, the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) says it is uncertain how migration will evolve as a result of the pandemic.

Because of the pandemic, we are uncertain about how migration will evolve over the coming years, said Adele Bergin, a researcher at the macroeconomics department of the ESRI.

As a result of the pandemic, if people are more uneasy about travel or have concerns that public health restrictions may be re-imposed etc, they may be less likely to move, so there is a lot of uncertainty here, she said.

The ESRI provides evidence-based research, which is used to inform public policy debate and decision-making. Ms Bergin estimated that net immigration (immigration less emigration) will reach about 30,000 people  around the same number that made our population pass the 5m mark this year.

Given the recovery under way in the Irish economy, I would imagine net immigration will move to somewhere in the region of +15,000 to +30,000 over the coming years.

However, this is very much driven by expected economic conditions, explained Ms Bergin.

There have also been reports of Irish people returning home permanently, because of the pandemic, from places such as Australia and Canada, where they might not have had permanent residency or citizenship. Another reason for returning home is the advancement of remote working.

The Irish Examiner spoke with Irish people around the world  who emigrated as far back as 40 years ago to as recently as 10 years ago  to see if they would make the permanent return home, and to hear their reflections on the Ireland that they had left behind.

Gavin Gollogley: from Louth to Hong Kong via Sydney Louth man Gavin Gollogley has what he describes as a "multinational family". His wife Carmela is Filipino, his eldest daughter Mia, 14, was born in Australia and his two younger daughters Zoe, 10, and Ava, 8, were both born in Hong Kong where the family now call home. Gavin is nearly 20 years out of Ireland having left in 2002, right on the cusp of his 30s, and right in the middle of our Celtic Tiger. "I was a late backpacker at 29," explains Gavin, over Zoom from Hong Kong. In his backpack he took a degree and master's in computer applications from DCU, and four years' work experience on Ireland.com - which was one of the first iterations of the irishtimes.com. "It was a real hay day in the Irish Times, and hanging out with journalists was super. The web traffic was crazy and there were about 50-strong-plus staff but then we brought in a paywall," explains Gavin. He took voluntary redundancy and decided to follow a lifelong urge he had to visit Australia. "I had always wanted to go to Australia and the clock was ticking as there was a one-year working holiday VISA I could avail of up to the age of 30. So when I flew out to Australia I had been dating someone and we broke up at the airport. "It was an itch you can't not scratch so I had to do it," says Gavin. Several serendipitous situations occurred in that first year. Gavin took his first swimming lessons while in Australia, meeting a girl in the pool while doing so. He also needed to have a surgical procedure done during this time and had been paying his VHI back home. And as he had been busy travelling, he never secured a "white collar job" in those early months. All of this came to mean he travelled home to Ireland for an operation. While he thought the Australian dream was over, during his six weeks of recovery it dawned on him he had three months left on his VISA. "I said to myself: 'I'll go back. I have this beautiful girl back there'. And when I got back with two weeks left on the VISA I got a job I would spend the next eight years in," says Gavin. And what about the girl from the pool?" I married the girl and we bought a house in Sydney and had a child (Mia) there too," he adds. Gavin Gollogley in Bundanoon with his wife Carmela in 2006. In 2010, a call came in from a friend in Hong Kong. "Gavin, would you like to come work with me?" is a summary of the call. The family of three left their life in Sydney behind for a new one in Hong Kong. "If someone had given us a plane ticket back to Sydney in those first few months we would have gone back. With the high rises and the super small apartments - it was some culture shock," says Gavin. However, 11 years and two children later, it is where the "multinational" family of five now call home. And where Gavin works for Sun Life as chief client experience and marketing officer for the whole of Asia. Read More Niamh Hourigan: Population growth opens a new chapter in the story of Irish society Pre-Covid they got out of the city and moved to a "village house" which means they're a four-minute walk to the beach where they take their dog and paddleboard on a regular basis. "It's a good life," says Gavin. But is it good enough to stay or would a return to Ireland ever be on the cards? "For the first two weeks of July for the last 18 years we have come home. Those two weeks are my favourite weeks of the year. It's unlikely it's going to be sunny but it feels fresh and the smell of my parents house and the cooking - I just love it. Those two weeks are special for my kids, it's a magical time," says Gavin. Gavin and Carmela Gollogley in Sydney in 2008. Gavin says the "right opportunity" would have to present itself for a move back to Ireland. The summer of 2018 trip was an especially memorable one, with Carmela saying to him at Dublin Airport: "If you ever want to go back...." The "right opportunity" would have to present itself for a move home, says Gavin. However, Hong Kong remains home for now with the connection to Ireland nurtured through things like The Late Late Toy Show - an unmissable annual family affair for the Gollogleys. And does he see his native home as having changed much in the intervening 20 years? "The year I left it was 'up up up' with the property prices and it was the year people bought a lot of luxuries for themselves. But now I go home and I see a lot more diversity with many different races of people and inclusion with the passing of gay marriage. And religion for sure has changed too - when we're home we go to church with my parents and there are definitely less people there than in 2002," says Gavin. "On a micro level though it doesn't feel it has changed," he adds, "it's still the same topics on Joe Duffy."

Eva O'Connor: from Clare to London via the Edinburgh Fringe Festival

Awarding-winning writer and actor Eva O'Connor has a "huge respect" for London.

"I had this realisation a while ago - I was going to a meeting in central London, and I thought: 'I've forged a path for myself that means I'm living in the city, I've earned my place here'," explains the Co. Clare woman.

Eva O'Connor early in her Edinburgh days.

So far she has multiple runs at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival under her belt, several award-winning plays that have toured both here, the UK and New York, as well as adapting one of them for the BBC - Overshadowed.

She left Ireland in 2009 to study English and German at the University of Edinburgh, a location that allowed her to follow her desire to write and perform.

"I had been in a play with Manchan Magan in Dublin before I Ieft, so I went to Edinburgh thinking: 'I want to get into this'. I started writing my own work in first year and I put on a one-woman show. Someone saw it and said to put it on at the Edinburgh Fringe - I didn't even know what that was, I didn't know about flyering or anything.

"Then 10 friends came over from Dublin to me in my one bedroom in a rented house and they helped and flyer-ed. We were so green and blissfully ignorant and I started bringing shows every year," explains Eva.

"All I knew was that I wanted to stay in theatre when I graduated as I had built a theatre company and I wanted to keep making. I applied to go to drama school in London and I didn't think anymore than that and I've been here ever since," she adds.

Eva O'Connor in one of the many plays she has appeared in. "I've forged a path for myself that means I'm living in the city, I've earned my place here."

Eva met Hildegard Ryan during her college days and the two have worked together ever since, bringing to stage most recently the play Afloat which took on the issue of climate change, as well as friendship.

London's proximity to home has meant Eva has had the best of both worlds as an emigrant.

"I have always gone home a lot and I do go home a lot for work so that staves off my craving to come home permanently. But, we went to West Cork recently and I thought: 'I could stay here' but then you have to imagine all the trade-offs for the type of work I do.

"London is so amazing, you live alongside so many cultures. I have huge respect for London as a city, but I wouldn't say I'm a Londoner. People only say that if you've grown up here," explains Eva, which brings her to one of the core reasons Irish people do move home.

"I did a poem for the London Irish Centre and I performed it in the Irish embassy, and there was a line in it about Irish people having children with English accents. So many people related to that and told me the moment their kid turned around with an English accent was a moment they considered their ties with home."

Most Irish people will say 'We'll move home eventually'. Very few people are fully settled here, it's just that homing instinct we have as Irish people but we still are fully committed to our lives here. But I've met Irish people in their 80s who talk about moving home," adds Eva.

Eva O'Connor on stage at the VAULT Festival. "All I knew was that I wanted to stay in theatre when I graduated."

For now, while the air feels "cleaner" in Ireland, there is always a sense of "excitement" when Eva's plane touches down in London.

She might not be moving home any time soon, but she is able to work both here and in the UK. Her recent play Afloat was supported by Culture Ireland and just ran at the Edinburgh Fringe but will tour here in 2022, as will her multi award-winning play Mustard, which was produced by Irish theatre company Fishamble.

Noelle McCarthy: from Cork to New Zealand via Cork Opera House Cork woman Noelle McCarthy, a well-known voice in New Zealand from her broadcasting days on Radio New Zealand (RNZ), left Ireland twice. In 2001, she went backpacking for a year but on landing in New Zealand in 2002, stayed for nine. This brought her up to 2011, the height of the crash in Ireland and a year where more than 80,000 people emigrated from Ireland. Noelle chose 2011 to return. What would make some return to a country in a deep recession? "I was really homesick, I had been away for 10 years and I had come home for a holiday and had a great time," explains Noelle. Noelle was a college friend of Mary Hickson, who was CEO of Cork Opera House at the time, and a job came up there. Noelle McCarthy in 2001 with her Dad before she left Ireland for the first time. "I got a job there, and I sort of felt the whole time I had been in New Zealand that I had never stopped missing Ireland. I had had great career opportunities in New Zealand, but I thought about making Ireland my home again," says Noelle. "I enjoyed being back, it was lovely being near my family, but I missed radio and I missed broadcasting," adds Noelle. So when Radio New Zealand rang her with an offer she was, in fact, ready to go back. "There was a wrench leaving my family but I was excited," says Noelle from her home in New Zealand, where she's just read her four-year-old daughter Eve her bedtime story. But back to 10 years ago when she left Ireland for the second time, and again it was not a straight route to New Zealand. "The following year I met my husband (John Daniell) in Auckland, he had been living in France, he's a retired rugby player and had been there for 20 years. When we met I went over to France for a few months and we came back to New Zealand together, we bounced between Europe and New Zealand for a while seeing which would work," explains Noelle. Noelle McCarthy with her husband John Daniell and daughter Eve in New Zealand now "It was the long-standing question in our lives: 'Where will we live?'" she adds. Eventually New Zealand won out with the couple marrying in 2018, a year after their daughter Eve was born and the same year the couple started their podcast production company, Bird of Paradise. After 20 years abroad, Noelle is anything but ambivalent about her life choices and where she has ended up on the map. "I love New Zealand and I love the life we have here and all the different freedoms we have here, the work we are able to do. I live in a small community now Featherston on the North Island. Things have always felt possible here and I have beautiful friends here too," says Noelle of her life abroad. "After 20 years I feel I am more culturally suited here," she adds. And what of home? As is the great worry of every emigrant, Noelle's mother became ill and died at the start of the pandemic in March 2020. Noelle McCarthy with her daughter Eve in 2019 in Cork. "I idealise Ireland a lot. Things are either very funny or sad. I'd be interested to know if other emigrants feel like that." She was able to travel home to be by her bedside but because of the increasing alarm over the virus had to return to her daughter and life in New Zealand before her mother passed, in case she would be locked out. "It was incredibly surreal saying goodbye to her. I feel so grateful I was able to be there because that's the awful fear for every emigrant, but I missed her funeral," says Noelle. Due to the ongoing restrictions and travel uncertainty she has not returned to Ireland since, noting that the pandemic has changed the emigrant experience. "Ireland was always just two very long plane rides away, now everything is different. It's hard not knowing when you can come back," says the broadcaster. Having missed the entirety of the Celtic Tiger or as Noelle says "the era of people going to weddings on helicopters", her perception of Ireland is not based around economic stability or instability, but rather, emotionality. "I think the thing I notice most about Ireland is the emotional intensity. In New Zealand people are quite practical and understated. In Ireland things can be intense, but that's possibly because of the emigrant coming back. I idealise Ireland a lot. Things are either very funny or sad. I'd be interested to know if other emigrants feel like that," she says.

Eileen Littorin: from Cork city to Stockholm

Cork woman Eileen Littorin is nearly 20 years out of Ireland, and is on the cusp of becoming a Swedish citizen.

Her journey to Sweden began when she met her now husband and the father of her two children at the end of her Erasmus year in Germany in 2002.

"With six weeks to go I met this Swede. We were really young, I was 22 and he was 24. I had a year left in UCC and he had a year left in university in Stockholm. So we said: 'Let's just see what happens,' and 10 months later I moved to Sweden.

"Thank god for Ryanair because back then you could go from Cork to Stockholm, and we went back and forth in our final year every four or six weeks. The internet was terrible and we had dial-up at home. We would chat on MSN messenger and I remember Meteor were relatively new and they were giving the cheapest phone calls," says Eileen, who teaches at an international school in Stockholm.

In the intervening years there has been time spent in Canada, Tuam (for teacher training) and five years in Berlin - where the couple married in August 2010.

Magnus and Eileen in 2004. "We would chat on MSN messenger."

"In 2012, we decided to come back to Stockholm because we were thinking of starting a family and we had been saving and wanted to buy a house and settle down - we've been here since," says Eileen, who adds, "the feet are still itchy but now we have two children, David, 7 and Sophia, 6."

Is everything we hear about the cost of living and raising a family in Sweden true?

When their two children were in creche at the same time, and nappies were even included, it cost the couple 180 a month.

"And that's the top end of the payment," explains Eileen, as people who earn less would receive a great State subsidy towards childcare.

Right now, both of her children are in school until 1pm and are registered with an after-school service until 5.30pm. That equates to about 40 hours of registered care a week and the cost of that?

"150 for the two of them for the month," says Eileen.

Her children also have access to free healthcare until they're 18 and the dentist until they're 25, and if they are sick and unable to attend school, a parent receives a payment to stay at home and mind them.

"When you have a child it's very gender neutral, the father is expected to do the same as the mother," says Eileen.

She describes Sweden as having a "socialist mentality".

Eileen, with her husband Magnus and her two children David and Sophia in Stockholm, where the cost of their after-school service for a month costs 150 in total.

"You're happy to pay your taxes because everyone is entitled to the same level of benefit because everyone contributes, you can contribute what you can. It's a very nice place to live as there is no judgement, there is no stigma. We pay 34% tax. It's the place to have kids, it's the place to have a family, you don't need a nanny," says the Cork woman.

And what of Ireland?

"When I touch down in Ireland it just feels like a part of my soul is complete again. I know it sounds cheesy, but seeing the green and knowing what's waiting for me; the culture and family. I've been gone so long but I never feel I've left," says Eileen.

Would she ever return?

"I would love it from a social side - knowing everyone has your back, but it would turn our lives upside down in terms of getting on the property ladder, commuting and schools. But I miss that cultural aspect where we take care of other people - but it's one of the sacrifices you have to make," she says.

Enda Murray: from Drogheda to London to Sydney Enda Murray, 60, is gone from Ireland nearly 40 years - he's gone from making dollar-a-minute calls home at Christmas to having instant connectivity via social media. "I listen to the Late Date on RTE radio - they play Phil Lynott and Rory Gallagher. I'd be listening to the sea area forecast in Belmullet while walking the dog," says Enda, who lives in Sydney, Australia. "The way media and social media now is, it allows you to see where your family is going on their Sunday walk, you're very connected compared to my own experience when we first landed in Australia in 1996, when a phone call at Christmas would cost you a dollar a minute," he adds. Enda Murray, who founded and nowadays runs the Irish Film Festival in Sydney. There is another facet to his emigrant experience - Australia wasn't his first port of call, London was. Originally from Drogheda, Co. Louth, Enda left Ireland in 1985 for London - there were several reasons behind his move. "I had finished a degree at Trinity College in Dublin, it was a science degree and I wasn't very interested in it. I had also spent a summer in New York which gave me a taste for living abroad. "I am also one of 14, and so I needed to get away to develop as a person. I found a large family was very suffocating so I wanted to get away. And in general, Ireland was pretty depressed in the mid-80s and London was the place to go," explains Enda. Read More Locked down and locked in: Irish emigrants in Australia experiencing the worlds toughest rolling lockdowns It was here that the science graduate embraced the arts and began working in film and music - an exciting lifestyle that saw him study for an MA at the famous art college, St Martin's, for the "grand sum of 1 thanks to the socialist mayor of London at the time - Ken Livingstone," and live in very affordable accommodation. "Initially it was quite fun, underground in London with film and music was interesting and it was cheap and there was a lot of squatting - that kind of lifestyle was possible back then," says Enda. However, after 10 years in London he wanted out and that's when Australia appeared on the horizon. "I wanted to move on and long-term it wasn't very attractive to stay in England long term," explains the filmmaker. The military campaign was going on in Northern Ireland and I was conscious of my accent. His brother was living in Australia at the time so Enda went out to see him, a place he has stayed ever since and where he now has two teenage daughters. He works as an arthouse filmmaker and has a PhD in film, which allows him to teach as well. He also founded and runs the Irish Film Festival in Sydney. One of the core reasons for starting the festival was to "facilitate" a connection with home. But would he ever return? "I wouldn't permanently be far away from my children, but I do certainly think that I would enjoy spending time in Ireland. The last 18 months with Covid has made that more acute because I've realised the conservatism that exists in Australia and the xenophobia, it's a very socially conservative country, and Ireland seems more developed," says Enda. Enda is neither nostalgic about Ireland, nor does he have one single "crystallised memory" of it because technology allows him to be both present in Ireland and Australia, but he does hold ambivalence about his native country - something he describes as the "emigrant's curse". "As a migrant you're always going to be resentful of the place you left for pushing you out and at the same time you love because it's where you grew up and where you have formative memories of," says Enda, "and that's the emigrant's curse".

Fiona McEntee: from Dublin law student to Chicago lawyer and mum of two

The first time Fiona McEntee left Ireland she never imagined she would be "almost" gone for good. What began as a year abroad to Chicago during her law degree in UCD, turned into setting up home in Chicago, with a husband, two children and a thriving law practice of her own.

"The first time I left I never imagined I would be almost gone for good, it was more like: 'Let's just go to Chicago for a year'. It was my first time being away and when I got there I remember sitting on the back porch of the house and thinking: 'What have I done?'," remembers Fiona.

She was 20, and the year was 2002, just 12 months shy of the first anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. The year in DePaul University, as well as a summer internship, gave her the bug for America.

"I felt in the US you could make your own dreams, and at home I never knew any lawyers or any judges, and in the US it felt like that didn't really matter," explains Fiona, who returned to Chicago in 2005 to start on her path of qualifying as a US lawyer.

"I never thought I wasn't coming back," says Fiona, adding that she met her husband on her second night back in 2005.

Fiona McEntee at her 2005 UCD graduation with her parents. "I would have thought my parents' age group were conservative before I left but our idea of conservative is a moderate democrat in the US."

But the pivotal moment, the line in the sand where Chicago felt like it was becoming a permanent home occurred around a conversation with her brother Ray.

She had been a solo practitioner until she set up her own immigration law firm in late 2009, early 2010. Her brother was out visiting her with their parents and a conversation began around him moving to Chicago to help her start what would become a family business.

"I said: 'What if you moved out and helped grow the firm?' And then over the next few months we started talking and he came out. We work with a lot of professional athletes who are immigrating here and he's been phenomenal. Ray's married with kids now too," says Fiona.

Working in immigration has given her a front-row seat to American life, but it also has sharpened her to change at home.

"One thing that stands out in my mind is the political nature of the two countries. I would have thought my parents' age group were conservative before I left but our idea of conservative is a moderate democrat here," explains Fiona.

Fiona McEntee: "The first time I left I never imagined I would be almost gone for good."

"In Ireland it's a given we have a social welfare system and access to third-level education but Bernie Sanders [Vermont Senator and former US presidential candidate] is considered crazy trying to get the rights we take as human rights," she adds. Ireland on the other hand, she notices change in the make-up of our population every time she returns home.

"I've noticed it's become a lot more multicultural and metropolitan. When it's gradual you probably don't notice it, but anytime I'm home I see more and more immigrant communities and the types of stores that you would maybe would have only seen in London," notes Fiona.

While Chicago is home for now, walking up to passport control in Dublin airport remains an "emotional" exercise.

"I always get so emotional, I love walking up with my passport and they (immigrant control staff) always welcome me home and they're always so friendly, or there's some banter about the bags at the belt that you wouldn't get in the US. Then my parents are always there to pick us up - that I will never take for granted," says Fiona.
Race and ethnicity should not matter in maternity care. However, findings of a systematic review of migrant women experiences of pregnancy and childbirth across Europe indicate that they are at risk of poorer pregnancy outcomes (Fair et al. 2020).

A confidential inquiry into maternal deaths, published in 2020 in the UK, found that while the maternal mortality rate is quite low in general, there remains a more than fourfold difference in maternal mortality rates among women from black ethnic backgrounds and an almost twofold difference among women from Asian ethnic backgrounds compared to white women, emphasising the need for a continued focus on action to address these disparities.

Feeling manipulated into having medical procedures, dismissed by professionals, and labelled with racial stereotypes were among the complaints by black, Asian, and ethnic minority women in responding to a panel established by the UK-based charity Birthrights, investigating the reported mortality disparity.

One of the parents, speaking about her experience, said she had raised concerns that her baby might be jaundiced when she was leaving the hospital, but the midwives failed to take her seriously. Eventually her baby had to return to hospital. She reported that the professionals really struggled to recognise the jaundice because her son is dark-skinned.

Another patient, of Asian origin, recounted her experience of being overlooked by maternity professionals.

Following the review, NHS England is working on a new strategy to tackle inequality in maternity and neonatal care and fast-tracking a continuity-of-care programme for women from ethnic-minority backgrounds, which is proven to significantly improve their overall experience of care.

Irish trend

This trend is, unfortunately, reflected in Irish settings. At a glance, the maternal death rate in Ireland is very low, at about three per 100,000 births, according to the CSO.

However, A confidential maternal death inquiry carried out in 2017 indicated that women born outside Ireland were over-represented in reported deaths, pointing to an increased risk for migrant ethnic minorities. Almost 39% of deaths were among women born outside Ireland, while this group represented just 24% of all women giving birth. The findings raised questions about how these women engage with maternity services.

Perhaps we can get a glimpse of this engagement through the reports on four deaths of migrant women in maternity care in Ireland that have received significant media attention in recent years: Bimbo Onanuga (32 years) in 2010, Dhara Kivlehan (28 years) in 2010, Savita Halappanavar (31 years) in 2012, and Nayyab Tariq (28 years) in 2020. A verdict of medical misadventure has been returned at the inquest into the death of each of these four women, with a catalogue of errors and failures to provide basic care to each of these women respectively highlighted.

A memorial to Savita Halappanavar, who died, aged 31, in 2012. File picture: Charles McQuillan/Getty Images

Savitas family said she asked several times for her pregnancy to be terminated because she had severe back pain and was miscarrying.

This request was denied by the staff at the hospital who told her that Ireland was "a Catholic country", although even then the Irish Medical Council had guidelines allowing termination of pregnancy to save the mothers life.

Similarly, according to a report in the Irish Examiner last week, a HSE internal review on the death of Nayyab Tariq found that there were systems of care/service issues which may have contributed to her death, that delays in recognising she was in shock after giving birth "may have contributed" to her death, and that skin pallor was initially less obvious due to ethnicity".

We need to do better.

Behind the statistics

Let us look beyond the statistics to each womans story and for some, the stories of the children left behind.

The story of little Nayyab who will learn  from her dad, her maternal and paternal relatives, friends of her mum, pictures and videos  what a loving, fun-loving, and accomplished academic and gifted biopharmacist her mum, Tariq, was. The story of little Dior, who will learn of his mums love for fashion applied in her job as a retail manager in a fashion store.

Two little kids whose birthdays will always remind them of the anniversary of their mothers death and the knowledge that the deaths were preventable. They will want to derive comfort in knowing that their mums deaths served to make a positive difference in the delivery of maternity care to other mums, that there are lessons learnt and implemented.

If they ask, what shall we tell them? Hopefully that we have learned our lessons and we will do something different. That the maternity services shall abide by best practice, responding respectively and effectively to their service users, including ethnic minorities, consistently.

And not just a handful of specific individuals and hospitals but throughout the healthcare system, with a desirable outcome of preventable deaths.

Irish law demands everyone has equal access to safe, respectful maternity care. This legal right should be reflected in actions, not mere words. There should be explicit measures of accountability.

There is a huge body of robust scientific research on how to promote health equity and improved clinical outcomes inclusive of pregnancy-related problems that certain ethnic groups are prone to. Implementation of this must acknowledge conscious and unconscious bias and take into account how environmental factors play a role in developing a condition, in the relationship of care, or in barriers to accessing prenatal, maternity, and postnatal services, and ultimately in creating risks of dying during or after pregnancy.

Many complex factors underlying these environmental risks need wider action that goes beyond maternity care services to all health care professionals, policymakers, service planners, and managers and commitment to best practice for all and a culturally sensitive health service.

Ultimately, it is about social and racial justice.

Dr Naomi Masheti is co-ordinator of the Cork Migrant Centre
The suspect in the 2018 killing of 17 people at a Florida high school is finally going on trial  but not for the shootings.

Jury selection begins Monday on charges that Nikolas Cruz attacked a Broward County jail guard nine months after the February 14, 2018, shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

Cruz, a former Stoneman Douglas student, brawled with Sergeant Raymond Beltran after being jailed on charges of killing 14 students and three staff members and wounding 17 others. No date has been set for the murder trial, which has been delayed by the pandemic and arguments over witnesses and evidence. It may start in the next few months.

The accused murderer who took our childrens lives is clearly violent and took that out on a guard. He needs to face the justice system for that, said Tony Montalto, president of Stand With Parkland, a group comprised of victims families. His 14-year-old daughter, Gina, died in the shooting.

If the attack on the guard is entered as an aggravating factor, it will be hard for that not to be in the back of the jury's mind Professor Mark Dobson

Cruz, 23, faces a possible 15-year sentence if convicted of attempted criminal battery on a law enforcement officer and three lesser charges.

Cruz will get either death or life in prison without parole if he is later found guilty of first-degree murder, but this trial still has relevance. If Cruz is convicted of attacking Beltran, prosecutors can argue that is an aggravating factor when they seek his execution during the penalty phase of his murder trial if convicted.

If that is entered as an aggravating factor, it will be hard for that not to be in the back of the jurys mind, said Mark Dobson, a professor at Nova Southeastern Universitys law school and a former Florida prosecutor.

Prosecutors declined significant comment, only saying in a statement that the jail video and evidence in the case speak for themselves.

Cruzs public defenders declined comment, saying they dont want to further traumatise the shooting victims families by discussing their client.

Nikolas Cruz takes notes during the hearing over the assault on a prison guard (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP, Pool)

Cruzs attorneys are expected to argue that Beltran mistreated Cruz previously and provoked the November 13 2018 brawl, which occurred inside a Broward County jail recreation area and was captured on a soundless security video.

According to court records, Cruzs lead attorney, Melisa McNeill, had complained six weeks before the fight to the Broward Sheriffs Office about Beltrans treatment of Cruz. No details of the alleged mistreatment have been released, but his attorneys said at a recent court hearing that Beltran is the only guard they have ever complained about.

Cruzs attorneys say the sheriffs office erased video of the three hours Cruz and Beltran spent together before the fight  even though they asked within a day that it be preserved and were told it would be.

The preserved video begins a couple minutes before the brawl. It shows Cruz walking alone in circles with his head down around tables with attached benches. He is dressed in an orange jail jumpsuit, a white long-sleeve undershirt and sandals. Beltran is sitting at a table in the corner.

Suddenly, Cruz stops about 10 feet from Beltran and the two appear to exchange words  Beltran told investigators he asked Cruz not to drag his feet and damage his sandals.

Cruz flips both middle fingers at Beltran and then charges the guard, who stands up to defend himself. Cruz, who weighs about 130 pounds (60 kilograms), throws the larger Beltran to the ground, before the guard is able to flip him and briefly pin him. Cruz grabs Beltrans stun gun and they fight over it as it goes off, apparently jolting neither, before the guard wrests it away.

Cruz escapes Beltrans grasp and the two take boxing stances. Cruz punches Beltran in the shoulder before the guard hits Cruz in the head, staggering him.

Beltran then rearms his stun gun and points it at Cruz, who had sat on a bench. Cruz lies face down on the ground and is handcuffed. The fight lasted almost exactly a minute. Neither was seriously hurt.

Because of Cruzs infamy in South Florida, jury selection is scheduled to last three days  in a typical jail battery trial with a defendant the public does not know, it would likely take a few hours. The court plans to screen 400 people to seat six jurors plus alternates. The typical pool for jail battery trials and similar felonies is 22, according to the Florida Bar.

Cruzs attorneys will want to eliminate any candidates who cannot separate their knowledge of the Stoneman Douglas massacre from the only considerations jurors are supposed to make during this trial: did Cruz attack Beltran and, if so, was he provoked? Testimony about the killings will not be permitted as that is irrelevant to the assault charge and would be prejudicial.

Once the jury is selected, the rest of the trial is only expected to last one to three days.

The murder trial is expected to last months. Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer has been holding frequent hearings in recent weeks to consider issues that must be resolved before it begins.

The wheels of justice grind slowly and that is especially true with our group of families, Montalto said.

Cruzs attorneys have said he would plead guilty to 17 murders in exchange for a life sentence. Prosecutors have declined the offer, saying this is a case that deserves a death sentence.
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A weekly review of the best and most popular stories published in the Imperial Valley Press. Also, featured upcoming events, new movies at local theaters, the week in photos and much more.
An Egyptian peacekeeper was killed and four colleagues were seriously injured in improvised explosive attacks on their convoy in Malis volatile north on Saturday, the United Nations said.

Confirming the toll, a spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General said Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the attacks, which happened near Tessalit, close to the Algerian border.

Guterres said attacks could constitute war crimes, and called on Malian authorities to spare no effort in finding those responsible.

This incident is a sad reminder of the permanent danger hanging over our peacekeepers and of the sacrifices made for peace in Mali, El-Ghassim Wane, who heads the UN mission in Mali (MINUSMA), said in an earlier statement.

Already battling a jihadist insurgency, Mali slid into political turmoil when a military coup in August 2020 installed an interim civilian government only for it to be overthrown in a second putsch less than a year later.

Deployed in Mali since 2013, MINUSMA is currently the deadliest United Nations peace mission in the world, with 145 killed in hostile acts recorded as of August 31, according to UN statistics.

The current force includes more than 12,000 soldiers.

In April, four Chadian peacekeepers from MINUSMA were killed in a jihadist attack on their camp in Aguelhok, also in northeastern Mali.

The latest violence comes amid uncertainty over the future of foreign military forces in the country.

 Controversy over Russian firm 

Malis new military-dominated government took delivery Saturday of four Russian military helicopters as it considered hiring mercenaries from a Russian private security firm.

The Wagner group is considered close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Western countries accuse it of acting on behalf of Moscow.

European countries warned Bamako against becoming involved with the group on the sidelines of last weeks UN General Assembly.

The new regime is reportedly in the process of hiring 1,000 paramilitaries from Wagner, a move viewed with grave concern particularly by former colonial power France, which currently maintains a 5,000-strong counterterrorism mission in Mali.

It was French military intervention in 2013 that helped defeat a jihadist insurgency there.

But Paris is due to reduce the number of its troops in the Sahel to 2,500 or 3,000 by 2023.

It wants to reorganise its presence around a tighter unit centred on targeted strikes against jihadist leaders and on supporting local armies.

At the UN last month, Malis Prime Minister Choguel Kokalla Maiga reacted to the decision by accusing France of abandoning his country. Bamako was justified in its desire to seek other partners to boost security, he added.

French President Emmanuel Macron denounced the comments as inadmissible in the same week another soldier died in Mali, the 52nd service member lost there since 2013.
The brand reputation rankings for South Korean variety stars was finally revealed! The Korean Business Research Institute announced on October 2 the new list of stars that made it to the Top 30.

The rankings were determined through various analyses from the viewers participation, interaction, media engagements, and community awareness.

It has been said that 50 famous entertainers were included in the choices.

The data collected were from September 2 to October 2.

He is not hailed as the "Nation's MC" for nothing. Yoo Jae Suk is once again No. 1, and he has been consistent at the top spot since September. He was able to achieve a brand reputation index of 2,230,513.

The most used keywords related to him include "Running Man," "Antenna," and "How Do You Play?."

Meanwhile, Yoo Jae Suk's highest-ranking related terms are "model," "release," and "confess."

Jae Suk's positivity-negativity analysis score was 80.01 percent (positive reactions).

Following him on the list is none other than his Running Man co-star Kim Jong Kook. He has a brand reputation index of 1,223,188.

Comedian and host Kim Gura made it on the third place and has a brand reputation index of 1,170,090. Park Myung Soo reserved his spot in fourth place and Haha in fifth place.

See the full rankings below:

1. Yoo Jae Suk

2. Kim Jong Kook

3. Kim Gura

4. Park Myung Soo

5. Haha

6. Lee Sang Min

7. Lee Seung Gi

8. Ahn Jung Hwan

9. Lee Dong Gook

10. Jung Hyung Don

11. Song Ji Hyo

12. Jung Joon Ha

13. Kang Ho Dong

14. Kim Dong Hyun

15. Kim Joon Ho

16. Noh Hong Chul

17. Shin Dong Yup

18. Super Junior's Kim Heechul

19. Kim Jong Min

20. Heo Jae

21. Jun Hyun Moo

22. Choi Young Soo

23. Lee Kyung Kyu

24. Lee Kwang Soo

25 .Seo Jang Hoon

26. Song Hae

27. Yoo Hee Yeol

28. Yoon Jong Shin

29. Cha Tae Hyun

30. Lee Soo Geun

SBS Running Man to Have a Spin-Off

On October 1, it has been reported by various media outlets that the longest running variety show in South Korea, Running Man will have a spin-off titled Running Man: The One Having Fun is Above the One Running.

In addition, Disney Plus Korea will collaborate with SBS for the said project. There are also discussions that some of the original Running Man cast members will be part of the show, but the main host of the original program Yoo Jae Suk is not included in the cast lineup.

Other details regarding the Running Man spin-off are to be released soon.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: 'Running Man' Episode 572 Recap: Look How the Cast Members React When they Finally Met the Female Version of Lee Kwang Soo

What are your thoughts about the "Running Man" spin-off? Let us know in the comments!

For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news and updates, keep your tabs open here at Kdramastars.

Kdramastars owns this article.

Written by Shai Collins.
A pill that could potentially treat Covid-19 is a "game-changer," but experts are emphasizing that it's not an alternative to vaccinations -- which remain the most effective path to ending the coronavirus pandemic if enough people get their shots.

Roughly 255,767 people are becoming fully vaccinated in the US each day, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And a little over 65% of eligible Americans have been fully vaccinated, the data show.

At the same time, the US hit a grim milestone Friday by surpassing 700,000 deaths from Covid-19, according to Johns Hopkins University's data. The US tops the world for Covid-19 deaths, followed by Brazil with nearly 600,000 fatalities, according to the data.

The news from Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics on Friday that they created an antiviral pill that can reduce Covid-19 hospitalization and death by 50% was hailed by health experts, although they cautioned it wasn't a replacement for vaccinations.

"This can be used in conjunction with the vaccine. And it's not an alternative to vaccination. We still have to try to get more people vaccinated," Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration, told CNN on Friday.

Gottlieb acknowledged that the antiviral medicine could be effective for those who choose not to get vaccinated, as well as those who catch the virus while fully vaccinated.

"This is the most impactful result that I remember seeing of an orally available drug in the treatment of a respiratory pathogen, perhaps ever," Gottlieb told CNN's Anderson Cooper. "I think getting an oral pill that can inhibit viral replication -- that can inhibit this virus -- is going to be a real game-changer."

Merck said Friday it will seek FDA emergency use authorization for its molnupiravir medication "as soon as possible." If permitted, it would become the first oral medicine that fights viral infection for Covid-19.

"If approved, I think the right way to think about this is; this is a potential additional tool in our toolbox to protect people from the worst outcomes of Covid," White House Covid-19 Response Coordinator Jeff Zients said Friday.

Zients echoed Gottlieb's stance on vaccination, underscoring inoculation remains "far and away our best tool against Covid-19" because the shots can prevent people from getting infected in the first place.

"And we want to prevent infections, not just wait to treat them once they happen," Zients said.

Meanwhile, Louisiana reported Friday that a child at or under the age of four died from Covid-19. It was the state's 17th pediatric death from the virus.

"We owe it to ourselves, our children and everyone around us to take advantage of the best protection we have, and that is the vaccine and wearing a mask," Louisiana State Health Officer Dr. Joseph Kanter said.

The Delta variant of the coronavirus has made child infections much more common than during the onset of the pandemic.

More booster talks to come

Americans who received the Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccines can expect to hear next steps for booster shots this month.

The FDA will meet with its Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee on October 14 and 15 to discuss those boosters for those vaccines, which have only been authorized for emergency use in those 18 and older. The committee will also consider data on "mix and match" use of boosters, the agency said Friday.

Only Pfizer's Covid-19 two-dose vaccine has been fully approved by the FDA for people 12 and older. Pfizer's booster shot is authorized for emergency use in people 65 and older, people at high risk of severe disease and people whose jobs put them at risk of infection.

More than 4.03 million people have received an additional dose of Covid-19 vaccine -- or booster -- since August 13.

The FDA vaccine committee is also slated to discuss Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 on October 26. Pfizer has started submitting data about this age group to the agency but has not yet formally requested emergency use authorization.

The committee of independent advisers typically discusses and makes recommendations to the FDA on vaccine authorizations and approvals. Then, the agency makes the final decision.

Vaccine mandates continue coming into play

As federal health officials consider booster shots, vaccine mandates are being implemented more widely -- and some are not happy with the move.

On Friday, American Airlines told its US workers that they must follow the Biden administration's requirement to be vaccinated against Covid-19. The airline noted that its business with the federal government means it will be covered under the mandate but fell short of saying when the requirement takes effect.

Religious and disability-related exemptions will be available, but there will be no "provision of a regular testing alternative," the airline said.

"While we are still working through the details of the federal requirements, it is clear that team members who choose to remain unvaccinated will not be able to work at American Airlines," according to a memo CNN obtained from the airline management sent to employees.

Meanwhile, Ochsner Health in Louisiana said it will charge employees enrolled in their upcoming 2022 health care benefits a fee for spouses and domestic partners who are not vaccinated against Covid-19

"This is not a mandate as non-employed spouses and domestic partners can choose to select a health plan outside of Ochsner Health offerings. As with our employee vaccination policy, spouses and domestic partners with medical and religious objections will be able to file exemption requests," Ochsner Health President and CEO Warner Thomas said in a statement this week.

The-CNN-Wire

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A Christmas tree full of ornaments inside Lt. Brian Zach's office tells you Christmas is his favorite time of year.

But the police officer knows presents aren't always perfectly wrapped under the tree.

Zach, 40, met one of life's greatest gifts during a welfare check four years ago in Kingman, Arizona.

The town is known as being the "heart" of historic Route 66 and most police calls concern theft or drugs or domestic violence. This time Zach was being asked to help on a case of child abuse.

Waiting for him was a two-year-old girl named Kaila.

"My heart felt for this little girl who was covered in bruises. She just had a very strong spirit," Zach told CNN. "She had a skull fracture, brain bleed and a dislocated elbow."

It wasn't the first time Zach had seen a child in need during his work.

"I had a 13-month-old die. That was hard. It is something that is emotionally scarring that I relive every time I talk about it," Zach said. "Look, Kaila could be that little girl but God had a different plan."

He made friends with Kaila as they first waited for social workers. And his kindness was remembered when authorities started looking for a foster family.

"The question that changed our life forever was, 'Would you actually consider being a placement home?' And we immediately said, 'Yes.'" Zach said.

Kaila was only supposed to be with Zach and his wife and their two older children, Raina and Trevin, for a short time.

"They said it would only be a couple weeks to a month until they could find a placement home for her. We played it week by week, month by month, court date by court date not knowing how long we would really have," Zach said.

While waiting, Zach often thought about where Kaila would live long-term.

"If I stopped and thought about it, it would make me sick to my stomach not knowing what this girl's future would be if she left," he said, swallowing tears. "Having seen what happens when children are in the system ... it made me worry a lot more."

The family started creating memories with Kaila, including trips to Disneyland and Hawaii. Now, four years later, Zach and his wife are her adoptive parents.

Detective Heath Mosby attended the same high school as Zach and they became closer friends on the force.

"We started out rookies together," he said. And though they knew each other well, Mosby had no idea what was coming for Zach. "I was awestruck! I never heard of any of our officers doing that," he said. "When it came down to adoption, it was like 'Wow!' ... Especially after the journey she went through.

Zach is of great value to the Kingman community, Mosby said.

He's following in the footsteps of his forebears and mentors -- his father was a state trooper and his grandfather was one of the first motorcycle officers for the same agency where Zach is now a lieutenant.

Their badges are displayed on a shelf in Zach's office.

"It is very much in my blood. I feel very fortunate to have the career I've had and help the people that I've helped. You get to see the difference you make, you get to know the people you help and there are very, very kind people here," Zach said.

And for those who are on the fence about fostering or adopting, Zach says it's one of the best decisions he and his family have made.

"Just do it. The process isn't as harsh or overburdened as we thought," Zach said.

The-CNN-Wire

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SALEM, Ore.  A new Oregon license plate design being released October 1 is intended to celebrate the state's diversity of culture, coincident with the 20th anniversary of the Oregon Cultural Trust.

Once October begins, the new plate will be available on the Oregon DMV website, at DMV field offices, and at Lithia Motors' 32 franchise dealerships throughout the state.

The "Celebrate Oregon!" artwork was created by Liza Burns of Eugene, and will also be installed as full-scale murals at the Eugene, Medford, Portland, and Redmond airports through a partnership with GreenCars.com. A 38-foot outdoor banner will also be installed at the Northwest Film Center in the Portland Art Museum.

The new design, built on a panorama of Oregon geography, reflects and respects the diversity of our culture at a time we need it most, said Cultural Trust Board Chair Niki Price. Cultural expression is how our communities define themselves  how they live their everyday lives, their traditions, their heritage, their creativity, their celebrations, their values and how they connect with one another. Our culture is the glue that can bind us together as Oregonians.

Celebrate Oregon! includes 127 symbols representing different aspects of the state's arts, heritage, history, and culture  the result of a year-long process. A total of 36 artists submitted work samples and statements of interests, narrowed down to 20 who submitted concepts for the piece. Burns's design received unanimous approval from the jury.

We knew that reflecting the breadth of Oregon culture, and how it brings us together, in one design was an extremely ambitious goal, said Cultural Trust Executive Director Brian Rogers. Lizas creation does that and so much more. It captures the spirit of Oregon and also serves as an educational tool for exploring our diversity. We are incredibly proud and excited to share it with Oregonians.

Events celebrating the unveiling of the murals are scheduled for Sept. 21 at Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport in partnership with the Medford Arts Commission; Oct. 15 at FlyRedmond; Oct. 28 at Eugene Airport; and mid-November at Portland International Airport.

"Oregonians value sustainability and embrace green energy, said Tina Miller, Chief Financial Officer of Lithia Motors and GreenCars spokesperson. Our partnership with the Oregon Cultural Trust, and sponsorship of these magnificent murals, is our way of bringing this important part of Oregon culture into the picture.
SALEM, Ore - Oregons attorney general has filed lawsuits against two counties that had adopted ordinances that seek to nullify new statewide gun safety laws and that are declaring themselves Second Amendment Sanctuaries.

In her lawsuits against Yamhill and Harney counties, Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum asked the circuit courts in those jurisdictions to declare the ordinances invalid because they conflict with paramount state law.

The ordinances, passed by county commissioners in the two counties earlier this year, applied to new firearms regulations. A new state law mandates the safe storage of guns and bans them from the Oregon State Capitol and Portland International Airport.

Gun safety advocates, such as Everytown, highlight that the new law will require that firearms be securely stored and locked when not in use: Research shows secure storage legislation can prevent unintentional shootings and gun suicides. Right now, over 80 percent of gun deaths are gun suicides in Oregon. September marks Suicide Prevention Awareness Month.

Everytown also says, Armed extremism in democracy is not new for Oregon. During the December 2020 special session, armed extremists descended on the Oregon State Capitol. Security footage shows Rep. Mike Nearman opening the door to let extremists into the building. In January, the Oregon legislature decided to delay the start of session due to threats of violence in Salem. A recent Everytown for Gun Safety report in partnership with the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), details that Oregon had the highest number of armed protests between January 2020 and the end of June 2021.

The new gun law took effect on September 25th.
Taiwan has reported a record number of incursions by Chinese warplanes into its air defense identification zone (ADIZ) for the second day in a row, Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense said on Saturday night.

The self-governing island said a total of 39 Chinese military aircraft entered the ADIZ on Saturday, one more than the 38 planes it spotted on Friday.

The 38 and 39 planes respectively are the highest number of incursions Taiwan has reported in a day since it began publicly reporting such activities last year.

The incursions on Saturday came in two batches -- 20 planes during daytime hours and 19 planes at night, the ministry said in two statements. They were made by 26 J-16 fighter jets, 10 Su-30 fighter jets, two Y-8 anti-submarine warning aircraft and one KJ-500 airborne early warning and control plane, the Defense Ministry said.

In response to the incursions, the Taiwanese air force scrambled aircraft, issued radio warnings, and deployed air defense missiles systems, the ministry added.

Maps provided by the Taiwan Defense Ministry showed all of the Chinese flights on Saturday were in the extreme southwestern part of the island's ADIZ.

The incursions did not violate Taiwan's airspace, which extends 12 nautical miles from its coast. The US Federal Aviation Administration defines an ADIZ as "a designated area of airspace over land or water within which a country requires the immediate and positive identification, location and air traffic control of aircraft in the interest of the country's national security."

Before the past two days, the previous single-day record for People's Liberation Army (PLA) flights into Taiwan's ADIZ was in June, when 28 Chinese military planes entered.

The incursions on Friday came as Beijing celebrated 72 years since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

Taiwan and mainland China have been governed separately since the end of a civil war more than seven decades ago, in which the defeated Nationalists fled to Taipei.

However, Beijing views Taiwan as an inseparable part of its territory -- even though the Chinese Communist Party has never governed the democratic island of about 24 million people.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has refused to rule out military force to capture Taiwan if necessary.

In the past, analysts have said the PLA's flights likely serve several purposes for China, both demonstrating the strength of the PLA to a domestic audience and giving the Chinese military intelligence and skills it would need in any potential conflict involving Taiwan.

"Xi Jinping has instructed the PLA to heighten its readiness and prepare for warfighting under 'realistic fighting conditions.' Hence, it is relatively unsurprising that the PLA continues to fly into Taiwan's ADIZ as part of realistic training and preparation for armed conflict," Derek Grossman, a senior defense analyst at the RAND Corporation policy think tank, told CNN on Saturday.

Despite the increase in PLA flights and the harsh rhetoric, Grossman doesn't think combat is imminent.

"I don't think there is a high or even medium probability of a Chinese attack or invasion of Taiwan," he told CNN.

"The PLA still has many vulnerabilities, especially when faced with the near-certain intervention of the United States with possibly -- probably? -- Japanese and Australian support," he added. "China understands the severe downsides of a failed attack or invasion of Taiwan and will probably continue to bide its time."

But any intended message from Beijing may not be about the main island of Taiwan, other analysts say.

The maps provided by Taiwan's Defense Ministry show the PLA Air Force flights are coming in the vicinity of Pratas Island, which sits at the top of the South China Sea and is actually closer to Hong Kong than Taiwan.

This island has no permanent residents but is home to a small Taiwanese military contingent and has an airstrip. Analysts note it is flat and would be difficult to defend.

"China could take control of the Pratas Islands whenever Chinese President Xi Jinping decides," Yoshiyuki Ogasawara, a professor at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies wrote on The Diplomat in December.

"The islands are a potential flashpoint that now need to come to the attention of the US, Japan and other democratic countries," Ogasawara wrote.

The-CNN-Wire

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WASHINGTON  Oregon congressional candidate and hero soldier Alek Skarlatos formed a nonprofit to advocate for veterans after he lost his 2020 race.

The group has done little to advance that cause since then. But it has helped get the Republican's bid for a 2022 rematch with longtime Democratic Rep. Peter DeFazio off the ground.

The nonprofit was started in early 2021 with $93,000 in leftover campaign funds from Skarlatos' last run.

Several months later, the group gave $65,000 of that back to the campaign. But it hasn't said what happened to the rest of the money.

Skarlatos' campaign says he did nothing wrong.
CORVALLIS, Ore. -- Hundreds of activists across Western Oregon gathered in support of reproductive rights as part of the nationwide Women's March. More than 600 rallies and marches were scheduled to take place across the United States.

Kathryn Overton organized an event attended by several hundred people in Corvallis.

"I decided that after the bill passed in Texas, that it was ridiculous that we were kind of moving backwards in time and that we had this situation even come up again in 2021," Overton said. "So I reached out to a bunch of organizations and got everything going."

Overton is referring to the abortion law in Texas passed on May 19, 2021. It's commonly referred to as the Texas Heartbeat Act. The bill bans abortions as soon as any cardiac activity is detectable, which is generally around six weeks after someone becomes pregnant. It took effect on Sept. 1, 2021.

"It's just causing a lot of issues," Overton said. "Women are having to go outside of Texas to get abortions now. It's costing them money, suffering, some women aren't even getting an abortion when they actually need one."

The event in Corvallis began at 11 a.m. Activists gathered at Central Park and listened to multiple speakers. Shortly after, the group marched to the Benton County Courthouse and rallied there.

Those in attendance ranged in age from very young children to members of older generations.

"My daughter...I want her to grow up knowing she has a choice and to be proud of who she is," Amy Wilkerson, who attended the march said.

Many activists said they are hoping to see change happen in the near future.

"I see people who are a lot older than me and I'm hoping not to be here when I'm older still doing the same fight," Gabby Chambers said. "But if it comes down to it, I'm going to be out here."

The crowd chanted, cheered, and held up signs as some cars driving by honked their horns in support.

Another group of activists gathered for a sign holding event at the Courthouse in Eugene around 2 p.m. Several hundred people showed up. Many held signs and occupied every street corner at the intersection of E 8th Ave and Coburg Rd. Some cars driving by honked in support of the group.

"I'm here to support women in saying that we need to keep abortions safe and legal," Kristine Jensen, who attended the rally in Eugene said.

Even though Texas is nearly 1,400 miles away from Oregon, many activists in attendance said it's important to stand in solidarity with those whose rights are in jeopardy.

"We are all together in the fight for equal rights," Corvallis resident, Dorothy Price said. "It doesn't matter what state you live in."

People with opposing beliefs on abortions are planning to rally at multiple locations across the country in January as part of the National March For Life.

Tune into KEZI 9 News at 11 for more details.
Women's health campaigner Vicky Phelan has shared a heartbreaking update on her cancer treatment in the USA this Sunday.

She took to Instagram to let the countless people, who both admire and have been inspired by her, know that she has returned to Ireland.

The Kilkenny native, who resides in Limerick, wrote that she has some new tumours.

"This means that I am no longer eligible for proton beam therapy since my tumours are far too extensive, i.e. I have too much disease in my body for them to zap.

"And so, the recommendation from the team at Georgetown University Hospital was for me to return home for systemic therapy, i.e. palliative chemotherapy," wrote Ms Phelan.

With a very heavy heart, the mum-of-two said she made the decision to return home to Ireland.

"I returned home earlier this week and am taking the time to reconnect with my kids and to absorb this news before I start down the chemotherapy road.

"The 'good' news is that I can still have treatment and that this treatment will keep me alive until Christmas at least. The bad news is that the treatment I am about to start on is extremely toxic and will take its toll on my body and my mind," wrote Vicky.

She told her tens of thousands of followers on Instagram: "As always, I would like to thank you all so very much for your support, your kindness, your generosity, your prayers and positive messages which continue to lift me and keep me going. THANK YOU ALL."

Ms Phelan became a leading figure in the CervicalCheck controversy after she was awarded a settlement by the High Court in April 2018 in a case taken against the US laboratory that carried out her cervical smear test.

Since then she has been a powerful advocate for women's health and has given her support to many charitable organisations and people despite her own cancer treatment.
DODGE COUNTY, Minn. - One person was injured Saturday night following a rollover crash on Highway 14 in Dodge County.

The Minnesota State Patrol said it happened in Mantorville Township at 260th Ave at 9:22 p.m.

A Dodge pickup driven by Blake Kroll, 27, of Kasson, was eastbound on Highway 14 when it went off the road and rolled.

He was taken to St. Marys Hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. Authorities said alcohol was a factor in the crash.
MASON CITY, Iowa - A reported shooting in downtown Mason City early Sunday resulted in a large police presence shortly before an officer-involved shooting.

Police said the initial shooting occurred near State St. and Federal Ave., which is located on the north side of Southbridge Mall.

The first call was received at 1:13 a.m. and several people were witnessed fleeing the area.

Two people, including the suspect, were injured and taken to MercyOne North Iowa. The severity of those injured has not been released.

At the request of the Mason City Police Department, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation has been called in to complete an investigation of the original shooting incident and the officer-involved shooting. The officer is on leave pending the outcome of the shooting investigation, police said.

The Mason City Police Department was assisted at the scene by the Mason City Fire Department, the Cerro Gordo County Sheriffs Office, the Iowa State Patrol, the Clear Lake Police Department, and the Hancock County Sheriffs Office, police said.

More information on the shooting is expected to be released on Tuesday.




More than 15,500 foreigners from visa-waiver countries used the new electronic travel authorization system to enter South Korea in the first month of its introduction, justice ministry data showed Sunday.







A total of 15,811 foreign nationals applied for the Korea Electronic Travel Authorization (K-ETA) in September, and 15,556 of them were approved, according to the Ministry of Justice.







The K-ETA is an online electronic travel authorization that foreign visitors from visa-free nations need to obtain before entering Korea for the purposes of tourism, visiting relatives or business. They are required to submit personal and other information through a website or a mobile application.







The government introduced the system last month for 49 countries, out of 112 with which it has visa-waiver agreements. Eligible countries may change based on their COVID-19 situations.







By nationality, the United States accounted for the majority with 10,710, or 68 percent, followed by 981 from France, 952 from Germany, 666 from Britain and 307 from the Netherlands.







The number of businesspeople that applied for the K-ETA came to 525.







Passengers with an ETA are exempt from submitting an arrival card and can expedite the arrival procedure by using the exclusive screening zone at the airport. (Yonhap)


Thani Ahmed Al-Zeyoudi, center, Minister of State for Foreign Trade of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), joins Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) President and CEO Yu Jeoung-yeol, right, and Mubarak Al Nakhi, the UAE's Undersecretary of Culture and Knowledge Development, during the opening ceremony of the Korea Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, Oct. 1. Courtesy of KOTRA



By Yi Whan-woo



DUBAI _ The top trade official of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has said that the opening of the Korea Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, Oct. 1, is a "testament" to bilateral ties that were elevated to a special strategic partnership in 2018.



During the opening ceremony of the pavilion, Oct. 1, Minister of State for Foreign Trade of the UAE Thani Ahmed Al-Zeyoudi noted that the two countries are transitioning toward digital and knowledge-driven economies, and that their bilateral relationship could expand further.



"As the UAE and South Korea look to build upon our bilateral economic relationship, Expo 2020 Dubai is poised to create significant value and accelerate joint economic efforts by driving the exchange of ideas, knowledge and expertise between our two countries," the minister said during the ceremony.






A handout photo made available by Taiwan Ministry of National Defense on Oct. 2 shows a Chinese PLA airborne Shaanxi KJ-500 (AEW & C), following the incursion of nineteen Chinese PLA warplanes including a Chinese PLA airborne Shaanxi KJ-500 (AEW & C) into Taiwan's AZID (Air defense identification zone). EPA-Yonhap



Taiwan accused Beijing of bullying and damaging regional peace Saturday after Chinese fighter jets and bombers made their largest-ever incursion into the island's air defense zone.



Beijing marked its National Day on Friday with its biggest aerial show of force against Taiwan, buzzing the self-ruled democratic island with 38 warplanes, including nuclear-capable H-6 bombers.



That was followed by a new record incursion on Saturday by 39 planes, said Taiwan's defense ministry.



Democratic Taiwan's 23 million people live under the constant threat of invasion by China, which views the island as its territory and has vowed to one day seize it, by force if necessary.



Under President Xi Jinping, Chinese warplanes are crossing into Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on a near daily basis.



But Friday's incursion sparked a particularly sharp rebuke from Taipei.



"China has been bellicose and damaging regional peace while engaging in many bullying acts," Premier Su Tseng-chang told reporters Saturday.



"It's evident that the world, the international community, rejects such behaviors by China more and more."



Taiwan's defense ministry said it scrambled its aircraft to broadcast warnings after 22 fighters, two bombers and one anti-submarine aircraft entered the island's southwest ADIZ on Friday.



A second batch of 13 jets then crossed into Taiwan's ADIZ later on Friday, in a rare night incursion, bringing the total to 38.



The ADIZ is not the same as Taiwan's territorial airspace but includes a far greater area that overlaps with part of China's own air defense identification zone and even includes some of mainland China.





In this handout provided by the U.S. Navy, United States Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS John Finn (DDG 113) transits the Taiwan Strait, March 10. Reuters-Yonhap
Angola, IN (46703)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Partly cloudy skies after midnight. Areas of patchy fog. Low 58F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Partly cloudy skies after midnight. Areas of patchy fog. Low 58F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
Islamabad [Pakistan], October 3 (ANI): Expressing its dissatisfaction over the recent fuel price hikes in Pakistan, the country's opposition staged a demonstration outside the Parliament House here for what it called dropping petrol bomb on the people, according to a media report.

After the increase in the price of petroleum products in the country, Pakistan's opposition protested against the hike in the National Assembly on Friday while the government insisted that the prices were lower than the rates in the international market, reported Dawn.

Also Read | Sputnik V COVID-19 Vaccine Update: 'WHO Has Lifted All Barriers for Approval', Says Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko.

Khawaja Asif, a Muslim League-Nawaz leader, opposed the hike in petroleum prices saying the government had once again "dropped petrol bomb" on the people. "For God's sake be merciful to the people," he added, according to Dawn.

Pakistan government had increased petrol prices on Friday by Rs 4 per litre and that of high-speed diesel (HSD) by Rs 2 per litre and it also hiked the prices of kerosene and light diesel oil by Rs 7.05 and Rs 8.82 per litre, respectively.

Also Read | Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte Announces Retirement From Politics.

Earlier, Islamabad had hiked the petroleum prices on September 15 by Rs 5 to Rs 6 per litre.

After the surge in prices in Pakistan, the price of petrol is Rs 127.30 per litre, high-speed diesel costs Rs 122.04 per litre, kerosene Rs 99.31 and light diesel oil costs Rs 99.51 per litre, reported Dawn. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Amazon Great Indian Festival Sale 2021 is now live for all users, 24 hours after Prime members received early access to it. Just like Flipkart's Big Billion Days Sale, the Great Indian Festival also brings exciting offers and discounts on tablets, smartphones, laptops, Amazon devices, smart TVs, fashion products and more. Amazon India is offering a 10 percent instant discount of up to Rs 12,750 to its customers using HDFC Bank debit/credit cards & EMI. The sale will run for a month but it is worth noting that products with the best deals will be available only during the first couple of days of sale. Let's take a look at some of the top deals that are being offered by Amazon. Amazon Great Indian Festival Sale 2021: Apple iPhone 11 Price To Drop Below Rs 40,000.

Apple iPhone 11 (Photo Credits: Amazon)

Apple iPhone 11:

Apple iPhone 11 is being sold at Rs 38,999 for the 64GB storage model whereas 128GB and 256GB storage variants are listed at Rs 43,999 and Rs 59,999 respectively. As mentioned above, buyers will get a 10 percent instant discount via HDFC Bank credit/debit cards that will lower the effective price. In addition to this, there are no-cost EMI options, exchange offers up to Rs 13,150 off and EMI starting at Rs 2,824 per month.

 #AmazonGreatIndianFestival is live. Youll find big deals on big brands to make your #BoxesOfHappiness. What are you waiting to unbox?   Amazon India (@amazonIN) October 3, 2021

Samsung Galaxy M52 5G (Photo Credits: Samsung)

Samsung Galaxy M52 5G:

The Galaxy M52 5G smartphone is listed on Amazon India at Rs 25,999 for the 6GB + 128GB model. The 8GB + 128GB variants is being sold at Rs 27,999. On Tuesday, Samsung launched the device at Rs 29,999 and Rs 31,999 respectively. Customers purchasing the phone will get an additional flat discount of Rs 1,500 on HDFC Bank credit cards, credit EMI transactions, up to Rs 16,950 off via exchange deals, 6 months free screen replacement for Prime Members, no-cost EMI and standard EMI options.

Apple Watch SE (Photo Credits: Apple)

Apple Watch SE (GPS):

Apple Watch SE GPS model is currently listed on the Amazon India website at Rs 23,900 for the 40mm size. The 44mm variant is being sold at Rs 25,900. There are EMI and no-cost EMI options as well. If you are looking to buy Apple Watch SE then this is the right time.

OnePlus 9R (Photo Credits: OnePlus)

OnePlus 9R:

OnePlus 9R was launched earlier this year at a starting price of Rs 39,999. Now, the smartphone is currently listed at Rs 36,999 for the 8GB + 128GB model and Rs 40,999 for the 12GB + 256GB variant. Buyers will also get flat Rs 2,000 instant discount on HDFC Bank credit card transactions and up to Rs 19,950 off by exchanging an old device.

Asus TUF Gaming F15 (Photo Credits: Amazon India)

Asus TUF Gaming F15:

Asus TUF Gaming F15 is now available for sale at Rs 56,990. The laptop is originally priced at Rs 84,990. Buyers will also get an additional discount of up to Rs 17,850 by exchanging an old laptop and no-cost EMI on select cards for orders above Rs 3,000. Asus TUF Gaming F15 is powered by a 10th Gen Intel Core i5 processor coupled with 8GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD.

In addition to this, devices such as LG 55-inch 4K Ultra HD Smart OLED TV, Echo smart speakers, Kindle e-readers, Fire TV Stick, iQOO Z3 5G, Redmi Note 10 Pro, Galaxy Note 20, iPhone XR, Galaxy S20 FE 5G, iPad Air 2020, Jabra Elite 75t TWS earbuds and more are listed with exciting offers and massive discounts.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 03, 2021 10:59 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Flipkart Big Billion Days Sale 2021 is now live for all users. The e-commerce company is offering massive discounts and amazing offers across categories including smartphones, smartwatches, laptops, home appliances, earbuds, headphones and more. The Big Billion Days Sale 2021 also includes flat discounts, bundled offers and flash sales. The e-commerce company has partnered with Axis and ICICI Bank to provide a 10 percent instant discount to cardholders, up to Rs 200 instant cashback on Paytm wallet and UPI transactions. To save your precious time, we have listed down some of the best deals from the Big Billion Days Sale 2021. Flipkart Big Billion Days Sale 2021 To Go Live at Midnight for Plus Members, Check Details Here.

Flipkart Big Billion Days Sale 2021 (Photo Credits: Flipkart)

iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Mini:

This is the best time to purchase iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Mini as it gets a decent discount. iPhone 12 64GB model is now available at Rs 49,999 whereas 128GB and 256GB variants are listed at Rs 55,999 and Rs 66,999 respectively. iPhone 12 Mini is now available at Rs 38,999 for the 64GB model whereas 128GB and 256GB models are being sold at Rs 43,999 and Rs 53,999 respectively. These are the lowest prices seen on the iPhone 12 phones. If you are looking to purchase iPhone 12 Mini and iPhone 12 then this is the best time.

Check out the biggest discounts on the best brands, on Flipkart Big Billion Days. Sale is Live, shop now!#FlipkartBigBillionDays  Flipkart (@Flipkart) October 2, 2021

Google Pixel 4a:

Google's Pixel 4a is now available for sale at Rs 25,999. The smartphone was originally launched in India at Rs 31,999. Buyers will get a 10 percent instant discount via Axis, ICICI Bank credit/debit cards, an additional 5 percent unlimited cashback on Flipkart Axis Bank credit cards, up to Rs 15,800 off via exchange deals, no-cost EMI at Rs 4,334 per month and more.

Flipkart Big Billion Days Sale 2021 (Photo Credits: Flipkart)

Realme 8i:

The recently launched Realme 8i is now available at Rs 12,999 for the 4GB + 64GB variant whereas the 6GB + 128GB model is listed at Rs 14,999. There are other bank offers, no-cost EMI, standard EMI options, up to Rs 13,550 off on exchange deals that will bring down the effective price lower.

Apple MacBook Air:

Apple's MacBook Air with M1 Chip is being sold at Rs 80,000 for the 8GB + 256GB configuration via Flipkart. The price can be further reduced by using ICICI, Axis Bank cards. Other offers include 5 percent unlimited cashback on Flipkart Axis Bank credit cards, up to Rs 15,650 via exchange deals, no-cost EMI at Rs 13,334 per month and more.

Flipkart Big Billion Days Sale 2021 (Photo Credits: Flipkart)

In addition to this, Nothing Ear1, Asus VivoBook K15 OLED 2021, Realme 32-inch Smart TV, Mi 4A Pro 32-inch Smart TV, Asus Core i3 10th Gen laptop, Realme C11 smartphone, Poco M3, Redmi 9i, Realme Watch S, Samsung F22, Oppo A53s 5G, Poco X3 Pro, Motorola Edge 20 Fusion, RoG Phone 5, Galaxy F42 5G, Narzo 50i, Narzo 50A and more are available at decent discounts.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 03, 2021 09:23 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Syrian militias armed by different parts of the U.S. war machine have begun to fight each other on the plains between the besieged city of Aleppo and the Turkish border, highlighting how little control U.S. intelligence officers and military planners have over the groups they have financed and trained in the bitter five-year-old civil war.

The fighting has intensified over the last two months, as CIA-armed units and Pentagon-armed ones have repeatedly shot at each other while maneuvering through contested territory on the northern outskirts of Aleppo, U.S. officials and rebel leaders have confirmed.

In mid-February, a CIA-armed militia called Fursan al Haq, or Knights of Righteousness, was run out of the town of Marea, about 20 miles north of Aleppo, by Pentagon-backed Syrian Democratic Forces moving in from Kurdish-controlled areas to the east.

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Any faction that attacks us, regardless from where it gets its support, we will fight it, Maj. Fares Bayoush, a leader of Fursan al Haq, said in an interview.

Rebel fighters described similar clashes in the town of Azaz, a key transit point for fighters and supplies between Aleppo and the Turkish border, and on March 3 in the Aleppo neighborhood of Sheikh Maqsud.

The attacks by one U.S.-backed group against another come amid continued heavy fighting in Syria and illustrate the difficulty facing U.S. efforts to coordinate among dozens of armed groups that are trying to overthrow the government of President Bashar Assad, fight the Islamic State militant group and battle one another all at the same time.

It is an enormous challenge, said Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank), the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, who described the clashes between U.S.-supported groups as a fairly new phenomenon.

It is part of the three-dimensional chess that is the Syrian battlefield, he said.

The area in northern Syria around Aleppo, the countrys second-largest city, features not only a war between the Assad government and its opponents, but also periodic battles against Islamic State militants, who control much of eastern Syria and also some territory to the northwest of the city, and long-standing tensions among the ethnic groups that inhabit the area, Arabs, Kurds and Turkmen.

This is a complicated, multi-sided war where our options are severely limited, said a U.S. official, who wasnt authorized to speak publicly on the matter. We know we need a partner on the ground. We cant defeat ISIL without that part of the equation, so we keep trying to forge those relationships. ISIL is an acronym for Islamic State.

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President Obama this month authorized a new Pentagon plan to train and arm Syrian rebel fighters, relaunching a program that was suspended in the fall after a string of embarrassing setbacks which included recruits being ambushed and handing over much of their U.S.-issued ammunition and trucks to an Al Qaeda affiliate.

Amid the setbacks, the Pentagon late last year deployed about 50 special operations forces to Kurdish-held areas in northeastern Syria to better coordinate with local militias and help ensure U.S.-backed rebel groups arent fighting one another. But such skirmishes have become routine.

Last year, the Pentagon helped create a new military coalition, the Syrian Democratic Forces. The goal was to arm the group and prepare it to take territory away from the Islamic State in eastern Syria and to provide information for U.S. airstrikes.

The group is dominated by Kurdish outfits known as Peoples Protection Units or YPG. A few Arab units have joined the force in order to prevent it from looking like an invading Kurdish army, and it has received air-drops of weapons and supplies and assistance from U.S. Special Forces.

Gen. Joseph Votel, now commander of U.S. Special Operations Command and the incoming head of Central Command, said this month that about 80% of the fighters in the Syrian Democratic Forces were Kurdish. The U.S. backing for a heavily Kurdish armed force has been a point of tension with the Turkish government, which has a long history of crushing Kurdish rebellions and doesnt want to see Kurdish units control more of its southern border.

The CIA, meanwhile, has its own operations center inside Turkey from which it has been directing aid to rebel groups in Syria, providing them with TOW antitank missiles from Saudi Arabian weapons stockpiles.

While the Pentagons actions are part of an overt effort by the U.S. and its allies against Islamic State, the CIAs backing of militias is part of a separate covert U.S. effort aimed at keeping pressure on the Assad government in hopes of prodding the Syrian leader to the negotiating table.

At first, the two different sets of fighters were primarily operating in widely separated areas of Syria  the Pentagon-backed Syrian Democratic Forces in the northeastern part of the country and the CIA-backed groups farther west. But over the last several months, Russian airstrikes against anti-Assad fighters in northwestern Syria have weakened them. That created an opening which allowed the Kurdish-led groups to expand their zone of control to the outskirts of Aleppo, bringing them into more frequent conflict with the CIA-backed outfits.

Fighting over territory in Aleppo demonstrates how difficult it is for the U.S. to manage these really localized and in some cases entrenched conflicts, said Nicholas A. Heras, an expert on the Syrian civil war at the Center for a New American Security, a think tank in Washington. Preventing clashes is one of the constant topics in the joint operations room with Turkey.

Over the course of the Syrian civil war, the town of Marea has been on the front line of Islamic States attempts to advance across Aleppo province toward the rest of northern Syria.

On Feb. 18, the Syrian Democratic Forces attacked the town. A fighter with the Suqour Al-Jabal brigade, a group with links to the CIA, said intelligence officers of the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State know their group has clashed with the Pentagon-trained militias.

The MOM knows we fight them, he said, referring to the joint operations center in southern Turkey, using an abbreviation for its name in Turkish, Musterek Operasyon Merkezi. Well fight all who aim to divide Syria or harm its people. The fighter spoke on condition of anonymity.

Marea is home to many of the original Islamist fighters who took up arms against Assad during the Arab Spring in 2011. It has long been a crucial way station for supplies and fighters coming from Turkey into Aleppo.

Attempts by Syrian Democratic Forces to take Marea was a great betrayal and was viewed as a further example of a Kurdish conspiracy to force them from Arab and Turkmen lands, Heras said.

The clashes brought the U.S. and Turkish officials to loggerheads, he added. After diplomatic pressure from the U.S., the militia withdrew to the outskirts of the town as a sign of good faith, he said.

But continued fighting among different U.S.-backed groups may be inevitable, experts on the region said.

Once they cross the border into Syria, you lose a substantial amount of control or ability to control their actions, Jeffrey White, a former Defense Intelligence Agency official, said in a telephone interview. You certainly have the potential for it becoming a larger problem as people fight for territory and control of the northern border area in Aleppo.

Bulos is a special correspondent.

For more on U.S. national security, follow @WJHenn and @ByBrianBennett

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An application for a 150m high wind turbine on land close to the Tullamore bypass has failed to get past county coucil planners.

A Dublin-based company, Natural Forces Renewable Energy Ltd said it was working with a local group, Clonminch Sustainable Energy Community (SEC), to install the 4.2MW turbine in a field owned by John McGrath, Ashfield House, Clonminch.

The turbine was to be built 400m from the N52 bypass and the company said the project would be 51% community-owned when complete.

In their planning application, the company said that while Clonminch is outside both of the areas in Offaly designated as open for consideration for wind farms, the Offaly county development plan said the potential for small community based proposals should be considered and small scale turbines should be considered on a case by case basis.

The proposed project is being progressed with support from the local community, documentation lodged with the council said and the Clonminch SEC was described as a group made up mostly of small farmers with an interest in energy saving and low carbon farming.

Refusing the application, Offaly County Council said exemptions relating to wind energy for an industrial or commercial premises, a school, a hospital or other community-related premise did not apply in this case.

The project was also deemed to be contrary to the development plan because it would involve the creation of a new access onto the N52.

Natural Forces Renewable Energy Ltd was previously refused permission on July 9 for what was described as the Leabeg and Leamore Community Wind Turbine at Rin, close to the Blueball/Cloghan road, near Lough Boora.

Also a single turbine project, it was to be located in a field across the road from the existing two turbines, which are operated by a different company.

While the proposed site location is located in an area not open to consideration for wind energy it should be noted that the project would be classed as a community project, the community ownership of the project under the Renewable Energy Support Scheme would be 51% [plus] a community benefits fund of 2/MWh annually for a 15 year period being made available to local community organisations, the company's application said.

The project would be 49% owned by Natural Forces. Should the project be successful at the planning stage, and as a Community Project, we hope to furhter promote the opportunity for all residents to become part of the Leamore Community Wind Turbine REC who will be owners of the project.

Niall McCoy and Grainne Blount were stated to be the directors of Natural Forces, a company registered in Clontarf. Kieran Dooley is the landowner at Rin.

Offaly County Council turned down the application, saying it was on land outside the wind energy area and did not benefit from available exemptions.

The council also said it was directly adjacent to land which has a high landscape sensitivity and may result in a detrimental visual impact.

The Rin planning refusal has been appealed to An Bord Pleanala.
A new Bill will see people found lying in court facing fines of up to 100,000 or up to 10 years imprisonment.

Roscommon Deputy Denis Naughten has welcomed confirmation that the Criminal Justice (Perjury and Related Offences) Bill 2018 is to be enacted.

Until now perjury has been extremely difficult to prosecute in Ireland but this new law will penalise those who lie under oath for personal gain, stated Mr Naughten, a member of the Regional Group of TDs which has supported the Bill in the Dail since its reinstatement last July.

There is a need to crack down on those who deliberately lie in court and commissions of investigation. Insurance claims place a burden of hundreds of millions of euros annually on charities, sporting bodies, motorists, homeowners, and business owners through excessive insurance cost. However, this Bill is not just about insurance claims it will address those lying about the extent of their injuries, lies under oath by directors of big corporations and swearing facts on affidavits under oath that either include deliberate, or reckless untruths.

When enacted, the new Bill will provide a clear definition of perjury and enable the offence to be more easily prosecuted and will provide clear direction in respect of the penalties to be applied.

This Bill sends as a clear message to anyone engaged in legal proceedings that they must tell the truth and any deliberate departure from that may have serious consequences, added Deputy Naughten.

Also read: New Superintendent welcomed to Leitrim District
As you are aware the HSE and the wider health system has been targeted by a criminal ransomware attack. IT systems across health service have been temporarily shut down for security reasons, and the HSE is working with the National Cyber Security Centre, and with national and international experts including McAfee, to rectify this issue.

A spokesperson for the HSE has issued the following statement:

Priority remains the safety and essential maintenance care of our patients and support services. While work is being carried out on the restoration of our IT services, some services have been affected.

All psychology online group sessions in Donegal are cancelled.

Appointments for new clients at the G.U.M Clinic in Sligo are cancelled. Sexual Health review appointments continue as normal in Sligo/Leitrim. However appointments for new clients are cancelled as there is no lab service available. In Letterkenny some appointments will be rescheduled in the event that the lab cannot process results. However no appointments have been cancelled to date.

Attend: Anywhere virtual health care appointments have been impacted and are suspended.

All Donegal Community Diagnostics ie. X-ray are cancelled until further notice.

If your child has an audiology appointment or you have an adult appointment please phone Donegal on 074 91 89562 or Sligo on 071 91 62647 to check if your appointment is proceeding. The same applies in Cavan and Monaghan.

Hearing aid repairs and Earmould appointments are available. Please ring your local clinic numbers listed above.

While most ophthalmic appointments in Sligo and Donegal are proceeding as normal, if you have an ophthalmic appointments in Sligo University Hospital should phone the number on the appointment letter before attending.

Vaccinations are proceeding as normal across CHO Area 1( Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan and Sligo). We wish to remind people to attend for their vaccination appointments.

The latest group that can register to get a COVID-19 vaccine are people aged 45 to 49. Anyone over this age who has not already registered may still do so.

You can register for a COVID-19 vaccine online via HSE website or by phone, which is open from 8am to 8pm, Monday to Sunday on LoCall: 1850 24 1850 or 01 240 87870.

Any updates to community services are available by county at the following link Community health service updates - HSE.ie

Testing continues throughout the CHO Area 1 (Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan and Sligo).

Due to the cyber attack on the HSE's IT system, it is not possible at the moment to be referred for COVID-19 testing by your GP.

If you have symptoms or do not have symptoms, you can attend your testing centre without an appointment.

The close contact system is up and running and close contacts will be contacted by text with information on their appointment and are asked to follow the instructions in the text.

Full details of testing centres are available at hse.ie

Test centres are operating in the following venues across CHO 1 area at these times;

Leitrim at the North West Business and Tech Park Carrick on Shannon is open Monday to Friday from 2pm to 4.30pm and is closed Saturday and Sunday.

Testing at Castlesaunderson, Belturbet, Co. Cavan is open Monday to Friday from 10am to 6pm.

Monaghan at the Cloghan GAA centre is open Monday to Sunday from 10.30am to 5:30pm.

Donegal at St Conal's Healthcare Campus Letterkenny is open Monday to Friday 9.30am to 7pm and Saturday and Sunday 11am to 5pm. The Cleary Centre, Donegal Town is open Wednesday 9.30am to 4pm, and Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 9.30am to 5pm. The centre is closed Saturday and Sundays.

Sligo at Finisklin centre is open Monday to Friday from 10am to 5pm and Saturday and Sunday from 12pm to 4pm.

THE CHO 1 Safeguarding and Protection Team are available for consultation, advice and support regarding any safeguarding concerns on Tel: 071 9834660. For further information on safeguarding click on the link to the Safeguarding Ireland website: Safeguarding Ireland | Promoting the rights of vulnerable adults

HSE CHO1 would like to advise the public to continue to follow all the advice and guidance on HSE.ie
Every now and again you hear a story that stops you in your tracks, leaving you feeling inspired, amazed and full of awe. This is exactly how the Dilleen family, founders of EZ Living Furniture, felt in 2019 when they met Dr Trish Scanlan and heard her incredible story. So much so, they felt it absolutely necessary to do whatever they could to help.

Its one thing to treat a patient in front of you, its another thing entirely to change the way a country takes care of children with cancer.

~ Prof Patrick Murray - Dean Of Medicine & Medical Science UCD on Dr Trish

Dr Trishs Story

Back in 2006 as part of her Masters degree in International Health Dr Trish travelled to Tanzania to learn how childrens cancer was being treated in other parts of the world. There she was confronted with a heart-breaking and bleak reality. A chronic shortage of resources and drugs coupled with having only one doctor (the wonderful Dr Jane Kaijage)and three nurses available meant that the survival rate for children presenting with cancer was less than 10%.

The following year Dr Trish came back to Tanzania with one goal - to improve and strengthen paediatric oncology services for the children of Tanzania. Her vision and commitment made a massive difference and within 18 months Dr Trish had revolutionised cancer treatment for children to such an extent that survival rates soared from just 10% to 60%.

Dr Trish founded the Childrens Cancer Unit at Muhimbili National Hospital. Previously the number of children being treated was around 100. Fifteen years on and over 750 children are availing of free treatment. But sadly it is still only a fraction of the estimated 4,500 child cancer sufferers in Tanzania.

Their Lives Matter (TLM)

In 2011 Tumaini la Misha or Hope For Life was established, a parents association set up to help and support the families of the patients. Tumaini la Misha would later become the international NGO collective Their Lives Matter or TLM. Dr Trish and TLM share a dream, a dream where every child in Tanzania that needs it, will receive the best cancer treatment possible, absolutely free. Dr Trish has dedicated her life to treating and improving the lives of children with cancer and their families in Tanzania.

PICTURED: Children in Tanzania who are cared for by TLM

Dr Trish and EZ Living Furniture - From The West Coast Of Ireland To The East Coast Of Africa

When the Dilleen family heard this extraordinary tale they felt compelled to contribute however they could, in any small way. By the following Monday, using all of their connections and experience, plans were in place to send a container packed with comfortable new mattresses from the west coast of Ireland to the east coast of Africa. After many hurdles and setbacks, the container finally arrived, providing much-needed comfort to the children cared for by TLM.

Since then the charity has been very close to the hearts of the EZ Living Furniture family. Always on the lookout for ways to help Dr Trish even to the extent of using the company warehouse as a base to send medical equipment from Ireland to Tanzania, the EZ Living Furniture family has decided to appeal to the public for help on behalf of Dr Trish and Their Lives Matter.

Funding for the charity has been severely affected by Covid 19. EZ Living Furniture is asking customers to donate as little as the price of a cup of coffee to help treat the children of Tanzania.

Buy A Mask - Save A Life

EZ Living Furniture is selling hand-made masks for 4 in each of their stores nationwide. The masks have been made in a skills workshop by parents of children treated by Dr Trish and TLM.

All proceeds will go to funding chemotherapy treatments, nutrition programmes, and more for the many sick children that Dr Trish and TLM care for.

For more information visit EZ Living Furnitures Their Lives Matter webpage by TAPPING HERE.

You can also visit www.ezlivingfurniture.ie
Grant Thornton Ireland has launched the first Irish Business Voice Programme to support local businesses across Ireland navigate the challenges they face including the Covid-19 pandemic, the consequences of Brexit, and everything else in between.

The programme, launched with the support of local Chambers of Commerce, was established to support Irish businesses across all regions following the unprecedented and rapid change of landscape over the past year, and to unearth the pertinent issues, concerns, hurdles and needs of Irish businesses to return to an era of sustained growth.

To support the reinvigoration of rural and regional Ireland, the aim of the program is to address these issues and arm businesses with the right tools and advice to move to the next stage of their success, whatever that may be.

The programme has begun with a short survey underway to identify the obstacles and is available on the Grant Thornton website for any Irish business to complete.

Following the analysis of the data, Grant Thornton will reach out to all Irish businesses with proactive and actionable advice, in the form of publications, webinars and workshops, to move them into a new era of sustainable success.

Speaking about the programme Grant Thornton Ireland Managing Partner Michael McAteer said Grant Thornton Ireland understands the vital role Irish businesses play in the Irish economy and the importance of the reinvigoration of regional Ireland. One lasting effect of the pandemic will be the shift we have seen in how we work, and how we have embraced remote working. A shift that has started and that will continue to see the move of people from cities to regional locations.

This new dynamic of how we work and operate should bring with it a rejuvenation of Irish regional businesses and we want to ensure that they have the tools and advice necessary to navigate any challenges, leverage new opportunities and to return to an era of success and growth.

Businesses will be asked to complete the survey during the months of June and July, and once responses have been analysed there will follow a series of communications, webinars and events in the autumn and winter months.

Grant Thornton Ireland is encouraging all businesses in Ireland to take part, and have their voice heard, further information can be found at grantthornton.ie/irish-business-programme

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A HIGH-PROFILE councillor has expressed concerns about the use of the Irish language on signposts in and around the Limerick Greenway.

The walkway officially reopened this summer following a multi-million euro upgrade, but Newcastle West polltopper, Independent councillor Jerome Scanlan, has described the use of language as despicable and dreadful looking.

The phrase An Bealach Glas appears on some of the signage.

However, crucially, some of the new signage erected following its reopening, describes the greenway, as 'Glasbhealach Luimnigh, something he has a major problem with.

A local authority spokesperson said: We have a translation company that weve checked this with and theyve informed us that glasbhealach is the correct term.

Its something Cllr Scanlan acknowledged might be technically correct, but he says he has had complaints from many local Irish teachers.

The language is bastardised. Bealach is a way. A greenway should be bealach glas. The description always comes before the noun in the Irish language, the adjective describes the place. I think it looks despicable  its dreadful looking, said the former Fine Gael man.

Someone told me it is the worst form of Google-ism. Teachers of Irish warn their students if they rely on Google for their translations, they can smell it a mile off, he said.

Cllr Scanlan urged the removal of the large signs, and their replacement, pointing out that some of the older brown tourism signs carry what he feels is the correct term of an bealach glas.

People do not have a problem with bealach, the problem is with the reversing of the descriptive in the name. It turns the thing on its head.

To me, protocol and correctness are number one, and this is anything but, he added.

He says he is not criticising the Limerick Greenway  anything but.

We have a superb product in the Greenway, I wouldnt want anyone to think we do not. But the little subtleties have been lost somewhere, added Cllr Scanlan.

Re-opened during the summer, the Limerick Greenway carves a 40km path through the local countryside.

It follows the old Limerick to Kerry railway line, linking Rathkeale and Newcastle West and on into Co Kerry.
GARDAI are urging motorists not to leave valuable items in parked cars following a number of recent theft incidents across the city and county.

In one A handbag was stolen from the back seat of a car at Grattan Street while a laptop, belonging to a student, was taken from the front passenger side of a car which was parked at Ashbourne Avenue.

According to investigating gardai, in each case the culprits smashed windows to gain access to the valuables in the cars.

"We know how much we rely on our laptops so that will have to be replaced along with the car window. It is worth your while

to pause before you leave your car and make sure there is nothing on view that might attract a thief, if there it bring it with you," said divisional crime prevention officer, Sergeant Ber Leetch.

In a separate incident last week, two women were working in the church in Knocklong at around 3pm as they were preparing it for Mass that evening.

"When they left the church, the women discovered that both of their cars had been broken into. The passenger

windows were smashed and their handbags taken," said Sgt Leetch.

Gardai at Bruff and Henry Street in Limerick city are appealing for anybody with information about what happened to please contact them.
WOMEN'S health campaigner Vicky Phelan has shared a heartbreaking update on her cancer treatment in the USA this Sunday.

She took to Instagram to let the countless people, who both admire and have been inspired by her, know that she has returned to Ireland.

The Kilkenny native, who resides in Annacotty, wrote that she has some new tumours.

"This means that I am no longer eligible for proton beam therapy since my tumours are far too extensive, i.e. I have too much disease in my body for them to zap.

"And so, the recommendation from the team at Georgetown University Hospital was for me to return home for systemic therapy, i.e. palliative chemotherapy," wrote Ms Phelan.

With a very heavy heart, the mum-of-two said she made the decision to return home to Ireland.

"I returned home earlier this week and am taking the time to reconnect with my kids and to absorb this news before I start down the chemotherapy road.

"The 'good' news is that I can still have treatment and that this treatment will keep me alive until Christmas at least. The bad news is that the treatment I am about to start on is extremely toxic and will take its toll on my body and my mind," wrote Vicky.

She told her tens of thousands of followers on Instagram: "As always, I would like to thank you all so very much for your support, your kindness, your generosity, your prayers and positive messages which continue to lift me and keep me going. THANK YOU ALL."

Ms Phelan became a leading figure in the CervicalCheck controversy after she was awarded a settlement by the High Court in April 2018 in a case taken against the US laboratory that carried out her cervical smear test.

Since then she has been a powerful advocate for women's health and has given her support to many charitable organisations and people despite her own cancer treatment.
WEST Limerick is getting ready to shout Viva Espana next week at a special lunch celebrating Spanish food and wine.

The lunch is part of the West Limerick Food Series and will take place in the Platform 22 Cafe, at the Barnagh Greenway Hub.

Happily, it coincides nicely with events all over Ireland on what will be the sixth annual Spanish Food and Wine Week.

For the lunch, on Thursday, October 6, Olive Sheehan of Platform 22 has prepared a very special menu.

I am delighted to have designed a unique tapas menu which showcases local West Limerick food and drink producers. These will be paired with a tasting of 2 wines from the Spanish Camino which is in keeping with our location on the Limerick Greenway, Ms Sheehan said.

The tapas will include Cotters lamb burgers with pickled Limerick cucumber, pressed belly of Rigneys Farm free-range pork with Attyflin Estate apple chutney, patatas bravas made with Cecil Gallaghers potatoes and Bally Goats Cheese served with Barnagh blackberries.

Booking is essential by telephoning 069 61512.

The West Limerick Food Series is a blend of workshops with expert trainers, guest speakers and interactive discussion and is suitable for, but not limited to, food/drink producers and growers, cafe owners, restaurateurs and chefs, hoteliers, B&B owners, tour guides/operators, retailers, publicans, tourist attractions and food/drink enthusiasts.
As China definitively cracked down on cryptocurrencies, Tesla CEO s said that it is not possible for governments to destroy cryptocurrencies. He, however, warned that progress of growth for Bitcoin and similar digital currencies can be hampered by governments.

It is not possible to, I think, destroy crypto, but it is possible for governments to slow down its advancement," CNBC quoted Musk as saying during a recent tech event in California.

On the question of whether US government should regulate the cryptocurrency market, Musk said the administration should Do nothing."

Commenting on Beijing's crackdown against cryptocurrency, Musk said that the action might have stemmed from the countrys significant electricity generation issues".

Part of it may actually be due to electricity shortages in many parts of China," the report quoted Musk as saying. A lot of South China right now is having random power outages, because the power demand is higher than expected."

Crypto mining might be playing a role in that," he added.

The decentralised nature of cryptocurrencies may present a challenge for the Chinese government at higher levels.

I suppose cryptocurrency is fundamentally aimed at reducing the power of a centralised government," Musk said.

Tesla had bought Bitcoin worth $1.5 billion earlier this year, which rose in value to $2.5 billion as its value increased in the second quarter. However, Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have dropped owing to several misadventures.

Musk himself has been deeply involved with cryptocurrencies, with his Twitter feed full of posts on digital currencies. However, he has also accepted that it cannot solve all problems.

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A top official in the United Arab Emirates has sounded the alarm about escalating tensions between China and the U.S., delivering one of the starkest regional warnings yet about competition between the two powers.

Were all worried, very much, by a looming Cold War," UAE presidential diplomatic adviser Anwar Gargash said Saturday at a conference in the capital, Abu Dhabi. That is bad news for all of us because the idea of choosing is problematic in the international system, and I think this is not going to be an easy ride."

A geopolitical rivalry between the U.S. and China is testing the loyalties of countries in the oil-rich Gulf. Despite decades of close cooperation with the U.S., including by hosting military bases, China has emerged as a major economic counterweight to America. Its now the biggest buyer of crude oil from the Gulf.

This is going to be a big challenge for all of us," Gargash said. For us here in the UAE, the United States is our predominant strategic partner but China is our number one or two -- with India -- economic partner."

The UAE, a crucial U.S. ally in the Middle East, has been under pressure to reverse a push for stronger military and economic ties with China, which is seeking increased influence in the region.

China will continue to be extremely important," Gargash said. While Americas direction is something you can glean from various readings and conferences and discussions, understanding Chinas direction, I think, is more opaque."

The Biden administration is pressing the UAE to remove Huawei Technologies Co. from its telecommunications network and take other steps to distance itself from China, raising the risk that the countrys purchase of some $23 billion in F-35 jets and drones may be at stake, Bloomberg reported in June.

The U.S. is asking the UAE to remove Huawei equipment from its networks within the next four years -- before its scheduled to get the F-35 in 2026 or 2027 -- but Emirati officials have countered that theyd need longer plus an alternative thats as affordable.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com

2021 Bloomberg L.P.

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A woman's ill-advised photo attempt with an octopus recently went horribly wrong: After she draped the cephalopod on her face, the octopus dug in with its suckers and bit her on the chin, causing a painful infection that sent her to the emergency room.

Jamie Bisceglia, a resident of Fox Island, Washington, and owner of the fishing company South Sound Salmon Sisters, was trying to create a memorable image for a photo contest, King 5 News reported on Aug. 5 .

Bisceglia was at a local fishing derby in Puget Sound on Aug. 2 when she noticed that a fisherman had caught an octopus; she "borrowed" the animal to take a photo for that derby's contest. When she placed the octopus on her face, it sank its beak into her chin  "not once, but twice. It was like a barbed hook going into my skin," Bisceglia told King 5 News .

Related: 8 Crazy Facts About Octopuses

The wound bled for 30 minutes and was intensely painful. After two days elapsed, she was having difficulty swallowing and experienced severe swelling in her face, throat and arms, according to King 5 News. She visited the emergency room at Tacoma General Hospital and received antibiotics. But doctors told her that the swelling may come and go for months to come, Bisceglia told KIRO 7 News .

Bisceglia identified the octopus as a young giant Pacific octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini), but it could also be a Pacific red octopus (Octopus rubescens), said Sandy Trautwein, vice president of animal husbandry at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California.

Though octopuses' bodies are soft and boneless, they have hard beaks made of chitin, the same substance that makes up the exoskeletons of arthropods such as insects, spiders and crustaceans, Trautwein told Live Science in an email.

"An octopus beak looks similar to a parrot's beak and is embedded in strong muscle tissue called a buccal mass," she said. After an octopus has captured a meal with its muscular arms, it uses its beak and drill-like tongue to break through the tough shell of its prey.

"Once there is a hole in the shell, octopuses inject venomous saliva into their prey to paralyze or kill it," Trautwein said.

Paralyzing toxins

In most octopuses, this venom contains neurotoxins that cause paralysis. Saliva in the giant Pacific octopus contains the proteins tyramine and cephalotoxin, which paralyze or kill the prey. Other proteins, such as tryptamine oxidase, dissolve tissue and break it down "into a gel-like form," Trautwein said.

Octopus bites can cause bleeding and swelling in people, but only the venom of the blue-ringed octopus (Hapalochlaena lunulata) is known to be deadly to humans.

In addition to octopuses' hunting prowess, there's a lot to admire about these cephalopods: They conduct daring escapes from their tanks, go for walks on beaches and demonstrate impressive camouflaging skills .

But the safest way to appreciate these animals is from a distance. Octopuses are curious creatures and generally not aggressive toward people. But they will defend themselves if provoked and are capable of causing serious injury  as Bisceglia found out the hard way.

"Wild animals are unpredictable and should be respected," Trautwein said.
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A Tale of Love and Desire is the story of a young Arab man in Paris whose first love is accompanied by the discovery of a very different Arab culture than the one he knows, one that is sensual and liberating.

The film screens as part of the Zurich Film Festivals New World View section, which this year is celebrating a new generation of Tunisian filmmakers.

In making her sophomore feature, Leyla Bouzid says she wanted to tell the story of a young man experiencing his first love and first sexual experience. The idea, she says, was to propose another vision of masculinity, another kind of story that has not been presented in other films. Its something that is absent from our cinema.

Simply broaching the subject is difficult due to modern social customs. Filming the body of a young Arab man, even if hes French, how that is seen by others, is already something political: to be interested in his body, his skin, his sexuality is already something that is political.

At the center of the story is the confrontation between the shy Ahmed (played by Sami Outalbali, who stars in Netflixs Sex Education), a student from an Algerian family who grew up in the suburbs of Paris, and the eroticism of Eastern culture. It is while studying literature at the Sorbonne that he meets the free-spirited Farah (Zbeida Belhajamor), a young Tunisian woman who has just arrived in Paris.

For many young people of Arab descent who grow up in France, there is a lack of connection with their roots, their language, heritage and history, and that has resulted in a loss of identity for a generation, Bouzid notes. Frances complicated history with Algeria is something that is not really taught in French schools, she adds. Unlike Spanish, Italian and German, Arabic is also not offered in schools as a foreign language.

By contrast, students in Tunisia grow up learning every detail of Frances colonization of North Africa. For many young Tunisians who go to France, the lack of knowledge about that history among many French is apparent, she adds. Its something she depicts in her film, where it is the cosmopolitan Farah, and 12th-century Arabic literature, that provide Ahmed with an enlightened, progressive understanding of sexuality.

Among the many Arabic writings discussed in the film is the ancient love story of Layla & Majnun, about a young couple who fall in love but are unable to be together. The poet Majnun remains madly in love with Layla, forever his great unattainable muse. The storys enduring impact has been evident over the centuries, not least as the inspiration for Eric Clapton and his classic Derek and the Dominos hit Layla.

In Outalbali and Belhajamor, Bouzid found the ideal actors to play the young lovers. I wanted the film to be really sensual, something that you can feel very deeply, so I needed two actors who really have this sensuality.

Sami is very, very different from Ahmed. Its very fun to see him in Sex Education. In real life hes really not a shy person, but he really understood the film and wanted to play this character very strongly.

In preparing the shoot, Bouzid shared some films with Outalbali, including James Grays Two Lovers, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Gwyneth Paltrow, to give him a sense of the reserved character she had in mind.

Bouzid similarly found the perfect female lead in Belhajamor, a Tunisian actress in her first feature film role. When I met her it was obvious that she could be Farah, that she could make Ahmed mad with love, in the same way Majnun went mad.

When Outalbali and Belhajamor first met in Paris for a screen test, there was really strong chemistry between them. There was something happening, so much so that we decided that they would not meet anymore in order to keep that chemistry.

Bouzid is currently writing her next film project, an as yet untitled drama set in the Tunisian city of Sousse. It will be very different, with an element of mystery, she says.

A Tale of Love and Desire is being sold internationally by Pyramide, which also released the film in France.

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While promoting his new memoir Taste: My Life Through Food, Stanley Tucci revealed that he was still recovering from his cancer treatment during the production of his CNN series Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy.

The Big Night and Devil Wears Prada actor further detailed his battle with cancer in a new conversation with the New York Times, explaining how the illness impacted his life. After three radiation sessions, Tucci started experiencing vertigo and a loss of appetite.

It was hard because I could taste everything, but I couldnt necessarily swallow, Tucci told the Times of production, detailing an incident involving steak florentine. I had to chew it for 10 minutes to get it down my throat [Other times] I just had to get rid of the food.

The actor also stated he did not fear death throughout the experience, but rather the possibility of losing his sense of taste.

I mean, if you cant eat and enjoy food, how are you going to enjoy anything else? Tucci said.

While Tucci has written cookbooks before, Taste: My Life Through Food is a reflection on the actors lifelong relationship with food, including memories of his mothers cooking and stories involving his least favorite meals from working on film sets.

In September, Tucci revealed that he had been diagnosed with cancer three years ago and had successfully undergone treatment.

Taste: My Life Through Food will be published by Gallery Books on Oct. 5. Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy premiered on CNN earlier this year. All six parts of the series are currently available to watch through YouTube TV, HBO Max and other services.

J. Kim Murphy contributed to this report.

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Swiss productions and co-productions are on the rise, driven in part by federal and regional funders that offer attractive opportunities for domestic and international filmmakers.

Quickly recovering from the impact of the pandemic, the local film industry has gotten off to another strong year with local films and international co-productions.

Elie Grappes Swiss-Ukrainian-French title Olga premiered at this years Directors Fortnight in Cannes, while unspooling in Locarno were Lorenz Merzs Soul of a Beast and Swiss-international co-productions like Stefan Jagers Monte Verita and Laurent Geslins nature documentary Lynx. Venice saw such Swiss co-productions as Ariaferma, by Italian helmer Leonardo Di Costanzo, and Bolivian director Kiro Russos El Gran Movimiento. And opening this years Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) was Michael Steiners Swiss-German Taliban thriller And Tomorrow We Will Be Dead.

The upswing in Swiss cinema is due in no small part to Zurich as a film location, noted ZFF director Christian Jungen. The ZFF and local funder Zurcher Filmstiftung (Zurich Film Fund) again showcased the citys bustling film sector  Switzerlands main industry hub  with their annual Zurich Film Stroll and Zurich Film Night during this years event.

The Zurich Film Fund is one of a number of major funders in Switzerland, which together offer a total of CHF 86 million ($92.4 million) annually in public film funding. Federal and regional sources also include the Federal Office of Culture (FOC), Cineforom, Swiss pubcaster SRG SSR and other local boards.

The largest backer of feature films is the FOC, with a combined annual budget of CHF 28.5 million ($30.6 million) for various programs. The Film Investment Refund Switzerland (PICS) scheme, for instance, allocates CHF 6 million ($6.45 million) for Swiss-international co-productions, refunding 20% to 40% of eligible film production expenses generated in Switzerland.

With an annual budget of CHF 12 million ($12.9 million), the Zurich Film Fund is the countrys biggest regional funder, focusing on the canton of Zurich and in particular its capital. Supported co-productions have to spend 150% of their funding in the region.

Cineforom, the second-biggest regional fund with CHF 10 million ($10.7 million), covers the whole French-speaking part of Switzerland; grants must be spent entirely in the region.

While pubcaster SRG is the countrys single biggest source of funding, with an annual commitment to Swiss film of CHF 32.5 million ($34.9 million) for the 2020-2023 period, that sum only includes CHF 9 million ($9.7 million) a year for theatrical feature films and CHF 1 million ($1.07) for animated pics. By contrast, the pubcaster supports TV productions with CHF 19 million ($20.4 million).

Among recent international co-productions that have benefited from Swiss funding are Delphine Lehericeys family drama Beyond the Horizon; Milo Raus political passion play The New Gospel; Samirs Iraqi immigrant tale Baghdad in My Shadow; Blaise Harrisons teen drama Particles; and Stefan Haupts historical pic The Reformer. Zwingli  A Lifes Portrait.

Film projects currently in the works or in production that have also secured Swiss funds include:

Samirs Stranger in a Village, a semi-fictional story of racism inspired by James Baldwins 1951 stay in the alpine resort town of Leukerbad that led to his essay of the same title, and Werner Schweizers Flukiger und die Suche nach Wahrheit, both produced by Samirs Zurich-based Dschoint Ventschr, which specializes in international co-productions;

Margarethe von Trottas Bachmann und Frisch, about Ingeborg Bachmann, the radical Austrian writer and poet, her life in Berlin, Zurich and Rome and her relationship with the author Max Frisch;

Nicolas Steiners The Flying Mountain, based on Christoph Ransmayrs novel about two brothers who set off from Ireland for Tibet, where they embark on a search for an unnamed and unclimbed mountain;

Jagers White Summer, which centers on the relationship between a hitman and a seriously ill child on a journey from southern Italy to Switzerland;

Cosima Freis 5 Euro, about a single, retired man who falls in love with a young Afghan refugee while hes buying sex;

Lehericeys comedy-drama Last Dance, about an aging widower forced to deal with his over-protective family and the secret pact he made with his late wife.

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Another TikTok is upsetting San Antonio officials.

User @luhlmanzz2x shared a video to the platform earlier this week detailing an apparent prank where an unidentified user  who only has the single video on their profile  poured dishwashing liquid into a popular downtown fountain.

A shot of the persons hand shows them squeezing a bottle of green Palmolive soap into Fountain Cove, the picturesque fountain that is steps away from the Tower of the Americas. With each quick clip that follows, the usually clear water is instead replaced with foam that fills the fountain area and spills out onto the walkway.

Some people can even be seen taking pictures in front of the fountain, to which @luhlmanzz2x proudly claims that they got everybody and they mama taking pics.

The TikTok ends by showing four empty bottles of dishwashing liquid, not including the green Palmolive bottle seen earlier in the video, and reads, Little do they know, referencing the bystanders seemingly unaware of the prank.

In the comments, @luhlmanzz2x claims that they were just trying to clean the fountain and admits to pouring in like 8 bottles.

The video has amassed more than 188,200 views since it was posted, as well as upwards of 22,800 likes and nearly 500 comments. The majority of those comments come from users amused by the video, with some hoping for a part two and a few even wanting to do something similar in other cities.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Other users were concerned about potential environmental effects brought on by the littering. Although the fountain area doesn't drain out to another collection of water, a number of individuals pointed out the fountain's proximity to the River Walk and the San Antonio River.

The prankster doesnt seem to be concerned about any wrongdoing. When another user pointed out that the act could lead to jail time, they simply responded, Yes soap is [going to] get me years in the joint, accompanied by a laughing emoji.

The San Antonio River Authority, however, says it looks down on public littering, which dumping dishwashing liquid is definitely considered.

The health and quality of the San Antonio River has a direct correlation to the action of the people that live and interact with this important resource, says the organization in a statement to MySA, calling the river a symbol of pride for the Alamo City.

A San Antonio River Authority spokesperson says that the organization does not condone this type of behavior given the harm it can cause to area creeks and rivers.

Since the City of San Antonio operates the Tower of the Americas and surrounding areas, the municipal government would decide how to handle the incident, not the River Authority.

MySA also reached out to the Citys Parks and Recreation department, but did not hear back in time for publication. We may just have to wait and see whether the folks behind the viral TikTok will face charges.
A man has been arrested as he has been accused of smuggling firearms that were intended for the Cartel Del Noreste, according to an arrest affidavit.

Angel Huerta Garay was charged with export and attempt to export firearms and ammo. A firearms investigation led authorities to record phone calls involving Huerta-Garay.

On Sept. 25, Huerta-Garay was allegedly heard saying that he had six firearms and that he would be in Laredo. Huerta-Garay then is heard asking how he crosses the firearms into Mexico. The buyer told him that someone crosses the firearms and stays in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico.

Huerta-Garay stated, You understand that over here we are all neutral, right? And I don't really care who they are for, cause I just want to know who I am doing business with because I am going to tell you straight out, I am from Nuevo Laredo, and I know all those transactions, and I've done them.

The buyer told Huerta-Garay the guns were for a Mexican cartel.

"They are for CDN man, for the Noreste, for Cartel del Noreste, and we are very thankful for what you are doing, even though it is a small transaction," states the affidavit.

Huerta-Garay added, "Nah don't worry, I have already taken them a bunch, I have taken them to you all in that area, but to somebody else, to another crowd, you know there are different crowds, and several different groups."

Huerta-Garay met with the buyer at about 3:45 p.m. Sept. 27 in the 4200 block Jaime Zapata Memorial Highway. Huerta-Garay was unaware he had arrived at the location for a controlled firearms purchase, where law enforcement were watching.

FBI special agents arrested Huerta-Garay once the supposed transaction was done. Before being read his rights, Huerta-Garay allegedly stated, "I do this stupid s---, this is my wrong s--- and I have to be apologizing for that." He then requested an attorney.

Huerta-Garay knowingly transported firearms knowing that the firearms were intended to go to Mexico to Cartel del Noreste to be transported contrary to any law for the United States. Law enforcement seized four rifles, ammunition with 10 magazines, one shotgun, and three pistols, states the affidavit.
Members of the Laredo community gathered at Texas A&M International to march in demand of broadened reproductive rights in Texas as part of a nationwide Rally for Abortion Justice event.

The rally was organized by the TAMIU College Democrats as part of the National Day of Action, which features more than 600 events in all 50 states.

A pair of prominent Democrats were present including Rep. Henry Cuellars two challengers for his congressional seat in the next election in Tannya Benavides and Jessica Cisneros.

The fight for abortion rights is of essence in Laredo, Texas, and the border communities up and down the state of Texas, and United States, Benavides said. We cant expect Henry Cuellar to be on our side because he has never been on our side, but we should demand that other members of Congress who are seeing what is happening in Texas stand up for our rights and the rights of their constituents.

The rally in Laredo comes as the Supreme Court is set to begin oral arguments on Oct. 4 in a case that will determine the future of abortion rights for Americans.

Our anti-choice officials, including those in the State Legislature and Rep. Henry Cuellar have decided to make healthcare even less accessible, said Cisneros, Cuellars strongest challenger from 2020. Seeing an event like this is so great because these young people are trying to do their best to destigmatize so we can have these conversations within our community, and we can talk about this being another form of healthcare.

A representative for Cuellar stated that he was traveling and could not provide comment by press time Friday night.

Others who were present included the Laredo Reproductive Health Coalition. And members there shared their thoughts on the current direction of abortions in Texas and the country.

Were here today for one particular reason, because we demand abortion justice and reproductive rights for the people of Texas, Laredo Reproductive Health Coalition member Danna Moreno said. Our Texas foster care system and adoption system is overrun with children that cannot find homes and that we are not financially sustaining.

More than 110 organizations have joined forces to take part in #RallyForAbortionJustice. The event was organized by Womens March, put together to show these Americans support Roe v. Wade.

Today has been exactly one month since the devastating Texas six-week abortion ban has gone into effect, South Texas Community Organized at Planned Parenthood Texas Vote member Aileen Garza said. People seeking abortions are scared, they are desperate and they feel abandoned by our state.

Students and members of the community gathered at the TAMIU Zaffirini Student Success Center where members joined to share words about the purpose of their gathering. Attendees then proceeded to chant as they marched among campus inviting fellow students and present guests to join the march for abortion justice.

cecilia.trevino@lmtonline.com
Laredo Sector Border Patrol agents assigned to the Freer Station arrested two convicted sex offenders, preventing them from further traveling into the United States.

The arrests occurred on September 30, as Freer Station agents were patrolling remote ranch lands 25 miles west of Freer, Texas. Two of the undocumented individuals were found to have serious criminal histories.
3 1 of 3 Courtesy / U.S. Border Patrol Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Courtesy / U.S. Border Patrol Show More Show Less 3 of 3





Laredo Sector Border Patrol agents assigned to the Horse Patrol Unit provided first aid to an individual who became lost near Hebbronville, Texas.

The agents received information through a 911 call stating that an individual was lost in the brush.
ROME (AP)  Millions of people in Italy started voting Sunday for new mayors, including in Rome and Milan, in an election widely seen as a test of political alliances before nationwide balloting just over a year away.

The two days of voting end on Monday and the first results are expected afterwards. But many voters will have to wait two weeks to learn who their mayor will be.

Runoffs will be held Oct. 17-18 in municipalities with more than 15,000 people between the top two vote-getters if no single candidate garners more than 50% of the ballots.

Nearly all the mayoral races in the biggest cities, including Rome, Turin, Naples and Bologna, are expected to see runoffs. Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala has told supporters he thinks they might be able to win enough votes to give him another five-year term without a runoff.

Around 12 million people, or roughly 20% of Italys population, are eligible to vote in the mayoral races.

Rome Mayor Virginia Raggi, a prominent populist 5-Star Movement figure, has been fighting an uphill battle to keep her office. Opinion polls indicated that the likely two top vote-getters in the 22-candidate field will be a center-left Democratic and a right-wing candidate who is backed by anti-migrant League leader Matteo Salvini and far-right leader Giorgia Meloni and her Brothers of Italy party with neo-fascist roots.

When Raggi took the helm of the city in 2016, she inherited a mess, and many of the the Italian capital's problems persist. Piles of uncollected trash still blighted the city, several subway stations were shut down for months for maintenance and aging buses often broke down on their routes, sometimes going on fire, during her tenure.

Besides casting her ballot, Raggi on Sunday morning inspected the site of a fire that damaged a bridge spanning the Tiber and a settlement of riverbank shacks occupied by homeless persons, another illustration of Rome's chronic problems.

Salvini and Meloni, while officially right-wing allies, have been warily sizing each other up, since both have ambitions to be Italian premier. A parliamentary election is due in early 2023, but both leaders have been pressing to vote sooner.

The 5-Star Movement, currently Parliament's largest party, has suffered internal bickering. Its newly elected leader, former Premier Giuseppe Conte, who has been trying to heal the divisions, heavily backed Raggi and rebuffed overtures by the Democrat Party to throw its backing behind the Democrat running to be Rome's mayor.

The Democrats will likely need an alliance with the Movement to counter the rising popularity of right-wing forces when national elections are held. After national elections, alliances will be crucial in forming a government, since in Italys fractured political spectrum, no one party can count on any significant likelihood of governing alone.

Thus, how the mayoral campaign alliances fare in this months municipal races will be dissected as a possible indication of Italians sentiment when they next vote for national leadership.

"The competition (and the barometer) of the leaders of the political party chiefs' jockeying for advantage, Corriere della Sera's headline about the voting said.

Salvinis League is a coalition member of Premier Mario Draghis unity government, formed earlier this year to lead the country through the COVID-19 pandemic. Meloni was the only major leader to refuse to join the unusual coalition, which includes technocrats as well as ministers from leftist, centrists, right-wing and populist parties.

Since the 5-Stars triumph in the last election for Parliament, in 2018, the Movement's popularity plummeted in gubernatorial balloting and in public opinion polls.

Voters in southern Calabria in the toe of the Italian peninsula are also electing a governor, replacing one who died of cancer while in office last year.
Doctors Hospital auxiliary volunteers kicked off National Breast Cancer Awareness Month with Pink Ribbon Awareness Day in the hospitals lobby.

Pink ribbons were made by the auxiliary volunteers and placed around the main entrance, at the cancer center and on trees throughout the hospital grounds.

The pink ribbons create public awareness in our community of our support of breast cancer patients, survivors and their family members, Director of Doctors Regional Cancer Treatment Center Christine Martinez said. We are thankful to our volunteers who hand made the ribbons and accented our hospital grounds with pink. We also hope to remind our friends and family that early detection is the best prevention.

Doctors, nurses, auxiliary volunteers, staff and cancer survivors were among the guests who celebrated the kickoff of October with cheerful and hopeful messages to the community. They also hoped to inspire everyone to get their yearly checkups with their doctors.

Cancer is something that has touched probably every one of us, directly or indirectly, Doctors Hospital CEO Emma Montes-Ewing said. And this is something that were very proud of, to have an amazing cancer center here in Laredo for our community.

The American Cancer Society suggests for women over 40 years of age to have at least one mammogram done per year. In case of having family history of breast cancer, more frequent checkups are strongly encouraged.

This advice was echoed by breast cancer survivor Melita Rodriguez, who was on hand to share her story. She said she is in her second battle with cancer but is thankful for the help she is receiving.

The message that I share with you consists of merely two very important words: yearly mammogram, Rodriguez said. We are fortunate to have an outstanding doctor, (other) doctors and facility right here in Laredo.  I have five years of medication ahead of me, and I consider that a very small price to pay and am forever indebted to all professionals who played a part in my journey. Again, I cannot stress enough the importance of having an annual checkup, it could be a matter of life and death.

Dr. Tripesh Chaduadry recommends the community have routine screenings with their doctors.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP)  Not a single hurricane has hit Puerto Rico this year, but hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. territory feel like theyre living in the aftermath of a major storm: Students do homework by the light of dying cellphones, people who depend on insulin or respiratory therapies struggle to find power sources and the elderly are fleeing sweltering homes amid record high temperatures.

Power outages across the island have surged in recent weeks, with some lasting several days. Officials have blamed everything from seaweed to mechanical failures as the government calls the situation a crass failure that urgently needs to be fixed.

The daily outages are snarling traffic, frying costly appliances, forcing doctors to cancel appointments, causing restaurants, shopping malls and schools to temporarily close and even prompting one university to suspend classes and another to declare a moratorium on exams.

This is hell, said Iris Santiago, a 48-year-old with chronic health conditions who often joins her elderly neighbors outside when their apartment building goes dark and the humid heat soars into the 90s Fahrenheit.

Like any Puerto Rican, I live in a constant state of anxiety because the power goes out every day, she said. Not everyone has family they can run to and go into a home with a generator.

Santiago recently endured three days without power and had to throw out the eggs, chicken and milk that spoiled in her refrigerator. She said power surges also caused hundreds of dollars of damage to her air conditioner and refrigerator.

Puerto Ricos Electric Power Authority, which is responsible for the generation of electricity, and Luma, a private company that handles transmission and distribution of power, have blamed mechanical failures at various plants involving components such as boilers and condensers. In one recent incident, seaweed clogged filters and a narrow pipe.

Luma also has implemented selective blackouts in recent weeks that have affected a majority of its 1.5 million clients, saying demand is exceeding supply.

Luma took over transmission and distribution in June. Puerto Ricos governor said the company had pledged to reduce power interruptions by 30% and the length of outages by 40%.

The islands Electric Power Authority has long struggled with mismanagement, corruption and, more recently, bankruptcy.

In September 2016, a fire at a power plant sparked an island-wide blackout. A year later, Hurricane Maria hit as a Category 4 storm, shredding the aging power grid and leaving some customers up to a year without power.

Emergency repairs were done, but reconstruction work to strengthen the grid has yet to start.

Were on the verge of a collapse, said Juan Alicea, a former executive director of the authority.

He said three main factors are to blame: Officials halted maintenance of generation units under the erroneous belief they would soon be replaced. Scores of experienced employees have retired. And investment to replace aging infrastructure has dwindled.

Puerto Ricos power generation units are on average 45 years old, twice those of the U.S. mainland,.

Luma has said it expects to spend $3.85 billion to revamp the transmission and distribution system and company CEO Wayne Stensby said Luma has made significant progress in stabilizing it. He noted that crews have restarted four substations, some of which had been out of operation since Hurricane Maria.

Puerto Rico Gov. Pedro Pierluisi blamed the outages on management failures at the Electric Power Authority and called the repeated failures untenable.

Pierluisi himself has faced calls to resign  hundreds gathered to protest near the governor's mansion on Friday  and many are demanding that the government cancel Luma's contract.

The president of the power authoritys governing board resigned last week and a new executive director, Josue Colon, was appointed, promising to visit all generation units to pinpoint the problem.

I recognize the critical condition that theyre in, he said. Were not going to stop until the problem is corrected.

Some people have taken to banging pots at night in frustration in addition to organizing protests.

Among those planning to join is Carmen Cabrer, a 53-year-old asthmatic and diabetic. She has been unable to use her nebulizer and recently had to throw out insulin for lack of refrigeration. The heat forces her to open her windows and breathe in pollution that aggravates her asthma. She cooks and washes clothes at irregular hours, fearing the power will go out again.

This has turned into abuse, she said of the outages. Im constantly tense.

The outages are especially aggravating because power bills have been rising and the pandemic has forced many people to work or study from home.

Barbra Maysonet, a 30-year-old call center operator who works from home, said she sometimes loses an entire shift and doesnt get paid for lack of power. Shes hesitant to work at the office because she doesn't want to expose her mother and grandmother to COVID-19.

It really puts a dent in my paycheck, she said. I have to rethink things. ... Im going to have to risk my health just to be able to pay the rest of the bills.

Like other Puerto Ricans, Maysonet has modified her diet, turning to canned goods, snacks and crackers that won't spoil in a power outage.

Just when Im about to cook something, the power goes out. Then its, I guess Im having another bowl of cereal, she said.

Those who can afford it buy generators or invest in solar panels, but budgets are tight for many on an island mired in a deep economic crisis and a government that is effectively bankrupt.

Even attempts to rely on alternate sources of energy often are frustrated.

Manuel Casellas, an attorney who recently served as president of his 84-unit condominium complex, said the owners agreed to buy a generator more than a year ago at a cost of $100,000. However, they first need a power company official to connect the generator to the grid. He has made four appointments, and said officials canceled them all at the last minute without explanation.

This has created great annoyance, he said. This is a building with many elderly people.

Casellas himself has at times been unable to work at home or the office because of power outages at both. If he can't meet with clients, he doesn't get paid. Like others, he is considering leaving Puerto Rico.

Every time the power goes out here it pushes your post-traumatic stress button, he said, referring to the harrowing experiences many went through after Hurricane Maria, with an estimated 2,975 people dying in the aftermath. You cant live without electricity.
Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) today hosted a delegation of government representatives from the Dominican Republic who visited the Port of Laredo to study effective cross-border operation practices at the Port of Laredo, the largest inland port in the Western Hemisphere.

The delegation's visit was part of an agreement TAMIU signed with the Dominican Republic Foreign Ministry in 2019, identifying TAMIU as the technical advisor collaborating in the development of a border master plan for the Dominican Republic.

The visit consisted of a week of presentations by border operations experts and field trips by the delegation to Laredo's ports, concluding at a breakfast with TAMIU President Dr. Pablo Arenaz.

Maria Eugenia Calderon-Porter, TAMIU assistant vice president for Global Initiatives, said that the Dominican Republic is in the process of becoming a digital government and emissaries from the Dominican Republic President's Office visited Laredo and TAMIU to witness all digital international trade transactions at the Port of Laredo.

TAMIU's project with the Dominican Republic aligns with TAMIU's Office of Global Initiatives' mission, which is to enhance relationships between TAMIU and the global community by promoting civic and social organizations and institutions through research, education, leadership and public service, Calderon Porter said.

"After having visited several federal agencies, the delegation will understand the interconnectedness between all the government agencies that are required to make our Port successful," she said, "The group will create a timeline for their ambitious project and budget for the implementation of these processes in a digital format for their own country."

Pedro Quezada, General Director, Dominican Republic Presidential Offices of Information and Communication Technologies, said that the delegation's visit to Laredo was fruitful.

"We came to Laredo with the objective of learning the experiences that different institutions associated with customs, immigration and border control have implemented in the city of Laredo in the way that takes advantage of commerce and generate sustainable growth in the city and in the United States, "Quezada said. He continued, "The Dominican Republic is committed to taking advantage of its border with the sister Republic of Haiti and improving processes in such a way that the government of the Dominican Republic, the President of the Republic, Luis Abinader, is trying to use technology to improve all processes, eliminate bureaucracy, be a more transparent country and obviously, generate an economy that will grow steadily so that we can generate more wealth and that the wealth is redistributed in the Dominican society. In the end, all the actions that we will be implementing are aimed at generating a better quality of life for Dominican citizens."

In advising the Dominican Republic, TAMIU is addressing the technology required for the successful logistics and supply chain management that is part of a successful inland port in Laredo, Calderon-Porter said.

"TAMIU is committed to the support of the modernization of the Dominican Republic Border, and TAMIU's Office of Global Initiatives will be working with them until the fruition of the project," she said.

Dominican Republic dignitaries visiting TAMIU included Pedro Quezada, General Director, Presidential Offices of Information and Communication Technologies; Elvyn Gomez, Director of Technology, General Directorate of Customs; Santo Domingo Guerrero Class, Director of Operations Plans, Ministry of Defense; Frank Cabrera Rizek, Director of Cesfront, Ministry of Defense; Santo Domingo Henriquez, Director of Telecommunications, Presidential Offices of Information and Communication Technologies.

Also visiting were Reynaldo Garcia, Director of Migration, General Directorate of Migration; Nelson Arroyo, President, Dominican Institute of Telecommunications; Hector Jose Ovalle, Director of Telecommunications Business, Dominican Electricity Transmission Company; Jonathan Mardo, Attache, U.S. Embassy Dominican Republic, and consultants Ricardo Colmenter, Hugo Davila, Juan Planchart and Yvonne Fabara.

TAMIU's Office of Global Initiatives regularly receives multiple foreign visitors on campus. They visit Laredo's ports of entry and witness the successful outcome of NAFTA and the new USMCA replacing it. The Office has had emissaries of various countries visiting it including Mexico, Argentina, Ecuador, Haiti, Honduras, Spain, United Arab Emirates, and Azerbaijan, all seeking to learn how Laredo has become one of the most successful inland ports in the world.
Rain didnt stop thousands of protestors, including Top Chef hosts Padma Lakshmi and Gail Simmons, from showing up to publicly denounce Texas Sept. 1 abortion ban during Saturday's Houston Womens March.

Lakshmi and Simmons took a pause from filming the culinary competition's latest season to march with protesters from Discovery Green to the steps of City Hall in downtown Houston, joining protestors in chanting my body, my choice and vote Abbott out."

In their speeches, the hosts shared their personal stories about how abortion access hasand continues toimpact their lives. Lakshmi told the crowd her mother had once received an abortion at Planned Parenthood after suffering severe injuries in a car accident.

At that time, not only could my parents not afford another child, but her body could not physically sustain another pregnancy, Lakshmi said. Its out of love for me that they made the difficult decision to do what was right for our family and its out of love for my mother and all families that I stand here today, ready to fight.

Ariana Garcia

Lakshmi said the restrictive Senate Bill 8, which outlaws abortions after six weeks of pregnancy and makes no allowances for instances of rape or incest, comes with horrific consequences, particularly for victims of sexual abuse. Lakshmi told the crowd she herself had been raped at the age of 16.

My only saving grace was that I didnt become pregnant, Lakshmi said. I know how sexual violence can make people feel powerless and this bill is a knife in the heart to those very same people.

Simmons told the crowd she initially had mixed feelings about filming the latest season of Top Chef in Houston because of Texas voter rights restrictions and the passage of SB 8, but said the citys stance on these issues contradicted the states and it was important to show support to the local community.

Ariana Garcia

I know that Houston is a deeply diverse and vibrant place, Simmons said. I know that my beloved restaurant industry, let alone the women of Houston and all of Texas, need our support now more than ever and that personally choosing to back out of coming here would only serve to hurt the local people and the local economies that I set out in my career to uplift and stand behind.

Mayor Sylvester Turner, who attended the march, applauded "Top Chef" for continuing to film in the Bayou City, adding he finds most people in Houston and Harris County are opposed to bills like SB 8.

Politics are not the same throughout the state of Texas, he said. If you end up closing the door on the state... the very same people that youre trying to lift up, you continue to push down. For 'Top Chef' to join in speaks volumes about them but at the same time it's about the city of Houston. We're a very inclusive city and what hurts one hurts us all."

Ariana Garcia

Both Lakshmi and Simmons said they are worried about Roe v. Wade being overturned in the Supreme Court, but plan to continue using their platform and status to take a stand and inspire others to share their voice.

I think a lot of people in Texas feel like their voice doesnt matter because of voting rights and because of a lot of different laws, not just SB 8, Lakshmi said. A rally like this serves to unify people who are really passionate about their civic rights.

Texas has set a precedent and a lot of states could fall along with it if we dont make this an issue of national crisis and demand action at the highest levels of justice, Simmons said. The most I can do is make sure people know where I stand and that I will support them.

Lakshmi said she had a message to share with Gov. Greg Abbott.

I think Abbott should take Biology 101, Lakshmi said. I think he should understand how womens bodies work, how reproductive cycles work and I think he should stay out of womens bodies. You have no right to decide what happens to my body.
The beginning of the school year when you got to show off your new duds, new cars, new looks!

Sports! Playing, cheering, watching high school athletics.

The arts: Dramatic arts, musical groups and shows, graphic arts groups, debate, etc.

The prom! No dancing the night away or punch bowl antics.

The daily interactions. Just being with the group, hanging with friends and classmates.

Access to college recruiters and advisors  its harder to line up higher education.

Walking onstage to get a diploma while all the family is watching with everyone elses family.

Vote

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Longford County Council, in partnership with the Clonfin Commemoration Committee marked the centenary of the ambush at Clonfin at the weekend, with two memorable events at the site between Ballinalee and Granard.

On Saturday, Sr Maeve Brady RSM, a daughter of Tom Brady, one of the North Longford Flying Column members, gave an inspiring talk about the ambush at the Clonfin memorial site.

Her account was interspersed with music and song, prayer and a reflection. She also had photographs and other items from the per attendees to view.

Clonfin Ambush: North Longford Flying Columns finest hour as the elite British forces surrender to Sean Mac Eoin The War of Independence in County Longford: 100th Anniversary of Clonfin Ambush Sean O Suilleabhain, renowned local author and historian, has been researching Longfords part in the War of Independence for the past four years, for a book which he hopes to publish later this year. 2020 & 2021 marks the 100th anniversary of some key events in the War of Independence. Indeed, 1920 and 1921 were momentous years in Longfords history and the deeds of Sean Mac Eoin and his Flying Column were legendary. We are delighted that Sean O Suilleabhain is sharing some of his research with Longford Leader readers as he looks back on that era, and this week he looks at the Clonfin Ambush of February 2, 1921, when the elite British forces surrendered to Sean Mac Eoin. The author would welcome any feedback or comments at sosuilleabhain9@gmail.com

On Sunday afternoon, an official ceremony was held at the site for the families of the twenty-one members of the North Longford Flying Column.

Unfortunately, continuing restrictions on gatherings, due to Covid-19, meant that it could not be open to all, as in previous years.

Relatives travelled from as far away as Cork, Wicklow and Wexford to attend the event and remember and reflect on the bravery of their ancestors.

Official Ceremony

The event began with a parade from the Granard side of the site, which was led by a Defence Forces Colour Party, followed by the Peter Keenan Branch of the ONE and Longford Pipe Band.

In recognition of this centenary year, sons and daughters and other close relatives of the Flying Column members were involved, along with the Cathaoirleach of Longford County Council Cllr Peggy Nolan, local Oireachtas representatives and elected members of Longford County Council.

Sheila Reilly, Head of Editorial Development with the Irish Examiner, was MC at the ceremony, which had the elements that are part of the annual commemoration.

The Band of 2nd Brigade of the Defence Forces, based in Custume Barracks, Athlone, provided the music, Cathaoirleach of Longford County Council, Cllr Peggy Nolan, opened proceedings and anumber of relatives also participated in the ceremony.

Guest Speaker

The guest speaker was leading historian on the Revolutionary period Professor Marie Coleman of Queens University Belfast who is the author of the book County Longford and the Irish Revolution 1910-1923.

In her address, she spoke of the wider significance of the ambush in the War of Independence. She also spoke about the Auxiliaries and gave some interesting insights into their lives and backgrounds.

Sr Maeve Brady RSM wrote a very evocative poem about the event naming all the twenty-one local men who took part, and this poem was read by Eileen Boyle, a local secondary school student.

The event concluded with an ecumenical prayer service, led by Fr Tom Murray, Parish Priest of Clonbroney, and Rev Christiaan Snell, Minister-in-Charge of the Edgeworthstown group of parishes. They remembered the flying column members and the four Auxiliaries who lost their lives as a result of the ambush.
Arts & Culture

By Ls Cohen Published: October 03 2021

We dug into the archives to find these great old pics.

Farming on Sound Avenue in Riverhead. This is the way Riverhead plowed the fields for planting potato, cauliflower and other vegetables for which Long Island was and still is well-known. Farmers used single horse power or as the photograph shows, four horses. Photo: Riverhead Town Historian.

Check out these great old pictures of villages and towns across Long Island from back in the day. Recognize any of these areas?

Port Jefferson - C. P. and H. M. Randall, West Broadway, Port Jefferson, sold lumber and coal. Kenneth Brady Collection.

Courtesy of the Historical Society of Greater Port Jefferson

Smithtown - The Widow Blydenburgs Tavern which graced the northeast corner of Middle Country Road and North Country Road until it was razed in the early 1900s. In 1923, the newly created Village Green Corporation acquired the property in hopes of maintaining it as a public park. The towns gradual loss of interest in the site prompted the organization to donate the land to the Smithtown Library in 1947.

From The Collection of the Smithtown Historical Society.

Patchogue - Congregational Church under construction on East Main Street in 1892.

Photo: Patchogue Historical Society.

Montauk - Visitors to the Montauk Lighthouse in the 1920s. This image is not possible to duplicate today, because the land from which this photo was taken has eroded away over the years. A project begun in 1970 and lasting nearly 30 years successfully halted the onslaught of the erosion and is to be reconstructed starting in the spring of 2020.

Photo: Montauk Historical Society.

Yaphank - Camp Upton had a major influence on the area, and Irving Berlin played a part in it with his revue Yip Yip Yaphank, which was an effort to contribute to the moral of the troops based there. The show went on to reach thousands across the country and put Yaphank on the map.

Photo: Courtesy Camp Upton History Collection.
(Alliance News) - UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he is ready to take "big, bold decisions" to rebuild the country after Covid as the Tory Party conference opens in Manchester.

Johnson arrived for the start of the annual gathering in ebullient mood buoyed up by opinion polls showing the Conservatives ahead of Labour.

In a statement released on Saturday he declared: "We didn't go through Covid to go back to how things were before a to the status quo ante.

"Build back better means we want things to change and improve as we recover.

"That means taking the big, bold decisions on the priorities people care about a like on social care, on supporting jobs, on climate change, tackling crime and levelling up."

But behind the optimism, Conservative members of Parliament heading to the city are aware of a number of storm clouds gathering.

While the fuel crisis appears to be easing in much of the country, petrol retailers have warned that the situation is getting worse in London and the South East.

With long queues at many filling stations, military drivers will take to the roads on Monday in an effort to support the delivery of supplies to forecourts.

There are fears that the shortage of HGV drivers which triggered the crisis could lead to empty shelves in shops in the run up to Christmas.

Writing in The Sun, Labour leader Keir Starmer blamed Johnson for the "chaos" accusing the prime minister of ignoring repeated warnings from the industry.

"Boris Johnson was warned about this crisis and he did nothing about it. Britain deserves better than this incompetence and total lack of leadership," he said.

Some Tories, meanwhile, fear the government is facing a "cost of living crisis" with many households struggling to make ends meet over the winter, threatening the government's all important "levelling up" agenda.

It follows the ending of the GBP20-a-week Universal Credit uplift and the furlough scheme and the raising of the energy price cap at a time when many prices in the shops are going up.

Household budgets will take a further hit from next April when national insurance contributions rise by 1.25% to pay for the government's investment in the NHS and social care.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak sought to address some of the concerns with the announcement of a GBP500 million hardship fund for vulnerable families but it may not go far enough for some.

Former cabinet minister David Davis told The Observer: "You don't level up by increasing the tax and cost of living on the working class. We have to be absolutely clear what levelling up means."

On a visit to Leeds General Infirmary on Saturday, Johnson insisted that wages were also going up with those of the least well off rising fastest.

He made clear that he was determined to resist further pressure from employers to address labour shortages by easing immigration rules.

"I think what the UK shouldn't be doing is to continue to try to be a low-wage, low-skills, low-productivity economy," he said.

"People don't want that. They want us to be a well-paid, well-skilled, highly productive economy and that's where we're going."

Meanwhile, the party chair, Oliver Dowden, is expected to use his opening address to the conference to refute Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner's accusation that Tories are "scum".

"I know that this is a fundamentally decent party," Dowden is expected to say. "You might not always hear it from our opponents, but I see it every day."

By Gavin Cordon, PA Whitehall Editor

source: PA

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Balearic minister for the economic model, tourism and employment, Iago Negueruela, stated on Sunday in an interview with Europa Press that "tourism of excesses or drunken tourism" is one of the "main challenges" he faces in improving quality in certain tourist areas in the Balearics.

The minister observed that this summer has been unlike others in respect of images of this "tourism of excesses or drunkenness". It has been "much more controlled". It would be possible to find such images in any tourist destination. Even so, the focus is on preventing tourism of excesses in those areas specified by regional regulations. "They are designed to end this type of tourism and will take full effect next year once Covid has passed."

In January 2020, the Balearic government approved its decree law against tourism of excesses in specific tourist areas. "It's a pretty tough rule," Negueruela admitted.

He welcomed the efforts being made by businesses to transform these areas and emphasised that the public sector will support them and work with them to achieve this and to ensure that "the type of images are not produced again".

As well as regulations such as those contained in the decree, Negueruela indicated that European funds should also allow improvements in 'mature' tourist areas, with a significant advance in certain parts of Mallorca and Ibiza.

Speaking more broadly, the minister referred to the fact that 85% of air traffic in the islands was recovered in July and August. Palma Son Sant Joan Airport had the most passengers of Spanish airports for much of the summer. "The importance of tourism for our islands has been made clear."

The tourism leadership of the Balearics over the summer was partly due, in his view, to the slow de-escalation of Covid restrictions - slower than in other regions of the country.

Looking ahead to 2022, the intention is "clear" and this is to recover the high figures registered in years prior to the crisis. Nevertheless, there has to be a more sustainable and higher quality tourism. "We have to focus on quality and not so much on volume. We have seen that depending on volume also brings its risks."

On Brexit, Negueruela believed that its possible effect on tourism in the Balearics has been "solved", noting that there is no problem. The UK continues to be one of the major markets, and the relationship between the Balearics and the UK is "fundamental". This has been maintained thanks, in part, to the efforts made in direct communication with the UK.

"They trust our islands, and they have proven this by being one of the markets that has recovered the most." In this regard, he hailed the fact that the islands have practically monopolised British tourists coming to Spain as well as Germans. "More or less one in three of all foreign tourists have come to the Balearic Islands this summer."

* The tourism of excesses decree law applies to specific parts of Magalluf, Playa de Palma and Arenal (Llucmajor) in Mallorca and Sant Antoni in Ibiza.
Following the dramatic proceedings in the case of Aryan Khan being detained by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Sunday, social media was abuzz with people scouring the internet for more information on the case.

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khans 23-year-old son was detained and questioned after the NCB raided and detained a few other people from a cruise ship, just off the coast of Mumbai.

 Instagram_Aryan Khan

And now, actor Suniel Shetty has come out in defence of Aryan, saying that people must not come down on the star kid just yet as proceedings are going on and it is too early to come to any sort of conclusion.



I would like to say that wherever there is a raid, several people are caught. And we assume that this child must have consumed drugs or this child must have done it. But the proceedings are on, lets give that child a breather, Shetty said at an event.

#WATCH | When a raid is conducted at a place, many people are taken into custody. We assume that a particular boy must have consumed it (drugs). The process is on. Let's give that child a breather. Let real reports come out: Actor Sunil Shetty on NCB raid at an alleged rave party pic.twitter.com/qYaYSsxkyi  ANI (@ANI) October 3, 2021

Calling on people to refrain from coming up with their own versions of what actually happened, the actor further stated, Whenever something happens in Bollywood, the media scrutinises everything and jumps to conclusions. Give the child an opportunity. Let the real reports come out. Baccha hai (Hes a kid). Taking care of him is our responsibility.

Soon enough, several people on Twitter jumped onto Shettys comments and called him out for defending Aryan:

Jus shut up #SunielShetty Shetty.

Dont talk about 23 yrs old being a child.

Capt Saurabh Kalia,Vikram Batra martyrs of Kargil wr 23/24 years.

Neeraj Chopra Olympic Gold Medalist, Juvenile throw, is also 23 yrs.

Don't support

Bollywoodrugists #SunielShetty https://t.co/pteDsu3cxA  Adv.Vivekanand Gupta (@vivekanandg) October 3, 2021

23 year old kid? KID?



So you saying something wrong? He never reached adolescence and maturity? Why was the kid out without parents at night?  SaraSushant  (@SaraSushant2021) October 3, 2021

He is telling us to have sympathy on a person who has been caught using Cocaine, MDMA, Heroine ect. in a cruise ship.  Pluto (@VocalVoiceE) October 3, 2021

More over when these Bollywood actors are lecturing society about our customs and festivals then no one reminds them their boundaries. When they need to have their house in order they start defending each other.  Narasimha M Hulgi (@NMHulgi) October 3, 2021

22-23 is an adult normally, but is a child when it comes to celebrities, politicians, activists.  TheIntrovertGuy (@IntrovertGuyIAm) October 3, 2021

During the operation, the suspects were searched and different drugs were recovered from them, which they had hidden in their clothes, undergarments and purses. The detained persons will be produced in a court later in the day after the legal formalities get over, the NCB official told PTI.

Apart from Aryan Khan, the other detainees were identified as Munmun Dhamecha, Nupur Sarika, Ismeet Singh, Mohak Jaswal, Vikrant Chhoker, Gomit Chopra and Arbaaz Merchant. The NCB further informed that different drugs like MDMA, ecstasy, cocaine, MD (mephedrone) and charas were also recovered from them during the raid, which was carried out on Saturday evening.
Last night, there were reports that the Narcotics Control Bureau or the NCB had conducted raids in several places across Mumbai, including an offshore cruise ship, after it received tip-offs regarding some rave parties.

#WATCH | Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) detained at least 10 persons during a raid conducted at a party being held on a cruise in Mumbai yesterday



(Visuals from outside NCB office) pic.twitter.com/yxe2zWfFmI  ANI (@ANI) October 2, 2021

Turns out, several prominent people were detained in the raid.

One of the biggest names that got embroiled in the situation was Aryan Khan, Shah Rukh Khans Son.

 BCCL

As per a report by ETimes, a senior official from the NCB has confirmed that Aryan indeed was detained by NCB officials, and is currently being questioned for possible connections to drug networks, and to determine if he had any involvement in the distribution or consumption of narcotics.



 Instagram/___aryan___

Apparently, during the raid, a total of 10 people were detained, most of whom were well connected to the polity in Maharashtra.



The son of another actor was also detained along with Aryan Khan.

There are speculations and rumours that it was Siddhanth Kapoor, son of actor Shakti Kapoor. However, there has been no confirmation as of yet.

Reports that The TOP Actors son who was arrested in NCB Raid on Drugs Party going on Board the Cordelia The Empress Cruise Ship is Allegedly Aryan Khan -Son of Shah Rukh Khan. Reportedly Sidhant Kapoor son of Shakti Kapoor also arrested #AryanKhan #ShahRukhKhan #SidhantKapoor pic.twitter.com/d9fzUXvpdY  Rosy (@rose_k01) October 3, 2021

Investigative officers have also been reported to go through Aryans to check for any indication of his direct involvement in the possession or consumption of drugs.

This isnt the first time that the First Family of Bollywood has had to deal with the nuisance that drugs are. A few years ago, Gauri Khan was reportedly detained at the Berlin Airport for possession of marijuana.

In the past few years, there have been multiple instances where Bollywood & Tollywood celebrities have been detained and questioned for their alleged drug abuse. The most notable instance of this happening was immediately after Rhea Chakrabortys arrest in connection to Sushant Singh Rajputs death by suicide.

Back then, it was Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh, who became the face of the investigation, at least as per Indian news channels.

It would behove all of us to keep in mind that the investigation and interrogation are still ongoing, and it wouldnt be wise to jump to conclusions.

Having said that, it clearly seems that for Bollywood, it is becoming harder with each passing day to just shake off the numerous drug scandals that keep cropping every now and then.
Shah Rukh Khans son Aryan Khan was detained last night after the Narcotics Control Bureau or the NCB raided and detained a few people from a cruise ship, just off the coast of Mumbai.

It looks like the star kid and the others detained with him may now be arrested on a number of charges.

 Instagram/___aryan___

Earlier, reports claimed that a total of 10 people were detained from the cruise ship. However, as it turns out the NCB only detained 8 people, including Aryan Khan.



The cruise ship is a vessel owned by Cordelia Cruises, which sails under the name of Empress.

As per reports, the names of the people detained after the raid are Vikrant Chokker, Goumit Chopra, Arbaaz Merchant, and of course, Aryan Khan.

Along with them, the NCB has also detained Munmun Dhamecha, Mohak Jaswal, Nupur Sarika and Ishmeet Singh.

Reports that The TOP Actors son who was arrested in NCB Raid on Drugs Party going on Board the Cordelia The Empress Cruise Ship is Allegedly Aryan Khan -Son of Shah Rukh Khan. Reportedly Sidhant Kapoor son of Shakti Kapoor also arrested #AryanKhan #ShahRukhKhan #SidhantKapoor pic.twitter.com/d9fzUXvpdY  Rosy (@rose_k01) October 3, 2021

An unofficial statement given to the media persons outside the NCB office in Mumbai, claims that all of these people who have been apprehended will most likely face charges and get arrested.

Two of these people are known drug peddlers, one from Delhi, and the other from Haryana.

These two people make the situation look rather capricious for the others.

#Exclusive | List of 8 people detained by NCB at cruise drug party.



All those apprehended are likely to be arrested: Source

@vinivdvc with more details.



Join the broadcast with @maryashakil pic.twitter.com/bowsF2bpmj  News18 (@CNNnews18) October 3, 2021

Nupur & Munmun, evidently, are from Delhi and belong to business families.

According to reports, unofficial sources have also revealed that most of these people had drugs on their persons and might be charged with possession. However, only after a round of detailed tests and investigations will there be any clarity on the kind of charges that will be brought against these individuals.

It should be noted that some of the NCB officials used this opportunity to take selfies with Aryan.

NCB officials taking selfie with SRK's son.

Ho chuka fair investigation fir to.. #AryanKhan #ShahRukhKhan pic.twitter.com/XPYQGcBlJe  Lost in Paradise (@Lost_human19) October 3, 2021

As per several media outlets, the drugs that the NCB seized from these raids, include cocaine, MDMA and hashish. As of writing this report, there has been no confirmation on whether drugs were being used at the party.

Soon after the interrogation is done, all 8 suspects will be taken to a nearby government hospital for blood tests that would reveal if and how much drugs were consumed.

Interestingly, there is a rumour that Aryan Khan will be represented by Satish Maneshinde, the same lawyer who represented Rhea Chakroborty.
A drought has reduced water reservoirs in Brazil, mainly in southeastern and midwestern states, leading to an electricity cost spike and fears of blackouts or even mandatory power rationing that could affect metals supply and demand.Steelmakers are expected to face few direct impacts from lower energy supply, since most producers generate their own electricity.There is always some affect in steel production, but it will be likely a small impact, according to Carlos Loureiro, president of national flat steel distribution association Inda.There is a movement to change production to periods where power consumption is lower in the country, but so far we have no signs of any company reducing steel consumption because of the possibility of power rationing," Loureiro added.Steel output has recovered in the country, balancing supply-demand fundamentals and supporting high domestic prices.Fastmarkets price assessment for steel hot-rolled coil domestic monthly, exw Brazil was at 7,500-7,800 Reais ($1,400-1,457) per tonne on September 10, unchanged since July 9, when it rose from 7,300-7,775 Reais per tonne on June 11.But concern has been growing among manufacturers and experts, with end users the weakest link in a potential power shortage.In May, national power system operator ONS estimated that there could be a 12.7-gigawatt (GW) deficit in November amid the lowest rainfall in 91 years - ever since the country began tracking that data.Data from ONS shows that, by the end of 2020, 64.84% of the countrys electricity generation came from hydroelectric power plants, with its share dropping to 52.46% in September 2021. According to the countrys ministry of mining and energy, 70% of reservoirs are in southeastern and midwestern regions, where the drought is worse.In its latest update, on Friday September 24, ONS said southeastern and midwestern reservoirs could finish October at just 12.60% capacity.To counter the hydroelectric crisis, the Brazilian federal government increased the use of thermoelectric plants, made plans to rearrange power transmission from regions with better supply and launched a program of voluntary power demand reduction.Companhia Brasileira de Aluminio (CBA), one of two companies in Brazil that still have active aluminium smelters, has decided to adhere to the consumption reduction program , it said on September 16. But output is expected to be unchanged, shifted to times of the day other than peak demand hours.In early September, Brazilian steelmaker Gerdau said it was prepared for any energy scenarios. The company generates some of its own electricity, especially at its Ouro Branco integrated mill, where 60-70% of its energy consumption is self-generated.We own producing facilities all over the country, and we can move production as needed, Gerdau vice president and head of Brazilian operations Marcos Faraco said during "Gerdau Day" on September 2.But the announced measures have a downside: Energy generated by thermoelectric power plants is more expensive.According to energy market intelligence service Megawhat, electricity system charges that were around 5-8 Reais per megawatt-hour (MWh) last year, before the hydroelectric crisis escalated, have risen to almost 40 Reais per MWh.From October 2020 through July 2021, those total charges amounted to 7.8 billion Reais. Megawhat noted. For the five remaining months of 2021, it is estimated that the cost will total 7.4 billion Reais, it said.This impact was larger than normal due to thermal plants taking a bigger share of the countrys total electricity generation. ONS said thermoelectric plants accounted for 25.34% of total generation in September; their share was 20.16% at the end of last year.Higher costs of energy are a concern to 83% of Brazilian industrial companies, according to a poll released in August by Brazilian industrial confederation CNI.The risk of energy shortage is real, and everyone is trying to get prepared for it, CNI energy expert Roberto Wagner Pereira said.Another issue is the lack of power availability of thermal power plants, mainly due to maintenance work, Megawhat co-chief executive officer Ana Carla Petti told Fastmarkets.We are running close to 28% unavailability [of thermal power plant capacity] this year, Petti said. The ONS has been asking for maintenance downtime to be postponed, but at this rate, we have [an average of around] 17 GW of power available [of roughly 21 GW total capacity].The Brazilian association of major industrial power consumers, Abrace, believes the impact of higher energy costs is already being felt. We have been paying this bill since late last year, technical managing director Fillipe Soares told Fastmarkets.For now, Megawhat does not foresee a mandatory power rationing program in the country, but it believes power shortages may become common during the busiest hours in the afternoon.But Soares said there are scenarios in which there will be no power deficit.In some calculations, the ONS expects this additional power will have to be under contract until November, Soares said. If we can cut consumption, there are chances that no power shortage will happen until November.But this will depend on the amount of rainfall for the rest of the year, and that is a source of uncertainty, experts say.The Brazilian rainy season gets more intense in November, fueling hopes that water reservoirs will fill up. But Megawhat emphasized that there is an almost 70% chance that climate phenomenon La Nina will affect the weather between November 2021 and January 2022, potentially reducing rainfall and exacerbating the factors contributing to a potential power shortage.Up until now, the ONS managed to secure up to 237 MW of energy from its consumption-cutting program for September.For now, that is in line with what was expected. There is potential to save more [power] as more companies understand the program and see what results it can bring, the executive president of Brazilian aluminium association Abal, Janaina Donas, told Fastmarkets.But Megawhats Petti believes it might not be enough.Industry participants told us they have many deliveries under contract, which makes an effective power consumption cut harder, she said. More bullish estimates talk about a 1.5 average GW reduction, or 2% of 69 GW needed for 2021. This flexibility might be insufficient.The worst-case scenario, industry groups agree, would be if a power supply shortage were to materialize.The aluminum industry is extremely sensitive to this because there is constant electricity supply, and power outages are always a concern, Donas said.Energy represents the majority of input costs for the aluminum industry, and a blackout would put equipment at risk.Fastmarkets assessment of the aluminium P1020A premium, delivered Sao Paulo region was $360-400 per tonne on September 21, unchanged since August 24, when the assessment rose by $40 from $320-360 per tonne the previous week.This voluntary reduction plan is the best solution. This way, we can maintain production, which we could be prevented from doing in the case of a mandatory rationing, and especially in a blackout scenario, Donas said.But according to CNIs latest poll about the issue, 55% believe electricity rationing is likely to occur, while 7% are certain that electricity will be rationed.A power deficit would be brutal for industrial sectors [in Brazil], Abraces Soares said.
Under the new structure, Tata Steel Europe will no longer exist as an operational organization; Tata Steel Netherlands and Tata Steel UK will operate as two independent companies.

Tata Steel started national-level consultations to separate its businesses in the UK and the Netherlands in June this year. The separation of the two units...
MIDDLETOWN  A temporary committee tasked with reviewing how to spend the citys portion of $20 million in once-in-a-lifetime American Rescue Act Plan funding will begin meeting twice a month.

The Common Council appointed 14 people, mostly city officials, and three members of the public, to the task force at a special meeting.

The citys money is split between general government operations ($12 million) and the Board of Education ($8 million). Federal funds must be used within four years, according to Common Council Minority Leader Phil Pessina.

With this influx of money, we have to take a deep breath, and we have to do it correctly, and we have to do it right, he said Thursday.

The idea is to direct the funds toward lasting and meaningful projects, Mayor Ben Florsheim has said. Its going to be a big task how we spend this once-in-a-lifetime money in a way that is keeping with the fact that its going to last a lifetime.

The general government portion includes $4 million in county funding given to municipalities based on their population, since Connecticut does not have a regional, or county, government structure.

Task force members are Florsheim, Council Majority Leader Eugene Nocera, Pessina, Economic & Community Development Director Joseph Samolis, Finance Director Carl Erlacher, Deputy Director Diana Doyle, General Counsel Brigham Smith, Acting Health Director Kevin Elak, Information Systems & Technology Services Director Bryan Skowera, Mayors Administrative Assistant Barbara Knoll Peterson, the Revs. Robyn Anderson and Moses Harville; business owner and Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce officer Pamela Steele, and Middlesex County Community Foundation President and CEO Cynthia Clegg.

It can be spent in limited ways, including on municipal government, some of which went toward the $213.25 million 2021-22 fiscal budget, which allowed the city to reduce taxes by 0.1 percent.

A portion  $2 million  will go toward improving water and sewer infrastructure, which Congress specifically recommended, Florsheim has said.

Other eligible expenditures can be set aside for municipal economic recovery and revitalization, which the mayor expects will include investments in the riverfront, and city-owned incubator space, the R.M. Keating Historical Enterprise Park.

Other mayors and chief executives around the state, and, frankly, around the country, were all in the same position of having a lot of money from the federal level to be able to spend, and no real clear, defined structure on how to define how the spending is going to happen, Florsheim said during the Sept. 21 meeting.

The mayor wants members to gather more often at the beginning, so we can make sure the wheels are turning effectively, working hard to get this money out the door  not to rush it out the door, but to be as effective as possible as quickly as possible to get it done in a diligent way, Florsheim told council members.

The federal government has offered broad guidelines for how the money may be spent. Allowable projects include direct responses to the pandemic or offering assistance to essential workers, as well as investing in infrastructure projects or other general government services. The parameters set by the federal government also prohibit municipalities from using the funding to cut taxes or fund pension plans.

Altogether, Connecticuts cities and towns are expected to receive $2.55 billion in funds through the federal act, according to the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities.

Members will submit their recommendations for the proposed use and distribution of these monies for approval to the Common Council, which will review the task forces work on a monthly basis.

Some uses have already been requested, and will be considered by the Common Council at its Monday meeting, including $2 million for shovel-ready water and sewer projects.

These are needed to be funded to correct storm water issues and upgrade our water system, said Pessina, terming them longstanding, peak concerns.

That was made evident when some roads and areas flooded as a result of recent summer rain storms.

When Tropical Storm Elsa hit Middletown in the second week of July, one neighborhood received so much rain in such a short period of time that it washed out a portion of Mile Lane, and compromised the bridge about a half-block from Ridgewood Road.

It caused permanent damage, the mayor said at the time.

The citys Water Pollution Control Authority is asking for $750,000 for the design and construction of sanitary sewer mains, $750,000 for potable water infrastructure projects, and $500,000 for water main improvements on Saybrook Road.

The latter involves replacing a vintage 1925 cast-iron water main to a new ductile iron pipe between East Main Street and Clew Drive.

If these dispensations are approved by city leaders, the task force will be charged with fielding and ranking projects seeking a part of the remaining $10 million.

We have to be fiscally astute when we fund these projects, Pessina said. We have so many demands. We have to look at it holistically, and we have to prioritize. We look at it from a government perspective, but we need the eyeglasses of the public also on where to expend these funds.

Officials are also considering other uses for the money, including up to $1 million in improvements to the former city-owned canoe club at 80 Harbor Drive, and paying for a portion of the $4 million community recreation facility and offices under construction at Woodrow Wilson Middle School, which was mostly razed to make room for Beman Middle School.

Staff writer John Moritz contributed to this story.
MADRID (AP)  Spain's prime minister vowed Sunday to rebuild the island of La Palma, where a volcanic eruption has spewed molten lava and a thick cloud of pyroclastic ash for the past two weeks, destroying houses and banana crops. The eruption is giving no indications it will end soon.

Lava flowing from vents in the Cumbre Vieja volcano range has destroyed over 900 buildings and displaced about 6,000 people so far, and new vents opened just days ago. The island of 85,000 people lies in Spain's Canary Islands archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of Africa.

Returning for the third time since the volcano eruption began on Sept. 19, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced Sunday an aid package of 206 million euros ($238 million) for the affected islanders.

According to Sanchez, the money will rebuild crucial infrastructure for the islands economy, mainly irrigation networks for the important banana export industry and other agricultural crops, as well as roads that serve the hiking trails and beaches that attract tourists. The funds also aim to create jobs and cut taxes for La Palma residents.

We are facing a test of resistance, because we don't know when the volcano's eruption will end," Sanchez said in a televised press conference. But citizens should know that when it does end, the government of Spain will be there to help with the enormous task of rebuilding La Palma and offer a horizon of prosperity.

The government already approved a separate 10.5 million euro ($12.2 million) emergency fund last month to purchase housing and basic goods for those who have seen their houses buried by molten rock.

Rivers of lava have meandered downhill for over 6 kilometers (nearly 4 miles) and after reaching the island's shore are now tumbling into the Atlantic Ocean, where a peninsula of more than 28 hectares (70 acres) is growing and stretching into the sea.

On Sunday, the Canary Islands' volcanology institute, Involcan, said the explosive activity in the vents of the volcano had intensified, while several medium-range earthquakes were recorded by the country's geographic institute, IGN.

Despite the eruption's spectacular images and its damage to property, no casualties have been reported, mainly due to speedy evacuations.
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP)  The Chinese military flew 16 warplanes over waters south of Taiwan on Sunday as the United States expressed concern about what it called China's provocative military action near the self-governing island that China claims.

China sent 38 warplanes into the area on Friday and 39 aircraft on Saturday, the most in a single day since Taiwan began releasing reports on the flights in September 2020. The flights came in daytime and nighttime sorties, and it wasn't clear if China was planning more flights on Sunday night.
JARINJE, Kosovo (AP)  Soldiers with a NATO-led peacekeeping mission are keeping watch at the Kosovo-Serbia border after the two countries reached a deal to deescalate tensions triggered by a dispute over vehicle license plates.

Kosovo Force troops from the United States, Italy and Poland were seen patrolling Saturday as ethnic Serbs removed the trucks they had used to block the road to two border crossings while protesting the Kosovo government's decision not to allow vehicles with Serbian license plates into the country.

Kosovar special police forces also pulled back from the border, where they were deployed two weeks ago to remove the license plates from entering cars and to replace them with temporary registration in Kosovo.

The government in Pristina said they were replicating what Serbia had done to Kosovar motorists for a decade. Kosovo was a Serbian province before it declared independence in 2008, and Serbian troops and ethnic Albanian separatists fought a bloody war in Kosovo during the 1990s.

European Union mediator Miroslav Lajcak persuaded representatives from the neighboring Balkan nations this week to let the Kosovo Force (KFOR) troops take over the areas for the next 14 days.

As from this weekend and for the next two weeks, KFOR will maintain a temporary robust and agile presence in the area, a statement from the NATO mission said.

As part of the agreement, both countries will put stickers over the other's name and emblem on license plates of vehicles entering their territory.

KFOR, made up of around 4,000 troops from 28 countries, is led by NATO with support from the United Nations, the European Union and others. Its aim is to stave off lingering ethnic tensions between Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority and minority ethnic Serbs.

The United States and most of the West recognize Kosovo's independence, but, Serbia, supported by its allies Russia and China, does not.

EU-facilitated negotiations to normalize relations between Pristina and Belgrade started in 2011 and have produced more than 30 agreements, which are either observed poorly or not at all.

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Llazar Semini reported from Tirana, Albania.
Rockies shortstop Trevor Story is confused after not being traded before todays deadline, according to Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post. I dont have really anything good to say about the situation and how it unfolded, Story says.

Story has been often mentioned as a logical trade candidate, given the fact that hes a pending free agent on a non-competitive club. Even here at MLBTR, Steve Adams placed Story 7th on a list of top trade candidates just a few days ago, noting that it was unlikely the club would hang onto him, though admitting there was a slight chance of the club hanging onto the slugger and making him a qualifying offer at years end. That appears to have been the thinking in the Colorado front office.

With what we were offered, we thought the (competitive balance) pick was better suited for us and we could have Trevor on our team for another two months, general manager Bill Schmidt said. The White Sox, Rays and Blue Jays apparently made offers that didnt match up to that draft pick, at least in the estimation of Schmidt and his team.

Perhaps the offer were somewhat dulled by Storys subpar season. His wRC+ of 84 is well below his marks over the past three years, which all ranged between 117 and 128. But given that his strikeout and walk rates are in line with previous years and his BABIP is way down, some teams surely could have believed that regression was due. Regardless, Story will remain a Rockie for two more months, with his seeming frustration with management not boding well for their chances at re-signing him in free agency.

Jon Gray, another impending free agent, also remains a member of the club after the deadline. Saunders notes that Gray wants to stay in Colorado and the club has begun preliminary talks about a new contract with him. It will be interesting to see if such talks are able to come to fruition. Gray is having an excellent season, with his current 3.67 ERA tied for a career-best, especially impressive in the thin Colorado air. Normally, it might be tough to get a player to sign an extension when hes so close to free agency and enjoying a solid platform year, although Gray has quite recently expressed interest in remaining in Colorado long term.

That desire comes despite the fact that the Rockies are at least 15 games behind each of the Giants, Dodgers and Padres. All three of those teams seem to have enough talent and resources to be well-positioned to continue playing at high levels into the future. With the already-struggling Rockies poised to lose a talent like Story, and perhaps Gray as well, its hard to envision them gaining so much ground on their competitors.
37-year-old Hanley Ramirez has reported to los Tigres de Licey in the Dominican Winter League, as announced by the team on Twitter. This will be his first competitive action since playing for the same club in the winter of 2019-20.

Ramirez, who turns 38 in December, has played for los Tigres sporadically over his career, suiting up for them in the winters of 2006-07, 2012-13, 2016-17, 2018-19 and 2019-20. The fact that he is back for another season doesnt necessarily mean he is attempting to return to MLB, although Jon Heyman of MLB Network did use the word comeback on Twitter. However, the timing is interesting, given that it is widely expected that this winters collective bargaining will result in all 30 teams being able to implement a designated hitter next season. Since he has been primarily a designated hitter or first baseman since 2016, that would increase the odds of Ramirez finding some playing time, if hes healthy enough to contribute with his bat.

Thats a big if, though, given that shoulder injuries derailed his last attempt at playing in the big leagues. Ramirez was released by the Red Sox June 1st, 2018, the last guaranteed season of the four-year, $88MM contract that he signed prior to the 2015 campaign. He didnt latch on with another club for the rest of that year and later revealed that he turned down offers in order to try to get back to full health. He then signed a minor league deal with Cleveland in February of 2019 and was later selected to their opening day roster. Through 16 games, he was hitting .184/.298/.327, when he was designated for assignment by the club. In July of that year, he underwent shoulder surgery with the hopes of coming back for the 2020 season. It was a few months later, in November of 2019, that Hanley joined los Tigres, getting into 13 games and hitting .273/.298/.418.

Ramirez had an incredible run in the big leagues from 2006 to 2014, playing 1,221 games and hitting .300/.373/.500 in that time, producing a wRC+ of 133 and 40.6 fWAR. After that, his production fell off dramatically, although he was an above-average hitter as recently as 2016, hitting .286/.361/.505 with the Red Sox that year. If hes managed to put his shoulder issues behind him and show any glimpses of his past performance, some team could be intrigued enough to give him a minor league deal and invite him to spring training to see if he can hit enough to fill a bench bat/designated hitter role.
The more you look for change, the more hopeless it makes you feel. If two court orders, discussed in my previous column ( Videocon and Supertech Orders: Blip in a Bleak Landscape or Harbinger of Change? ) held out a ray of hope last week, we are back to staring at the abyss this week.

What is the way forward when a new accounting regulator, doing a credible job, is at war with ministry of corporate affairs (MCA) that is working to undermine it along with a body of chartered accountants (CAs) with a poor track record?

What do you do if the Supreme Court also fails to understand the concept of exemplary penalty imposed on rating agencies, whose repeated failures have inflicted crippling losses on retail and institutional investors?

Lets look at the two episodes that explain why regulators may be reluctant to initiate decisive action because inaction is likely to find more favour with the government and courts.

NFRA at Loggerheads with MCA

The National Financial Reporting Authority (NFRA), a brand new regulator, is at loggerheads with its administrative ministry, the ministry of corporate affairs as well as the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI). NFRA has already established a good track record with its investigation report on Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS) and several auditors involved with the group.

A major bone of contention today is a consultation paper issued in March 2021 by NFRAs technical advisory committee (TAC) titled Enhancing Engagement with Stakeholders Report. Two paragraphs in the Report explain why ICAI is up in arms; but those very paragraphs explain why NFRA came into existence and needs public support, especially at a time when Indias investor population has nearly doubled and over 15 million investors are new to the market and its ways.

ICAI, which regulated the auditors, has a reputation of poor or negligible action against its members and has been opposed to the formation of NFRA  just as brokers used to be against the formation of the capital market regulator. Finance minister (FM) Nirmala Sitharaman has the charge of MCA, under which comes NFRA. Investors, as key savers and major stakeholders, should expect her to step in put an end to an unseemly war that has been extensively reported by N Sundaresha Subramanian in The Economic Times. Instead of reading the riot act to the warring parties and putting public interest first, the government appears unconcerned, even supportive, of those trying to destabilise the new regulator.

For instance, Mr Subramanian narrates how NFRA, on 29th June, had to write to MCA not to appoint CAs, even as part-time members on the regulatory body, since they are regulated entities. The NFRA letter that he obtained under Right to Information (RTI) minces no words. It says, In our considered opinion, it is travesty of independent audit regulation, and a mockery of the basic principles underlying the same, to have practising CAs even as part-time members of the authority. Apart from substantive objections to such membership, this also results in appearing to cut at the independence of the regulator.

This is not about a turf war alone, but a glaring example of how ignorant our bureaucrats and policy-makers are of the basic concepts of regulation, supervision, oversight and regulatory independence. When these fundamental tenets are compromised, we get crony capitalism, corruption and collusion, all of which leads to frequent corporate failures, affecting ordinary savers.

Over the past 30 years, we have watched every independent regulator being systematically compromised and defanged. Loyalty to the administrative ministry or minister in charge is the key consideration for appointments to top positions and repeated tenure extensions. It is ironical that many of those who tacitly supported or went along with this system are now calling for reform in regulatory bodies to make them truly independent, without calling for specific wrongs to be corrected.

Credit Rating Failure? No Consequences

We have often criticised the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) for not acting quickly enough, or severely enough, against wrongdoers. While that is largely true, most glaringly in the co-location scam at the National Stock Exchange (NSE), the penalty imposed on CARE Ratings in the Reliance Communications (RCom) ratings fiasco shows us what the regulator is up against. Or why SEBI would feel that it is futile to get tough with influential intermediaries or corporate houses.

Lets begin with the fact that three of the top four rating agencies have been badly exposed by big corporate defaults such as IL&FS, Altico Capital, Dewan Housing Finance Ltd (DHFL), Cox & Kings, a slew of Anil Ambani companies and others. SEBI, too, has been acting after the fact and imposing penalties on the rating agencies. This is cold comfort to investors who have lost money; but at least it showed the regulators willingness to punish wrongdoing. In September 2020, SEBI raised the penalty imposed on CARE Ratings (CARE), ICRA Ltd and Indian Ratings from Rs25 lakh to Rs1 crore for lapses in the IL&FS group entities.

In June 2020, SEBI imposed a penalty of Rs1 crore on CARE for taking its time to downgrade the rating of RCom, even while two other raters had downgraded it six months earlier, after RComs struggle to meet interest payments became evident. RCom had issued Rs2,000 crore of non-convertible debentures (NCDs) which were to mature in 2019; but it began to default on interest and payment of principal in 2016 and CARE had maintained a higher rating until November 2017many months after Moodys Investor Services and Fitch Ratings had announced a downgrade.

CARE contested the order and managed to persuade the Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) to slash the penalty to a mere Rs10 lakh  not even a slap on the wrist really. SATs stunning failure to grasp a rating agencys responsibilities or understand how thousands of crores of rupees of public money is invested on the basis the credit rating is encapsulated in this sentence: The charge is one of lack of due diligence and it is not a case where ratings were not downgraded. The ratings were downgraded by the appellants but not in a timely manner. There could be a case of carelessness or sluggishness or laxity in the manner in which the downgrading was done by the appellant but it is not a case of oversight.

SEBI appealed the order and one expected the apex court to do better. Shockingly, the Supreme Court (SC) dismissed SEBIs special leave petition against the order allowing the reduced penalty to stand. The two-judge bench reportedly clarified that this reduction cannot be a precedent in all cases, but that is hardly of any consequence. The judgement sends out a chilling message that you should rely on ratings at your own peril and the rater will face no significant damage for breach of fiduciary duties.

The standing committee of Parliament on finance had taken note of the need for a fresh evaluation of the credit rating framework in India. The committee is headed by Jayant Sinha, who, unlike past convention, is from the ruling coalition and would have no real incentive to rake up issues that don't show the government in good light, especially after the latest SC ruling.

Over the past few years, the failure of several banks, non-banking finance companies (NBFCs), stock brokers and corporate bankruptcies, have inflicted crippling losses on millions of investors and savers. These losses, if tabulated, would be significantly more than Rs25,000 crore in the past four years alone, including equity and fixed deposits written off. The unseemly move to undermine NFRA and the strange SC order to prevent SEBI from inflicting even small amounts of penalty on a rating agency which failed to do its job, explains why scams continue to happen regularly. Investors are really on their own; don't expect much help from the government, regulators and courts.
Our city government needs to govern as allowed under federal and Texas law, which pursuant to Gov. Abbotts executive orders means mask mandates, closures and restrictions cannot be imposed by city government.

The pandemic has turned our lives upside down this past year and a half. It has affected all Texans and certainly all Midlanders and for our generation has been an unprecedented public safety concern. When looking to our government to step in and call for measures including masking, closures and restrictions, the balancing act between protecting people and protecting businesses has been difficult, and many ask, What should our government do? It should govern as the U.S. Constitution, and more importantly our Texas State Constitution, allows the government to do as representatives of the people that voted them into office.

Our country was founded on freedoms guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and a government elected by We The People. While federal law is the law of the land, it is worth noting that the 10th Amendment clearly states that The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people. The states and the people  that is important to note.

On March 2, 2021, Gov. Abbott issued Executive Order GA-34, relating to opening Texas 100 percent and the removal of the statewide mask mandate. If the city council were to pass any measures such as masking, closures and restrictions that would be a violation of the governors order, and would lead to lawsuits against the city of Midland.

I will not be an advocate for any such measures. I will be an advocate for personal responsibility and stress the importance of doing what is right and living up to the civic duty we have to our neighbors.

I have pre-existing conditions as the survivor of a brush with death that the Midland Firefighters and EMS heroically saved me from. They have saved the lives of many others who now share that status of having pre-existing conditions. This past year and a half is taking a toll on our first responders, so let us show them and our hospital staff the respect that they deserve for doing a job that most would run from the responsibility of.

I have a son with special needs at Bynum School, and as a parent on its board of directors, I am aware of our student body that also has pre-existing conditions, and not for one second would I advocate for recklessness that would jeopardize my sons life or that of other students. Ill say again personal responsibility to do the right thing matters.

As a business owner I also understand the toll the pandemic has taken on our employees and our customers. We are adapting to a fluid situation, but we support anyones choice, their free will as is their right, to wear a mask and social distance if they choose to do so.

The actions we take as a community to help others in need defines who we are as a community and that should serve as our moral compass. I am also a God-fearing man and having a spiritual compass that helps me find north, helps me find our Lord, also guides my decisions with faith that the actions we take should respect the needs of our community and follow the Golden Rule. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Mary Ward did a lot of remarkable things. She was highly learned at a time when women were denied a formal education. She was a bold pioneer in a field dominated almost entirely by men. And she was even one of three women admitted into a prestigious British organization (with one of the others being Queen Victoria).

Yet despite her many remarkable accomplishments, it was her sad end that earned her an unenviable footnote in history. This is the lost legacy of a forgotten first fatality.

Girls, especially those born into respectable, affluent Irish families like the one that welcomed Mary King into the world in 1827, simply did not go to school. What scant education they received was at home. It often amounted to little beyond learning how to read and write. But nothing could deter little Marys insatiable intellectual curiosity.

She was collecting insects by age 3 and later drew them in pencil, using a magnifying glass to capture their tiniest features in minute detail. That so impressed a family friend, he persuaded Marys father to buy her a microscope, unleashing a love affair with science that never ended.

Denied formal training in the classroom due to her gender, Mary wrote to famous men of science and asked them questions and thus educated herself. She also cultivated an avid interest in astronomy.

More Information Holy Cow! History is written by novelist, former television journalist and diehard history buff J. Mark Powell. Have a historic mystery that needs solving? A forgotten moment worth remembering? Send it to HolyCow@insidesources.com. See More Collapse

Afraid no publisher would print her first scientific book because she was a woman, and because she lacked a college degree, she privately printed 250 copies of it. She neednt have worried. The book was eventually reprinted eight times between 1858 and 1880 as A World of Wonders Revealed by the Microscope. While the title wasnt catchy, its intricate artwork was dazzling. In fact, a full-color facsimile edition was even published in September 2019. She wrote or co-authored five books in all, illustrating both her own works and a good many books penned by other scientists.

Mary eventually became one of only three women on the Royal Astronomical Societys mailing list. Her career was, by mid-Victorian standards, simply incredible.

She even found time to marry Irish soldier, politician, and aristocrat Henry Ward and have eight children. (Their great-granddaughter Lalla Ward went on to appear in the BBCs popular TV series Dr. Who in the late 1970s and early 80s.)

Still, it was her large and young family that makes Marys ultimate claim to fame even sadder.

The sons of a family friend had built an experimental steam-powered automobile. On a bright Tuesday in August 1869, the boys proudly drove Mary and Henry, their tutor, and two other people on a country drive near Birr, Ireland.

But driving was a totally brand-new skill then, and the young driver clearly hadnt mastered it. He took a curve too fast. Mary was thrown from the vehicle. It rolled over her.

A doctor lived nearby and was quickly summoned. He rushed to the accident site but could do nothing to help. She died of a broken neck just minutes later. She was only 42 years old.

With that, Mary Ward became the first person in the world killed in an auto accident. When it happened, Henry Ford was just 6 years old.

The numbers only grew bigger from then on as cars became increasingly popular over time. By 2013, the most recent year for which global figures are available, 54 million people were hurt in accidents worldwide. Some 1.4 million of them died. Experts see no decrease in the immediate future.

A sad legacy that all started with Mary Ward on an Irish dirt road 152 summers ago.
In an economy upended by the coronavirus, shortages and price spikes have hit everything from lumber to computer chips. Not even toilet paper escaped.

Now, theyre cutting into one of the humblest yet most vital links in the global manufacturing supply chain: The plastic pellets that go into a vast universe of products ranging from cereal bags to medical devices, automotive interiors to bicycle helmets.

Like other manufacturers, petrochemical companies have been shaken by the pandemic and by how consumers and businesses responded to it. Yet petrochemicals, which are made from oil, have also run into problems all their own, one after another: A freak winter freeze in Texas. A lightning strike in Louisiana. Hurricanes along the Gulf Coast.

All have conspired to disrupt production and raise prices.

There isnt one thing wrong, said Jeremy Pafford, head of North America, market development, at Independent Commodity Intelligence Services, which analyzes energy and chemical markets. Its kind of whack-a-mole  something goes wrong, it gets sorted out, then something else happens. And its been that way since the pandemic began.

The price of polyvinyl chloride or PVC, used for pipes, medical devices, credit cards, vinyl records and more, has rocketed 70%. The price of epoxy resins, used for coatings, adhesives and paints, has soared 170%. Ethylene  arguably the worlds most important chemical, used in everything from food packaging to antifreeze to polyester  has surged 43%, according to ICIS figures.

The root of the problem has become a familiar one in the 18 months since the pandemic ignited a brief but brutal recession: As the economy sank into near-paralysis, petrochemical producers, like manufacturers of all types, slashed production. So they were caught flat-footed when the unexpected happened: The economy swiftly bounced back, and consumers, flush with cash from government relief aid and stockpiles of savings, resumed spending with astonishing speed and vigor.

Suddenly, companies were scrambling to acquire raw materials and parts to meet surging orders. Panic buying worsened the shortages as companies rushed to stock up while they could.

Its such a bizarre scenario, said Hassan Ahmed, a chemicals analyst with Alembic Global Advisors, a research firm. Inventories are lean, and supply is low. Demand will exceed supply growth.

Against the backdrop of tight supplies and surging demand came a series of events that struck Pafford as Murphys Law in action: Anything that could go wrong did. In 2020, Hurricanes Laura and Zeta pounded Louisiana, a hub of petrochemical production.

Then, in February, a winter storm hit Texas, with its many oil refining and chemical manufacturing facilities. Millions of households and businesses, including the chemical plants, lost power and heat. Pipes froze. More than 100 people died.

A July lightning strike temporarily shut down a plant in Lake Charles, Louisiana, that makes polypropylene, used in consumer packaging and auto manufacturing.

The industry was just beginning to recover when Hurricane Ida struck the Gulf Coast in August, once again damaging refineries and chemical plants. As if that werent enough, Tropical Storm Nicholas caused flooding.

Some of these downstream petrochemical plants in the Gulf Coast regions are still shut down from Hurricane Ida, said Bridgette Budhlall a professor of plastics engineering at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell.

Anything related to base chemicals  theyve had a hell of a year, said Tom Derry, CEO of the Institute for Supply Management, an association of purchasing managers.

Its been the hardest year for logistics and supply chain managers, Pafford said. They always say the most stressful job in the world is being an air traffic controller at any airport  Id venture to say that being a supply chain manager is that  or worse  this year.

Ford Motor Co., hampered by an industrywide shortage of computer chips, is now running short of other parts, too, some of them based on petrochemicals.

I think we should expect, as business leaders, to continue to have supply chain challenges for the foreseeable future, CEO Jim Farley said in an interview with The Associated Press.

The shortages are slowing production at two leading paint makers, Sherwin-Williams and PPG. Both have raised prices and downgraded their sales guidance, saying the outlook for additional supply remains dim.

Though Sherwin-Williams reported strong second-quarter profits, it said that a lack of raw materials cut sales by 3.5% for the period. CEO John Morikis said Sherwin-Williams raised prices in the Americas by 7% in August and an additional 4% this month. More increases are possible next year, he said.

The chemical shortages, combined with a near-doubling of oil prices in the past year to $75 a barrel of U.S. benchmark crude, mean higher prices for many goods.

The consumer is going to have to pay, said Bill Selesky, a chemicals analyst for Argus Research, who suggested that many households, armed with cash from government aid and built-up savings, will be willing to pay higher prices.

In the meantime, the supply problem isnt getting any better. A W.S. Jenks & Son hardware store in Washington, D.C., is receiving only 20% to 30% of the paint it needs to meet customer demand without backordering. In normal times, that rate usually runs 90%, says Billy Wommack, the purchasing director.

Nobodys happy about it, Wommack said. There are a lot of Im sorrys out there.

The shortage is generally felt most by big contractors that need, say, the same-colored paint for numerous apartment complexes and other major projects. Individual homeowners can typically be more flexible.

Duval Paint & Decorating, with three stores in the Jacksonville, Florida, area, is scrambling to fill orders, especially for big contractors who need a lot of paint, said John Cornell, a sales clerk who orders paint for the stores.

Were struggling, Cornell said. Sometimes you have to grab products and sit on them for weeks or months so that when the job starts we have it.

Andrew Moore, a clerk at Ricciardi Brothers in Philadelphia, said the store has been running short of lower-grade paints that large contractors use, though heres ample supply of higher grades. Demand is so high that the store is having a record year, with sales up 20% over last year. Prices are up as high as 15% for some brands, Moore said.

The problems in the petrochemical supply chain have been compounded by shortages of labor and shipping containers and by overwhelmed ports. Some Asian ports have been shut down by COVID-19 outbreaks. In the United States, ports like the one in Long Beach, California, are struggling with backlogs of ships waiting to be unloaded.

I think this is going to go on for a really long time because there are so many factors at play here, said Kaitlin Wowak, a management professor at the University of Notre Dame. And its across the board in so many products.

Its also forcing manufacturers to rethink some of their practices. For decades, companies moved production to China to capitalize on lower labor costs. They also held down expenses by keeping inventories to a minimum. Using a just-in-time strategy, they bought materials only as needed to fill orders. But as the recession and recovery showed, keeping inventories threadbare carries risk.

Supply chains have changed forever, said Bindiya Vakil, CEO of the supply chain consultancy Resilinc.

The old management philosophy, she said, was to get everything to the lowest possible price point What we are dealing with right now is a consequence of those decisions. Companies have lost hundreds of millions, in some cases billions, of dollars in (forgone) profits because of that, because their supply chains failed.

The petrochemical experience, Vakil said, will teach companies to monitor the lowliest links in their supply chains. Its always easier, she said, to track only the big-ticket items  engines, say, or electronics.

But simple plastics are vital, too. Imagine trying to market breakfast cereal without a cheap plastic bag to hold corn flakes or wheat bran.

You cant just dump the cereal into the cardboard and ship it, Vakil says. The plastic bag is just as critical an ingredient as the actual (product) and the cardboard and everything else. But supply chain practitioners traditionally have not considered it to be just as critical. And nowadays plastics are ubiquitous.

Analysts expect the petrochemical crunch to last well into 2022.

You really have to put COVID truly in the rearview mirror for this logistics situation to normalize, Pafford said. You cant simply just throw more ships and more containers on the water. Weve got to get them loaded. If ports are going to be shut down because of a COVID lockdown  good luck.
John Minchillo/AP

NEW YORK (AP)  A statue honoring George Floyd in New York Citys Union Square Park was vandalized on Sunday, police said.

According to police, a video showed an unidentified man on a skateboard throwing paint on the statue at approximately 10 a.m. then fleeing. Nearby statues of late Congressman John Lewis and Breonna Taylor, a Louisville, Kentucky, woman shot and killed by police last year, apparently werent touched.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska  Alaska on Saturday activated emergency crisis protocols that allow 20 health care facilities to ration care if needed as the state recorded the nations worst COVID-19 diagnosis rates in the U.S. in recent days, straining its limited health care system.

The declaration covers three facilities that had already declared emergency protocol, including the states largest hospital, Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage.

Among the factors that led the state to activate the crisis of care standards include scarce medical resources within some facilities, limited staff and difficulty transferring patients to other facilities because of limited bed availability. Other factors included limited renal replacement therapy and oxygen supplies.

According to data collected by Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, one person in every 84 in Alaska was diagnosed with COVID-19 from Sept. 22 to 29. The next highest rate was one in every 164 people in West Virginia.

Statewide, 60% of eligible Alaskans are fully vaccinated.

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MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:

 COVID-19 deaths eclipse 700,000 in US as delta variant rages

 Russia: Antibody tests for COVID-19 remain popular, factor in low vaccine rate

 Far-right protesters in Romania reject virus restrictions

 California to require COVID-19 vaccines for schoolchildren

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See all of APs pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

___

HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

ATLANTA  Four parents are suing the Cobb County school district on behalf of their children, saying the failure of Georgias second-largest school district to require masks means their students cannot safely attend in-person classes because of their disabilities.

The suit was filed Friday in federal court in Atlanta. It says the 107,000-student suburban Atlanta district is violating federal law governing how students with disabilities are treated in public schools. The lawsuit asks a judge to order the district to follow CDC guidelines on masks and other issues. The district has defended its stance amid repeated protests.

Rather than using the known and available tools to mitigate the threat of COVID-19 and protect plaintiffs access to school services, programs, and activities, the district has acted with deliberate indifference to plaintiffs rights to inclusion, health, and education, the complaint alleges.

The lawsuit asks that U.S. District Judge Timothy Batten Sr. order the district to follow CDC guidelines, including not only on masks but on issues like ventilation, physical distancing and contact tracing.

Whether to require masks in Cobb schools has been the focus of protest for months. Like many in Georgia, Cobb lifted its mask order at the end of last year. Many districts reimposed mask orders as school began this August, because of the rapid spread of the delta variant of COVID-19. Cobb, though, dug in saying that masks would only be strongly recommended.

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LAS CRUCES, N.M.  New Mexico State University says less than a third of its students submitted proof of vaccination for COVID-19 by a Thursday deadline to otherwise undergo weekly testing or leave the university.

While 72.3% of the universitys employees provided proof of vaccination, only 30% of students did, officials said Friday.

Its not clear how many students who didnt submit proof of vaccination by the deadline plan to submit weekly test results, officials said.

Were not where we want to be with our vaccinated students, said Jon Webster, the schools COVID-19 project manager. We want to make sure were protecting all of our students.

Failure to submit vaccination information or weekly test results can result in student suspension or staff termination, officials said.

Students can get vaccinated at any point in the semester and cease the weekly required testing once achieving full vaccination, Webster said.

He said the university was continuing to reach out to students through text message, email, social media and other channels.

Several students said Friday they were unaware of the mandates details, the Las Cruces Sun-News reported.

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WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden mourned the painful milestone of 700,000 American deaths from COVID-19, a day after the U.S. surpassed that mark on Friday.

The president says in a statement the astonishing death toll is yet another reminder of just how important it is to get vaccinated. He says the nation has made extraordinary progress in the fight against the coronavirus in the past eight months because of vaccines.

Biden says thanks to vaccines, hundreds of thousands of families have been spared the unbearable loss that too many Americans have already endured during this pandemic.

He notes more than three-quarters of all Americans age 12 and up have received at least one vaccine dose, including nearly 94% of all seniors.

Biden says: If you havent already, please get vaccinated. It can save your life and the lives of those you love. It will help us beat COVID-19 and move forward, together, as one nation.

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RENO, Nev. -- Employees at all public universities and colleges in Nevada are required to get COVID-19 vaccinations by Dec. 1 or face potential termination.

All new hires must prove their vaccination status under the new policy. Meanwhile, coronavirus case trends are improving in urban areas but have worsened in most rural parts of the state where vaccination rates are the lowest.

The Desert Research Institute has the highest vaccination rate at 87% followed by the University of Nevada Reno at 82%. UNLV reported 75%. Rural Elko-based Great Basin College had the worst rate at 66%.

On Wednesday, about 64% of all state employees had been fully vaccinated, in accordance with Gov. Steve Sisolaks order in July that required shots or proof of negative coronavirus tests, says DuAne Young, the governors policy director.

Nearly 65% of residents age 12 and older have one vaccination and 56% are fully vaccinated, according to state data.

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SALT LAKE CITY  The president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints thanked members who have followed church guidance, which has been to get vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Church President Russell M. Nelson spoke Saturday at a conference taking place again without full attendance due to the pandemic. For the first time in two years, leaders were back at the faiths 20,000-seat conference center, with several hundred people watching in person and others on television. The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square returned to the conference.

The Utah-based faith has repeatedly encouraged its 16 million members worldwide to limit the spread by getting vaccines and wearing masks. Last week, church officials announced masks will be required inside temples to limit the spread of the virus.

Utah experienced a summer surge among unvaccinated residents, causing hospital ICUs to reach near capacity in early September. Data from the Utah Health Department showed in late September that state residents who are unvaccinated are nearly six times more likely to die from COVID-19 and seven times more likely to be hospitalized than those who are vaccinated.

About 64% of Utah residents ages 12 and older were fully vaccinated.

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BUCHAREST, Romania  More than 5,000 far-right protesters have gathered in Romanias capital of Bucharest to reject new pandemic measures following a surge of coronavirus infections.

Daily infections in the nation of 19 million have skyrocketed from approximately 1,000 cases a day a month ago to a record 12,590 new cases on Saturday.

That was Romanias highest daily number of infections since the start of the pandemic. The increase is putting hospitals under pressure as intensive care units reach their capacity.

The mostly mask-less marchers blocked traffic, honked horns and chanted Freedom!

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PHOENIX  Arizona reported nearly 100 COVID-19 deaths on Saturday, a day after the states pandemic death toll passed 20,000.

The state coronavirus dashboard reported 95 deaths and 2,942 confirmed cases, increasing Arizonas pandemic totals to 20,134 confirmed deaths and 1.1 million cases.

Arizonas seven-day rolling average of daily deaths rose by a third in the past two weeks, increasing from 33 on Sept. 16 to 43 on Thursday, according to Johns Hopkins University.

The rolling average of daily new cases declined during the same period, dropping from 2,742 to 2,621.

The state also reported the number of COVID-19 patients occupying hospital beds increased slightly to 1,798 on Friday.

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JACKSON, Miss.  The leader of a Mississippi pediatricians organization is urging school districts to keep mask mandates in place to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Dr. Anita Henderson of Hattiesburg is president of the Mississippi Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. She says about 30% of youths ages 12 to 17 in the state are vaccinated, and now is not the time to let our guard down.

Mississippi has reported nine pediatric deaths from COVID-19. Some school districts are repealing mask mandates. Among them are the Madison County and Rankin County districts in central Mississippi and the Ocean Springs district on the Gulf Coast.

Mississippi had a significant surge in COVID-19 cases, deaths and hospitalizations starting in July. Numbers have slowly decreased in recent weeks. However, Mississippi is among the lowest vaccinated states in the nation.

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TOPEKA, Kan.  Data from the Kansas state health department shows mostly rural counties have youth coronavirus vaccination rates far below the national average.

A school pandemic workgroup received data from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment this week showing in about a quarter of the states counties, less than 20% of vaccine-eligible children ages 12 to 17 had received at least one dose as of Sept. 24.

Most of the low-vaccine counties are in western Kansas or other rural areas. U.S. regulators in May expanded the use of Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine to children as young as 12.

The national vaccination rate for youth is 57%, according to a presentation by Marci Nielsen, a special adviser to Kelly.

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NEW YORK  Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor denied an emergency appeal from a group of teachers to block New York Citys COVID-19 vaccine mandate for public school teachers and other staff from going into effect.

Sotomayor ruled on Friday, after the teachers filed for the injunction with her on Thursday to keep the mandate from going into effect.

Under the mandate, the roughly 148,000 school employees had until 5 p.m. Friday to get at least their first vaccine shot. Those who didnt face suspension without pay when schools open on Monday.

An original deadline this week was delayed after a legal challenge, but a federal appeals panel said New York City could go ahead with the mandate in the nations largest school district.

In August, Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett also denied an emergency appeal from students at Indiana University to block that institutions vaccine mandate.

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WARSAW, Poland  A gala concert on Saturday will open the 18th edition of the prestigious Frederic Chopin international piano competition that was postponed by a full year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Oct. 2-23 competition was scheduled for the fall of 2020, but authorities put off the popular event, expecting the coronavirus and social distancing would prevent the usual crowds from attending.

The 87 participants from around the world begin Sunday with the performance of Xuanyi Mao from China. The winner gets a gold medal and a prize of 40,000 euros ($45,000) and prestigious recording and concert contracts.

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The U.S. death toll from COVID-19 has eclipsed 700,000, with 100,000 people dying in the past three months when vaccines were available to any American over age 12.

The milestone reached late Friday is deeply frustrating to doctors, nurses and public health officials and Americans who watched a pandemic that had been easing earlier in the summer take a dark turn.

Tens of millions of people in the U.S. have refused to get vaccinated, allowing the highly contagious delta variant to tear through the country and send the death toll from 600,000 to 700,000 in 3 1/2 months.

Florida suffered by far the most deaths of any state during that period, with the virus killing about 17,000 residents since the middle of June. Texas was second with 13,000 deaths.

The two states account for 15% of the countrys population, but more than 30% of the nations deaths since the nation crossed the 600,000 threshold.

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MOSCOW  Antibody tests to detect the proteins produced by the body to fight coronavirus infection are cheap, widely available and actively marketed in Russia. Yet Western health experts say the tests are unreliable for diagnosing the coronavirus or assessing immunity to it.

When Russians talk about the coronavirus over dinner or in hair salons, the conversation often turns to antitela, the Russian word for antibodies. President Vladimir Putin referred to them while bragging to Turkeys leader about why he avoided infection even though dozens of people around him contracted the coronavirus.

But the antibodies the popular tests look for can only serve as evidence of a past infection, and scientists say its still unclear what level of antibodies indicates protection from the virus and for how long..

In Russia, its common to get an antibody test and share the results. Their use appears to be a factor in the countrys low vaccination rate even as the country reports record daily deaths and rising infections.

Both the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommend vaccination regardless of previous infection.

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American Airlines, Alaska Airlines and JetBlue are joining United Airlines in requiring employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19, as the Biden administration steps up pressure on major U.S. carriers to require the shots.

The airlines provide special flights, cargo hauling and other services for the government. The companies say that makes them government contractors who are covered by President Joe Bidens order directing contractors to require that employees be vaccinated.

American Airlines CEO Doug Parker told employees late Friday that the airline is still working on details, but it is clear that team members who choose to remain unvaccinated will not be able to work at American Airlines.

The pilot union at American recently estimated that 4,200  or 30%  of the airlines pilots are not vaccinated.

Earlier, White House coronavirus adviser Jeffrey Zients talked to the CEOs of American, Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines about vaccine mandates.

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NEW YORK  The Broadway hit Aladdin is trying to keep COVID-19 contained. Disney Theatrical Productions said it will cancel all shows until Oct. 12 after additional breakthrough COVID-19 cases were detected.

The show reopened Tuesday following some 18 months of being shuttered due to the pandemic, but was forced to close Wednesday when breakthrough COVID-19 cases were reported within the musicals company. There was a Thursday performance before Fridays was canceled.

It was the first Broadway COVID-19 cancellation since shows resumed with Bruce Springsteens concert returning in July and Pass Over as the first play to debut in August.

So-called breakthrough infections are detected in vaccinated people and tend to be far less dangerous than those unvaccinated. In many ways, the temporary closure proves that the monitoring system is working.

Aladdin opened on Broadway in March 2014 and has become one of its highest grossing shows.

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HARTFORD, Conn. - A retired Connecticut physician and surgeon voluntarily surrendered her license to practice medicine on Friday after being accused of providing fraudulent medical exemption forms through the mail.

Dr. Sue Mcintosh had her license suspended last week by the Connecticut Medical Examining Board during an emergency hearing. A full hearing on the merits of the case was scheduled for Oct. 5.

State officials, who had received an anonymous complaint about the doctor, allege Mcintosh provided an unknown number of blank, signed forms exempting people from the COVID-19 and other vaccines, as well as mandatory mask-wearing and routine COVID testing to people who sent her a self-addressed envelope.

Mcintosh, who hadnt treated the patients, signed a letter included in the packet of bogus forms with the phrase Let freedom ring! She didnt respond to a request for comment.

Christopher Boyle, a spokesperson for the Connecticut Department of Public Health, said officials are considering whether to refer the case to state and federal law enforcement agencies.

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MINNEAPOLIS  A decline in COVID-19 cases across the United States over the past several weeks has given overwhelmed hospitals some relief, but administrators are bracing for yet another possible surge as cold weather drives people indoors.

Health experts say the fourth wave of the pandemic has peaked overall in the U.S., particularly in the Deep South, where hospitals were stretched to the limit weeks ago. But many Northern states are still struggling with rising cases, and whats ahead for winter is far less clear.

Unknowns include how flu season may strain already depleted hospital staffs and whether those who have refused to get vaccinated will change their minds. An estimated 70 million eligible Americans remain unvaccinated, providing kindling for the highly contagious delta variant.

If youre not vaccinated or have protection from natural infection, this virus will find you, warned Mike Osterholm, director of the University of Minnesotas Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy.

Nationwide, the number of people now in the hospital with COVID-19 has fallen to somewhere around 75,000 from over 93,000 in early September. New cases are on the downswing at about 112,000 per day on average, a drop of about one-third over the past 2 1/2 weeks.
BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP)  At a recent house party near the U.S.-Mexico border, the conversation with Democratic congressional candidate Rochelle Garza flowed from schools and taxes to immigration and efforts to convert an old railway line into a hiking trail.

One thing that didn't come up that Friday night over Corona beers and Domino's deep dish pizza: the effort by Democrats in Washington to use a massive federal spending package to beat back climate change.

Its not that the district is more moderate or moderately more conservative, said Garza, 36, an immigration lawyer running for the House seat held by retiring centrist Democrat Filemon Vela. Talking about how youre going to meaningfully impact families, and make healthier families and healthier communities, I think that matters to people a lot more than some of these hot button issues.

Democrats nationally are poised to go bigger than ever on the environment as part of the sweeping spending package they are trying to muscle through Congress. President Joe Biden has traveled the country sounding the alarm, blaming a warming planet for devastation from wildfire-ravaged California to hurricane-battered New York and warning of a code red for humanity.

But that focus could create political problems in energy rich areas. That includes South Texas, where many Latino voters turned against Democrats during last years presidential election and winning them back could prove critical to the party's hopes of retaining control of Congress during the 2022 midterms.

Theyre really making it easy on us," said Mayra Flores, a 35-year-old respiratory care practitioner and organizer for Donald Trump's 2020 presidential campaign. Flores is also running for Vela's seat and argues that Democrats are forcing Texans to choose between their energy sector jobs and curbing climate change.

Trump won 38% of the national Latino vote last year, 10 percentage points more from in 2016, according to the Pew Research Center. Some of his most dramatic gains came in heavily Hispanic areas that produce large amounts of oil and gas, including the district Garza and Flores want to represent.

It stretches from Brownsville, where there are proposals to build liquified natural gas terminals for export, more than 150 miles (240 kilometers) north to sparsely populated portions of the hydraulic fracturing-dependent Eagle Ford Shale.

Last year, Biden won Cameron County, which encompasses Brownsville and is about 90% Hispanic. But Trumps margin of the vote increased there by 20 percentage points over 2016. Farther north, Trump flipped oil- and gas-producing, but still heavily Hispanic, Jim Wells and Kleberg counties.

We are very dependent on oil and gas. Thats the reason you saw those numbers," said Flores, who was born in Mexico, came to the United State at age 6 and picked cotton every summer growing up after age 12. "Thats what people do. Thats where they work.

Biden has signed an executive order halting new oil and gas leases in federal territory, though it was blocked by a court order this summer.

The spending package being debate in Congress seeks to push efforts to fight climate change into overdrive, however. It includes language on instituting high fees for polluters and tax incentives for clean energy and electric cars, while introducing new requirements that the nations power grid rely more heavily on renewable energy sources.

Rolando Lozano, a 62-year-old manager at an electric utility, was one of 200-plus people who recently filled a community center in the border town of Harlingen, west of Brownsville, to see Flores and other Latino Republican candidates. He said Democrats have moved so far to the left that it looks anti-American.

Its almost blatantly in the citizens face," Lozano said. "You can call it by any other name, but, fundamentally, it looks wrong.

That feeling is far from universal among Hispanics, however. An Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll in September found that 58% of Hispanics say they approve of Bidens handling of climate change, while 38% disapprove.

Amanda Dave, a public health community campaign project manager in Brownsville, grew up in Houston, where her father worked in the oil and gas industry. But she believes protecting the environment is more important than appeasing energy interests.

They try to put forward this message of Were bringing jobs. Were bringing jobs. Were bringing jobs. But a lot of people now see it as, theyre trying to exploit our natural resources, said Dave, 35, who attended Garzas house party. I think theres a consciousness thats developing around how to protect what is here. What makes it special.

Still, Gabriel Sanchez, executive director of the University of New Mexicos Center for Social Policy, said threats of climate change traditionally poll as more pressing concerns among Latinos than the population at large  unless they are presented in terms of job losses. He said that in Texas, New Mexico, Colorado and other energy producing states, youve had tension for awhile.

Latinos are extremely conscious on climate change and support dang near every progressive policy there is to curb it, Sanchez said. But you juxtapose that with potential loss of jobs, thats when you start to see a much more even attitude split.

Potential clashes between energy jobs and environmental changes could also affect the adjacent House district, where Democratic Rep. Vicente Gonzalez  who founded the House Oil and Gas Caucus and has urged the Biden administration not to move too far to the left on environmental issues  was reelected by less than 3 percentage points in 2020. Fast-growing Texas is gaining two new congressional seats after the 2020 census, and the Republican-controlled Legislature has proposed redistricting maps making Gonzalez's territory more red.

The same tension already helped decide a House seat that flipped Republican last year. In New Mexico, Republican Yvette Herrell defeated Democratic incumbent Xochitl Torres Small in a traditionally conservative district that is about 55% Hispanic and includes part of the oil-rich Permian Basin.

During last year's final presidential debate, Biden promised to transition the country away from fossil fuels. Torres Small responded that it was wrong to demonize the energy industry and decried the idea of banning fracking, but still lost.

Flores says Biden's debate comment is still reverberating across South Texas, too.

I see this rise in the Republican Party, said Flores, who campaigns under the slogan Make America Godly Again. People are going to go vote to get their jobs back.

Garza believes climate change-fighting efforts can create high-paying jobs, noting that the district has already added wind farms and could enjoy more opportunities in solar power.

These are natural resources that we can easily take advantage of to create jobs, said Garza. Amid the Trump administration's previous crackdown on immigration, she would approach groups of immigrants waiting on bridges between Mexico and the U.S. and provide presentations on asylum-seekers' rights.

I think its about focusing on the opportunities that we have, Garza said of national Democrats' environmental push. Republicans like to preach doom.

Daniel Canales, 33, who is between jobs but attended the Harlingen conservatives event, said he and others aren't opposed to new, more environmentally friendly jobs, but often struggle with Democrats' ideological message.

The problem is the Democrats seem to be too urban-oriented. Theyre too fixated on problems where they live," Canales said. "Out here, that doesn't mean much.
Syrias Assad calls Jordans king amid thaw in relations View Photo

AMMAN, Jordan (AP)  Jordans King Abdullah II received a call on Sunday from Syrian President Bashar Assad, the first conversation between the two leaders after a decade of strain over Syrias civil war.

The call comes amid efforts aimed at boosting cooperation between the two countries, which are facing challenging economic conditions.

The Jordanian royal court said the leaders discussed relations between the brotherly countries and ways to enhance cooperation between them.

Abdullah affirmed his countrys support for efforts to preserve Syrias sovereignty, stability, territorial integrity and people.

Syrias state news agency SANA said Assad called Abdullah to discuss bilateral relations and reinforcing cooperation in the interests of the two countries and people.

The call is part of a new thaw in relations between the two neighbors after the Syrian civil war. Syria is facing sanctions imposed by the United States and many western nations.

Jordan has reduced diplomatic relations with Syria, like most Arab countries, following the start of the civil war there in 2011. Jordan hosted western-backed opposition groups and took in hundreds of thousands of refugees.

Arab and western countries generally blamed Assad for the deadly crackdown on the protests that erupted in 2011, and supported the opposition in early days of the conflict, which displaced and killed millions of people.

The tide of the war changed since late 2015 as Russia threw its military weight behind Assad.

The phone conversation also comes days after Jordan fully reopened its main border crossing with Syria, a commercial lifeline for the two nations. The crossing had reopened in 2018 but was shut again amid coronavirus restrictions and as the security situation deteriorated on Syrias southern borders.

Syrias defense minister visited Jordan late last month. A 10-year old deal to transport Egyptian natural gas through Jordan, Syria and Lebanon was also revived in September.
The Latest: Alaska activates emergency health protocols View Photo

ANCHORAGE, Alaska  Alaska on Saturday activated emergency crisis protocols that allow 20 health care facilities to ration care if needed as the state recorded the nations worst COVID-19 diagnosis rates in the U.S. in recent days, straining its limited health care system.

The declaration covers three facilities that had already declared emergency protocol, including the states largest hospital, Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage.

Among the factors that led the state to activate the crisis of care standards include scarce medical resources within some facilities, limited staff and difficulty transferring patients to other facilities because of limited bed availability. Other factors included limited renal replacement therapy and oxygen supplies.

According to data collected by Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, one person in every 84 in Alaska was diagnosed with COVID-19 from Sept. 22 to 29. The next highest rate was one in every 164 people in West Virginia.

Statewide, 60% of eligible Alaskans are fully vaccinated.

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MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:

 COVID-19 deaths eclipse 700,000 in US as delta variant rages

 Russia: Antibody tests for COVID-19 remain popular, factor in low vaccine rate

 Far-right protesters in Romania reject virus restrictions

 California to require COVID-19 vaccines for schoolchildren

___

See all of APs pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

___

HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

ATLANTA  Four parents are suing the Cobb County school district on behalf of their children, saying the failure of Georgias second-largest school district to require masks means their students cannot safely attend in-person classes because of their disabilities.

The suit was filed Friday in federal court in Atlanta. It says the 107,000-student suburban Atlanta district is violating federal law governing how students with disabilities are treated in public schools. The lawsuit asks a judge to order the district to follow CDC guidelines on masks and other issues. The district has defended its stance amid repeated protests.

Rather than using the known and available tools to mitigate the threat of COVID-19 and protect plaintiffs access to school services, programs, and activities, the district has acted with deliberate indifference to plaintiffs rights to inclusion, health, and education, the complaint alleges.

The lawsuit asks that U.S. District Judge Timothy Batten Sr. order the district to follow CDC guidelines, including not only on masks but on issues like ventilation, physical distancing and contact tracing.

Whether to require masks in Cobb schools has been the focus of protest for months. Like many in Georgia, Cobb lifted its mask order at the end of last year. Many districts reimposed mask orders as school began this August, because of the rapid spread of the delta variant of COVID-19. Cobb, though, dug in saying that masks would only be strongly recommended.

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LAS CRUCES, N.M.  New Mexico State University says less than a third of its students submitted proof of vaccination for COVID-19 by a Thursday deadline to otherwise undergo weekly testing or leave the university.

While 72.3% of the universitys employees provided proof of vaccination, only 30% of students did, officials said Friday.

Its not clear how many students who didnt submit proof of vaccination by the deadline plan to submit weekly test results, officials said.

Were not where we want to be with our vaccinated students, said Jon Webster, the schools COVID-19 project manager. We want to make sure were protecting all of our students.

Failure to submit vaccination information or weekly test results can result in student suspension or staff termination, officials said.

Students can get vaccinated at any point in the semester and cease the weekly required testing once achieving full vaccination, Webster said.

He said the university was continuing to reach out to students through text message, email, social media and other channels.

Several students said Friday they were unaware of the mandates details, the Las Cruces Sun-News reported.

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WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden mourned the painful milestone of 700,000 American deaths from COVID-19, a day after the U.S. surpassed that mark on Friday.

The president says in a statement the astonishing death toll is yet another reminder of just how important it is to get vaccinated. He says the nation has made extraordinary progress in the fight against the coronavirus in the past eight months because of vaccines.

Biden says thanks to vaccines, hundreds of thousands of families have been spared the unbearable loss that too many Americans have already endured during this pandemic.

He notes more than three-quarters of all Americans age 12 and up have received at least one vaccine dose, including nearly 94% of all seniors.

Biden says: If you havent already, please get vaccinated. It can save your life and the lives of those you love. It will help us beat COVID-19 and move forward, together, as one nation.

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RENO, Nev.  Employees at all public universities and colleges in Nevada are required to get COVID-19 vaccinations by Dec. 1 or face potential termination.

All new hires must prove their vaccination status under the new policy. Meanwhile, coronavirus case trends are improving in urban areas but have worsened in most rural parts of the state where vaccination rates are the lowest.

The Desert Research Institute has the highest vaccination rate at 87% followed by the University of Nevada Reno at 82%. UNLV reported 75%. Rural Elko-based Great Basin College had the worst rate at 66%.

On Wednesday, about 64% of all state employees had been fully vaccinated, in accordance with Gov. Steve Sisolaks order in July that required shots or proof of negative coronavirus tests, says DuAne Young, the governors policy director.

Nearly 65% of residents age 12 and older have one vaccination and 56% are fully vaccinated, according to state data.

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SALT LAKE CITY  The president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints thanked members who have followed church guidance, which has been to get vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Church President Russell M. Nelson spoke Saturday at a conference taking place again without full attendance due to the pandemic. For the first time in two years, leaders were back at the faiths 20,000-seat conference center, with several hundred people watching in person and others on television. The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square returned to the conference.

The Utah-based faith has repeatedly encouraged its 16 million members worldwide to limit the spread by getting vaccines and wearing masks. Last week, church officials announced masks will be required inside temples to limit the spread of the virus.

Utah experienced a summer surge among unvaccinated residents, causing hospital ICUs to reach near capacity in early September. Data from the Utah Health Department showed in late September that state residents who are unvaccinated are nearly six times more likely to die from COVID-19 and seven times more likely to be hospitalized than those who are vaccinated.

About 64% of Utah residents ages 12 and older were fully vaccinated.

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BUCHAREST, Romania  More than 5,000 far-right protesters have gathered in Romanias capital of Bucharest to reject new pandemic measures following a surge of coronavirus infections.

Daily infections in the nation of 19 million have skyrocketed from approximately 1,000 cases a day a month ago to a record 12,590 new cases on Saturday.

That was Romanias highest daily number of infections since the start of the pandemic. The increase is putting hospitals under pressure as intensive care units reach their capacity.

The mostly mask-less marchers blocked traffic, honked horns and chanted Freedom!

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PHOENIX  Arizona reported nearly 100 COVID-19 deaths on Saturday, a day after the states pandemic death toll passed 20,000.

The state coronavirus dashboard reported 95 deaths and 2,942 confirmed cases, increasing Arizonas pandemic totals to 20,134 confirmed deaths and 1.1 million cases.

Arizonas seven-day rolling average of daily deaths rose by a third in the past two weeks, increasing from 33 on Sept. 16 to 43 on Thursday, according to Johns Hopkins University.

The rolling average of daily new cases declined during the same period, dropping from 2,742 to 2,621.

The state also reported the number of COVID-19 patients occupying hospital beds increased slightly to 1,798 on Friday.

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JACKSON, Miss.  The leader of a Mississippi pediatricians organization is urging school districts to keep mask mandates in place to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Dr. Anita Henderson of Hattiesburg is president of the Mississippi Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. She says about 30% of youths ages 12 to 17 in the state are vaccinated, and now is not the time to let our guard down.

Mississippi has reported nine pediatric deaths from COVID-19. Some school districts are repealing mask mandates. Among them are the Madison County and Rankin County districts in central Mississippi and the Ocean Springs district on the Gulf Coast.

Mississippi had a significant surge in COVID-19 cases, deaths and hospitalizations starting in July. Numbers have slowly decreased in recent weeks. However, Mississippi is among the lowest vaccinated states in the nation.

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TOPEKA, Kan.  Data from the Kansas state health department shows mostly rural counties have youth coronavirus vaccination rates far below the national average.

A school pandemic workgroup received data from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment this week showing in about a quarter of the states counties, less than 20% of vaccine-eligible children ages 12 to 17 had received at least one dose as of Sept. 24.

Most of the low-vaccine counties are in western Kansas or other rural areas. U.S. regulators in May expanded the use of Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine to children as young as 12.

The national vaccination rate for youth is 57%, according to a presentation by Marci Nielsen, a special adviser to Kelly.

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NEW YORK  Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor denied an emergency appeal from a group of teachers to block New York Citys COVID-19 vaccine mandate for public school teachers and other staff from going into effect.

Sotomayor ruled on Friday, after the teachers filed for the injunction with her on Thursday to keep the mandate from going into effect.

Under the mandate, the roughly 148,000 school employees had until 5 p.m. Friday to get at least their first vaccine shot. Those who didnt face suspension without pay when schools open on Monday.

An original deadline this week was delayed after a legal challenge, but a federal appeals panel said New York City could go ahead with the mandate in the nations largest school district.

In August, Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett also denied an emergency appeal from students at Indiana University to block that institutions vaccine mandate.

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WARSAW, Poland  A gala concert on Saturday will open the 18th edition of the prestigious Frederic Chopin international piano competition that was postponed by a full year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Oct. 2-23 competition was scheduled for the fall of 2020, but authorities put off the popular event, expecting the coronavirus and social distancing would prevent the usual crowds from attending.

The 87 participants from around the world begin Sunday with the performance of Xuanyi Mao from China. The winner gets a gold medal and a prize of 40,000 euros ($45,000) and prestigious recording and concert contracts.

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The U.S. death toll from COVID-19 has eclipsed 700,000, with 100,000 people dying in the past three months when vaccines were available to any American over age 12.

The milestone reached late Friday is deeply frustrating to doctors, nurses and public health officials and Americans who watched a pandemic that had been easing earlier in the summer take a dark turn.

Tens of millions of people in the U.S. have refused to get vaccinated, allowing the highly contagious delta variant to tear through the country and send the death toll from 600,000 to 700,000 in 3 1/2 months.

Florida suffered by far the most deaths of any state during that period, with the virus killing about 17,000 residents since the middle of June. Texas was second with 13,000 deaths.

The two states account for 15% of the countrys population, but more than 30% of the nations deaths since the nation crossed the 600,000 threshold.

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MOSCOW  Antibody tests to detect the proteins produced by the body to fight coronavirus infection are cheap, widely available and actively marketed in Russia. Yet Western health experts say the tests are unreliable for diagnosing the coronavirus or assessing immunity to it.

When Russians talk about the coronavirus over dinner or in hair salons, the conversation often turns to antitela, the Russian word for antibodies. President Vladimir Putin referred to them while bragging to Turkeys leader about why he avoided infection even though dozens of people around him contracted the coronavirus.

But the antibodies the popular tests look for can only serve as evidence of a past infection, and scientists say its still unclear what level of antibodies indicates protection from the virus and for how long..

In Russia, its common to get an antibody test and share the results. Their use appears to be a factor in the countrys low vaccination rate even as the country reports record daily deaths and rising infections.

Both the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommend vaccination regardless of previous infection.

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American Airlines, Alaska Airlines and JetBlue are joining United Airlines in requiring employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19, as the Biden administration steps up pressure on major U.S. carriers to require the shots.

The airlines provide special flights, cargo hauling and other services for the government. The companies say that makes them government contractors who are covered by President Joe Bidens order directing contractors to require that employees be vaccinated.

American Airlines CEO Doug Parker told employees late Friday that the airline is still working on details, but it is clear that team members who choose to remain unvaccinated will not be able to work at American Airlines.

The pilot union at American recently estimated that 4,200  or 30%  of the airlines pilots are not vaccinated.

Earlier, White House coronavirus adviser Jeffrey Zients talked to the CEOs of American, Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines about vaccine mandates.

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NEW YORK  The Broadway hit Aladdin is trying to keep COVID-19 contained. Disney Theatrical Productions said it will cancel all shows until Oct. 12 after additional breakthrough COVID-19 cases were detected.

The show reopened Tuesday following some 18 months of being shuttered due to the pandemic, but was forced to close Wednesday when breakthrough COVID-19 cases were reported within the musicals company. There was a Thursday performance before Fridays was canceled.

It was the first Broadway COVID-19 cancellation since shows resumed with Bruce Springsteens concert returning in July and Pass Over as the first play to debut in August.

So-called breakthrough infections are detected in vaccinated people and tend to be far less dangerous than those unvaccinated. In many ways, the temporary closure proves that the monitoring system is working.

Aladdin opened on Broadway in March 2014 and has become one of its highest grossing shows.

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HARTFORD, Conn.  A retired Connecticut physician and surgeon voluntarily surrendered her license to practice medicine on Friday after being accused of providing fraudulent medical exemption forms through the mail.

Dr. Sue Mcintosh had her license suspended last week by the Connecticut Medical Examining Board during an emergency hearing. A full hearing on the merits of the case was scheduled for Oct. 5.

State officials, who had received an anonymous complaint about the doctor, allege Mcintosh provided an unknown number of blank, signed forms exempting people from the COVID-19 and other vaccines, as well as mandatory mask-wearing and routine COVID testing to people who sent her a self-addressed envelope.

Mcintosh, who hadnt treated the patients, signed a letter included in the packet of bogus forms with the phrase Let freedom ring! She didnt respond to a request for comment.

Christopher Boyle, a spokesperson for the Connecticut Department of Public Health, said officials are considering whether to refer the case to state and federal law enforcement agencies.

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MINNEAPOLIS  A decline in COVID-19 cases across the United States over the past several weeks has given overwhelmed hospitals some relief, but administrators are bracing for yet another possible surge as cold weather drives people indoors.

Health experts say the fourth wave of the pandemic has peaked overall in the U.S., particularly in the Deep South, where hospitals were stretched to the limit weeks ago. But many Northern states are still struggling with rising cases, and whats ahead for winter is far less clear.

Unknowns include how flu season may strain already depleted hospital staffs and whether those who have refused to get vaccinated will change their minds. An estimated 70 million eligible Americans remain unvaccinated, providing kindling for the highly contagious delta variant.

If youre not vaccinated or have protection from natural infection, this virus will find you, warned Mike Osterholm, director of the University of Minnesotas Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy.

Nationwide, the number of people now in the hospital with COVID-19 has fallen to somewhere around 75,000 from over 93,000 in early September. New cases are on the downswing at about 112,000 per day on average, a drop of about one-third over the past 2 1/2 weeks.

By The Associated Press
Click here to read the full article.

As of now, only one Biden administration ambassador has been confirmed. And the president has Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) to thank for the hold-up. The senator has been singlehandedly slow-walking 59 nominees for ambassadorships and is threatening to delay more, all over the issue of a Russian gas pipeline, The New York Times reported Saturday.

Its a move one Democratic lawmaker, Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), called unprecedented and an undermining of the national security process in a statement to the paper. Cruz isnt just delaying ambassadors confirmations, he is also blocking other nominees, some in key national security positions that remain empty. Currently, only approximately one in four key national security jobs have been filled, although the Times points out that the Biden administration was slow to submit many foreign policy nominees.

Why is Cruz doing this? He is opposed to Bidens actions regarding the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project that would run between Russia and Germany while bypassing Ukraine. The senator believes by allowing the pipeline to go forward, as Biden did when he waived sanctions Congress placed on the project, that the president is showing weakness toward Russia. Thus began Cruzs intentional delays of even the most routine Biden nominations.

Cruz is accomplishing this by objecting to the traditional way Congress handles these nominees, through unanimous consent. With his objections, Cruz forces the process to take hours of Senate floor time.

Defending Cruzs actions, the senators press secretary Dave Vasquez told the Times that Cruz has worked day in and day out to craft and advance compromises. Vasquez added that the White House could get its nominees through tomorrow by simply implementing the law.

But Menendez believes that leaving these positions vacant could affect national security.

Its really an undermining of the nations national security process, Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told the Times. What we have here is an unprecedented, blanketed holding of all nominees  regardless of whether they have anything to do with the policy issues at stake.

That is not something I have seen in 30 years of doing foreign policy work in Congress, Menendez added.
It wouldnt be out of the question for the still-life artworks of Eva Marengo Sanchez to move you to whisk out your rosary beads and pray at the altar of your neighborhood taqueria.

The San Antonio-based artist is known for her hyper-real depictions of culturally and personally relevant food items, committing everything from sugary conchas to salsa verde to oil paint.

Her most eyeballed work, due to foot-traffic, is a mural she completed in 2019 through the San Antonio Street Art Initiative, visible along the St. Marys Strip.

Courtesy of Eva Marengo Sanche

The Morning After: Plan A honors an often practiced, somewhat sacred ritual in the Alamo City: breakfast tacos after a night out. San Antonians know the substances medicinal powers when consumed shielded within a car, scarfed down while huddled together at a table in a crowded kitchen, or brought to you while youre still laying in bed  by a lover.

Perhaps prophetically, it is only appropriate that the larger than life mural, complete with salt packets, glittering foil, and salsa, has found a home on the notorious stretch of nightlife. Marengo Sanchez completed it in less than a week.

Appropriately, on a Friday morning, I met up with the artist at Taqueria Chapala Jalisco to discuss the mural, which she admits is her favorite work, along with her new installation at the McNay Art Museum. We also got down to the matter at hand: tacos.

I was already tucked away in the shiny wooden booth, munching on chips and salsa, when Marengo Sanchez walked through the door. We both decided on a bean and cheese, but diverged when she got a chorizo and egg. What can I say, for me it was a potato-and-egg type of day. When it comes to one's order, people tend not to question it.

Tacos are so beautiful, and the experience just makes me so happy. I always get the same ones, Im not experimental, I know what I like, Eva tells me, confidentially.

Camille Sauers

Marengo Sanchez tells me the combination is usually her go-to, and has been since she was a kid, frequenting Pattys Taco House on Hackberry. During long, 14-hour days when the meticulous artist is working on a project, shell often take a moment of sustenance to procure a trio of bean and cheese, which shell have with green salsa, or if she cant get her hands on any  a jalapeno.

I put green salsa in my bean and cheese too.

A bean and cheese taco is just everything, I dont know how Im not sick of it, she remarks.

Courtesy of Eva Marengo Sanchez

The 31-year-old Southeastsider has always felt a gravitational pull toward painting, however, she didnt always see it as something that was in the cards as a career.

After attending Earlham College in Indiana for human development and social relations, she returned home to San Antonio, and worked a variety of non-art related jobs: a slew of bartending gigs and a position at Costco, then, at one point, a brief stint in Mexico City studying art conservation. Marengo Sanchez returned to San Antonio once again in 2015, this time enrolling in drawing classes at SAC. Finally, she was able to land a a remarkably flexible gig as personal assistant to San Antonio resident Emily Burns Strayer, from the country band, The Chicks (formerly the Dixie Chicks.)

It was during this time that her path ultimately led her back toward the canvas.

In 2017, with the help of Andy Benavides from S.M.A.R.T Gallery, which often seeks to platform emerging artists, Marengo Sanchez held her first solo show, Craving. Beginning her career-long focus on the food closest to her heart, the artist has contributed to broader conversations around cultural identity. To her, the subject stays personal.

Its just my life, its just my comfort food, and I think that particularly having left home, having missed it and coming back, I think I have an appreciation for it, a respect for it, shares Marengo Sanchez, speaking with passion and with precision. Two characteristics of hers that surface in conversation that seem to carry over to her devotional works.

So it was no surprise when she revealed that in the nine months ahead of her first show, she prepared doggedly.

I remember just thinking, I kinda half-heartedly tried so many times in my life to be an artist and failed, and I was just like, you need to be able to walk away from this and that isnt gonna happen unless you give it a real earnest effort, says the artist.

Courtesy of Eva Marengo Sanche

Since then, she has gone on to show in galleries across town, operate a successful Etsy shop and collaborate on murals while being based out of her studio of Mercury Project in Southtown. Earlier this month, her artistic resume reached new heights, with her work debuting at the McNay. The feat materialized after she took a leap and successfully pitched a concept to museum curators, who ran with her idea.

The Art of SA Eats is currently on view, featuring the flavorful work of five San Antonio artists, including Marengo Sanchezs mouth watering fruit cups and detailed and colorful conchas, inspired by local bakeries, suspended in mid-air.

I didnt go to art school, I just feel incredibly lucky, she shares.

You can catch the show from now until January 23, 2022. You can also find Eva Marengo Sanchez on Instagram.

We finished our tacos and parted ways. I brought the ticket the register and we chatted casually while walking back to our cars. The lot was packed, even more so than usual, and filled with other people ready for the weekend. Settling into my hot car, I couldn't help but feel overwhelming respect for Eva, and like her, a religious veneration toward the foil wrapped ritual we have in breakfast tacos.

Camille Sauers
About 10 years ago, my extended family rented a cabin in New Hampshire for a week of swimming, grilling, relaxing, and one terrifying bear encounter. Halfway through the trip, I developed an ear infection and retreated to the bedroom I was sharing with my younger cousins, which is what happens when youre single and in your mid-20s. (I later learned it happens in your mid-30s, too.)

There, on the bottom bunk, I fired up my laptop and began watching what had become (and remains) my favorite reality TV show of all time. After a day or so of antibiotics, I emerged from my convalescence, and as I walked into the kitchen, my mother gave me a look.

Are you OK? she asked, eyes narrowing. My ear was feeling better, I told her, but the look on her face didnt change. As my mother walked out of the room, my cousin turned to me. Shes not worried about your ear, she said. Shes worried because youre watching so much Deadliest Catch.

Since 2005, the Emmy Award-winning Deadliest Catch has been a programming cornerstone for the Discovery Channel as it chronicles a fleet of Alaskan fishermen through opilio, king, and bairidi crab seasons in the Bering Sea. It has existed through four presidential administrations, two American-led wars, deaths of crew members and Captain Phil Harris, overhauls to U.S. fishing regulations, and a global pandemic, which was the focus of the story line that concluded on September 21.

Its formula has remained the same for 17 seasons: sometimes the boats are on the crab, sometimes they are not. In between is interpersonal tension, mechanical failures, near-fatal injuries, dramatic Coast Guard rescues, and at least one graphic lancing of boils.

To some, this might seem too formulaic, but they are wrong. After watching all 155 episodes, I found that what some call formula I call a meditation on lifes biggest challenges. Want to get in shape? Lift and throw heavy lines (strength), run in short bursts across the deck (cardio), and sort crab (calisthenics). Need to make money? Do your research, get the best team together you can, and hustle. Falling in love? Keep your eyes on the horizon and enjoy the swells.

Around the same time as that trip to New Hampshire, I began my career as a journalist, working mainly in daily digital newsrooms. I have found the show is also the best metaphor for my work and when people ask what I do, I usually reply, Have you ever seen the Deadliest Catch?

When you work in the digital space, it can be hard to explain exactly what it is you do all day. In todays world, so much how we measure "success" in journalism is determined by metrics, and the perfect story is one that is well-reported, timely, beautifully written, and so interesting that readers cant help but click it. Consider each boats quota, aka the amount of crab each crew has been given for a particular season. In digital journalism, that is your traffic goal.

Veteran captains talk about their honey holes, the carefully plotted points in the Bering Sea that have delivered crab year after year. In digital journalism, honey holes are the evergreen topics, stories that are always of interest to our readers. Like in crabbing, when things dont work, we have to rethink our strategy and find the holes in the nets. We look at the data and see what our competitors are doing, but ultimately we have to trust our guts. Most of the time its a daily grind that constantly tests you, but one we ultimately return to because just as they love crabbing, we love telling stories.

And then there are days when the captain is on the crab, when every single pot coming out of the water is stuffed. In journalism, there are days when every single story is a wild hit, causing analytics to spike and editors to breathe easier (at least for today). Those are the days we live for, the days where you are reminded that pots of gold are real and the slog is worth it.

At its worst, the show is a metaphor for modern life where we're forever chasing a fix, whether through social media or story numbers or crab hauls. So many of the crew members on the show have battled addiction, including long-time cast member Nick McGlashan who died of a drug overdose in December 2020 midway through filming the latest season. This extreme behavior has effected people outside of the show, too, most notably former Northwestern deck boss Edgar Hansen, who pled guilty to sexually abusing a 16-year-old in 2018. (He was nixed from the show, though there are multiple Reddit conspiracy threads that believe he still occasionally appears in wide-angle shots.)

Likewise, the trope of the grizzled, hard-drinking journalist, a stereotype fueled by real-life journos like Pete Hamill, Molly Ivins, and Jimmy Breslin, is inescapable. There is a parallel between being an addict and the thrill of the catch  whatever that catch might be.

At its best, Deadliest Catch is a meditation, a reminder to find meaning in the monotony. When you spot the rogue wave coming, move the boat port or starboard to minimize the impact. If there is a storm brewing, either head for the safety of the port or put on your rain gear and ride it out. Enjoy the smooth sailing when it arrives because it's not going to last forever. Take in the beauty, even when it's dark. Sometimes things are going our way and sometimes they are not, but the point is to adjust.

And always keep your feet on the deck.
In my life, I've experienced the joy of eating breakfast tacos in the Rio Grande Valley and San Antonio  and I prefer the former.

Before you judge, you can't go wrong with either, but the flour tortillas and size of the tacos in RGV are unmatched by what I've seen in San Antonio. While I was born and have lived most of my life in the Alamo City, my family and I moved to my mother's hometown, Raymondville, when I turned 11 before settling back in San Antonio in 2007.

During my time in RGV, my grandparents and my mother's four brothers and three sisters all resided in this charming small town, located near Harlingen and with a population less than 12,000. There's one main road packed with local businesses, mainly Mexican joints, where you'll find some of the best juicy and delicious barbacoa tacos in the state.

The potato and egg tacos my mother picked up from Stripes (yes, the gas station) before I headed to school or church were  and still are  the size of my forearm. And, the texture of the soft, powdered tortillas was always a defining factor in how fresh the tacos tasted (my mouth waters just thinking about it).

Ruben Rodriguez, co-owner of Antojitos Mexicanos  a restaurant in Raymondville since 1996, tells MySA they've been making homemade tortillas for the past 25 years. Every morning they whip up about 15 dozen and sell out by 3 p.m. Rodriguez says RGV takes pride in their tacos as it is closest to the birthplace of the iconic dish: Mexico.

Edward A. Ornelas, Staff / San Antonio Express-News

And I'm not the only one who agrees. Actual taco experts have lauded the valley for its tacos.

Jose R. Ralat, the taco editor at the Texas Monthly, has covered the RGV territory for a long time. In his November 2020 article "The Rio Grande Valley Taco Trail," he writes that you can't go wrong when picking a place to eat "breakfast tacos, tacos estilo Matamoros, and real barbacoa" while in the valley. "Some of the greatest and most important taco places in the country are in Brownsville," Ralat writes in his book American Tacos: A History and Guide.

Along with Raymondville and its local restaurants, the valley is filled with great taco vendors. In 2020, James Beard Foundation awarded Vera's Backyard Bar-B-Que in Brownsville as one of six recipients of its America's Classics Award, according to the New York Times. Vera's in know for its tasty specialty, "barbacoa de cabeza" (barbecued cow's head). Also, let's not leave out one of the oldest taquerias in Brownsville, Easy To Go Tacos, along with beloved Dallas Cowboys obsessed business Sylvia's Restaurant.

My mother, Christina, and her sister Illiana Rodriguez grew up in RGV, though they both eventually moved to San Antonio (my mom back in 2007 and my aunt most recently in 2020). Both agree the tacos they've had in RGV are something they have a hard time finding in San Antonio.

"I've even tried some tortillerias in San Antonio that make flour tortillas, and they don't compare to the tortillas in the Valley," my aunt says. "The flour tortillas in the valley are the bomb. I think that's what makes their tacos soooo good."

Perhaps Los Angeles Times writer Gustavo Arellano said it best in his theory of Mexican food in Texas: "The RGV invented it, San Antonio perfected it, Austin stole it."
SALT LAKE CITY (AP)  The president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints urged members Saturday to listen to the faith's leaders when they seek pure truth and expressed gratitude for those who have followed church guidance during the pandemic, which has been to get vaccinated against the coronavirus.

President Russell M. Nelson acknowledged at a church conference that the world is still dealing with the ravages of COVID-19 and its variants. And while he didn't mention vaccines specifically, he thanked members for following the advice of church leaders, medical experts and government officials.

The Utah-based faith has repeatedly encouraged its 16 million members worldwide to limit the spread by getting vaccines and wearing masks.

Contrary to the doubts of some, there really is such a thing as right and wrong. There really is absolute truth  eternal truth, said Nelson, speaking from inside a mostly empty conference center in Salt Lake City. One of the plagues of our day is that too few people know where to turn for truth. I can assure you that what you will hear today and tomorrow constitutes pure truth."

The conference is taking place again without full attendance due to the pandemic, but for the first time in two years leaders were back at the faith's 20,000-seat conference center with several hundred people watching in person.

The church's well-known Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square was also back in person. However, it had fewer members than normal to allow for social distancing, and all members had been vaccinated, the church said.

Leaders spoke at the previous three conferences inside a smaller building with no choir and no attendees. Those conferences were the first to take place without full attendance in more than 70 years.

Most members of the faith known widely as the Mormon church are watching speeches during the two-day conference on TVs, computers and tablets from their homes around the world. Before the pandemic, the event would bring about 100,000 people to the churchs headquarters to listen to five sessions over two days.

The church push for people to get vaccinated has divided the faith, similar to larger society. Members who support the stance say they fear that some Latter-day Saints who refuse to get vaccinated are allowing their political views to supersede their loyalty to a faith that largely prioritizes unity and obedience. Other church members are upset that their leaders arent letting them exercise their personal decision-making about vaccines and masks.

About 65% of Latter-day Saints who responded to a survey earlier this year said they were vaccine acceptors, meaning theyve gotten at least one dose or plan to soon. Another 15% identified as hesitant, and 19% said they would not get the vaccine, according to the survey this summer from the Public Religion Research Institute, a polling organization based in Washington, and Interfaith Youth Core.

The survey found 79% of white Catholics and 56% of white evangelical Protestants identified as vaccine acceptors.

In Utah, where The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is based and members account for nearly two-thirds of the 3.2 million residents, a summer surge of the virus among unvaccinated residents pushed hospitals to near capacity. Cases reached a peak in mid-September before declining over the past few weeks, mirroring national trends. About 65% of Utah residents 12 and older have been fully vaccinated, according to state data.

The pandemic wasn't a central topic in conference speeches Saturday, with most speakers focusing on issues of spiritual guidance. Several speeches were prerecorded by international members of middle-tier leadership panels who couldn't travel to the U.S. due to the pandemic.

In one of those, Erich W. Kopischke of Germany, pleaded with members to better understand mental health issues and avoid being judgmental toward those struggling with such illnesses. He spoke about his son's struggle with panic attacks, anxiety and depression that prevented him from finishing his church mission and caused him to consider suicide.

Kopischke acknowledged that he and his wife worried about what others would think and were disappointed and sad their son couldn't complete a mission. Missions are considered a rite of passage for young adult members of the faith, and coming home early has long caused anguish for young adults and their parents.

It can be difficult for parents to identify their childrens struggles, but we must educate ourselves. How can we know the difference between the difficulties associated with normal development and signs of illness? As parents, we have the sacred charge to help our children navigate lifes challenges; however, few of us are mental health specialists, Kopischke said. We, nevertheless, need to care for our children by helping them learn to be content with their sincere efforts as they strive to meet appropriate expectations.

Ulisses Soares of Brazil, who in 2018 became the first Latin American member of a top governing panel called the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, also encouraged members to be compassionate with others.

We should never make harsh and cruel judgment of our fellow men and women, because we are all in need of understanding and mercy for our imperfections from our loving Heavenly Father, Soares said.

Bonnie H. Cordon, president of the churchs program for young women, told young members to always remember Gods love for them. She was one of only three woman who spoke during the sessions Saturday.

Remembering this love can help you push back the confusion of the world that tries to weaken your confidence in your divine identity and blind you of your potential, Cordon said.

Dallin H. Oaks issued a stern reminder for members to attend church regularly. He is the church's second-highest ranking member as a first counselor to Nelson and member of the Quorum of the Twelve.

If we cease valuing our churches, for any reason, we threaten our personal spiritual life, and significant numbers separating themselves from God reduces his blessings to our nations, Oaks said.
It turns out that San Antonio is not that nice of a place to live  at least not as nice as it was last year.

The 2021 roundup of U.S. News & World Report's Best Places to Live saw quite a few changes, especially for the Alamo City, which fell to No. 75, a 34-point drop from 2020 when San Antonio ranked No. 41.

The publication considered data related to affordability, quality of life, job prospects, and other factors to determine its ranking.

It seems that the citys big amenities and slightly lower cost of living werent enough to keep San Antonio toward the top of the list. Nope, the citys job market, which the publication called less healthy than that of other similarly sized metros, and local public transportation system surely didn't help with the ranking, writing that it doesn't provide enough coverage to make it a reliable option for all residents.

Though it wasnt uncommon for major U.S. cities to see a dip in its popularity, the Lone Star States metro areas didnt rank as high as in past years. Austin was the only major Texas city to make the top 25, finishing at No. 5, two spots lower than the previous year. Other Texas metro areas to rank include Dallas-Fort Worth at No. 37 and Houston at No. 39.

U.S. News & World Report clarified that the many cities rankings were impacted by, like everything else, the effects of the pandemic, particularly by unemployment levels. Since San Antonios unemployment rate was below the national average in 2020, we can only assume that there were other factors in the citys drop.

Perhaps it is the utter chaos of Texas politics, the weird weather that seems to be a regular occurrence as of late, and the fact that our energy grid is laughable after the winter freeze in February seem to be reason enough that San Antonio wouldnt be at the top of the list. But to be No. 75? Were at least slightly insulted  yes, even with the number of factors working against us.

If theres any consolation, San Antonio ranked No. 24 in the publications list of best places to retire, so at least were appealing to the, ahem, wiser population.
By Jerri-Lynn Scofield, who has worked as a securities lawyer and a derivatives trader. She is currently writing a book about textile artisans.

Hapless Prince Harry and his duchess have once again scored an environmental own goal, with the noted eco-warriors choosing to take a carbon-spewing private jet back to Los Angeles, after attending a September climate action event in New York City.

This is far from a unique event for them and in fact, theyve flown private 21 times during the past two years, according to GEO TV, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle blasted for leaving NYC in a private jet.

Now, I admit I thought the decision of the former spare and his missus to decamp from Old Blighty to LA was a shrewd move. Rather than being distracted by their earnestly expressed good intentions, I thought instead of the grifting opportunities open to them in this hemisphere, where the couple currently has a pretty clear field. Back in the old country, the Queen has her throne and her castles. Prince Charles and Prince William, due to their position in the order of succession, are not going anywhere: theyre closely bound to staying put. (And Prince Andrew, a former frequent princely visitor to our shores, surely understands this isnt a good time to see America.)

Ill leave aside the snark for a moment. Harry and Meghans brand is to carve out a higher profile to engage with pressing issues of the day. Fair enough. Rather than reflexively scoff at their declared interest per se  as IIRC Bill did when Monica sought to share her thoughts on educational policy  lets take them at their word.

The climate crisis tops the list of catastrophes civilisation faces. And its unfolding now, throughout the world, in the form of extreme storms and fierce wildfires, among other unprecedented events.

I think we should take support for addressing the problem wherever we find it.

So, they have my attention. And what have they done with it?

Squander it, by yet again, as reported in Prince Harry and Meghan Took a Private Jet From an Event About Climate Action  by Marie Claire publication not renowned for bashing Royals:

Weve already discussed why Prince Harry should opt to start flying commercial rather than continuing to jet-set in private planes, but apparently it bears repeating. Thats because Prince Harry and Meghan Markle left their whirlwind NYC jaunt on a private plane, mere hours after they appeared onstage at the Global Citizen Live event, which promoted, in part, cutting U.S. emissions in half by 2030. Ugh.

Now, its not as if this is the first time the couple has been criticised for their obvious hypocrisy. The first time I remember an uproar over their carbon-spewing ways was when they attended the Goggle climate summit in 2019, flying there via private jet and kipping on a carbon-spewing super yacht, as reported by The Sun, YACHT WAS HE THINKING? Eco warrior Prince Harry stayed on a gas guzzling super-yacht during Googles environment summit where he railed against the evils of selfies.

After the barrage of bad publicity, you would think that Meghan and Harry might have reconsidered their future travel choices  that is, if they wanted their concerns over climate change to be taken seriously.

No such luck. I wouldnt be writing this if the couple had only availed themselves of private air travel to rush back to Old Blighty for the death or illness of a close family member.

But thats not what were dealing with here. Last month, Harry was called out for taking a private jet back to LA in August after participating in a charity polo match in Colorado. On the plus side, polo aint NASCAR  I think its an environmentally-friendly sport. Polo ponies, not motorcars.

After that private jet escapade, criticisms seeped into the quality press, including The Independent, PRINCE HARRY CRITICISED AFTER FLYING IN PRIVATE JET AFTER CHARITY POLO MATCH:

Harry, who is outspoken about the impact of the climate crisis and previously described it as one of the most pressing issues we are facing, was dubbed a hypocrite by royal commentators and members of the public on social media. According to a report by Transport & Environment, a single private jet can emit as much as two tonnes of carbon dioxide in just one hour. Private jets are up to 14 times more polluting than commercial planes per passenger, but are twice as likely to be used for short trips under 500km (approximately 310 miles). In May, the duke warned that mental health and climate change were linked and told Oprah Winfrey: I know lots of people out there are doing as best they can to try and fix these issues, but that whole sort of analogy of walking into the bathroom with a mop when the bath is over-flooding, rather than just turning the tap off.

Okay, I get it.

Switch off the tap.

A simple solution.

So, what did the dynamic duo do the next time they flew cross-country? Surely by now, they knew what they should do, yes?

Alas, in for a penny, in for a pound. Perhaps they thought we wouldnt notice.

Back to Marie Claires take on that recent cross-country flight, the one back to LA after the climate action event:

Look, rich people gonna rich. And given the threats and scrutiny Prince Harry and Meghan Markle come under, you can kind of understand why they want to make their whereabouts hard to track, especially while traveling. Theyre also held to an enormously high standard, higher even than some of their other royal family counterparts But surely flying a private jet from New York City to Southern Californiaa single flight which, according to Blue Sky Model, emitted about 65 tons of CO2 into the atmosphereisnt the only way to protect themselves. The fact that Harry and Meghan insist on flying private feels worse because they want to be seen, first and foremost, as advocates for change. Their purported reason for moving to the U.S. and stepping away from their royal duties in the first place was to spend more time on the causes they care aboutthe Archewell website even has as its slogan, Shared Purpose, Global Action. And climate action is one of the topics that theyve brought up again and again.

I do think its actually worse that Harry and Meghan seem to understand that climate change is a real threat rather than being completely clueless. Yet although they talk the talk, theyre not willing to walk the walk. Over to Marie Claire again:

Thats why, when they call for global change and then refuse to reflect those same changes in their own livesprobably the easiest place for them to create change, if you think about it!it makes their message feel hollow and hypocritical. Like, you want us plebs to cut our emissions without applying it to yourselves? By virtue of Harrys birth, they have one of the biggest platforms of any couple alive. Thats a huge amount of responsibility, and its great they want to use it to create a better world. But what good is calling for change when they undercut their message through their very actions? So stop it with the private jets, Harry and Meghan. Itd be a lot cooler if you did.

Okay. So far, Harry and Meghan havent thought it necessary to alter their carbon-spewing behavior. Id like to imagine it might be possible for them to start walking the walk, but perhaps thats too much to expect from a man whos spent a good part of his life within heartbeats of the throne.

What about other members of the private jet set? Are Harry and Meghan unique? Surely the number of people opting to fly private must be dropping, as its no longer possible to deny how rapidly climate change is occurring?

Actually, the opposite is happening, as this CNBC article. Private jet rage grows as a record number of fliers strain the system, causing plane shortages, which I linked to this morning discusses:

Private jet fliers are facing increasing delays, cancellations and lack of available flights as the industry struggles to serve a record number of new fliers, while facing supply chain troubles. July was the busiest month ever for private jet flights, with more than 300,000 flights, according to Argus International. While business usually cools in the fall, September saw nearly 300,000 flights and Argus projects Octobers pace will break the July record. The flood of new private jet customers  driven by health concerns during the coronavirus pandemic and the rapid creation of wealth  is now taxing an industry geared for slower growth. A shortage of new and used planes, delays getting aircraft parts, crew and pilot shortages, catering snafus, and air traffic problems are combining to create a growing number of delays and cancellations, according to industry executives.

So, not only has the use of private jets not dropped  its surged. Look, I get it. The pandemic has made each of us alter our normal behavior. I understand why people who dont have to mix with hoi polloi dont want to do so in the midst of the pandemic. But as Harry reminded us, the climate tub is over-flooding. Its about to come crashing through the ceiling. Clearly, we must shut off the tap.

Note that the CNBC article describes how many of those availing themselves of private jet services, arent practicing any offsetting austerity. Private jets are just another arena in which the rich can exercise their privilege and behave badly. Ill spare you further details as theyre too depressing but the article lays them out for those who are made of sterner stuff.

Unfortunately, per CNBC, with no end in sight:

The big question is whether the more than 10,000 customers who started flying private for the first time during the pandemic will stick around if the problems continue to mount. Gollan said that while customers may complain about service issues, none of the 300 it surveyed said they planned to go back to commercial airlines.

Thats more bad news for the planet. The only silver lining here is that the pandemic has caused regular jet travel to crater.
Email: the worst form of communication yet devised by humankind? Prospect

Meet the Fearless Women of the Lone Star Mower Racing Association Texas Monthly

The Cactus That Came Back from the Dead The Walrus

Persistence Pays | A Young Readers Report The Drift

DO BOOKLESS LIBRARIES SIGNAL THE END OF THE PRINTED WORD? Crime Reads

ART AND CULTURE IN SCHORSKES CENTURY Public Books

Ink analysis reveals Marie Antoinettes letters hidden words and who censored them Science News

The everyday foods that could become luxuries BBC

Earthquake rattles Oakland for second day in a row East Bay Times (David L)

Nanofiber Membrane Filters 99.9% of Salt from Seawater within Minutes Interesting Engineering (chuck l)

A Week in the Worlds Most Chaotic City Der Spiegel

A perfect storm: supply chain crisis could blow world economy off course Guardian

#COVID-19

Germany

Opinion: Unity goes beyond German reunification Deutsche Welle

Julian Assange

Will the United States Officially Acknowledge That It Had a Secret Torture Site in Poland? ProPublica

Murders Rose Nearly 30% in the U.S. in 2020, FBI Reports WSJ

Trump Transition

Yang also details why the Russiagate conspiracy theory was so fundamentally important to the self-image and business model of these institutions, and how theyre now desperately looking for ways to replace Trump  which saved them all  with new threats and missions. pic.twitter.com/X8VBC2yyFt  Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) October 2, 2021

Abortion rights march: Thousands attend rallies across US BBC

Biden Administration

If Biden doesnt get rid of his terrible public health advisors the Republicans will win and get rid of them for him.  Matt Stoller (@matthewstoller) October 2, 2021

Our Famously Free Press

The news used to be interesting to talk about, joke about, and think about. Now its an interminable bummer, because the American press has taken on characteristics of another institution where talking, joking, and thinking are discouraged: church. https://t.co/MspCwL1pFT  Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) September 30, 2021

Guillotine Watch

Biden Administration

There Is a Landmine in the Reconciliation Negotiations Esquire

Class Warfare

Because its going to get a lot worse. PR tip: 60 Minutes has a significantly larger audience (10mm+) than anything so far and will tease hearing. In addition, there are larger problems all coming at the same time. Ill list them in no particular order: https://t.co/2YLIT3xWaB  Jason Kint (@jason_kint) October 2, 2021

We all have aspirations. Facebook aspires to be a child abuse machine https://t.co/gs4mBUVl0A  Dave Zirin (@EdgeofSports) September 28, 2021

Apple Just Gave Millions Of Users A Reason To Quit Their iPhones Forbes (David L)

Big Brother IS Watching You Watch

The Shady $12 Billion Industry Tracking Your Every Move Hello World (chuck l)

Dwindling Alaska salmon leave Yukon Rover tribes in crisis AP

Arizona drought ignites tensions, threatens Hopi traditions The Bharat Express News

The Colorado River Is in Crisis. The Walton Family Is Pushing a Solution. Wall Street Journal

Bureau of Land Management hopes goats can slow wildfires AP

Brilliant thinking by Australian satirist @danilic https://t.co/T67g3IyVkI  Parrot Of The Day  (@ParrotOfTheDay) October 3, 2021

India

Laos enlists Japan startup for study on digital currency Nikkei Asia

China?

Syraqistan

Antidote du Jour (via):

And a bonus video (via):



See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here.
By Julia Conley. Originally published at Common Dreams

Environmental justice advocates and other progressives on Friday condemned a federal judges decision Friday to sentence human rights lawyer Steven Donziger to six months in prisonfollowing more than two years of house arrest related to a lawsuit he filed decades ago against oil giant Chevron.

The sentence, delivered by U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska in New York City, represents an international outrage, tweeted journalist Emma Vigeland following its announcement.

Donzigers sentence came a day after the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention said it was appalled by the U.S. legal systems treatment of the former environmental lawyer and demanded the U.S. government remedy the situation of Mr. Steven Donziger without delay and bring it in conformity with the relevant international norms by immediately releasing him.

Donziger represented a group of farmers and Indigenous people in the Lago Agrio region of Ecuador in the 1990s in a lawsuit against Texacosince acquired by Chevronin which the company was accused of contaminating soil and water with its deliberate dumping of billions of gallons of cancer-causing waste into the Amazon.

An Ecuadorian court awarded the plaintiffs a $9.5 billion judgment in 2011a decision upheld by multiple courts in Ecuadoronly to have a U.S. judge reject the ruling, accusing Donziger of bribery and evidence tampering. Chevron also countersued Donziger in 2011.

In 2019, U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan of the Southern District of New Yorka former corporate lawyer with investments in Chevronheld Donziger in contempt of court after he refused to disclose privileged information about his clients to the fossil fuel industry. Kaplan placed Donziger under house arrest, where he has remained under strict court monitoring for 787 days.

In addition to Kaplans own connections to Chevron, the judge appointed private attorneys to prosecute the case, including one who had worked for a firm that represented the oil giant.

Preska, who found Donziger guilty of the contempt charges in July, is a leader of the right-wing Federalist Society, which counts Chevron among its financial backers.

As I face sentencing on Day 787 of house arrest, never forget what this case is really about, tweeted Donziger on Friday morning, as he awaited the sentencing. Chevron caused a mass industrial poisoning in the Amazon that crushed the lives of Indigenous peoples. Six courts and 28 appellate judges found the company guilty.

As I face sentencing on Day 787 of house arrest, never forget what this case is really about.@Chevron caused a mass industrial poisoning in the Amazon that crushed the lives of Indigenous peoples. Six courts and 28 appellate judges found the company guilty. Fight on. pic.twitter.com/gjN0YDeYDu  Steven Donziger (@SDonziger) October 1, 2021

Donziger indicated Friday afternoon that he plans to appeal the sentence.

Stay strong, he tweeted along with a photo from a rally attended by his supporters Friday.

BREAKING: Flouting the U.N. decision ordering my release, Judge Preska sentenced me to 6 months in prison. Still on house arrest until the appeals court rules on my motion for release pending appeal. Picture is from rally this morning. More details shortly. Stay strong. pic.twitter.com/ufXVhTTWJA  Steven Donziger (@SDonziger) October 1, 2021

350.org co-founder and author Bill McKibben said on social media that Donziger deserves our thanks and support for daring to point out that Big Oil had poisoned the rainforest.
(Natural News) At first glance, it would appear as though the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) first appeared in late 2019, right around the time when billionaire eugenicist Bill Gates held his Event 201 plandemic exercise. The reality, though, is that the saga dates back to the time of 9/11 when George W. Bush was still in the White House.

A document called COVID-19 Enterprise Fraud Construct Timeline: Major Dates, Events, Entities & Legislation begins in May 2002 when Bush appointed Dr. Elias Zerhouni, born in Algeria, as director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Zerhouni laid much of the groundwork for what would eventually become the plandemic we currently face.

The 9/11 terrorist attacks, which occurred just months prior to Zerhounis appointment by Bush, was part of the scheme. It created the necessary fear that would be used as a catalyst to transform the United States into a mass surveillance state, as well as expand government intrusion into peoples personal lives.

The war on terror was birthed out of this process (as well as the Patriot Act), as was a whole new medical infrastructure to supposedly help contain the threat of bioweapons. In truth, however, the governments expanded role made it so that career criminals and bioweapons terrorists like Tony Fauci had an easier path to unleashing a later plandemic.

It started with SARS in the early 2000s as the government really started pushing the idea of biological weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). This later morphed into influenza before being handed off to Barack Hussein Obama, who took the reins from Bush and expanded the medical police state apparatus even more.

Bush, Obama both laid groundwork for development and release of covid

In 2009, Obama completely rewrote Americas biosecurity rules, followed by his imposition of Obamacare (Affordable Care Act or ACA), which laid even more of a foundation for the type of medical infrastructure that would later be needed to unleash the Chinese Virus plandemic.

More years went by with Obama cozying up to China, which we now know to be the place where Fauci funneled American taxpayer cash to have SARS-CoV-2 built in a laboratory in Wuhan.

Obama is the one who made it possible for Fauci to send all that cash in the first place, establishing certain exceptions to the domestic prohibition on gain of function research.

These exceptions include allowing American taxpayer monies to be sent over to China to conduct research there that would be illegal to conduct here on U.S. soil.

In early 2016, Peter Daszak of the EcoHealth Alliance came into the picture. Daszak issued a statement of admission that Fauci and the Obama regime had partnered with China to develop SARS-Cov-2 as a bio-WMD.

About a month later, Obama changed the law to include new pandemic preparedness provisions. He and his regime knew full well what was coming, in other words.

Numerous executive orders and shady meetings later, as well as the circus known as the Donald Trump presidency, and the fix was in. The Chinese Virus would soon emerge right on schedule at the end of Trumps term, and here we are dealing with it ever since.

Political Moonshine has put together a full timeline, complete with infographics, that provide a thorough breakdown of how this all transpired. You will find all of the relevant information at this link.

This timeline is extracted from a larger one, contains most of the relevant major dates, events, entities and legislation for the COVID-19 enterprise fraud construct, and contains links to the sourced and cited work in evidence, the group says.

The search function can help to sift those articles.

The latest news about the Chinese Virus can be found at Pandemic.news.

Sources for this article include:

NaturalNews.com

PoliticalMoonshine.com
(Natural News) If you want to spot medical scams and treatment hustles before they get you trapped and regretting, all you have to do is wait for the script narrator to say the words experts say and youve landed right in the middle of the swamp of lies. If youre reading a newspaper about Covid, and youre wondering if there is any science behind the claims that are being made, then just keep your eyes open for the words experts say, and youll know right then its a big circle jerk of one clown referencing another clown, and NONE of it is evidence-based. None. So its time for the Propaganda Roundup and exposure of the whole Covid con-game, as very well laid out on the Daily Bell recently.

There is no new normal because its never normal to inject billions of prions into your blood that clog it and clot it, no matter what the experts say

Its not normal to wear a mask that obstructs your breathing all day. Its not normal to alter how your immune system functions by tricking your cells into producing spike proteins that mimic virus pathogens, thus creating a toxin-producing factory (mRNA technology) in your body that you can never regulate or turn off.

Its also not normal for humans to live in isolation, kill ALL bacteria around them with disinfectants, and then tell everyone, including healthy adults and all children, they must get gene therapy injections every 3 months for the rest of their lives in order to have rights and to survive. No person should be accepting this medical tyranny as any kind of normal because its the furthest one can get from normal in this world.

Current Demoncrat ruling class wants all the humanoids vaccinated quarterly with immune-system crushing injections of toxic spike proteins

There is no bigger red flag about fake science than when media pundits claim experts say. This is meant to circumvent saying scientists or doctors or immunologists have determined through research, and then source or cite the studies. Experts say has now replaced safe and effective because the SCIENCE reveals that Covid vaccines are NOT safe and NOT effective, so they cant use that fake catch phrase anymore. Its like changing the name mercury to thimerosal, once everyone found out mercury damages the brain and central nervous system, and often permanently.

The ruling class, along with the corrupt CDC, have abandoned everything science-based and evidence-based for experts say, referring to anyone who will read the pharma script word for word, while pretending what theyre saying is based on their own expert opinion, if there even are any experts left who can speak intelligently and honestly about Covid (who arent already whistleblowers). Covid vaccinations are making humans reliant upon boosters for basic immune function, like a diabetic that must have insulin. Its a vicious cycle of fear and clot shot, fear and clot shot.

Covid misinformation is being weaved into the public consciousness through scripted propaganda and hospital protocols that actually kill people who catch Covid (or bacterial infections from their masks)

No, Covid didnt originate at a wet market selling bat meat. That was a lie that came to us from experts in the field of immunology and dirty vaccine manufacturing. Saying experts say is just a cover story for not having any accountability whatsoever for pushing lies about the safety or efficacy of Covid vaccination, since its so dangerous and deadly.

Now the experts are saying that if you dont bow down to the corrupt vaccine industry and take every gene therapy injection they recommend, then you are anti-science, when in actuality there is nothing scientific to back up their claims about needing any vaccines at all for Covid. Then, when vaccinated people catch Covid and rush to the hospital, theyre treated with Remdesivir, which can decimate kidney function, and choke-you-to-death ventilators. Thanks a lot experts.

Is someone you know suffering from post-Covid-vax Spike Protein Syndrome? Tune your truth news dial to Pandemic.news for the best ways to keep your body healthy, your home safe, and your constitution protected.

Sources for this article include:

Pandemic.news

TruthWiki.org

NaturalNews.com

TheDailyBell.com
(Natural News) In response to his YouTube channel getting banned for spreading misinformation, natural health guru Dr. Joseph Mercola issued a statement debunking the Google-owned video platforms defamation against him.

Mercola, in case you missed it, is being attacked by the medical establishment for telling people the science behind vitamin D, zinc and other natural remedies that fight and protect against disease.

This is nothing new for Mercola, who has continually been attacked over the years for trying to help people live healthy, vibrant lives without excessive surgeries and pharmaceutical drug addiction. However, it reached a fever pitch this past year and a half due to the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19).

Initially, Mercola was spooked and pulled down much of the information that was on his website. Lately, though, he has been speaking out more aggressively against the tyrants who attack him and public health at large.

Mercola also says that many are joining him in taking a stand against the medical establishment over its corruption. There is power in numbers, it turns out, and standing in solidarity with one another against the evil we all face can make a difference.

The world is becoming increasingly aware of the rampant corruption in the media, and are rising up against tyrannical governments and the pharmaceutical industry that are coordinating this assault on our freedom and civil rights, Mercola says.

Anyone who asks questions or challenges the hard sell is immediately censored on social media.

Are you willing to take a stand in defense of health freedom?

One of the revelations that got Mercola banned from YouTube was his pointing out that the federal government under multiple presidents, both Republican and Democrat, has been funding illegal gain of function research on bat coronaviruses.

Tony Fauci is a top ringleader, having worked at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) for nearly four decades.

The medical establishment is really upset at Mercola for blowing the lid on the scheme, which involves not just China but also Fort Detrick in Maryland and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

It turns out that Fauci has been illicitly funneling American taxpayer dollars to the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) to dissect bat coronaviruses and artificially make them transmissible to humans.

Independent media platforms that defend freedom of speech and the rights of Americans to speak out against the global tyranny will defeat the censorship extremists, Mercola says.

Dissenting Americans, both vaccinated and unvaccinated, fill the ranks of every socioeconomic class, every political party and every faith-based community. They understand the meaning of the warning that, The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing, and they are not going to stand by and do nothing.

Like many of us, Mercola is tired of being told that he must live in fear. He is also tired of being unfairly targeted just for trying to spread the truth, and hopes that many more people will rise up in unity to take a stand in defense of our civil liberties and health freedoms.

Keep rallying the troops! wrote one supportive commenter at National File.

Let them all run off to their deep underground luxury bunkers, wrote another against the monsters that are unleashing all this tyranny.

I will gladly donate my entire life savings to help fund building a wall around these bunkers at least a couple hundred feet high  then fill that walled in space with raw sewage in an effort to reunite these people with something just like them.

The latest news about the many others who are taking a stand against Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) tyranny can be found at Freedom.news.

Sources for this article include:

NationalFile.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) This week, President Joe Biden made the incredible statement  sycophantically repeated by the press  that his $3.5 trillion budget bill, which includes major spending initiatives on everything from climate change to Medicare, would be free. Biden tweeted, My Build Back Better Agenda costs zero dollars. Instead of wasting money on tax breaks, loopholes, and tax evasion for big corporations and the wealthy, we can make a once-in-a-generation investment in working America.

(Article by Ben Shapiro republished from NewsBusters.org)

This asinine notion immediately rocketed around the political sphere. White House press secretary Jen Psaki explained, The reconciliation package will cost zero dollars. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said, This is a zero-dollar bill because its all going to be paid for with taxes on the wealthiest corporations and the wealthiest individuals, which makes it more popular than it even was before. Members of the media began repeating the line ad nauseum. The reason was obvious: Democrats are trying to cudgel Republicans into acquiescing.

Putting aside the contention that Bidens bill would be paid for through tax increases  a doubtful proposition, given that the Democrats have been playing accounting games by extending particular allowances for just a handful of years, or backloading new costs until years down the road  the baseline notion that government spending is zero-cost so long as it doesnt take on new debt is bonkers. Its the equivalent of arguing that so long as someone pays for a cocaine-fueled gambling binge in Vegas in cash, the experience has been cost-free.

Biden, however, goes even further. In his addled brain, allowing taxpayers to retain their own money is wasting money; spending trillions of dollars on social programs that pervert market incentives and often achieve the precise opposite of their stated intentions is an investment. Such a designation divests language of meaning. If you steal my wallet and find $100 inside, proceed to inform me that giving me back $20 would be wasting money, snidely notify me that you will be investing in a steak dinner for yourself and then cap your performance by stating that the dinner is zero-cost, you would deserve a rather thorough thrashing. Do it in the context of national politics, however, and the media will cheer.

All of this is predicated on a lie: that the state is the ultimate source of property and wealth. If that were true, the state would certainly have every ability to maximize its own power by shifting that property around to political allies. In fact, this is precisely what Thomas Hobbes argued in Leviathan: that the sovereign was the ultimate arbiter of property, as the ultimate repository of force.

The American system was founded in direct opposition to this idea. As James Madison wrote, Government is instituted to protect property of every sort  This being the end of government, that alone is a just government, which impartially secures to every man, whatever is his own. Madison added, That is not a just government, nor is property secure under it, where the property which a man has in his personal safety and personal liberty, is violated by arbitrary seizures of one class of citizens for the service of the rest.

Biden would call just such sorts of arbitrary seizures investments. After all, theyre free. To Biden, such language seems natural: he is a career-long ward of the state, on the taxpayer dole every year of his life since the age of 29  the only exceptions being the years between his vice presidency and his presidency, when he was giving speeches and writing books about his government years while allegedly avoiding half a million dollars in taxes. To him, taxpayer dollars are free, and they have been an investment: in him. Now, he simply wishes to extend that logic outward, using taxpayer dollars to invest in his legacy, in structures that incentivize dependency and therefore Democratic electoral power.

Whats the harm? Its cost-free.

Except it isnt. The engine of American growth has never been the government. It has been restrictions on governmental power and bureaucratic arbitrariness. Innovation requires freedom; investment requires both liberty of choice and impartiality of governing system. The heavy hand of government will be damnedly costly.

Read more at: NewsBusters.org
(Natural News) All it takes is one free place to change the dynamic between the public and an authoritarian regime. Just one.

(Article by Brandon Smith republished from Alt-Market.us)

This week has been an extremely busy news cycle and there is a lot to cover, so along with my normal weekly analysis on one major topic, I am going to start writing shorter synopsis articles on developing news items happening in real time. I think everyone has noticed a marked and aggressive shift in the vaccine passport agenda being railroaded into existence by the Biden Administration and governments around the world. Remember when they all said that they were never going to demand forced vaccinations and that the passports were a conspiracy theory? Well guess what? We conspiracy theorists were right yet again.

It used to be that we would predict a particular agenda or event and it would take a couple years to unfold. These days we make predictions and all it takes is a few weeks or a few months for them to happen. This suggests to me that the establishment and the globalists are on a specific timeline and that for whatever reason they MUST get 100% vaccination and the passports in place soon. I believe we have less than a year left before we see them attempt full bore medical tyranny in the US on a scale similar to what is happening right now in Australia, or perhaps worse.

I continue to suspect that the reason for this sudden dive into totalitarianism is because there is something wrong with the vaccines themselves and if there are tens of millions or hundreds of millions of unvaccinated people left, then these people will act as a control group. That is to say, they will act as proof that the vaccines are not safe if things go awry. The establishment cant allow that.

As I have noted in past articles, the average vaccine is tested for 10-15 YEARS before it is released for use on human beings. This is to ensure that there are no damaging health side effects that might not become visible until months or years after the initial jab. A particular danger is the development of autoimmune disorders and infertility associated with mRNA and spike protein technology. These debilitating ailments might not be noticed for a couple of years after a population has been given the experimental vax. It has already been about a year since the covid vaccines were introduced by emergency authorization, so time is running short for the globalists.

The bottom line is, there has been ZERO long term testing of the covid mRNA vaccines. At least none that has ever been revealed to the public. There is NO SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE that the covid vaccines are safe in the long term, they were developed and released within months of the covid outbreak. Yet, the establishment seems hell bent on forcing 100% of people to take these untested vaccines against their better judgment. It has been almost a century since we last saw government tyranny on this level, but this time it is almost all governments around the world acting in unison to implement mass controls on the public, instead of just a handful of nations.

The Biden Administration and its corporate partners are now implementing a blitzkrieg against the American citizenry. Bidens vaccine executive orders are creating a culture of papers please fascism among larger businesses and Big Box retailers. He has recently announced that part of the mandates will include fines against businesses that refuse to enforce proof of vaccination on their employees. These fines will range from $70,000 to $700,000, which could destroy a medium sized company if they actually had to pay.

Medical personnel, primarily in leftist blue states, are now being fired from their positions because they have refused to comply with the vax. This is leaving massive gaps in medical response in places like New York. The unelected governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, claims she has the right to give herself dictatorial powers through executive order, and that these powers include deploying National Guard troops to take over medical duties. If you are familiar with the sordid history of VA hospitals, then you know that you do not want around 90% of military doctors operating on you in any capacity.

Hochul is also raising eyebrows with a recent speech to a church audience in Brooklyn where she claimed that all the smart people have taken the vaccines and that the covid jabs are a gift from God. Her assertion was that if you defy the vaccine mandates, then you are ignoring God.

This sounds rather familiar. Authoritarians often have a habit of declaring divine providence to justify their oppressive actions. Even Hitler did this, at least initially, holding state sponsored Passion plays and asserting that the Third Reich was the hand of God, until after they had secured an empire and then Hitler attacked Christianity. These types of people tend to use religion as a tool to get what they want and then they dump it in the gutter when they are finished with it.

Keep in mind that none of these mandates are actual laws. None of them have been voted on by a legislature or the American people. They are color of law violations of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and should be defied at every opportunity.

Furthermore, I have to ask that pesky but logical question once again  If the vaccines actually work as governments claim, then how are unvaccinated people any threat to vaccinated people? Why would they need protection from us? (The reality is that the covid vax does not work so there is no reason to take it) But lets get back to Bidens criminal trespasses; the list is growing by the day

Lets talk about Bidens latest efforts to punish US troops that refuse the vaccines with dishonorable discharge. Im not sure if Biden knows that a dishonorable discharge generally requires a trial by court martial in the military, or maybe this is what he actually wants for every single person that will not take the vax. In any case, the goal here is to terrify military members into submission and into accepting illegal orders. And yes, demanding that a soldier act as a lab rat for an experimental vaccine with no long term data to prove its safety is an illegal order.

Its hard to say yet what the real stats are, but recent polling suggests that at least 30% of the US military plans to refuse the vaccinations, including many members of special operations units.

All of this over a virus with a tiny median death rate of 0.26%? Just to force people to take a vaccine that has been proven completely ineffective in countries like Israel where vaccination rates are high? When over 60% of people hospitalized with covid are fully vaccinated, then what is the point of the vaccines? It makes no sense unless the purpose was always tyranny and not public safety. So, where does this leave us?

There are larger scale solutions to this problem, there are peaceful short term solutions, and there are more violent long term solutions. I will be discussing the violent options in my next article, but for now I think the best path forward is for red states and maybe even red counties is to offer safe haven or asylum to people who are under attack from these mandates.

Red states could, hypothetically, give financial protection to businesses that refuse to comply with federal mandates and refuse to pay the fines. If thousands or tens of thousands of companies simply ignore the passports and the fines, what is Biden going to do about it? Well, he would have to send people form a federal agency, maybe the IRS, to collect by force. If states and communities stand in their way then there is nothing Biden can do to hurt businesses that believe in freedom.

There is supposedly a shortage of experienced medical staff across the country right now, yet states like New York are firing up to one-third of their hospital workforce. Why not take advantage of their stupidity and offer these trained professionals jobs in red states or red counties? If these people know they have a safe place to go, then this might help give them the courage to continue their resistance.

Finally, I think its a no-brainer that red states should offer help for military personnel that are facing discharge for vax refusal. A fight is coming, make no mistake, and free states need as many trained combat veterans on our side as we can get. Being dishonorably discharged makes future employment difficult in many career fields, and we can help these men and women to live normal lives if they make a stand. States like Kansas are already taking steps to make this happen.

Conservative states and communities are going to have to step in, take risks and draw a line in the sand right here and now. We can stop this nightmare from gaining any further ground, but we have to act. I and many others are willing to help defend any business or any person that will not comply with the mandates, and state representative can send the same message to Biden by creating safe havens for free people. We need to continue to make it clear that we will not comply.

Read more at: Alt-Market.us
(Natural News) In the early summer of 1798, an Irish stone mason named Philip Cunningham reached his breaking point.

(Article by Simon Black republished from SovereignMan.com)

Cunningham was sick and tired of English rule in Ireland. And along with 50,000 of his fellow Irishmen, Cunningham picked up a weapon and started in uprising against Great Britain.

Their rebellion was a complete disaster; the rebels hoped that the British army was too weak to resist after their defeat in the American Revolution.

But within a few short months the British had regained tight control of Ireland.

Naturally their first order of business was to round up all the remaining rebels and Cunningham was among them.

His punishment was being shipped off to a British penal colony in the south Pacific, in a place that was generally known at the time as New Holland.

Today we call it Australia.

Cunningham wasnt one to accept his fate easily. Even while en route to Australia, he and other prisoners briefly managed to take over the ship though British marines eventually regained control and gave Cunningham 100 lashes.

But Cunningham still wasnt finished. A few years later in March of 1804, he led about 300 Australian prisoners in yet another rebellion against their British jailers.

That rebellion was so severe that the British governor was forced to declare martial law the first, but certainly not the last time in Australias history this would happen.

Its ironic that, each year, Australia Day is celebrated on January 26, which commemorates the day that the British Navy first sailed into Sydney Cove, hoisted their flag, and declared the land their penal colony.

So Australia Day does not celebrate the birth of a nation so much as the ribbon-cutting of a giant prison.

Clearly in 2021, Australia has simply been returning to its roots as the worlds largest prison.

You know the story by now two weeks to control the spread of COVID-19 became indefinite dictatorship and total suspension of basic human rights.

Over the course of the last 18 months, Australias state and federal governments have:

Banned citizens from leaving the country without permission.

Banned citizens from entering the country , with threat of five years in prison.

, with threat of five years in prison. Banned citizens and residents from crossing state borders.

Banned citizens and residents from traveling further than 5k from home without permission.

Ironically, an Australian government website lays out citizens right to freedom of movement and says that this very basic human right cannot be made dependent on establishing a purpose or reason for leaving.

But Australia doesnt have to follow its own rules, nor care about the human rights of all the little people, because its an emergency.

In the name of COVID Australian police and government officials have also:

It is also now illegal to plan, publicize, or participate in protests.

The right to peaceably assemble and hold public protests against unjust government actions is enshrined in the Western legal tradition. But for organizing protests against the Australian governments tyranny, Anthony Khallouf has been sentenced to several months in prison.

His crimes include not complying with COVID decrees, and encouraging the commission of crimes that is, sharing information about the time and location of protests.

He is a political prisoner, like many of his forebears.

But at least Philip Cunningham was imprisoned because he engaged in actual violence.

Khallouf, on the other hand, was found guilty of illegally crossing Australian state borders.

That hasnt stopped the protests however.

Thousands of Australian construction workers, for example, protested because they refuse to be coerced into vaccination against their will.

They actually were peaceful protestors. For real. They literally sang the national anthem.

Yet police pepper sprayed them and fired rubber bullets into the crowd of thousands (which included children).

Perhaps even more diabolical is that the government restricted the media from showing footage of the event as it was happening, and restricted airspace to prevent media helicopters from filming.

That didnt stop people on the ground from recording it with their phones.

In one exchange, a protestor filmed a police officer agreeing, Im just as over this fucking [lockdown] as you are, but, we get paid to do this [fire on peaceful protestors] mate

Im just doing my job. Im just following orders.

Other police were caught on video going door-to-door to ask residents if they planned to attend, or knew of any planned protests.

They asked one homeowner if he is on any social media platforms, but declined to tell him why they targeted that particular address.

Whats really crazy is that this authoritarianism goes beyond COVID hysteria.

Australias parliament has passed a new bill eradicating Australians right to digital privacy.

Its called Surveillance Legislation Amendment (Identify and Disrupt) Bill 2021.

It gives the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) sweeping new powers to not just surveil Australian citizens online, but also take over and run their online accounts, lock the actual user out of the account, and add or delete data.

The police never have to notify a person that their account has been hacked by the government.

What they are calling warrants actually do not always require an actual court or judge to sign off.

An emergency authorisation, allows police to bypass the courts entirely. And why should anyone be concerned about that? Its not like the Australian government has ever abused its emergency powers before

The right to travel, the right to protest, the right to privacy, the right to due process, the right to leave your home and earn a living these are basic human rights that are now gone in Australia.

It should be obvious by now to every citizen of any Western nation that never-ending emergency powers can easily snowball into a full-blown dictatorship.

There is no reason it couldnt happen to other formerly free nations as well.

And that means, more than ever before, its time to think about a Plan B.

Read more at: SovereignMan.com
(Natural News) The Department of Defense (DoD) in conjunction with Humetrix, JAIC, and Project Salus, has released new data showing that Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccines are hardly the miracle that they are hailed as being.

Entitled Effectiveness of mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines Against the Delta Variant Among 5.6M Medicare Beneficiaries 65 Years and Older, a slide presentation dated Sept. 28, 2021, reveals that among the elderly especially, Chinese Virus injections do not work to protect against disease.

Slide 12  see below  explains that based on the latest available data through August 7, at least 60 percent of all Fauci Flu hospitalizations in the 65-and-older age category are fully vaccinated patients, meaning they got all of the currently available injections.

The so-called Delta variant, the same slide reveals, really began to surge right around the time when a critical mass of the population was getting jabbed for the novel virus. This suggests that the fully vaccinated are the ones getting sick and spreading disease. (RELATED: You can read more about the artificial intelligence (AI) system that was used to produce the report at this link.)

As Delta variant surged to over 50% in June, COVID-19 hospitalizations more than doubled, reversing the prior trend of decreasing hospitalizations since April, the report explains.

In this 80% vaccinated 65+ population, an estimated 60% of COVID-19 hospitalizations occurred in fully vaccinated individuals in the week ending August 7th.

Are covid vaccines planting the disease inside peoples bodies?

One thing to keep in mind with this 60 percent figure is that this only takes into account patients who are hospitalized at least two weeks after getting injected. If a fully vaccinated patient gets sick on day 13 after the second mRNA shot, then he or she is categorized as unvaccinated.

This means that the true percentage of fully vaccinated hospitalizations is likely far higher than 60 percent. Some estimate it is more like 80 or even 90 percent  or even higher, who really knows?

What we do know is that most of the visible adverse reactions from covid shots occur within that two-week window. The longer-term adverse events could take months or even years to fully appear.

This is convenient for the plandemic manipulators who would prefer that people just believe the lie that only the unvaccinated are still getting sick. The reality is just the opposite: Most new breakthrough infections are among the fully and partially vaccinated.

The following slide in the DoDs presentation further illustrates that the more time that elapses post-vaccination, the higher the rate of hospitalizations. It turns out that for some fully vaccinated people, breakthrough infections can take many months to appear.

The government claims that this is a sign of vaccine effectiveness (VE) waning over time, but the reality is that the vaccines never worked in the first place. What these vaccines are doing is planting the disease in peoples bodies, where the likelihood of it manifesting increases over time.

The authorities will never tell it to you like this, of course. They would rather us all believe that the vaccines only work for a little bit, which is why they are now pushing boosters as the solution to staying immune.

With each subsequent booster shot, the chances of a fully vaccinated person getting sick likely increase even more. It is a slow kill type of situation for most that is being blamed on the unvaccinated, even though the reality is that the fully vaccinated are the ones filling up hospitals.

Risk of breakthrough hospitalization increases with time elapsed since mRNA vaccination with odds ratio increasing to 2.5 at 6 months post vaccination, the report reveals. You can review it in its entirety for yourself to learn more.

To keep up with the latest news about the plandemic, be sure to check out Pandemic.news.

Sources for this article include:

NaturalNews.com

Defense.gov
(Natural News) A Canadian political expert has raised concerns about the arrest of Calgary pastor Artur Pawlowski and his brother Dawid over public health violations. Haultain Research Institute President Marco Navarro-Genie said that the arrest of the Pawlowski brothers has serious implications for peoples rights and freedoms. He dubbed the COVID-19 public health order used as a basis for the Pawlowskis arrest as a grotesque abuse of power.

Navarro-Genie remarked during an interview: People flout the laws, theyre going to have consequences. But when those consequences arrive and they are deemed to be unjust, people now do not have the recourse to assemble to protest those draconian rules. He added the he questions the draconian nature of the response to the Pawlowskis violations. That is the kind of stuff which authoritarian regimes traffic on a day-to-day basis, he commented.

The president of the Canadian think tank made the comments in light of the Pawlowski brothers arrest. The Calgary Police Service (CPS) arrested Artur and Dawid on a Calgary highway as they were heading home on May 8. According to law enforcement, the two were arrested for holding a church service in violation of pandemic restrictions put in place by the province of Alberta.

In a statement, CPS said the arrest was made in relation to mandatory compliance of public health orders for gatherings. It added that Artur and Dawid pushed through with their service and deliberately chose to ignore requirements such as maintaining social distance, wearing face masks and limiting the number of attendees.

Law enforcement took the brothers into custody as a result of flouting these public health requirements. Artur and Dawid were subsequently charged with allegedly organizing an illegal mass gathering and requesting, inciting or inviting others to join. Both brothers were released two days later after posting bail. They are set to appear during a May 20 court hearing to determine if a contempt trial will proceed.

The CPS statement noted: Law enforcement recognizes peoples desire to participate in faith-based gatherings, as well as the right to protest. However, as we find ourselves in the midst of a global pandemic, we must all comply with public health orders  to ensure everyones safety and well-being.

The Pawlowskis escaped communism in Poland  only to enter Canadian medical tyranny

Two days before the Pawlowskis arrest, the Court of Queens Bench of Alberta empowered Alberta Health Services (AHS) to stop various gatherings and demonstrations via a pre-emptive injunction. Under the injunction, rallies and other mass gatherings are now deemed illegal if they do not comply with public health requirements put in place by the provincial chief medical officer of health (CMOH). The AHS can also order the closure of any business that does not comply with CMOH-mandated requirements.

Albertas public health agency first issued the order against the owner of Whistle Stop Cafe in Mirror Landing  ordering its closure on May 5. According to AHS, the establishment has continued to breach local COVID-19 health restrictions  and even planned to hold a protest. In a May 6 statement, the agency defended its move against the cafe because of ongoing risk to Albertans created by those breaching COVID-19 public health restrictions and advertising social gatherings.

Navarro-Genie remarked that people are oftentimes torn between obeying the law and standing up for their rights. He brought up two main issues in relation to this conflict. First, while people should ideally follow the law  they should be vigilant about whether these new changes in existing laws are legitimate. In a liberal democracy, people have the constitutional right to challenge  and to oppose rules that they believe are unjust or ill-intended, he said.

Second, Navarro-Genie pointed out lockdowns lack of scientific basis. He elaborated: These are absolute experiments. We have never  in the history of humankind  done this kind of thing where entire societies [and] entire countries are locked down. (Related: Medical fascism spreads in Canada where doctors who oppose masks and lockdowns are being targeted.)

Pawlowski warns that Canada is turning into another Poland

Meanwhile, Artur said his experience reminded him of Poland under communist leadership. Speaking to Christianity Daily, the pastor called the horrible COVID-19 restrictions a repetition of history. Artur continued: I grew up behind the Iron Curtain. I escaped communism  [in] Poland because I wanted to come to a country that is free.

The pastor feared that measures to stop the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus are also eroding peoples liberty. Thats the state telling the people what they can do [and] what they cannot. Seeing what [the state] is doing  scares me, he said. He also warned that the restrictions are killing the spirit of community that keeps societies sane, together and strong.

Artur earlier made headlines by posting a video of police officers inspecting his church in April. He subsequently expelled the officers from his church and compared them to the Gestapo secret police in Nazi Germany. (Related: WORSHIP is now a CRIME: Canadian SWAT team takes down Christian pastor for inciting worship in defiance of coronavirus orders.)

Visit MedicalTyranny.com to read more about public health restrictions that infringe on peoples rights.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

Newsroom.Calgary.ca

AlbertaHealthServices.ca

ChristianityDaily.com
(Natural News) New York Governor Kathy Hochul (D) ordered thousands of health care workers be fired at midnight on Monday amid a pandemic after giving a speech saying Big Pharmas shots were given to us by God and anyone who refuses them is not listening to God and what God wants.

(Article by Chris Menahan republished from InformationLiberation.com)

WATCH:

Transcript:

And as far as coming back, we have to get this community back and what we went through this pandemic made us stronger. I believe that, especially when I talk to young people who werent able to have their graduations from high school or a normal life for the last 18 months. I say to them whatever comes your way in life you are stronger. You are more resilient. God let you survive this pandemic because he wants you to do great things someday. He let you live through this when so many other people did not and that is also your responsibility. But how do we keep more people alive?

Shes literally firing people en masse who have natural immunity and survived the virus because they dont want to take Big Pharmas failing shots.

We are not through this pandemic. I wished we were but I prayed a lot to God during this time and you know what  God did answer our prayers. He made the smartest men and women, the scientists, the doctors, the researchers  he made them come up with a vaccine. That is from God to us and we must say, thank you, God. Thank you. And I wear my vaccinated necklace all the time to say Im vaccinated. All of you, yes, I know youre vaccinated, youre the smart ones, but you know theres people out there who arent listening to God and what God wants. You know who they are.

She wears a vaxed necklace instead of a cross.

Check out the necklace NY Gov. Kathy Hochul is wearing today. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) pic.twitter.com/RJvCWnc1Pd  Jon Campbell (@JonCampbellGAN) August 26, 2021

Hochul continued:

I need you to be my apostles. I need you to go out and talk about it and say, we owe this to each other. We love each other. Jesus taught us to love one another and how do you show that love but to care about each other enough to say, please get the vaccine because I love you and I want you to live, I want our kids to be safe when theyre in schools, I want to be safe when you go to a doctors office or to a hospital and are treated by somebody, you dont want to get the virus from them. Youre already sick or you wouldnt be there. We have to solve this, my friends. I need every one of you. I need you to let them know that this is how we can fight this pandemic, come back to normal and then start talking about the real issues that we have to  fighting systemic racial injustice which exists today and if there is a denier I will take you on every day because Ive seen it, I know it exists and were not going to have a blind eye to this ever again any longer under my watch. That is my commitment to you.

She goes on to suggest the Old Testament is just as valid as the New Testament:

Youre going to see a very diverse administration. Youre going to see people from all walks of life having a shot to make a difference in government because I believe the only purpose of government is to lift people up and to serve.

Youll have a shot only if you take the shot.

Ive been a public servant my whole life and I believe there is a strong intersection between the teachings of the New and the Old testaments and what we have been told to do, the lessons weve been given, delivered to us in places like this all over America, and if were listening to those messages, its calling all of us but particularly those whove been called to serve as public servants, positions like Governor and Congressmember, Assemblymember, Council Member, all of us have an extra weight of responsibility because as you heard in the earlier songs today and theyre so beautiful and I thank them for lifting my heart and my soul listening to music, one of the messages was, God will keep his promise to you. God will keep his promise to you.

Big Pharma execs like Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla are libtards new God.

Tonight I signed an executive order to take bold action to alleviate potential health care staffing shortages following our vaccine mandate that keeps all New Yorkers healthy and safe. pic.twitter.com/dIAGl0DH5z  Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) September 28, 2021

Hochul said your religious beliefs dont count because the leaders of all the organized religions have said theres no legitimate reason not to get vaxxed:

New York @GovKathyHochul denies the legitimacy of religious exemptions: "There are not legitimate religious exemptions because the leaders of all the organized religions have said there's no legitimate reason." pic.twitter.com/Mzw8CsBIpR  Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) September 27, 2021

CNBC reported in August that Hochuls daughter-in-law is a top lobbyist at the pharma firm Biogen which I presume means she has a direct connection to God.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochuls daughter-in-law is a top lobbyist at a pharmaceutical firm that has been actively trying to influence state and federal lawmakers, CNBC reported last month.

Gov. Kathy Hochuls daughter-in-law is top lobbyist at a pharma firm https://t.co/hglBdv1wGn  Jack Posobiec (@JackPosobiec) September 28, 2021

Hochuls husband, William Hochul, is a former federal prosecutor who works as senior vice president and general counsel at gambling and hospitality giant Delaware North, CNBC reported. The Daily Beast noted that Hochuls administration will have authority over key regulators that have ties to the gambling industry, including the New York State Gaming Commission.

Gov. Hochuls God loves gambling, forcing people to take experimental injections from Big Pharma against their will and firing health care workers for following their conscience and firmly-held religious beliefs.

Who is Hochuls God, exactly?

New York hospitals on Monday began firing or suspending healthcare workers for defying a state order to get the COVID-19 vaccine, and resulting staff shortages prompted some hospitals to postpone elective surgeries or curtail services, Reuters reported Tuesday morning:

A spokeswoman for Catholic Health, one of the largest healthcare providers in Western New York, said it had reached full compliance, counting staff members who had been vaccinated, those with exemptions and some who had been suspended without pay. The spokeswoman, JoAnne Cavanaugh, refused to say how many workers had been suspended or granted exemptions due to medical or religious reasons. Catholic Health said it was forced to postpone a small number of elective surgeries. Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo suspended elective inpatient surgeries and had stopped accepting intensive-care patients from other hospitals as it prepares to fire hundreds of unvaccinated employees, a spokesman Peter Cutler said. Cutler said the decision to curtail some operations would inconvenience patients and hurt hospital finances. Elective inpatient surgeries bring in about $1 million per week, he said. We had to make a decision as to where we could temporarily make some changes so that we could ensure other areas of services are as little affected as possible, Cutler said. Financially, its a big deal.

Hochul announced last week that fired health care workers will be replaced with foreigners, National Guard and out-of-state medical workers in accordance with the commandments of her God.

Read more at: InformationLiberation.com
(Natural News) Shocking footage, recorded by a journalist from Project Veritas, shows two Johnson & Johnson (J&J) officials admitting that children dont need coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines. One official even warns the journalist herself not to get vaccinated because the vaccines are unsafe.

James OKeefe organized Project Veritas in 2011 as a non-profit journalism group that aims to continue his undercover reporting work.

They dont need it, says J&J officials

The video is the third entry in Project Veritas coronavirus vaccine investigative series. The footage features two J&J officials who warn that children dont need to get vaccinated because most drugs have potentially negative long-term side effects.

As the video begins a Project Veritas journalist asks Justin Durrant, a scientist at J&J if he would allow his children to get vaccinated. Durrant pauses before saying he thinks they dont need it.

Next is Brandon Schadt, Regional Business Lead at J&J, who is asked to choose between letting his kids be homeschooled or getting them vaccinated. Like Durrant, he pauses before admitting that he thinks a child doesnt need to get vaccinated against coronavirus.

Schadt explained that kids are still growing and that they dont need to be inoculated since theyre healthy enough to rebound from the virus. He also admitted that forcing kids to get vaccinated is a terrible thing because a rational parent wouldnt want kids to go through something difficult that adults experience, such as forced vaccinations.

When asked to confirm if its true that the vaccine has adverse effects, Schadt said that its impossible to say that coronavirus vaccines are 100 percent safe since they were all developed within a short time. He even jokes that the vaccines could be safe, but only if, after 30 years, someone claims they got the vaccine and didnt develop a third eyeball.

From their answers, its obvious that both Durrant and Schadt dont trust the vaccine from the company they work for. So why should Americans trust vaccines that may have long-term side effects on children and adults alike? (Related: Project Veritas reveals hospitals use non-approved, DANGEROUS drug on COVID-19 patients  Brighteon.TV.)

Its all about politics and money

Schadt also said that vaccines are about politics and money, two things the government and Big Pharma dont want Americans to know about.

When asked why theres such a strong push for vaccine mandates when children dont need it, Durrant explained that J&J has only one goal: numbers.

The journalist also asked Durrant if she should tell her 12-year-old cousin not to get the J&J vaccine. He also jokingly tells her no and winks, then adds that she didnt hear that from him.

Durrant added that while he did get vaccinated for work, he took the Moderna vaccine instead of the J&J one. Despite believing that the vaccines are dangerous, Durrant also seems to push for the company policies that inconvenience people who choose not to get vaccinated.

He even shared that most people only reconsider getting vaccinated if their livelihood gets affected. For example, if youre working for a big company and you could lose your job if you dont get vaccinated, youll eventually change your mind and be the first one in line.

Not being able to work will feel like punishment, but being treated like a second-[class] citizen is worse since you cant do anything a normal vaccinated citizen can do, added Durrant.

People are inconvenienced until they give in and get vaccinated

On the subject of vaccine mandates, Durrant said that anyone who wants to resume their daily routines is eventually bullied into getting vaccinated just so they could keep their jobs and put food on the table. Even those who wish to enjoy the holidays are forced to get vaccinated because they cant travel to countries like Canada if theyre not inoculated.

Durrant added that at J&J, profits are more important than making sure the vaccine is truly safe for everyone, from babies to the elderly. He added that youre safe even if youre unvaccinated if you stay at home and dont have to go to school or work.

He also said that instead of giving babies vaccinated from the get-go, parents should wait at least until their kids are old enough to go to preschool before getting them vaccinated, if youre still willing to risk their health.

Schadt noted that people are probably shying away from the J&J vaccine because of the confirmed risks, such as blood clots. He also believes that the problem with the J&J vaccine could be traced to a lack of transparency, for both political and financial reasons.

Schadt also believes that no one would say anything even if things go wrong since people and the company want to keep things private and avoid trouble at all costs. Despite having worked for 13 years at the company in consumer products, he hasnt heard anyone say anything about Tylenol laced with cyanide and that the products were simply recalled.

When the Project Veritas journalist asked Schadt if she shouldnt trust mainstream media about the vaccine, he answered, In no capacity should we trust anything they say.

After the interview, Durrant texted the Project Veritas journalist not to reveal what he said about the formulations and cancer needs because he could get in [mad] trouble.

Risks of taking the J&J vaccine

The Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine (Ad26.COV2.S) is a single-dose vaccine, unlike the two-dose vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer.

Early in 2021, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and, after a recommendation from the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the European Commission issued emergency and conditional authorization for the J&J vaccine for people aged 18 and older.

However, the FDA recommended a pause in the vaccines use after there were reports of people experiencing blood clot incidents post-vaccination. J&J also delayed the distribution of the vaccine in Europe while the EMA conducted its own review.

On April 20, J&J announced it would resume distribution of its vaccine in the European Union but with a safety warning. Despite the reported cases of blood clots, both the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended that vaccinations resume, with a warning that women younger than 50 should be aware of the risk of blood clots.

Common side effects

The FDAs vaccine fact sheet revealed that the J&J vaccine may cause the following side effects:

Fatigue

Fever

Headache

Muscle aches

Nausea

Irritation, swelling, redness and pain at the injection site

Allergies and anaphylaxis

Like other dangerous coronavirus vaccines, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine may cause an allergic reaction. A non-severe allergic reaction may cause symptoms like swelling, rash, hives and respiratory problems.

A severe anaphylaxis response can cause the following symptoms:

Difficulty breathing

Dizziness

Rapid heartbeat

Rash

Swelling of the face and throat

Risk of rare autoimmune disorder

The J&J vaccine is also linked to a rare autoimmune disorder. On July 12, 2021, the FDA added a warning that some people who get the Johnson & Johnson vaccine might develop Guillain-Barre syndrome within 42 after vaccination.

If you develop this rare neurological disorder, your immune system will mistakenly attack the myelin sheath or the protective layer that insulates your axons (nerve cell endings). This will cause muscle weakness and paralysis.

If officials from companies that make vaccines refuse the very products that they make and are skeptical about their safety and effectiveness, maybe its time to rethink vaccine mandates in the country.

Sources include:

CreativeDestructionMedia.com

ProjectVeritas.com

Brighteon.com

MedicalNewsToday.com
(Natural News) Since 2020, public health technocrats and their allies among elected officials have clung to the position that absolutely every person who can possibly get a covid vaccine should get one.

(Article by Ryan McMaken republished from Mises.org)

Both the Mayo Clinic website and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, for example, insist that research has not yet shown that people who have recovered from covid have any sort of reliable protection. Moreover, the CDC page points to a single study from Kentucky claiming that people with natural immunity are more than twice as likely to contract covid again, compared to people who have been vaccinated.

This narrative is reflected in the fact that the Biden administrations vaccine mandates are a one-size-fits-all policy insisting that virtually all adults, regardless of whether or not theyve already had the disease, receive a covid vaccine. The official position is apparently this: nothing except the vaccine can provide any sort of resistance or immunity. So get a vaccine. No exceptions!

Health technocrats have repeatedly insisted that the science points unambiguously toward everyone receiving a vaccine, even to the point of pushing vaccines for children. All this in spite of the fact the risk to children from covid is far less than the risk a dozen common daily risks, such as riding in an automobile.

The regime has attached itself closely to a vaccinate-everybody-no-matter-what policy, and a sudden u-turn would be politically problematic. So its no wonder theres so little interest in the topic.

Indeed, in a September 10 interview, senior covid technocrat Anthony Fauci claimed that the matter of natural immunity was not even being discussed at government health agencies. Faucis response suggested that the facts of natural immunity warranted discussion at some point in the future. But the comment certainly fit the dominant regime narrative nonetheless: the facts of natural immunity dont matter for now. Everyone should just get vaccinated:

CNNs Sanjay Gupta asked if people who have already recovered from COVID-19 should still be required to get the vaccine. I dont have a really firm answer for you on that, [Fauci] said Thursday on CNN. I think that is something that we need to sit down and discuss seriously.

Maybe someday theyll get to talking about it.

But some physicians arent as obsessed with pushing vaccine mandates as Anthony Fauci, and the evidence in favor of natural immunity is becoming so undeniable that even mainstream publications are starting to admit it.

In an op-ed for the Washington Post last week, Marty Makary of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine argues that the medical profession has hurt its credibility in pretending that natural immunity is virtually irrelevant to the covid equation. Moreover, the dogmatic get vaccinated position constitutes a lack of honesty about the data. Rather, Makary concludes:

[W]e can encourage all Americans to get vaccinated while still being honest about the data. In my clinical experience, I have found patients to be extremely forgiving with evolving data if you are honest and transparent with them. Yet, when asked the common question, Ive recovered from covid, is it absolutely essential that I get vaccinated? many public health officials have put aside the data and responded with a synchronized yes, even as studies have shown that reinfections are rare and often asymptomatic or mild when they do occur.

And what are these studies? Makary continues:

More than 15 studies have demonstrated the power of immunity acquired by previously having the virus. A 700,000-person study from Israel two weeks ago found that those who had experienced prior infections were 27 times less likely to get a second symptomatic covid infection than those who were vaccinated. This affirmed a June Cleveland Clinic study of health-care workers (who are often exposed to the virus), in which none who had previously tested positive for the coronavirus got reinfected. The study authors concluded that individuals who have had SARS-CoV-2 infection are unlikely to benefit from covid-19 vaccination. And in May, a Washington University study found that even a mild covid infection resulted in long-lasting immunity.

The policy bias in favor of vaccines ignores many other facts as well, such as the relative risks of vaccines, especially for the young:

The current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention position about vaccinating children also dismisses the benefits of natural immunity. The Los Angeles County School District recently mandated vaccines for students ages 12 and up who want to learn in person. But young people are less likely to suffer severe or long-lasting symptoms from covid-19 than adults, and have experienced rare heart complications from the vaccines. In Israel, heart inflammation has been observed in between 1 in 3,000 and 1 in 6,000 males age 16 to 24; the CDC has confirmed 854 reports nationally in people age 30 and younger who got the vaccine. A second dose of the two-shot mRNA vaccine like that produced by Pfizer and Moderna may not even be necessary in children who had covid. Since February, Israels Health Ministry has been recommending that anyone, adult or adolescent, who has recovered from covid-19 receive a only single mRNA vaccine dose, instead of two. Even though the risk of severe illness during a reinfection is exceedingly low, some data has demonstrated a slight benefit to one dose in this situation. Other countries use a similar approach. The United States could adopt this strategy now as a reasonable next step in transitioning from an overly rigid to a more flexible vaccine requirement policy. For comparison, the CDC has long recommended that kids do not get the chickenpox vaccine if they had chickenpox infection in the past.

The nonscientific, ideology-induced blind spot for natural immunity also prompted The BMJ (the journal of the British Medical Association) to note that [w]hen the vaccine rollout began in mid-December 2020, more than one quarter of Americans91 millionhad been infected with SARS-CoV-2. As of this May, that proportion had risen to more than a third of the population, including 44% of adults aged 1859.

And yet, the authors note this fact doesnt appear to be a part of any policy discussion at all:

The substantial number of infections, coupled with the increasing scientific evidence that natural immunity was durable, led some medical observers to ask why natural immunity didnt seem to be factored into decisions about prioritising vaccination.

This problem is reflected in the Biden administrations drive for booster shotsannounced in mid-Augusteven before there was any clinical research on booster shots at all. Even by mid-September, as one hospitals chief medical officer put it, the data is not compelling one way or another.

But those sorts of details dont trouble federal public health officials, and the Biden administration quickly moved toward pushing booster shots for everyone.

This Is Why There Should Be No Mandatory Medical Treatment

Of course, mandating vaccineslike mandating any medical treatmentwould still be immoral even if we could list a dozen studies suggesting boosters are a boon and that natural immunity is no good.

What if there were twenty-five studies proving vaccines are better than natural immunity, but only twenty studies proving natural immunity is better? Would coercive vaccine mandates then suddenly be justified? Unfortunately, thats exactly how many advocates for repressive covid policies think the world should work. For these people, policy is just a matter of adding up the number of studies proving their side is right, and then claiming this justifies forcing mandatory medications on millions of human beings.

(It never works in reverse, of course. The fact that theres a lot of evidenceas Makary points outagainst vaccines for those who have natural immunity, the dominant narrative is nonetheless that vaccines are necessary and worth it for everybody, always and everywhere.)

In the real world, however, many medicationsincluding these new vaccinescome with risks that must be weighed against potential benefits. These decisions can only be made at the individual level, where patients must make their own decisions about what substances to put into their own bodies. In other words, blanket policies proclaiming everyone must receive this medical treatment immediately, or else contradicts the realities of the uncertainties and varying risk levels that affect individuals. The facts of uncertainty and informed consent were once considered a mainstay of medical ethicsand of any political ideology that actually respects self-determination and basic human rights. Unfortunately, the philosophy of public health appears to be uninterested in such trivialities.

At this point, it would be embarrassing for the regime to admit what actual scientific inquiry has shown: that natural immunity is generally superior to receiving the vaccine. The regime doesnt like to be embarrassed, and neither do the countless doctors and nurses who have long toed the regimes political line. So expect more of the same.

Read more at: Mises.org
(Natural News) The progressive left has, for too long, dismissed conservative claims that the LGBT agenda normalizes the sexualization of children as homophobic or bigoted.

(Article by Isa Cox republished from WesternJournal.com)

Yeah  about that.

An NBC contributor and vocal proponent of the LGBT movement has been slated as the spokesman for an organization with uncomfortably close ties to the sexualization of children.

Activist Noah Berlatsky is an ideal choice for this organization, as it happens, as he himself also has a long history of promoting the very same thing.

Whats incredibly stunning, however, is that he isnt just some fringe liberal arts college academic no ones ever heard of. Hes a contributor to one of the nations major news outlets as well as several other huge platforms, and his appointment to this position will no doubt only further legitimize the faction of LGBT Americans who vocally support the acceptance of pedophilia, child prostitution, child pornography and child sexuality.

And yes  Berlatsky and the organization, Prostasia, appear to be supportive of all of these things, however shrouded with seemingly conflicting claims to be interested in protecting children from sexual abuse.

Berlatsky is a writer and editor who, according to his LinkedIn profile, has contributed to, among other outlets, The Atlantic, The Guardian, NPR, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, Salon, Slate, Media Matters, and of course, NBC News.

It appears that he is now the communications director for the non-profit organization Prostasia, which as The Post Millennial recently detailed at length, gives off the very conspicuous impression of working to normalize pedophilia.

This is fitting  he seems to have worked with the organization for some time and has shared tweets from one Dr. James Cantor, also affiliated with Prostasia, who, in a now-deleted tweet captured in a screenshot by Post Millenial, argued that a P for pedophiles should be included under the extensive LGBT+ banner.

Prostasia has a support group for Minor Attracted Persons for adults and teens over the age of 13, which is described as a peer support chat for minor attracted people who are fundamentally against child sexual abuse and committed to never harm children, and is a safe space to have peer support in times of trouble.

Prostasia bills itself as a new kind of child protection organization that has a different approach to protecting children than the current methods of social work and law enforcement, saying that these approaches are less effective than they should be, because they are driven by emotion rather than evidence,' the Post Millennial explains.

One of these novel approaches is validating the desires of minor attracted persons who they believe can be committed to never offending.

Despite this apparent commitment to supporting those who are attracted to children but do not want to harm them or view child pornography, however, Anna Slatz recently wrote for the feminist website 4W that they nonetheless have dedicated themselves to crusades against child pornography bans, letter-writing campaigns to state representatives demanding child-likeness sex dolls be kept legal, and funding research into fantasy sexual outlets for pedophiles.

Prostasia sees the threat pedophiles pose to children as a bogeyman dreamed up by the alt-right, while condemning anti-pedophile sentiment as harmful Nazi-like rhetoric which requires mass censorship across social media, Slatz wrote.

In Prostasias blog entries, child protection routinely ends up in the same sentences as free speech, kink, or sex positivity. The topics of age play, furries, hentai [anime or manga pornography], and prostitution are spoken about no differently as, and often with no barrier between, child sexuality and child sexual abuse, Slatz noted.

You can see for yourself by visiting the organizations website  but you have most certainly been warned  its nauseating, horrifying and infuriating.

One stunning example of Prostatsia and Berlatskys openness to accepting and promoting child sexuality is an interview he conducted for the group with a porn star who glowingly promoted the idea of exposing children to pornography, recalling a wonderful experience she had as a child discovering nude photographs and developing an insatiable appetite for smut  at the age of 8.

The anti-porn crusaders fear that children being exposed to sex is going to lead them to some kind of ultimate demoralization, Mireille Miller-Young told an apparently entirely supportive Berlatsky in a July interview for Prostatsia.

And, of course, the socialization that pornographic materials can provide at that age can be interpreted in different ways. And my experience was of it being joyful and fun. It was an image of beauty and sexiness that influenced my ideas about sexuality through life, she declared.

Another example is an article he wrote for The New Republic in 2016 headlined, Child Sex Workers Biggest Threat: The Police, which sympathetically president a professor arguing for the decriminalization of minors engaging in sex work.

(Cops and the criminal justice system are worse for the kids than their pimps, the article essentially argues.)

So, Belatsky is full of empathy  though it might not be a surprise that theres one group he has no empathy for: supporters of former President Donald Trump.

In a YouTube video from 2019, in fact, he spent the better part of an hour bashing any idea of trying to understand Trumps backers.

Berlatsky has issued tweets from his now-protected Twitter account defending practices like child prostitution.

No, really.

Referring to trafficked children as young people trading in sex, according to Twitter posts captured in screenshots by the Post Millennial, he has argued that child sex trafficking laws somehow victimize children rather than help them escape a sick and disgusting cycle of abuse and exploitation.

Hes also written that Pedophiles are essentially a stigmatized group and that people love accusing people of pedophilia as its apparently an explosive accusation linked historically to queer people and Jewish people and sex workers. (The quotes are again from Twitter posts captured in screenshots by the Post Millennial.)

Or perhaps people accuse people of pedophilia when they actively oppose laws restricting the production of child pornographic images, fight to get pedophiles recognized under the banner of LGBT, and support the idea of exposing children to pornography.

As far as such outrageous ideas go, Berlatsky is in good (well, abhorrently immoral) company in todays sex-positive culture that seems to serve only as a very, very thinly veiled push to normalize child sexuality.

There was the Manhattan prep school teacher who taught kindergartners about masturbation and gave high school students a porn literacy seminar.

There was the blue-check writer Flora Gill, who has been published by GQ, The Telegraph, Evening Standard, The Sunday Times, among other outlets, who wrote in a since-deleted tweet earlier this year that Someone needs to create porn for children.

This may qualify for the worst Tweet of the year. pic.twitter.com/uzf1NkKfPC  Harrison Krank (@HarrisonKrank) July 29, 2021

Young teens are already watching porn but theyre finding hardcore, aggressive videos that give a terrible view of sex. They need entry level porn! A soft core site where everyone asks for consent and no one gets choked, she argued.

Maybe Prostasia has an opening for Gill, too.

There is also the trans activist Alok Vaid-Menon, himself a blue checkmark on Twitter, who once wrote that fears that transgender bathroom laws could little girls being sexually assaulted by adult men were misplaced as there are no innocent victims because little girls are also kinky.

Vaid-Menon also appeared on self-identified non-binary pop star Demi Lovatos YouTube channel earlier this year and was the subject of an HBO Max documentary in 2020:

Meet luminary @alokvmenon  Just like La Veneno, they knew they were an icon from an early age. pic.twitter.com/awZKgOmkQJ  HBO Max (@hbomax) December 6, 2020

Meanwhile, across the nation, schools have been using sex-ed curricula under the umbrella of so-called Comprehensive Sexuality Education backed by the abortion provider Planned Parenthood and entirely centered around the ideology of sex-positive yet is more accurately described as Grooming 101.

The push to normalize child sexuality has been burgeoning over the last few decades, but only in the last few years has it gotten this far into legitimacy, and suddenly we find it is at the heart of mainstream media and parts of public education.

There is no longer any basis whatsoever to dismiss the opposition to this dangerous and disgusting ideology as hysterical, homophobic, or bigoted.

Its never been more clear that, as the San Francisco Gay Mens Choir so gleefully celebrated earlier this year, they are, indeed, coming for our children.

Are you paying attention yet?

Read more at: WesternJournal.com
(Natural News) The New York Times corrected an article from last week which asserted that horseback Border Patrol agents used their reins to strike at running migrants. The Times correction states the original version of the article overstated what is known about the behavior of some Border Patrol agents on horseback.

(Article by Bob Price republished from Breitbart.com)

The Times White House Correspondent Michael D. Shear wrote an article on September 24 where he reported President Joe Bidens call for consequences for Border Patrol agents actions against migrants crossing the border near Del Rio, Texas.

In the original article, Shear wrote:

President Biden vowed Friday that Border Patrol agents who mistreated Haitian migrants crossing the Rio Grande will pay after an investigation, calling the scene at the border horrible to see in his first comments on actions by his administration that have drawn severe condemnation from many of his own supporters.

Its outrageous, he said. I promise you, those people will pay. There will be an investigation, underway now, and there will be consequences. There will be consequences.

The images of agents on horseback chasing, and in some cases using the reins of their horses to strike at running migrants, came as Mr. Bidens administration moved to forcefully round up and deport more than 2,000 of the 15,000 migrants who gathered in a makeshift camp in Del Rio, Texas. Thousands more have been moved to other parts of the country or have been released with orders to appear in court later.

Since that time, a photographer who shot many of the images now at the center of the controversy told KTSM NBC9 in El Paso he didnt ever see them (the agents) whip anybody, Breitbart Texas reported.

Photographer Paul Ratje said his photos have really been misconstrued.

Among those who apparently misconstrued the images is the President of the United States. To see people treated like they did, horses running them over and people getting strapped, its outrageous I promise you those people will pay, the president said during a press conference on Friday.

AP journalist Sarah Blake Morgan tweeted a video taken from the middle of the Rio Grand showing three horse-mounted Border Patrol agents attempting to block a group of Haitian migrants from entering the U.S. The agents in this video do not appear to have struck any of the migrants with reins.

As the lack of evidence that agents struck, whipped, or strapped migrants with their horses reins, the Times published a correction that reads:

Correction: Sept. 24, 2021

An earlier version of this article overstated what is known about the behavior of some Border Patrol agents on horseback. While the agents waved their reins while pushing migrants back into the Rio Grande, The Times has not seen conclusive evidence that migrants were struck with the reins.

Shears corrected article, now dual bylined by Katie Rogers, states:

Its outrageous, Mr. Biden said. I promise you, those people will pay. There will be an investigation, underway now, and there will be consequences. There will be consequences.

Later, Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, added that the president was not prejudging the outcome of the investigation.

Images of Border Patrol agents on horseback waving their reins while pushing migrants back into the Rio Grande have prompted a torrent of criticism from Democrats and civil rights groups who have accused Mr. Biden of continuing some of the most aggressive approaches to immigration put in place by President Donald J. Trump.

The Times article went from claiming Border Patrol agents were using the reins of their horses to strike at running migrants to its current version that says the agents were waving their reins while pushing migrants back into the Rio Grande.

The original article also does not appear to provide any of the numerous photographs taken at the scene to provide context for their now debunked claims.

Read more at: Breitbart.com
(Natural News) On Sept. 9, President Joe Biden unveiled plans to order a vaccine mandate that would affect as many as 100 million Americans. This mandate would extend into the private sector, as Biden asked the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to require vaccines or weekly testing. Now, Democrats in Congress have put a section into the Build Back Better Act that would increase fines for violating OSHA standards tenfold.

(Article by Joseph Lord republished from TheEpochTimes.com)

The new addition to the Build Back Better Act, the culmination of Bidens presidential agenda, comes amid a ramped-up push by the administration to increase vaccinations across the United States.

Biden Takes Expansive View of OSHA Jurisdiction

To enforce these incursions into the private sector, Biden is stretching the limits of a clause in the OSHA Act of 1970 that allows the organization to impose an emergency temporary standard (ETS) to deal with short-term crises. In the text of the original legislation, OSHA can only declare an ETS after determining that employees are exposed to grave danger from exposure to substances or agents determined to be toxic or physically harmful or from new hazards, and that such emergency standard is necessary to protect employees from such danger.

Historically, such standards have been issued over toxic chemicals or similar hazards. For example, in 1975 the organization issued an ETS on a dangerous pesticide (pdf).

To respond to the CCP (Chinese Communist Party virus, OSHA issued a far more narrow emergency standard in June. This was a standard only applying to healthcare organizations, which were ordered to develop and implement a COVID-19 plan to identify and control COVID-19 hazards in the workplace and to implement other requirements to reduce transmission of COVID-19 in their workplaces.

While workplaces with fully vaccinated staff were exempt from the standard, it did not go so far as to mandate vaccination. Under Bidens request, every single private-sector employer with more than 100 employees would be forced to mandate either vaccination or weekly testing for their employees.

OSHA confirmed in a statement to The Epoch Times that they are in the process of crafting this rule. The ETS would require these employers to ensure their workforce is fully vaccinated or require any workers who remain unvaccinated to produce a negative test result on at least a weekly basis before coming to work.

Democrats Move to Increase Fines Tenfold

Under current law, employers are required to furnish to each of his employees  a place of employment which [is] free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees or face fines. The Build Back Better Act would significantly strengthen the original OSHA Act of 1970 by increasing most fines in the legislation tenfold.

Under the OSHA Act, violations of this requirement carry a minimum fine of $5,000 and a maximum fine of $70,000. Additional violations currently carry a $7,000 fine for each offense. Employers who fail to correct violations can face up to a $7,000 fine per day that violations are unaddressed.

Because the CCP virus will be recognized as a hazard under the rule, employers could face fines for failing to comply.

The budget bill would increase the fines for violations: the minimum fine would be increased from $5,000 to $50,000, while the max fine would be raised from $70,000 to $700,000. Additional violations would carry a $70,000 fine, and employers would face $70,000 fines for each day that such violations remain unaddressed, a $63,000 increase over the original bill.

These increased fines, if the law passes and if these provisions are not challenged in court, would take effect Jan. 1, 2022.

This move indicates solidarity between the Democratic Congress and the president on vaccine mandates. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has claimed in the past that every Democrat in Congress has been vaccinated. In the Senate, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) expressed support for the mandate, accusing Republican critics of exalting liberty over life.

While many Republicans have been vaccinated and support vaccines, they have been critical of Bidens mandate, and have indicated that they will be challenging the mandates in court.

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey said that the mandate is hammering down on private businesses and individual freedoms in an unprecedented and dangerous way. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster promised, we will fight them to the gates of hell to protect the liberty and livelihood of every South Carolinian.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis also expressed doubt that the mandates were 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.

Still, if the Build Back Better Act is passed, these increased fines will provide an even stronger threat to non-compliant businesses, a move that would advance Bidens mandates in the future.

Read more at: TheEpochTimes.com
(Natural News) Its an all-too-common story. A teen I know currently has COVID-19 and is fairly sick. After an emergency-room examination yesterday, he was released from the hospital and he and his mother were simply told, Theres no treatment protocol for COVID.

(Article by Selwyn Duke republished from TheNewAmerican.com)

Actually, there are effective treatments for COVID.

But theyre not officially sanctioned treatments  hence are doctors, hamstrung by labyrinthine regulations, refusing to administer them for fear of career destruction. In other words, bureaucracy is killing people on a massive scale.

The details of this story were recently revealed by a retired physician who provides a depressing, and seldom-heard, peek behind the curtain.

Writing at American Thinker last week, Dr. Ted Noel explained why most practicing physicians go along with the Fauci Fraud, as he put it. Noel, a retired anesthesiologist/intensivist who spent 36 years in his field, first points out that agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and National Institutes of Health arent first and foremost concerned about disease control and health. Rather, aside from being politicized as government entities will be, theyre gravely preoccupied with guarding their turf. They thus arent receptive to ideas originating beyond their walls  even though the wider scientific world has many thousands more researchers, and many more brilliant minds, than these agencies do. Mount Olympus cannot be threatened, Noel writes.

Dr. Noel, whom I spoke to on the phone today, then mentioned that the second leg of the fraud is that doctors dont have the freedom to speak out. He said that if hed written his article before retiring, hed have been hauled before his groups medical board, told to shut-up, and possibly even fined heavily. Oh, they might actually agree with his thesis, mind you, but allowing him to air it could cost them mightily.

The problem: The majority of Noels groups patients were on Medicare or Medicaid. These two federally managed programs foist on physicians a multitude of rules, and those not properly jumping through all the hoops dont get paid. Yet theres far more to it.

Imagine that a destitute patient requiring bowel obstruction surgery is brought in for treatment. Prior to all the big-government intervention, the procedure would be done on a charitable basis and written off as your good neighbor duty, writes Noel (I believe this was sometimes called a service case). He continues:

Now you dont get a choice. CMMS (the actual administrative agency) requires you to send a bill. Twice. Or maybe three times. Whatever it takes to turn the bill into bad debt. Then you have to send it to a collection agency. Your only alternative is for your group to bring it up in its Board meeting and declare it a write-off that gets noted in the minutes.

Aside from wasting time, this red tape has a very wicked side. If you do the case for free (which you did before you spent that useless money on billing and collection), CMMS will define that as your usual and customary bill for an exploratory laparotomy, Dr. Noel explains. Since your U&C is now zero, you cant ever bill more than that for an ex lap in the future.

In other words, the government is killing charity.

So how does this influence the administration of COVID treatment, such as ivermectin? Noel informs that among U&C bills and the hundreds of other rules the CMMS enforces is something called Pay for Performance (P-f-P). Basically, P-f-P requires you to check a host of boxes when taking care of patients, the doctor tells us. If you didnt get that IV antibiotic in 20 minutes before the incision, you failed P-f-P and may not get paid. The hospital wont get paid to take care of the patient if theres a complication.

So while you may want to use ivermectin to treat a COVID patient, the problem is that its not on Medicare/Medicaids approved list of coronavirus medications. Your hospitals pharmacy will thus resist the request, and the time required to gain their cooperation may mean canceling half your office day.

The next day, youll get a visit from a coder, who will tell you that you didnt use the approved treatment protocol and put the hospital in jeopardy because you flunked P-f-P, Noel then explains. By the way, that coder is the person who helps you use the proper ICD (billing) code for whatever the patient has in order for the hospital to make the most money. But thats not the worst of it.

Your having transgressed against P-f-P will set off alarm bells at the CMMS and focus its wrath upon you. Theyll scrutinize you for other violations, flag some innocent misstep as Medicare fraud and then fine you twice what you were originally paid; moreover, they can go back two years on this fishing expedition seeking red-tape trespasses. CMMS sounds a bit like the IRS, too: They can ultimately take your house, your car, and your wifes poodle while theyre at it, writes Noel.

This explains why Noels group would have been livid if hed published while still working. But what if youre in private practice? You cant prescribe ivermectin if your patient is on Medicare or Medicaid. But couldnt you treat him off the books and take cash? Well, taking a private payment for a Medicare-covered service means being prohibited from seeing Medicare patients for two years.

Finally, Dr. Noel writes:

Lets forget all the regulatory traps. Youre conscientious and try to do the best for your patients. But youre busy, and you cant keep up with the flood of papers on all the various COVID bits. So you wear a mask, have your patients wear masks, and do a lot of telemedicine. You keep up on the latest through Medscape and the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reporter. You should be good? Not! MMWR is put out by the CDC, and they wont say the first good word about HCQ or ivermectin. Medscape is a little better, but not much. And all the specialty societies are toeing the line. Can we guess why?

In other words, big government has the doctors  and us  coming and going.

Obviously, the system is broken to an extent, and theres much blame to go around. Yet none of this would be an issue regarding SARS-CoV-2 if Dr. Anthony Fauci and the other medical-establishment pseudo-elites had instituted a proper official treatment protocol early on. But theyve instead been focused on pushing the genetic-therapy agents (a.k.a. vaccines) at the expense of all else.

Note here that renowned physician Dr. Peter McCullough has estimated that a proper treatment protocol, established early last year, could have saved 85 percent of the China viruss victims. So its not a stretch saying that Fauci & Co. have the blood of hundreds of thousands on their hands.

As for my friends situation, the boy, being a teenager, is in a group with a 99.997-percent COVID survival rate. So hell likely be okay. But I am gravely concerned about a high-risk individual, who I care about deeply, in the home. Its a concern I wouldnt have if our medical establishment actually cared about healing more than party, prestige, pocketbook, and politics.

Read more at: TheNewAmerican.com
(Natural News) One of the known side effects of Tony Faucis remdesivir drug for the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) is that it damages the kidneys and potentially causes renal failure. Well, it turns out that end-stage renal disease (ESRD) is the greatest risk factor for fully vaccinated patients to experience a breakthrough infection.

New data compiled by Humetrix in conjunction with the Department of Defense (DoD), JAIC, and Project Salus reveals not only that breakthrough infections are common among the fully vaccinated, but also that ESRD greatly increases ones risk of suffering from one.

Risk of breakthrough hospitalization increases with time elapsed since mRNA vaccination with odds ratio increasing to 2.5 at 6 months post vaccination, the following slide explains, also depicting other major risk factors for breakthrough infections in the fully vaccinated.

As you will notice, being Native American or Hispanic is another risk factor, as is being morbidly obese, over the age of 85, previously hospitalized, a cancer patient, on chemotherapy or an organ transplant recipient.

Watch the interview below as Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, talks to health freedom attorney Thomas Renz about these and other revelations in the DoD-backed report:

The unvaccinated are much healthier than the fully vaccinated

What does this all suggest? For one, it just goes to show that the remedies being pushed by the establishment are making people sick.

Getting vaccinated for the Chinese Virus is bad enough. Being fully vaccinated, fat, having brown skin, and taking remdesivir makes things orders of magnitude worse.

Meanwhile, being unvaccinated, having a healthy weight, and not taking remdesivir will keep you better protected against a Fauci Flu infection  and in this case, it does not matter the color of your skin.

Prior COVID-19 infection has a major protective effect against breakthrough hospitalization, the slide adds.

The vast majority of all new cases of the Chinese Disease are occurring in people who took the jabs in obedience to Fauci. Very few people who just said no to the shots are getting sick, let alone having to be hospitalized.

This is a contrary narrative to the one being pushed by Joe Biden, the fake president occupying our nations White House. According to Hunters dad, this is a pandemic of the unvaccinated, even though the unvaccinated are healthier than the fully vaccinated.

As time goes on and more people get jabbed, the rate of breakthrough infections is rising exponentially, as you will see below:

The data does not lie, and if the Biden regime was really interested in telling the truth, it would be showing America these slides and warning people to stop taking the injections. Instead, these occupiers are doubling down on their lies.

The alarming findings show that the vast majority of covid hospitalizations are occurring among fully-vaccinated individuals and that outcomes among the fully vaccinated are growing worse with each passing week, the Health Ranger writes.

This appears to fit the pattern of so-called Antibody Dependent Enhancement, where the treatment intervention (mRNA vaccines) is worsening health outcomes and leading to excess hospitalizations and deaths.

What we can expect moving forward, especially now that some people are lining right up to take their Biden Booster shots, is even more disease and hospitalizations among the fully vaccinated.

This is a mathematical certainty if things continue on their current trajectory. The hope is that some people, at least, will wake up and stop getting jabbed. Unfortunately, others will continue to participate in the Darwin Olympics no matter how much evidence they are shown that exposes the lies.

The latest news about Chinese Virus plandemic deception can be found at Pandemic.news.

Sources for this article include:

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

NaturalNews.com

Defense.gov

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Scientists are questioning whether or not coronavirus (COVID-19) booster shots will be needed.

Many infectious disease and vaccine development experts told Reuters there is growing evidence that the first round of global vaccinations may offer enduring protection against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and its most worrisome variants discovered to date.

Big Pharma executives are conditioning peoples minds

Some of those scientists expressed concern that Big Pharma executives are conditioning peoples minds.

We dont see the data yet that would inform a decision about whether or not booster doses are needed, said Kate OBrien, director of the Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals at the World Health Organization (WHO).

OBrien said the WHO is forming a panel of experts to assess all variant and vaccine efficacy data and recommend changes to vaccination programs as needed.

Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease doctor at the University of California, San Francisco, said decisions on whether boosters will be needed will best be made by public health experts, rather than CEOs of a company who may benefit financially.

Gandhi is taking a dig at Big Pharma executives who have been actively promoting COVID-19 booster shots. (Related: Big Pharma companies begin push for coronavirus booster shots, with no end in sight.)

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said people whove gotten both doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech jab would likely need a third shot within 12 months and might need an annual shot thereafter.

There are vaccines like polio vaccine that one dose is enough, there are vaccines like pneumococcal vaccine that one dose is enough for adults, and there are vaccines like flu that you need every year, Bourla said. The COVID virus looks more like the influenza virus than the polio virus.

Pfizer and BioNTech announced last month that they were testing a third dose of their COVID-19 vaccine to better understand the immune response against new variants of the virus.

The companies believe their current two-dose vaccine will work against the South African variant and the one first found in the United Kingdom. But the studies will allow the vaccine makers to be prepared if and when more protection is necessary, the companies said.

Johnson & Johnson CEO Alex Gorsky started using the narrative in February when he told CNBC that people may need to get vaccinated against COVID-19 annually, just like seasonal flu shots.

Meanwhile, Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel aims to produce a vaccine by the fall that targets a variant first identified in South Africa and expects regular boosters will be needed. In March, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) began testing a variety of offerings from Moderna to use as a third shot designed to boost immunity protection as concern grows about emerging variants.

Former CDC head says theres zero evidence COVID-19 booster shot is needed

Dr. Tom Frieden, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), finds it inappropriate for Big Pharma executives to say that people will need an annual booster shot of the COVID-19 vaccine.

There is zero, and I mean zero, evidence to suggest that that is the case, said Frieden. Its completely inappropriate to say that were likely to need an annual booster, because we have no idea what the likelihood of that is.

Responding to the criticism, a Pfizer spokeswoman said the company expects a need for boosters while the virus is still circulating widely. That could change once the pandemic is more firmly under control.

Earlier this year, evidence emerged that mutant versions of the virus might evade protection offered by vaccines. Laboratory studies showed that the South African variant could produce up to eight-fold reductions in antibody levels among people vaccinated with the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.

Clinical trial data also showed that vaccines from AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, and Novavax were less effective at preventing infections in South Africa, where the variant is widespread.

These studies prompted drug companies to start testing booster doses of their vaccines and to develop shots that target specific variants of the virus.

However, more recent research suggests that the Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines produce high levels of protective antibodies to create a cushion effect against the known variants, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

Several studies suggest that T cells  a type of white blood cell that can target and destroy already infected cells  may help prevent severe COVID-19 and hospitalization. NIAID researchers found that T cells in the blood of people who recovered from the original virus could still fight off infections caused by the concerning variants found in the UK, South Africa and Brazil.

Its quite possible that boosters would not be needed, Fauci told Reuters. It is conceivable that the variants will not be as much a problem with a really good vaccine as we might have anticipated.

Need for booster shot may further constrain vaccine supply in poor countries

Moderna President Stephen Hoge expects boosters will be needed to keep immunity levels high, due in part to vaccine hesitancy. As long as the virus is circulating widely, people at high risk of severe illness may need to boost their immune protection, Hoge said. (Related: As Americans reject dangerous COVID vaccines, US states and cities see an increase in unused vaccine doses.)

Health authorities in the U.S., UK, the European Union (EU) and Israel have assured their populations that they are ready for such eventuality.

Its a huge concern that wealthy countries would begin administering booster doses and further constraining supply of peoples first dose of vaccine, said Rajeev Venkayya, head of global vaccines for Takeda Pharmaceutical Co.

Richard Hatchett, chief executive of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), said vaccine makers are right to plan ahead for boosters given the uncertainty over what will be needed in the long run. Governments can then decide for themselves whether to buy the products, he said.

The U.S. is preparing to have such products on hand for Americans, while the EU, UK and Israel have ordered new supplies of COVID-19 vaccines to deploy as protective boosters.

Andy Slavitt, senior advisor to President Joe Bidens COVID response team, said during a press briefing last month that the White House is preparing for the potential need for COVID-19 vaccine booster shots.

I can assure you that when we do our planning, when the president orders purchases of additional vaccines as he has done and when we focus on all the production expansion opportunities that we talk about in here we very much have scenarios like that in mind, he said.

Global spending on COVID-19 vaccines, booster shots could total $157B through 2025

Global spending on COVID-19 vaccines and booster shots could total $157 billion through 2025, according to U.S. health data firm IQVIA Holdings. Pfizer has forecast sales of $26 billion from the vaccine in 2021 alone.

IQVIA, which provides data and analytics for the healthcare industry, said it expects the first wave of COVID-19 vaccinations to reach about 70 percent of the worlds population by the end of 2022. Booster shots are likely to follow initial vaccinations every two years based on current data on the duration of effect of the vaccines, the report said.

Murray Aitken, a senior vice president at IQVIA, said that vaccine spending is expected to be highest this year at $54 billion with a global vaccination campaign underway. It is expected to decrease in succeeding years as tighter competition and vaccine volumes drive down prices.

The spending forecast for COVID-19 vaccines represents two percent of the roughly $7 trillion forecast for all prescription medicines during that time period, IQVIA said.

Follow Immunization.news for more news and information related to coronavirus vaccines.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

CNBC.com 1

CNBC.com 2

Reuters.com
(Natural News) To help identify which concentration camp prisoners are which, the University of Bath in Great Britain is marking students with differently colored wristbands based on their Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccination status.

According to reports, unvaccinated first-year students at Bath are being given a yellow star-style wristband indicating that they refused to take any Chinese Virus injections. Their fully injected counterparts, meanwhile, are being given another type of wristband showing their compliance.

Freshers have been given wristbands to signal whether they are vaccinated against coronavirus amid anger at emerging two-tier university campuses, a prominent U.K. media outlet reported.

Students arriving this week at the University of Bath have been given a different coloured wristband on club nights if they can prove in advance (that) they are double jabbed, or have Covid-19 immunity.

Bath students who are unable to prove that they got injected are also being placed in different queues than the injected. This is medical apartheid and fascism, just to be clear.

Even though the British government was barred from forcing countrymen to take the jabs against their will because doing this would be discriminatory and ethically unsound, academia has decided to go full-fledged tyrannical. (RELATED: New York City is similarly waging economic war against the unvaccinated.)

Academic fascists forcing unvaccinated students into isolation and misery

At The University of Sheffield, freshmen students are being told that they must present a covid pass in order to attend student events and union nights out. Those who refuse will basically not have any social life on campus.

One unvaccinated student reported that he not only feels excluded from everything that goes on at Sheffield, but also has to face being shamed in front of friends for his non-compliance.

We are worried that some universities appear to have implemented what amounts to a vaccine passport via stealth, said Arabella Skinner, the director of a parents group called UsForThem.

The idea of making students display their private medical information in such a public way is unacceptable. This echoes examples of discrimination we have seen in schools through the pandemic and raises concerns of a two-tier system for students to access education.

Medical discrimination on campus is not just a U.K. problem. It is also happening in the United States, including off campus where snitches are reporting students who are seen not wearing a mask while out in public.

Creating a new two-tiered society that discriminates against non-Branch Covidians is a tactic that has been used all throughout history to divide and conquer. Tyrants like Joseph Stalin used it to eventually massacre millions of people, and we are once again seeing it unfold as part of the plandemic.

Some are fighting against it, but far too many are going along with it out of convenience or apathy. Things are still not bad enough, apparently, for any unified front to take a stand against it  and many fear that by the time enough people wake up, it will already be far too late.

I hope the smart students drop out and find better use of their time elsewhere, wrote one commenter at Summit.news. Trade schools are better anyway. They lack the Marxist brainwashing and you can learn a useful skill in a year.

Another quoted Ecclesiastes 1:9, which reads:

What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.

Coming fast now the horrors of the past! this same commenter added.

As Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) fascism and apartheid grows, we will keep you informed of the latest at Fascism.news.

Sources for this article include:

Summit.news

NaturalNews.com
There is no food to eat. Nothing to cultivate. May was the month Ifotaka's last rain fell for just two hours.

Famine in Madagascar

Across the extensive southern tip in Madagascar, drought has turned fields into dust bowls. Over one million people are experiencing famine. The countryside is deserted across tens of thousands of land areas. Season of Harvest starts in October, taking long lean weeks before the thin low nutrient crops arrive.

Residents have abandoned some villages. In others, people should be seen in fields working but instead, they are at home wasting away. There's no crop to harvest. Hunger brings both the mind and body of people down. They move gradually and find it difficult to follow a conversation.

60-year-old Helmine Sija who has six children in a village called Atoby said: "I feel sick, and worried. Every day I wonder what we're going to eat."

Also Read: Famines in the Modern Day: What Madagascar's Current Crisis Means to the World

Residents' Plight

An aged woman with grey hair and a face that is hardened, Sija tends a boiling pot of cactus at the entrance of her house. She cut the pricks off using a machete to get them ready for cooking.

What she's making can't really be referred to as food. The concoction contains little nutritional value, but it's well-known to suppress appetite, even though it leads to stomach aches.

Her first oldest children have gone out in search of job in other towns. She's taking care of the young ones. She said: "I want to move somewhere more fertile, where I can farm. But I don't have enough money to leave."

Around the Ifotaka town, residents said the government brought some rice, beans and oil in August. Out of 500 people selected for financial assistance, about 90 were given the $26.

Malnutrition

Malnutrition is frequent in southern Madagascar. But the currently occurring drought is the worst that has happened in 40 years, as per the United Nations, which holds climate change accountable for the crisis.

Doctors Without Borders has set off a mobile clinic to journey from village to village. Children tightly grip at packs of "plumpy", a peanut butter-flavoured paste meant to aid those that are severely malnourished.

Through the waiting group of people, nurses and helpers picked out the most urgent cases, taking them to the front of the line. Little children are measured in a blue bucket. Their lean arms are wrapped around with measuring tapes, so as to get know how severely malnourished they are.

Families are given a two-week food supply according to the number of children in the family.

Two sisters and one brother in Fenoaivo - all retirees - stayed in a home.

69-year-old Tsafaharie said: "It's been a long time since we grew anything. On good, days, the three of us share a bowl of rice."

Related Article: Hunger in Madagascar: First Ever Famine Blamed Entirely on Climate Change

For more news, updates about drought, famine and similar topics don't forget to follow Nature World News!
A massive underwater volcano of about 2,690ft off the coast of Madagascar is believed to be an offspring of the largest underwater eruption ever recorded.

New Volcano

In 2018, the volcanic island unexpectedly emerged, extending up from the seafloor to the eastern part of the island of Mayotte which is between Madagascar and East Africa rifts.

Scientists don't know much about the processes in action deep inside the Earth, but such islands help in uncovering more information regarding the structure and activity.

The seismic event that gave rise to the new volcano began on the 10th of May 2018 and within a few days an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.8 took place. It rocked islands close by and scientists then discovered it had been the outcome of a new volcanic activity underwater.

Several French governmental institutions, headed by the University of Paris, embarked on a journey to the French African territory in order to get more knowledge. They discovered a mountain under the sea that wasn't there few weeks ago and they found out it needed 1.2 cubic miles of lava in order to form the volcano.

Also Read: New Sensors Help Detect and Predict Volcanic Eruptions

A Rare Phenomenon

Researchers started keeping a close eye on the area in February 2019 with the use of multibeam sonar, which let them map a 3,320 square mile area of seafloor.

An action they took to help them gain a better understanding of the nature and origin of the new volcano is positioning a network of seismometers on the seafloor to about three miles deep. Between February and May 2019, their network spotted about 17,000 seismic events from a depth of about 30 miles beneath the ocean floor and this is 'highly unusual'.

Most earthquakes are not as deep as this, also, another 84 events were at extremely low frequencies - another rare phenomenon - which added to the confusion.

The team explained: "The earthquakes have been much deeper than usual in a volcanic context and occur below the boundary between the crust and the mantle. They point to the existence of very deep reservoirs and drainage systems spread throughout the lithosphere, which had never before been clearly observed in volcanology."

Swarm of Earthquakes

This allowed the researchers to reconstruct the way the volcano formed, and they discovered it began with a reservoir of magma far below in the molten mantle layer.

The researchers say below the new volcano, there is a chance the tectonic processes have damaged the rocky outer part of the planet called lithosphere, which is made of brittle crust and laying on top of the upper mantle.

This damage brought about dykes that empty magma from a reservoir just beneath the crust, drawing it up through the crust and producing a 'swarm of Earthquakes'.

With time, the material found its way through the seafloor and then it erupted - at this stage it creates over 1.2 cubic miles of lava to make the new volcano.

Related Article: Earth Could be Left 'Uninhabitable' If Volcanoes Under Antarctica Ice Will Erupt

For more news, updates about volcanoes and similar topics don't forget to follow Nature World News!
The Marc R. Mills Memorial Fund (The Mills Fund), through the Connecticut Community Foundation, awarded grants to Immaculate High School and Fairfield Preparatory School, a release said.

These grants, in addition to previous grants to Massachusetts General Hospital's ALS Multidisciplinary Clinic, ALS Association Massachusetts Chapter, Closer to Free initiative at Smilow Cancer Hospital of Yale New Haven Hospital, The New Milford Historical Society & Museum, Village Center for the Arts, Artists in Motion, in Residence at FineLine Theatre Arts, The Childrens Center of New Milford, The Fender Music Foundation and The Pratt Nature Center solidifies the funds commitment to support a broad range of local, community and regional nonprofits.
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Chuck Koplinski is The News-Gazette's film critic. His email is chuckkoplinski@gmail.com and you can follow him on Twitter (@ckoplinski).
John Frayne hosts Classics of the Phonograph on Saturdays at WILL-FM and, in retirement, teaches at the UI. He can be reached at frayne@illinois.edu.
One of Editor & Publishers 10 That Do It Right 2021
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Mary Schenk is a reporter covering police, courts and breaking news at The News-Gazette. Her email is mschenk@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@schenk).
Brett Kepley is a lawyer with Land of Lincoln Legal Aid Inc. Send questions to The Law Q&A, 302 N. First St., Champaign, IL 61820.
Osimertinib was the first drug to be approved for adjuvant treatment after complete tumour resection in adults with stage IB to IIIA non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In an early benefit assessment, the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) investigated whether the drug, compared with the appropriate comparator therapy, offers an added benefit to patients with an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) exon 19 deletion or exon 21 substitution mutation.

Accordingly, an added benefit is not proven for patients without prior adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy. However, there is a hint of considerable added benefit of osimertinib over watchful waiting as appropriate comparator therapy for patients who have already received such chemotherapy or for whom it is not suitable.

Need for further adjuvant therapies

In the case of non-small cell lung cancer, complete removal of the tumour is often followed by recurrences, for example in the form of distant metastases. The patients then receive adjuvant chemotherapy, which, however, is often unable to curtail the metastases and which is unsuitable per se for other patients. In these cases, a so-called tyrosine kinase inhibitor can be used, which is directed against the epidermal growth factor receptor that is altered or produced excessively in the affected patients. A drug from this substance class, osimertinib, has now been approved for such adjuvant use.

In its commission to IQWiG to assess the drug, the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) distinguishes between two appropriate comparator therapies. For patients without prior adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy, the appropriate comparator therapy consists of watchful waiting or systemic antineoplastic drug treatment of physician's choice, depending on the stage of the disease. If the patients have already received adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy or if this therapy is not suitable for them, watchful waiting is the sole appropriate comparator therapy.

Unclear allocation of the affected patients limits informative value

In its dossier, the manufacturer assumes that its drug is an option only in a few cases, if any, for patients who have not yet received adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy despite suitability. Therefore, it only lists one study whose participants correspond to research question 2, i.e. who either have already undergone adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy or who cannot receive such therapy. The ongoing randomized controlled trial compares osimertinib with placebo and includes adults with stage IB to IIIA NSCLC after complete tumour resection whose tumours had EGFR mutations in the form of exon 19 deletion or exon 21 substitution mutation (L858R).

Quite a few participants in the study - one quarter to three quarters, depending on the disease stage - have not received adjuvant chemotherapy before, and the reasons for this remain open. It is thus unclear whether platinum-based chemotherapy would not have been suitable for some of them. These patients would therefore not fall under the research question. The data basis allows conclusions on the added benefit of osimertinib, however, the uncertainty permits at most the derivation of hints.

Less recurrences

An added benefit compared to watchful waiting in the outcome category "mortality" is not proven for patients who have already received adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy or for whom this therapy is not suitable. In the category "morbidity", the study data show an added benefit for the outcome "recurrence": Recurrences occurred less frequently in the osimertinib arm than in the placebo arm.

An added benefit is not proven for the mental aspects of health-related quality of life. For the physical aspects of health-related quality of life, there is a hint of lesser benefit of osimertinib compared to watchful waiting for patients in stages II and IIIA; there is no proof of greater or lesser benefit for patients in stage IB.

In some outcomes of the category "side effects", there are hints of greater harm from osimertinib versus watchful waiting.

However, these negative effects do not completely outweigh the major advantage in the outcome "recurrence". In summary, there is a hint of considerable added benefit for patients who have already received adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy or for whom it is not suitable.

There are no suitable study data on the treatment of patients without prior adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy, so that an added benefit of osimertinib versus the appropriate comparator therapy is not proven for these patients.

GBA decides on the extent of added benefit

The dossier assessment is part of the early benefit assessment according to the Act on the Reform of the Market for Medicinal Products (AMNOG) supervised by the G-BA. After publication of the dossier assessment, the G-BA conducts a commenting procedure and makes a final decision on the extent of the added benefit.
Polymorphs are molecules that have different molecular packing arrangements despite identical chemical compositions. In a recent paper, researchers at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and the Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre (CCDC) combined their proprietary (GSK) and published (CCDC) datasets to better train machine learning (ML) models to predict stable polymorphs to use in new drug candidates.

What are the key differences between the CCDC and GSK datasets?

CCDC curates and maintains the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD). For the past century, scientists all over the world have contributed published, experimental crystal structures to the CSD, which now has over 1.1 million structures. The paper's authors used a drug subset from the CSD combined with structures from GSK. The GSK structures were collected at different stages of the pharmaceutical pipeline and are not limited to marketed products. Co-author Dr Jason Cole, senior research fellow on CCDC's research and development team, explained why structures gathered at different stages of the drug discovery pipeline are so important.

"In early-stage drug discovery, a crystal structure can help to rationalize conformational effects, for example, or characterize the chemistry of a new chemical entity where other techniques have led to ambiguity," Cole said. "Later in the process, when a new chemical entity is studied as a candidate molecule, crystal structures are critical as they inform form selection and can later aid in overcoming formulation and tabletting issues."

This information can help researchers prioritize their efforts-;saving time and potentially lives down the road.

"By understanding a range of crystal structures, scientists can also assess the risk of a given form being long-term unstable," Cole said. "A full characterization of the structural landscape leads to confidence in taking a form forward."

How do ML models in pharmaceutical science benefit from multiple datasets?

Industrial data sets reflect more than just science; they reflect cultural choices within a given organization.

"You will only find co-crystals if you look for co-crystals," Cole said, as an example. "Most companies prefer to formulate a free, or unbound, drug. One can assume that the types of structures in an industrial set reflect conscious decisions to search for forms of given types, whereas fewer bounds are placed on the researchers who contribute to the CSD."

ML models benefit from two key things: data volume and data specificity. That's why coupling the volume and variety of data in the CSD with proprietary data sets is so helpful.

"Large amounts of data lead to more confident predictions," Cole said. "Data that are most directly relevant to the problem lead to more accurate predictions. In the predictions that use CCDC software, we select a subset of the most relevant entries that is large enough to give confidence. The GSK set is bound to have highly relevant compounds to other compounds in their commercial portfolio. So the model-building software can use these."

Industrial researchers working with highly relevant data can run into issues when they don't have enough to generate confident models.

"Consider that CSD software typically picks around two thousand structures from the 1.1 million in the CSD," Cole said. "The industrial set is tiny by comparison, but you could pick, say, 40 or 50 highly relevant structures. You'd have insufficient data to build a good model with that alone, but the added compounds from the CSD supplement the data set. In essence, by including the GSK and CSD sets we get the best of both worlds: all the highly relevant industrial structures and a set of quite relevant CSD structures together to build a high-quality model."

Why do polymorphs present a risk to the pharmaceutical industry?

The different packing arrangements mean that one polymorph might be more suited for therapeutic delivery, while another form of the same compound might not. Researchers use crystal structure databases to make knowledge-based predictions about whether a potential new drug is comprised of a good, stable form that manufacturers can make, store, and deliver in a therapeutic manner. The authors at GSK and CCDC completed a robust analysis of the small molecule crystal structures containing X-ray diffraction results from GSK and its heritage companies for the past 40 years. They then combined those results with a drug subset of structures from CCDC's CSD, which contains over 1.1 million small-molecule organic and metal-organic crystal structures from researchers all over the world.
In the first month of the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly all 50 states announced restrictions on gatherings and businesses, and most issued stay-at-home orders, aiming to curb disease transmission and avoid overburdening health systems.

States eased those policies based on politics as much as COVID-19 death rates or case counts, according to new research from the University of Washington. The researchers also found that states with large Black communities, despite those communities being hit hardest by the pandemic, also lifted restrictions earlier.

In general, the study published Oct. 1 in Perspectives on Politics found that states with Republican governors and a larger vote share for Donald Trump in 2016 eased their restrictions two weeks earlier than states with Democratic governors and smaller Trump vote shares, all else equal.

The push by Trump to politicize social distancing policy came at a critical time: In April 2020, cases were still very high in many states. Many Republican governors pulled the trigger on easing too early." Christopher Adolph, lead author, professor of political science, UW

The study is the latest from the UW COVID-19 State Policy Project, led by Adolph. Last year, the team published papers on the influence of politics on social distancing policies and mask mandates and, like the latest research, found that a governor's political party was a key driver in what are ostensibly public health decisions. There was a "near-immediate politicization of this public health crisis," the authors wrote in their new paper, exacerbated when then-President Trump declared that statewide lockdowns and business closures were a greater threat to the economy than the virus.

The new study looked at when states eased five policies, beginning in mid-April 2020: stay-at-home orders; limits on gatherings; closures of nonessential businesses such as gyms and movie theaters; and restrictions on the operation of restaurants and bars. In all five categories, researchers found that Republican-led states eased restrictions on indoor activity earlier than Democratic-led ones, but by early July 2020, all states had eased at least one social distancing policy.

The team analyzed those moves taking into account other factors -; health indicators such as COVID-19 deaths, confirmed cases and test positivity rates, along with other variables such as governor's political party, Trump's share of the vote in 2016, state population density and some demographic characteristics.

Public health indicators did play a role, the researchers point out, as states with better trends in epidemiological indicators could be expected to ease restrictions two weeks (an average of 14.1 days) ahead of states where trends in case counts and deaths were worsening or improving more slowly. But the influence of COVID-19 trajectories was slightly less than that of the governor's political party and the share of Trump voters. All else equal, states with a Republican governor and a majority of Trump voters could be expected to begin easing restrictions just over two weeks (an average of 14.5 days) ahead of Democratic-led states.

"Since March 2020, state-level decisions on the response to COVID-19 have been influenced by politics as much as -; and sometimes more than -; public health data and evidence on evolving pandemic needs. In the U.S., this has happened for social distancing measures, mask policies, vaccination and testing requirements, travel restrictions -; everything," said Bree Bang-Jensen, a study co-author and doctoral candidate in political science at the UW.

The authors warn that polarized politics could further hinder how future public health emergencies are handled in the United States. For instance, following the initial loosening of social distancing restrictions, COVID-19 cases and deaths rose in many states. Yet a fragmented approach toward COVID-19 continued through the summer and fall of 2020, culminating in a devastating winter surge and deepening partisan divisions.

"Public health inherently involves political considerations and trade-offs, so completely divorcing politics from public health decision-making and policy implementation isn't really an option. Instead, we should recognize how public health policy and practice occur within existing political environments, and actively work within those systems to ensure strong science and timely data can inform decisions," said Nancy Fullman, a study co-author and doctoral student in global health at the UW.

The team also analyzed the association between the loosening of restrictions and a state's Black population, given the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on Black communities and other communities of color. Indeed, states with larger percentages of their population identifying as Black saw COVID-19 social distancing policies eased nearly a week (an average of 6.7 days) earlier than states with a smaller Black population -; a finding that may mirror patterns of systemic racism and enduring neglect toward Black communities in the U.S.

"The COVID-19 pandemic continues to exact an uneven toll for individuals and communities, especially people of color and frontline workers who face higher exposure to the virus. Each decision to reduce COVID-related protections places already marginalized groups at risk, and needs to be made very carefully. This was true in 2020, and it remains true today," Adolph said.

The study was funded by the Benificus Foundation and the UW Center for Statistics and the Social Sciences.

In addition to Adolph, Bang-Jensen, and Fullman, co-authors were John Wilkerson, professor and chair of political science at the UW; Kenya Amano, Rachel Castellano, Megan Erickson and Grace Reinke, all doctoral students in political science at the UW; and Beatrice Magistro, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto who completed this work while a doctoral student in political science at the UW.
(Newser)  Some odd reports out of California are painting a bizarre picture of an attack on a US Army special operations unit--by a ninja. Or at least a man dressed as one. Per NPR, members of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment were training at the Inyokern Airport in Kern County Sept. 18 when a man in a ninja costume approached the victim, who was smoking a cigarette late at night, and asked "Do you know who I am?" After the victim answered no, the man reportedly asked "Do you know where my family is?" When the victim answered no again, the suspect slashed at him with the katana-style sword.

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After the slashing, the victim, identified as a sergeant, took off running and locked himself in an administrative building with a captain. Per Stars and Stripes, the suspect threw a large chunk of asphalt through a window of the building, striking the captain. At least one victim reportedly required stitches. The ninja, meanwhile, fled the scene before being spotted elsewhere, the Kern County Sheriff's Office said. Per their report, the suspect, identified as 35-year-old Gino Rivera, immediately resisted arrest and brandished the sword at deputies.

"Non-lethal projectile rounds were deployed but were ineffective. Rivera ran from deputies and deputies pursued. Rivera continued to disobey deputies commands and a taser was deployed. Rivera dropped the sword and deputies used control holds to take Rivera into custody," the report said. As the soldiers were treated at a local hospital, Rivera was booked on charges of attempted homicide, assault with a deadly weapon, brandishing a weapon, brandishing a weapon with the intent to resist or prevent an arrest, vandalism, and obstruct/delay a peace officer in the discharge of their duties.

(Read more weird news stories.)
(Newser)  Everyone says the hard part is landing. Well, some people say the hard part is the time spent shoeless in the TSA line. But nobody ever says the hard part is when youre almost off the ground when a bird strikes the planes engine, which catches fire, ends your flight, and closes the whole airport for hours. Atlantic City is known for gambling, but nobody would take the odds on that one. A Spirit Airlines spokesperson told Fox News that a plane bound for Fort Lauderdale encountered a bird while speeding up to take off from the Atlantic City airport. Encountered is a very calm, neutral word considering what happened was the engine burst into flames. The pilot safely braked to a stop on the runway, and all 102 people on board, both passengers and crew, were evacuated, WPVI-TV reports.

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Two passengers were treated for minor injuries, but everyone was more or less okay except for the bird that encountered the engine. The plane, Spirit Airlines flight 3044, was supposed to fly to Florida, leaving just before 6pm, but the airport shut down for hours afterward. Spirit Airlines said in a statement that they offered everyone an alternate flight, a travel voucher, and a refund. Its not the best payout anyone has ever gotten in Atlantic City, but travelers did at least get a shot at making their journeys after a short delayand a really good story to tell at their destination. (Read more weird news stories.)
(Newser)  Saturday Night Live is back from its summer break, and it has a new cast member. Which is good, because they really needed someone to play President Joe Biden. James Austin Johnson made his debut on the show not with a small joke or a bit part in a sketch, but in a seven-minute cold open, playing Biden trying to broker peace in the war over his infrastructure bill. Reviews are mixed: Hes the best Biden since Sudeikis, if you ask the Daily Beast. Or, hes the worst ever, if you ask Vanity Fair. However people feel about the impression, it was necessarySNL was taking heat for pulling its punches with very few Biden sketches after a masterful run of Alec Baldwin as Trump, the New York Times reports. Guest star Jim Carrey filled in for six weeks and Alex Moffat occasionally did an impression, but it was an empty spot in their repertoire.

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The cast also paid tribute to Norm Macdonald. Macdonald died Sept. 14 after a long battle with cancer. After doing a normal Weekend Update segment, Colin Jost and Michael Che expressed sadness at the loss of their predecessor in the fake news anchor role. It is a bittersweet night for us tonight, Jost said, and then aired several clips of Macdonalds best jokes, including an OJ jokeIn a brilliant move during closing arguments, Simpson attorney Johnnie Cochran put on the knit cap prosecutors say O.J. wore during the night of the murders. Although O.J. may have hurt his case when he suddenly blurted out, Hey, hey. Easy with that! Thats my lucky stabbing hat!' Macdonald was rumored to have been fired over his refusal to lay off OJ Simpson. You can watch video of the whole segment. (Read more Saturday Night Live stories.)
(Newser)  Employees of a hospital system in Louisiana are facing a possible increase in their health care costs: $100 will be deducted from every paycheck if their spouse or partner on their plan isn't vaccinated for COVID-19. Ochsner Health workers already have an Oct. 29 deadline for being fully vaccinated themselves, NOLA.com reports. The "spousal COVID vaccine fee" will begin next year and could add up to $2,400 per year. Children and other dependents won't trigger the charge, just spouses and domestic partners who have health coverage through the employee's plan and are eligible for the shots.

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The CEO of Ochsner, Louisiana's largest health care system, said the added pressure is to help keep premiums down for employees. The system is self-insured, per NBC, so it pays directly for treatment of COVID patients on its plan. That bill was $9 million over the past year, Warner Thomas said. And most of Ochsner's COVID-19 patients have not been vaccinated; health professionals regularly express frustration that more people aren't vaccinated. Thomas said the new policy isn't a mandate, since partners and spouses, who can ask for a medical or religious exemption, can buy insurance elsewhere. He likened the policy to an existing one affecting tobacco users, per CNN.

Employers are entitled to impose such charges, a New Orleans lawyer and professor said. "They have a right to minimize their risks," Joel Friedman said. Charles Stoecker, another Tulane University professor, said: "Now those people have some incentives to consider the cost of the care that they're asking other people to pay for. If you're asking everybody else to assume the risk for your unvaccinated stay in the ICU, it does make more sense that you should have to kick in more into the insurance pool." An employee lawsuit over Ochsner's vaccine mandate for employees was tossed out last month. (Read more coronavirus vaccine stories.)
(Newser)  Scores of Chinese fighter jets have encroached on Taiwan's air defense zone in the past few days, an action threatening enough to cause the self-ruled island to scramble its own military aircraft. Taiwan reported 16 incursions on Sunday, 39 on Saturday, and 38 on Fridaythe most ever, NBC reports. The Chinese military aircraft included bombers and anti-submarine planes on nighttime flights. Taiwan's airspace was not violated. The US FAA defines the air defense zone as an area in which "a country requires the immediate and positive identification, location and air traffic control of aircraft in the interest of the country's national security," per CNN.

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The US expressed concern about the "provocative military activity," saying it's "destabilizing, risks miscalculations, and undermines regional peace and stability." Analysts don't see the flights, which began on China's National Day holiday, as meaning war is near, per the New York Times. But especially given the timing, "it sends a message about Beijings determination to claim Taiwan, by force if necessary," said an Australian analyst. China considers Taiwan still part of its territory, though the losing nationalist side in China's civil war set up a government on the island in 1949.

China's government didn't say anything about the weekend flights but has said after past flights that they're intended to guard against "collusion" between Taiwan and foreign militaries. "It is very worrying," said a security analyst in Taipei, the capital. "This puts a lot more pressure on our military, and the more they reach into our airspace, the greater the risk of some kind of "accident." Taiwan sent military jets up to keep an eye on the Chinese planes but not confront them. Analysts said that's a strain on Taiwan's personnel and aircraft and could affect military readiness. "We urge Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic, and economic pressure and coercion against Taiwan," the State Department's statement said. (Read more Taiwan-China relations stories.)
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Do not spread incitement messages that harm the safety and security of the Kingdom, Anti-Cyber Crimes Directorate in a statement told social media users.

The warning came after the directorate spotted statements and messages promoting sedition and chaos in the Kingdom. The General Directorate of Anti-Corruption and Economic and Electronic Security said the messages were posted from outside Bahrain alleging to be from individuals and organisations inside Bahrain.

They aim to promote sedition and chaos and risk social and civil peace, the directorate said. The directorate called on social media users to depend on reliable sources and avoid circulating and dealing with incitement messages as a national duty.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Workers caught during inspection campaigns for violations will not be issued work permits in future, said a top LMRA official. This would leave them with no further options other than leaving the country, as they wont be able to legalise their status, said Dr Khaled Muhammad Abdul Rahman.

They will also be denied re-entry to the Kingdom, the Executive Vice President of the Legal Control Sector at the Labour Market Regulatory Authority added. The official was speaking after an inspection campaign organised in the Captial along with several government agencies.

The campaign focused on shops in Sasas street and street vendors, during which the authorities also arrested several illegal workers. Dr Rahman said that LMRA is cooperating with other government agencies to curb the phenomenon of illegal workers.

Fridays campaign was jointly with the Nationality, Passports and Residence Affairs, the Capital Police Directorate, the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism, and the Ministry of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning.

Workers caught were found violating rules regarding the labour market, residence, road occupancy and others. The LMRA official also called on to report complaints by calling on 17506055.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

New stringent rules for health facilities to manage hazardous waste had come into effect in the Kingdom. The rules require appointing a waste management official and a work team at every health facility in the Kingdom for hazardous waste management. The rules also focus on reducing the rate of waste disposed of at the Askar landfill. Besides, it sets the standards for storing hazardous waste within facilities and determines how long it should stay before transferring to a treatment unit.

The decision is crucial to hazardous waste management considering that the health sector in the Kingdom recorded a 17% jump between 2017 and 2020 in terms of facilities, said Dr Mohammed bin Mubarak bin Daina, the Special Envoy for Climate Affairs and Chief Executive of SCE. He was marking the start of the implementation of the rule that came into effect on the 25th of September 2021.

The rule, he said, was prepared in collaboration with the National Health Regulatory Authority, the Health Ministry and the Ministry of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning, and the World Health Organisation.

Accordingly, health facilities should name an employee in charge of waste management and form a work team whose responsibilities are also defined.

Dr bin Daina called on health facilities in the Kingdom to implement the provisions of the Edict and make efforts to reduce the rate of generation of hazardous and other waste.

Increase investment

He also urged to create opportunities for investing in the sector to reduce the amount of waste disposed of to the Askar landfill.

Each health facility in the Kingdom, he said, produces 15% to 20% of the hazardous waste dealt by licenced treatment companies. Eighty to 85% of the waste generated are non-hazardous, a large portion of which can be recycled, he pointed out.

Dr Daina said that the SCE is collaborating with NHRA and the Works Ministry to ensure compliance of health facilities in the Kingdom with the new measures.

He also expressed confidence in the ability of the health facilities in the Kingdom to bear their responsibility in achieving the target. According to Keith Alverson, Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) International Environmental Technology Centre in Osaka, Japan, Healthcare waste is all the waste generated by healthcare facilities, medical laboratories and biomedical research facilities, as well as waste from minor or scattered sources.

He also points out that improper treatment and disposal of healthcare waste poses serious hazards of secondary disease transmission due to exposures to infectious agents among waste pickers, waste workers, health workers, patients, and the community in general where waste is improperly disposed.
By Margaret Nardi, US Embassy Charge dAffaires to the Kingdom of Bahrain

Each year, we are delighted to celebrate Discover America Week to highlight the contributions of American goods, services, and products to our lives. This years Discover America Week is special because it marks the 15th anniversary of the US-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement (FTA), the cornerstone of the economic ties binding our two nations.

Kicking off on October 3, Discover America Week will provide an opportunity for the US Embassy in Bahrain, the American Chamber of Commerce, and our friends and partners in Bahrain to highlight two-way economic benefits and to reinforce our strong and deepening partnerships across sectors.

Since coming into force in 2006, the Free Trade Agreement has tripled two-way trade and has created new investment opportunities in both the United States and Bahrain.

Trade between our two countries reached $3 billion in 2018, the highest reported figure in the FTAs history, following the sale of Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft to support Gulf Airs preparations to resume direct flights to the United States.

Although the pandemic-induced global economic downturn reduced bilateral trade to $1.5 billion in 2020, total US-Bahrain trade has reached nearly $1 billion for the first half of 2021.

For the past 15 years, the FTA has consistently generated annual bilateral trade volumes exceeding $1 billion. The FTA also facilitates bilateral investment between Bahrain and the United States.

According to the latest U.S. Department of Commerce statistics from 2020, the United States has invested over $570 million in Bahrain, more than triple the $161 million balance of foreign direct investment in 2016. Similarly, Bahrain has invested $365 million in the United States, up from $190 million in 2018.

Bahrains outward investment flow to the United States supports over 8,600 American jobs in the communications, information technology, and heavy metals industries.

Through our Discover America Week events, we will have a chance to explore the diversity of American franchises and iconic brands, as well as discover new opportunities in the tourism, health, energy, and automobile sectors that are creating jobs and promoting economic prosperity for Bahrains citizens and its residents.

Discover America Week 2021 will also promote the opening of new American franchises in Bahrains thriving hospitality sector, including Chilis and Papa Johns, which are launching new stores in Manama, and the Hilton, which is opening a new hotel in Bahrain Bay.

All three businesses showcase iconic American brands that are hiring staff and contributing to Bahrains economic success and its expanding tourism sector.

In partnership with the Bahrain Sustainable Energy Authority, the US Embassy will host a virtual presentation on emerging investment opportunities in solar, wind, and waste-to-energy projects.

The U.S. Embassy will also partner with a local vehicle repair shop to highlight the quality of American auto part imports and will emphasize critical industry standards for Bahrains auto parts aftermarket.

To further expand bilateral ties under the Free Trade Agreement, the US Embassy will launch virtual information sessions on the process for obtaining non-immigrant visitor and business visas, as well a separate webinar on educational opportunities and how to pursue study in the United States.

Finally, the US Embassy, in collaboration with the American Chamber of Commerce, will present a virtual webinar to explain Bahrains new health system, Sehati, and explore investment opportunities for US insurance providers. We hope you will join us to learn more about the rich diversity of US contributions to Bahrain during Discover America Week from October 3 to 7, 2021.

Though Covid-19 pandemic restrictions on mass gatherings have been eased, to remain safe, most of our public programming will be virtual, and will be readily accessible via the US Embassys Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube accounts.
PRAGUE (AP)  The Czech military has signed a deal worth 8.52 billion Czech crowns ($390 million) to acquire 52 CAESAR self-propelled gun howitzers from Frances Nexter Systems.

The contract was signed on Thursday during a visit by French Defense Minister Florence Parly to Prague.

The new weapons will replace obsolete DANA systems that dont meet NATO standards.

The deal is part of the ongoing modernization of the Czech armed forces.

In a separate recently announced $600 million deal, the Czechs will acquire a new air defense SPYDER system for its military from the Israeli state-run company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd.
"TONIGHT  TONIGHT

The headlines boldface capital type seems to shout from the ad in The Bridgeport Telegram, urging readers to step along with the jolly throng at a concert featuring the eight marvelous music men who made up Kreglings Melody Boys.

It was 1924 and cities across Connecticut were roaring to the new music of jazz. The decade began on the heels of the great pandemic of 1918 and the wounds and loss of World War I still fresh. The 18th Amendment had recently banned the sale of alcohol, and Coast Guard boats prowled Connecticut waters in search of bootleggers, but enough booze got through that the party kept going.

African American-led jazz bands like Kreglings Melody Boys were everywhere. In this nation syncopation simply is our meat. Most of the people that I know would rather jazz than eat, read a national column printed in The Bridgeport Telegram in 1922.

Yet not everyone was dancing to the tune of the modern world. Bordering the advertisement for the Kreglings Melody Boys performance on Oct. 18, 1924, is a menacing ad that jumps like a dissonant chord from the page. Join The Ku Klux Klan the ad says, above an address in Fairfield where interested readers could write for more information.

The 1920s are this really fascinating decade, says Ilene Frank, chief curator at the Connecticut Historical Society in Hartford. When we look back, a lot of people think about flappers and the music and Great Gatsby-type feelings and vibes, and that was absolutely part of it. But it was also, in our country, a time of really great change.

She adds, Theres grief and sadness, having come out of World War I and then having the Spanish flu devastate the country. And so, while it is easy for us to focus on the Roaring Twenties good times, like any decade there are definitely pros and cons. And there are absolutely tensions that are existing in society.

Some of that change was positive. The 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote in 1920, and women began to take a more direct role in political life. Mary Townsend Seymour, a civil and womens rights activist from Hartford, became the first African American woman in the U.S. to run for state office in the 1920s. She is defeated, of course, but she is standing there making her claim to political office, Frank says.

Immigration also picked up in the state, and during the 1920s nearly 30 percent of the states residents were not born in the U.S. The Northeast had the highest proportion of foreign-born residents anywhere in the country and sometimes double the national average. So, anyone whos living in Connecticut and in New England in the 1920s is seeing these waves of immigrants come in from new countries like Italy, Russia and Poland, Frank says.

Not everyone was happy about the states increasing diversity. Tapping into racism and fear of immigrants, the Ku Klux Klan gained a foothold in the state, and by 1926 they claimed to have a membership of about 65,000 people. In the 20s in Connecticut, they had racist views against Blacks, but a lot of their movement, and their protesting is really anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic, Frank says. Their advertisements from the time targeted Italians, Jews and others with negative stereotypes.

Despite this dark undercurrent, there were also aspects of 1920s Connecticut that fit our vision of the Roaring Twenties, including, as already mentioned, the nations newfound love of jazz. The 20s is the height of the Harlem Renaissance, so there is this whole burgeoning artistic and literary culture thats happening from this really great collection of artistic and intellectual African Americans in Harlem, and those writers and those performers are coming here, Frank says. Jazz just becomes the pulse or the sound of urban centers.

The wild parties and decadent side of the decade were also on full display in Connecticut. The wealthy began buying up more property on Connecticuts coast, and walls around private communities and the states beaches went up. Extravagant parties were thrown for elites, and some of them may even have inspired one of the best-known novels about the time period. Scott Fitzgerald, and Zelda, rented a house along the Sound in the early 20s in Connecticut, and some people think that that was part of the inspiration for writing The Great Gatsby, Frank says.

This article originally appeared in Connecticut Magazine. You can subscribe here, or find the current issue on sale here. Sign up for the newsletter to get the latest and greatest content from Connecticut Magazine delivered right to your inbox. On Facebook and Instagram @connecticutmagazine and Twitter @connecticutmag.
DANBURY  With the public schools facing funding and enrollment challenges, local education is among the chief concerns for the citys mayoral candidates.

Republican Dean Esposito and Democrat Roberto Alves aim to study the need for more classrooms and work with the school district to address their financial needs. But the two mayoral hopefuls differ greatly on a proposed charter school.

Our goal is always No. 1 to build the best education system that we can for the city, said Esposito, the mayors chief of staff.

Alves said hes particularly invested in the schools. His two children attend the public schools, and its been a long time since a Danbury mayor could say that, he noted.

We are the Danbury experience right now, said Alves, a City Council member.

Charter school

Esposito supports Prospect Charter Schools plan to open a charter school in downtown Danbury, while Alves is against it.

The state Board of Education approved the charter school in 2018, but the state legislature hasnt granted the operational funding that would be required for it to open. Danburys state representatives and senator firmly oppose the plan because they say public resources should go toward public schools, which must answer to voters.

Thats Alves stance.

Right now were advocating for our public schools, he said. That is the right answer for Danbury because the public schools answer to the Board of Education.

But the charter school is a faster way to address rapid enrollment and space constraints in the public schools, Esposito said. Prospect is an acclaimed charter school, where students would get a high-quality education, he said.

My goal is to be on the forefront of that, knock on the governors door every day if I have to to provide that service to the city, Esposito said.

Prospect, which is based in Brooklyn, has had to push off its Danbury opening date for several years. The plan is to open the facility with about 110 sixth graders its first semester and then add a new class each year, eventually reaching 770 students.

Thats too slow and wouldnt address the Danburys enrollment growth fast enough, Alves said.

Both candidates back Danburys career academy, which will eventually serve 1,400 students, but wont open to its first set of 10th graders until fall 2024.

State funding for the charter school wouldnt take away from the money Danbury Public Schools receive, Esposito said. Plus a philanthropist has promised $25 million toward building the school, so its not a huge cost to the city, he said.

Money for the charter school wouldnt come from the same pocket of state money that funding for the public schools does, but all of it comes from the states wallet, Alves said. Any money available should go to the public schools, he said.

If that money is there in the state for this school  our public schools are in dire need for that money, lets advocate for that, he said.

The city is divided on the charter school.

The Danbury-based organization Latinos for Educational Advocacy and Diversity grew out of the fight for the charter school and opened a community center over the summer at the Main Street property where the school is proposed to sit.

Meanwhile, the teachers union, who have endorsed Alves, opposes the charter school.

Esposito praised Danburys high-quality teachers.

I commend them every day for the job they do, but the reality is, this charter school can be a huge asset to this city, he said.

Space constraints

Alves argued the Republican administrations over the last 20 years have shown a lack of foresight, investment and/or attention to our schools. Student enrollment has surged, leading to overcrowding in the schools. Another middle school and likely an elementary school are needed, he said.

The can has been kicked down the road for so many years, Alves said. We dont have enough space for the students we currently have.

For example, some kindergarten students are attending a rented school in Brookfield because COVID social distancing guidelines made space to tight in the elementary schools.

But Esposito said the current administration has shown foresight with school construction projects, such as the planned career academy and the seven classrooms being constructed as an annex to Ellsworth Avenue Elementary School

Danbury schools are growing because the city is the shining star in the state, Esposito said.

The city is doing so well and drawing new families and people into the city, he said. We have to be prepared for an even larger influx of new people.

The candidates back the superintendents plan to conduct another demographic study to get a better picture of enrollment trends. Theyd like to find the best or a better demographer because school enrollment has often surpassed projections. This would be the school districts third demographic study since November 2019.

Both candidates would like the city to try to purchase or rent an existing building for a school, rather than spending additional money on construction.

We have to find space, said Esposito, adding hes already checking out at a location on the south end. The reality is were running out of space city wide.

With many companies still allowing their employees to work from home, the city may be able to convert a commercial building into a school, Alves said.

There is likely a lot of landlords of commercial properties who are worried about what the next five, 10, 15 years look like for them, he said. Why not partner with these folks if there are buildings we can re-purpose for schools.

School funding

Both candidates said theyd want to avoid raising taxes to provide more money for the schools, while collaborating better with school officials on the budget.

My goals are education, education, education, Esposito said. That means working together with the Board of Education, our new superintendent and our ... new staff in the finance [department] on the education side.

Esposito said hell be able to meet the schools needs, without raising taxes. Thats especially important as some residents continue to struggle financially due to the coronavirus pandemic, he said.

If we have good money management like always, were going to be able to get through it, he said.

Alves said hell consider the school boards full budget request, but his goal will be to allocate the citys resources in a way that circumvents a tax increase.

My plan is to not raise taxes, Alves said. My plan is to be responsible with our money.

A strategy Esposito would employ is using the school districts surplus from prior years toward the new budget, something Danbury has done previously. He also wants to push the state for more money toward the schools because the state does not pay its fair share to Danbury, he said.

That takes the burden off our individual taxpayers, Esposito said.

Alves proposes taking advantage of an as much as $2.5 million increase in state PILOT  or payment in lieu of taxes  funding and putting that toward the schools.

All, if not most, of that money should be allocated to our most dire needs, he said.
OTTAWA, ON, Oct. 2, 2021 /CNW/ - Today, the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, the Honourable Bill Blair, confirmed that the Government of Canada has received additional information from the Province of Alberta on the additional medical personnel needed to combat the fourth wave of COVID-19 across the province.

The Canadian Armed Forces is preparing to provide up to eight critical care nurses to assist in intensives care units in hospitals in Alberta. An initial element, expected to be in position by Monday, October 4, will seek to confirm where and how these nursing officers will be integrated into the Alberta heath care system.

The Canadian Red Cross is planning to provide up to 20 medical professionals, some with intensive care unit experience, to augment or relieve existing staff working in hospitals in Alberta. The Red Cross is working closely with Alberta Health Services to finalize the plan to send its personnel to areas in need. The Red Cross deployment is funded by Public Safety's new Humanitarian Workforce Program, which was stood up in Summer 2021, following the 2020 Fall Economic Statement.

The Government Operations Centre is working closely with federal and provincial partners to coordinate the federal response to the situation in Alberta.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government Operations Centre has administered more than 130 requests for assistance from federal, provincial, and territorial partners. These requests have been administered in collaboration with federal organizations such as National Defence and Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada and non-governmental partners, such as the Canadian Red Cross.

Quotes

"We are always ready to help Canadians across the country during difficult times, and this pandemic has been no different. The Canadian Armed Forces, Canadian Red Cross, and health professionals have stepped up time and again over the past 19 months to answer the call to protect people, and I want to thank all those on the front lines who continue to keep Canadians safe."

- The Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness

"The women and men of the Canadian Armed Forces continue to help Canadians in the combat against COVID-19. As part of Operation LASER, Canadian Armed Forces members will use their experience to help the Province of Alberta in the fight against the fourth wave of the pandemic. Since the beginning of the pandemic the Canadian Armed Forces has received and responded to more than 65 requests for assistance from provincial or federal partners. No matter the challenges, our members are always ready to answer the call and help Canadians."

- The Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, Minister of National Defence

"The federal government is here for you and stands ready to help all provinces and territories in the fight against COVID-19. We can all help protect our friends, family and communities to stay safe by getting fully vaccinated, helping others to do so, and following public health measures"

- The Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Health

"The Canadian Red Cross is pleased to be working in support of Public Safety Canada and Alberta Health Services to help fellow Canadians battling a fourth wave of COVID-19. The Red Cross is ready and well-positioned to provide support with medical personnel. Throughout the pandemic, the Red Cross has sent specialists to intensive care units in hospitals, supported public health units with vaccination and provided comfort and care to returning travelers requiring isolation. The Red Cross continues to strengthen its capacity, in order to be ready to provide this vital assistance to communities most in need."

- Mr. Conrad Sauve, President and CEO, Canadian Red Cross

Quick Facts

The Government Operations Centre is responsible for coordinating the Government of Canada's response to emergency events including the pandemic. It supports the Public Health Agency of Canada , which is the federal government lead for the response to COVID-19.

response to emergency events including the pandemic. It supports the Public Health Agency of , which is the federal government lead for the response to COVID-19. In Canada , emergencies are managed first at the municipal level and if they need assistance, they request it from their province or territory. If the emergency escalates further, provinces or territories can get help from the federal government.

, emergencies are managed first at the municipal level and if they need assistance, they request it from their province or territory. If the emergency escalates further, provinces or territories can get help from the federal government. A Request for Federal Assistance is initiated when an emergency event overwhelms or threatens to overwhelm the resources of a province or territory and federal government help is needed to effectively support the impacted region.

Should a province or territory make an official Request for Federal Assistance, there is a well-established process in place for managing the request, through the Government Operations Centre, and includes provincial/territorial and interdepartmental consultation and coordination.

Related products

Associated Links

SOURCE Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada

For further information: James Cudmore, Director of Communications, Office of the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, 613-407-8515, [email protected]; Media Relations, Public Safety Canada, 613-991-0657, [email protected]; Media Relations, Department of National Defence, Phone: 613-904-3333, Email: [email protected]; Media Relations, Public Health Agency of Canada, Phone: 613-957-2983, Email: [email protected]; Canadian Red Cross, English Media: 1-877-599-9602, French Media: 1-888-418-9111

Related Links

https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca


Among the dead were four frontier corps personnel and an inspector of the one Levies force.

At least five Pakistani soldiers were killed as terrorists attacked their vehicles in the North Waziristan district near the Afghanistan border on Saturday, a media report said.

Pakistans media affairs wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement that four Frontier Corps personnel and an Inspector of the Levies force were killed in the attack, according to Samaa TV. The incident took place in North Waziristans Spin Wam area. A search operation has been launched by the officials and the area was cordoned off.

Earlier on September 30, a Pakistan Army captain was killed during an intelligence-based operation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwas (KP) Tank district.

There has been an uptick in attacks on Pakistani forces in recent months. Attacks on security forces have increased in some areas of North and South Waziristan tribal districts since the Taliban intensified offensive against the government forces across the border in Afghanistan.
The Indian Army has successfully tested the made-in-India K-9 Vajra howitzers in high altitude locations in Eastern Ladakh and inducted a regiment of these guns in the sector, said Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane on Saturday. The gun was the first major Make in India project of the Narendra Modi government and 100 of these guns have been inducted into the force and plans are afoot to buy more of them.



The Indian Army chief in an exclusive interaction with ANI said the gun has further enhanced the firepower of the force in deployment along the Line of Actual Control with China. The K9 was originally a self-propelled gun for our armoured formations in the plains of Punjab and Rajasthan. When the situation was developed in Ladakh and there was a requirement of more firepower. These guns were inducted with some modifications and conducive to operate in high altitude areas, he said. The Army chief stated that the field trials of the gun were extremely successful. We have inducted entire regiment and it will certainly add to our firepower, he stated.



The Army chief had been monitoring the induction and operations of the howitzers produced in the Larsen and Toubro facility in Hazira near Surat in Gujarat. The self-propelled guns have a range of 38 kilometres but they have been successfully hitting targets at 50 kilometres in the mountains up to 16,000 feet altitude in Eastern Ladakh. The gun has also been test-firing along the Kargil sector, which shares boundary with Pakistan and can be very effective there also, Army officials said.

With the induction of the K9 Vajras, Dhanush and M777 ultra-light Howitzers, the Army is obtaining new inductions in its inventory.
As many as 25 PLA warplanes entered the southwestern corner of the ADIZ during daylight hours, and another 13 planes entered the island's southwest ADIZ on Friday night, the Taiwanese Defence Ministry said in a statement.

Taiwan has accused China of engaging in military aggression and damaging regional peace after 38 Chinese aircraft entered the islands nations air defence zone. China has been wantonly engaged in military aggression, damaging regional peace, Taiwan Premier Su Tseng-Chang told reporters on Saturday morning. Taiwan on Friday said 38 Chinese warplanes entered its air identification zone (ADIZ) on Friday, in what appears to be the biggest incursion by Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) since Taipei began publicly reporting such activities last year, Taiwan News reported.



PLA Air Force aircraft came in two waves, CNN reported citing Taiwans Defence Ministry. As many as 25 PLA warplanes entered the southwestern corner of the ADIZ during daylight hours, and another 13 planes entered the islands southwest ADIZ on Friday night, the ministry said in a statement. The later flight included 10 J-16s, two H-6s and one KJ-500 airborne early warning aircraft, it added.



The incident took place on the day when China was celebrating the 72nd anniversary of the founding of the People Republic of China (PRC).

Since mid-September last year, Beijing has stepped up its grey-zone tactics by regularly sending planes into Taiwans ADIZ, with most instances occurring in the southwest corner of the zone and usually consisting of one to three slow-flying turboprop planes.

Beijing claims full sovereignty over Taiwan, a democracy of almost 24 million people located off the southeastern coast of mainland China, despite the fact that the two sides have been governed separately for more than seven decades.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP)  In between schoolwork, Wednesday night church and other typical activities for 14-year-old twins, Brooke and Breanna Bennett work alongside their mother to run their own nonprofit, Women In Training.

The twin sisters founded the organization two years ago to provide menstrual products to people who cant afford them, and with the help of their growing team, the nonprofit has expanded its initiatives to include womens empowerment and advocacy for menstrual equity.

Numerous organizations have honored the Bennetts for their nonprofit work  from T-Mobile to Procter & Gamble  but their latest award names them as two of the most inspiring young people across the U.S. and Canada.

The Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes recently announced its 2021 winners, and while it traditionally honors 25 outstanding leaders under the age of 18, there are two duos included this year, bringing the total to 27.

Brooke and Breanna will each receive a $5,000 prize, and both sisters said they were excited about the award.

We want to see more girls volunteering, more girls our age, volunteering and wanting to get involved in Women In Training or just community service in their areas, Breanna said. I just hope me and Brooke have inspired other people our age to do whatever good they see in their community.

Women in Trainings central service is handing out WIT kits, bags that include menstrual, hygiene and dental products. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, they also started to add hand sanitizer and masks to the bags.

At first, at the giveaways when we would give away the bags and stuff  because we would do it personally  I got really excited when I saw them excited, Brooke said. We get the people on our board and volunteers to go around and donate the pads on a monthly basis.

Looking forward, the twins both said they hope to continue working with the nonprofit and expanding it. Their mother, Adeyela Bennett is the CEO of Women In Training, and she said the impact of the work they are doing has continuously broadened over the past two years.

Two things started happening: more people were asking for help, but more people were giving money. So it seems like the more people ask, the more gifts we get.

Now, the Bennetts are looking forward to their next fundraiser, the Women In Training 5K Race to raise money that will go toward items to include in the WIT kits. The race will take place on Oct. 9 in downtown Montgomery.
NEW HAVEN  The pandemic safety precaution was clear: Practice social distancing.

For this moment, however, that protocol was out.

I havent seen my mother in five years. I am going to hug my mother, Issa told his friend Jean Silk.

Silk is the coordinator of the Jewish Community Alliance for Refugee Resettlement, a group of six synagogues in Greater New Haven, which recently welcomed its sixth refugee family to New Haven.

The new arrivals included Issas mother, Shaha, 66; his sister Hameeda, 46, and his brother, Ahmad, 35. The family asked that their last names not be used for security reasons.

Issa, his wife Aminah, and their three children emigrated as refugees from Syria almost five years ago on Nov. 8, 2016, the day Donald Trump was elected president.

He stopped having more refugees in the beginning. Then he made this new law: the Muslim ban, Issa, 36,said.

After that, we had no hopes for my mom to come here. She texted me and said Ill not see you again, Issa recalled.

He said he was happy with the turnaround under the Biden administration that saw long-standing applications for refugee status and in this case, family reunification, move forward.

Issa said when his siblings and mother arrived about a month ago, they suffered from the same culture shock he said every immigrant experiences, including himself.

You dont speak the language, you are not familiar with the mores, Issa said.

They said they felt like children, Issa said as the family gathered in the living room of his mothers apartment, where JCARR helped them settle.

It is better now, Issa said, as they learn to adjust with the help of JCARR, which works as a co-sponsor with Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services, the largest such group in the state.

The new arrivals spent 10 days at his home in Hamden, a house Issa and Aminah were able to purchase this year from his savings working in security and Aminahs, who is the supervisor at the Sanctuary Kitchen, where immigrant women sell a range of baked goods, soups and appetizers.

Mary E. O'Leary /Hearst Connecticut Media file photo /

She is an excellent cook, Silk said, learning to prepare meals in quantity at the multi-generational family home back in Syria before the devastating civil war.

Issa said the recent move-in was smoother than in 2016 when their anxiety levels were high and his family needed reassurance from Silk that they would be safe here, given Trumps stance on refugees and immigration.

The large family lived together when they were in Syria and together, and at a meeting called by his mother, decided to leave in 2012 after Issa and two of his brothers were sent to prison for a time by President Bashar al-Assad, whom they opposed politically.

After we survived, we decided to leave because they take people again and again. Either way: 50 percent we will die, 50 per cent survive. Lets do it, Issa said. It was a risk, but worth it.

Issa said he continues to have back problems and had two disk surgeries after he re-injured it while working in the U.S.

He said the damage to his back and kidneys is due to the torture he received in the grim prison system in Syria. Ahmad still has scars from cigarette burns. News reports and those from humanitarian agencies have estimated thousands died from torture or the horrific conditions in those prisons.

I saw my friend die in prison. They didnt care, Issa said.

Some 25 members of the family, from babies, to children and adults, drove part of the way to the border with Jordan before proceeding on foot in the dark, Issa said.

We walked in the valley in the middle of the night, no lights, no talking, Issa said, so as to avoid the checkpoints.

My sister is almost blind. She and I were the last two persons across the border because I helped her to walk, a journey that took them six hours. It was very dangerous.

When they reached Jordan, it was chaotic with people searching for relatives, some of whom were picked up by Syrian police and were never seen again, he said.

His mother spent 8 years in Jordan, while Issa, his wife and children were there for four years before getting permission to enter the U.S..

We were glad Jordan welcomed us to a safe place, Issa said. But you could not work legally and would be deported when caught, he said. Also, the schools were second-rate for the refugees.

Hearst Connecticut Media Group /

Issa said Silk was right, that he would not encounter hostility in New Haven. The first day they walked their children to the school bus stop, they met a new neighbor who promised to look after them if the family was ever late in picking them up.

We all felt so good that she did that, the neighborliness of America, Silk said.

Listening to the conversation in her apartment, as Issa translated it from English to Arabic, Shaha summed up her reaction to the continuing fighting in her homeland.

When I pray, I thank God that none of my (seven) children have been killed, she said. Issa said 90 percent of families have lost someone. Some have had 4, 5, 6 children taken to prison.

Issa said he is grateful to all the volunteers who help IRIS and JCARR, one of numerous groups throughout the state that have stepped up to meet the need. The number of refugees is expected to reach 1,000 coming to Connecticut this year and next, particularly people leaving Afghanistan.

JCARR is now guiding its sixth family by finding an apartment for them, furnishing it, enrolling children in school, helping the adults find work and engaging the public transportation system. They help them manage their household budget and connect them with healthcare.

Issa and his family are set to become citizens this year and he told Silk he is glad it will happen when there is a president who welcomes refugees.

In Syria, Issa installed HVAC systems in large developments, such as shopping malls and hospitals, a job he loved.

He is disappointed that experience alone is not enough to land a job in that field in the U.S.. Aminah has been with Sanctuary Kitchen since it opened three years ago.

She knew one word of English when she arrived here, Silk said. She said the couple are both very motivated and are proud to be independent.

Everybody knows Issa and Aminah are the poster children, for successful integration, Silk said..

When his back limited the work he could take, Issa planned to go to Gateway Community College.

Right now, however, since they couldnt find daycare for their 10-month-old, the newest addition to the household, Issa is babysitting him, as well as his 13-, 12- and 7-year-old siblings.

He said that would be considered a shameful occupation for a man in Syria, but the supervisor position is an opportunity for Aminah.

She loves her job. I didnt find the job I love, but here she has this chance. I dont want to tell her to stop, Issa said.

Issa has his GED and continues to work on improving his English. At Gateway, he wants to study business administration and accounting and get a job as an interpreter in the meantime.

He said Ahmad, Hameeda and his mother went to the New Haven Adult Education offices, where they saw a picture of him at his graduation.

Tell your mother, I cried for her. I cried for all of you the day of your graduation, Silk said.

Ahmad is starting to study English on his own and is waiting for a wifi connection to listen to YouTube instruction, something that helped other refugees.

Aminah will plan a party for her mother-in-law and sister-in-law once they have their second COVID vaccines.

Silk said it is customary for Syrian women to have parties where they get dressed up, wear makeup, let their hair loose and dance. It will be another gesture that the family is returning to a sense of normalcy.

Issa said they came to America to rebuild their lives. We put down roots in this country for the kids. We make sure the kids are OK.

He said when he meets people, he finds out many have grandparents who also were immigrants.

When I see their children and how they are doing, that gives me hope in the future, that my kids will be like this, that they will have successful lives, safe lives, he said.

Issa said it was a good time to leave Jordan as they start sending refugees back to Syria, declaring it is safe.

You send someone back to Syria, that means you are sending them to their deaths, Issa said.

Silk said there is a kind of symbolism to the fact that JCARR, as a group of synagogues, is willing to help anybody.

They have resettled a family from the Democratic Republic of Congo who were Seventh Day Adventists; now three Syrian families and an Iraqi couple who are Muslim and an asylum-seeking family from Angola who are Christian.

She has spent a career bringing people from different cultures and countries together starting with the Experiment in International Living where she would take students and adults aboard to live with families.

I feel Americans really need to be able to see the world outside the rigid lens that we grew up with, Silk said in a recent interview.

In a talk she gave at her synagogue, Temple Emanuel, Silk said: Through living together, we come to acknowledge our differences, but even more, we recognize all that we have in common. Strangers are no longer strangers, they are individuals, they are people.

A convert to Judaism 40 years ago, Silk is moved by the concept of caring for the stranger.

Welcoming refugees is intrinsically connected to our Jewish tradition. The Torah instructs us 36 times to care for the stranger - far more than it commands us to observe the Sabbath or any other law. For those involved in JCARR, the core Jewish value of Tikkun Olam, repair the world, compels us to take responsibility to address social injustice and to care for the other, she wrote.
The candidate of the Young Progressive Party in the forthcoming governorship election in Anambra State, Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, has describe...

The candidate of the Young Progressive Party in the forthcoming governorship election in Anambra State, Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, has described the manifesto of his All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) counterpart, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, as empty.

Soludo had recently unveiled his manifesto, during a grand rally of his party in Awka.

This came after Ubah had accused Soludo of not having a manifesto, but planning to ride on the back of the incumbent Governor, Chief Willie Obiano to power.

Ubah had also challenged Soludo to a debate on their manifesto for the people of the State, stating that any delay may mean that the former CBN Governor had none, but was working to concoct it.

Reacting after Soludo released his manifesto, Ubah described it as linguistic gymnastics, while enjoining the people of the State to be careful not to be misled by the high sounding words used by the candidate.

In a statement signed by the Head of Media and Strategic communications, Ifeanyi Ubah campaign organization, Chuks Ogbonna, the Senator said: As the November 6th 2021 election draws near, we must remain vigilant enough to identify the difference between those who want to rule and those who want to serve Anambra State.

Recall that about three weeks ago, the Senator representing the good people of Anambra South in the 9th Senate, Sen. Dr. Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah presented his manifesto to Ndi Anambra both home and abroad for review and reading.

He also challenged the Professor of Economics, Charles Soludo, to not only do the same, but also to pick a date for an open debate on the policies therein, a challenge that the professor cleverly dodged.

We have waited earnestly for Soludo and APGA to present a working and public document upon which they desire to lead Anambra State for the next four years as the party in power, but nothing was heard or seen until the eve of their campaign flag off, when the 72 page document found its way  albeit surreptitiously into the public domain.

Ubah said while reading the 72 page document, he found out it was a hastily assembled document, prepared by Soludos media team with only one mandate, which was to bamboozle Ndi Anambra with bogus grammar, fictional data and Eldorado promises.

He said, This is not the first time Soludo will engage in this linguistic gymnastic ahead of election. In 2010, Soludo released the most linguistic gymnastic Eldorado theory tagged Africa Dubai Taiwan- a document long reposed in the dustbin of irrelevance.

Ubah who went ahead to dissect all the campaign promises in the manifesto, called on Anambra people not to fall for the bait by the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) to elongate the tenure of the current governor, through the presentation of a surrogate.
Veteran Nollywood actor, Kenneth Okonkwo, has cautioned ladies against pretence as they search for their life partners. The renowned a...

Veteran Nollywood actor, Kenneth Okonkwo, has cautioned ladies against pretence as they search for their life partners.

The renowned actor, who took to his Facebook page at the weekend to give the advice, said that a man doesnt need to date a lady for years to know if she is marriageable.

According to him, men certainly know what they want from a woman even before they approached her.

He advised ladies to desist from any pretentious acts in the name of pleasing men, saying they should rather make sure they are happy and enjoying the relationship as well.

Absolutely, no man needs to date you for years to know if youre marriageable or not. Men almost certainly know what they want from a woman even before they approach her.

My advice to ladies looking to find life partners is this; always be yourself. Make sure youre happy and enjoying the relationship and not pretending so as to please the man youre dating.

If its not you, its not you and theres absolutely nothing you can do about it. Its not about you. Its about him and where hes placed you in his heart.

Stop stressing it, he said.

Okonkwo is a famous Nollywood actor, director, producer, television personality, entrepreneur, investor, politician and philanthropist.

In 1991, he joined the Nigerian movie industry (Nollywood) and started attending movie auditions and appearing in television series and soap operas.

He rose to fame in 1992 after starring in the Nollywood blockbuster movie Living in Bondage a movie that brought Nollywood to the limelight.

Okonkwo is one of the pioneers of the Nigerian movie industry (Nollywood) and contributed immensely to the growth of Nollywood in Nigeria and abroad.

The veteran actor became very famous after playing the role of Andy in the Nollywood blockbuster movie Living in Bondage a movie that gave birth to Nollywood.

He got married to Ifeoma Okonkwo and their union is blessed.
New Mexico Tech Announces Dr. Myrriah Chavez Tomar As New Executive Director of Office of Innovation Commercialization sept 20, 2021 Dr. Tomar comes to NMT after three years as the Director of the Office of Science and Technology at the State of New Mexico Economic Development Department (EDD).

Dr. Myrriah Chavez Tomar

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 20, 2021

SOCORRO, N.M. - Dr. Myrriah Chavez Tomar has been named Executive Director of the Office of Innovation Commercialization Business and Technology Management and will lead and manage New Mexico Tech's intellectual property, contribute to the university's economic development efforts, and further develop NMT as an entrepreneurial university.

NMT President Dr. Stephen Wells said: "I am very pleased to welcome Dr. Tomar to NMT as she brings expertise in technology transfer and commercialization, industry startup research, and economic development."

During her three years at the State of New Mexico Economic Development Department (EDD), Dr. Tomar led the state's efforts to connect New Mexico's innovations to the commercial market. She helped foster the state's technology and industry sectors, including Aerospace, Biosciences, Cybersecurity, and Intelligent Manufacturing, and she created the statewide cybersecurity initiative, CyberReady, which prepares New Mexico businesses for new cybersecurity requirements set forth by the federal government.

Dr. Tomar is a native New Mexican who holds a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from the University of New Mexico and a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. She also holds many professional memberships, including Chair of the Research Collaborative Board, Catalyst Fund Limited Partner Advisory Committee, EPSCoR State Committee, Los Alamos National Laboratory Tech Commercialization Advisory Board, and Bioscience Authority Center of Excellence. Dr. Tomar said: "I look forward to working with NMT's students and faculty and to continuing the momentum of New Mexico Tech's STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Entrepreneurship, Mathematics) initiative as an entrepreneurial university."

While at EDD, Dr. Tomar worked directly with CEOs and investors from both in and out of state and connected business professionals with emerging technologies developed by innovators in New Mexico's universities and national laboratories. Dr. Tomar previously worked at the Rice University technology transfer office evaluating faculty invention disclosures for patentability and commercial viability.

 NMT 
Doctors and nurses at the Upstate Medical University Hospital Wednesday December 16, 2020 have their hands full with a volume of Covid-19 patients at near capacity. N. Scott Trimble/strimble syracuse.com
Bennie Pete Jr., the Hot 8 Brass Bands cofounder and tuba player, was laid to rest Saturday after a funeral at the Carver Theater in New Orleans. Yet his bandmates werent ready to let go.

Were still expecting the phone to ring and him to be on the other line, said trumpeter Alvarez Big Al Huntley, 42, who said he and Pete played together for more than two decades. We shared music. We shared New Orleans. I could talk about him all day.

+4 Hot 8 Brass Band's Bennie Pete, 45, has died of complications from sarcoidosis and COVID Bennie Pete, the co-founder and sousaphone player of the Hot 8 Brass Band, died early Monday at New Orleans East Hospital of complications fro

Pete died Sept. 6 of complications from COVID-19 and sarcoidosis, a chronic inflammatory condition that damaged his heart and nervous system. Since then, Huntley and other musicians have led dozens of memorial processions through the city in his honor, as is the tradition for New Orleans musicians, who parade for their fallen members from death until burial.

Throughout the funeral, mourners referred to Pete as a gentle giant who rarely raised his voice, although he stood at least 6 feet, 6 inches and wore a size 16 shoe. He was the ultimate peacemaker, said Tony Harris, 34, a former Hot 8 trumpeter.

Petes size also set his musical path. At Joseph Kohn Junior High in the Upper 9th Ward, band director Jerry McGowan looked at him and said, Youre going to be on tuba.

And Pete took to the horn quickly, said John Prince Gilbert, 63, who worked with a young Hot 8 in Shakespeare Park, now named A.L. Davis Park, in Central City. There wasnt nothing I could run by Bennie that he couldnt play, Gilbert said.

But for many, Petes size best defined him as a giant of spirit, and a loyal, selfless friend. His shoulders carried a lot of weight, including the sousaphone and a lot of guys. Because he never stopped thinking of everyone else, said Lee Arnold, 49, who helped to manage the band.

Basically, Pete changed lives, said bass drummer Ellis Joseph, 41, head of the Free Agents Brass Band. Bennie really groomed a lot of people. He prepared them not just for music but for life, said Joseph, who said that despite Petes gentle reputation, he could be assertive when steering people in the right direction.

On Saturday alone, almost every musician interviewed at the funeral recalled making it through hard times - addiction, trauma, loss and heartache - because of Pete. He was just my backbone, said trombonist Tyrus Chapman, 47. Id go to him for anything.

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the Hot 8 also played a special role in New Orleans recovery. Though the band members were scattered across the United States, Lee Arnold and Pete were determined to reunite them.

We were trying to piece together both the band and the city. We wanted to bring back the city and thought we could do it through music, said Arnold, who worked with the band to play early second-line parades and to combine forces with traditional jazz stalwarts as Michael White.

Soon after he graduated from Alcee Fortier High School in 1994, Pete helped to create the Hot 8 through the merger of two young brass bands, Looney Tunes and High Steppers. They played in the French Quarter for tips and competed with more seasoned bands to get hired by social aid and pleasure clubs for the four-hour Sunday second-line parades. As years went on, the band toured extensively in Europe and around the world, playing with luminaries such as Lauryn Hill, Mos Def and Blind Boys of Alabama.

In 2015, Pete married Lameka Segura-Pete. The two have five children.

Despite the bands success and his devotion to his family, Pete remained humble and accessible to those who needed him, said Nakita Shavers, 34, younger sister to Hot 8 snare drummer Dinerral Shavers, who was killed in 2006 by a bullet meant for someone else. She recalled how Pete would play a late-night gig with the band and still show up for 5 a.m. television gigs to promote the Dinerral Shavers Educational Fund. He also served on the nonprofits board and did whatever she needed to keep her brothers memory alive.

Thats because Bennie Pete was the sweetest person ever, Shavers said. The sweetest. Thats what we all are celebrating today. And thats what we are going to miss.
NEW ORLEANS

Zehnder Communications, an advertising and public relations firm with offices in Louisiana and Tennessee, has announced several staff promotions in its New Orleans office.

Erin Matthews has been promoted to media director from media supervisor. A graduate of Tulane University, she joined Zehnder in 2010.

has been promoted to media director from media supervisor. A graduate of Tulane University, she joined Zehnder in 2010. Minette Chan has been promoted to media manager from media supervisor. Chan earned a bachelors degree from the University of California, Berkeley and a masters degree from Emerson College in Boston. She joined Zehnder in 2017.

has been promoted to media manager from media supervisor. Chan earned a bachelors degree from the University of California, Berkeley and a masters degree from Emerson College in Boston. She joined Zehnder in 2017. John McElwain has been promoted to senior public relations manager from public relations manager. A graduate of Indiana University, he joined Zehnder in 2019.

has been promoted to senior public relations manager from public relations manager. A graduate of Indiana University, he joined Zehnder in 2019. Jennifer Edelman has been promoted to social media manager from social media senior strategist. A graduate of Loyola University New Orleans, she joined Zehnder in 2011.

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Rona Tyger has been named director of online education of the Tulane University School of Professional Advancement.

Tyger earned a master's degree in exercise science and a doctorate in curriculum studies, both from Georgia Southern University. She served as an active-duty member of the Georgia Air National Guard as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

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Three attorneys have joined Adams and Reeses New Orleans office as partners.

Ricardo Richard Aguilar has joined the financial services practice. Aguilar previously worked at McGlinchey Stafford.

has joined the financial services practice. Aguilar previously worked at McGlinchey Stafford. Adam McNeil , whose primary practice is construction, previously worked at McGlinchey Stafford.

, whose primary practice is construction, previously worked at McGlinchey Stafford. Mark Chaney III, whose primary practice is complex commercial litigation, previously worked at McGlinchey Stafford.

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Casey OFlynn has joined McGlinchey Stafford's national corporate and M&A practice in its New Orleans office as an associate.

He joined from a boutique construction law firm in Louisiana. Prior to that, O'Flynn served as a tax senior in the real estate global funds group at Deloitte Tax.

He earned a bachelors degree from the University of Mississippi, a law degree from Cumberland School of Law Samford University and a master of laws in taxation from Boston University School of Law.

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Lena Giangrosso has joined Jones Walkers New Orleans office as special counsel in the litigation practice group and a member of the health care litigation team.

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Giangrosso earned a bachelor's degree in English from Rutgers University and her law degree from Tulane University Law School. She serves as an adjunct professor at Tulane, where she teaches trial advocacy.

BATON ROUGE

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana has promoted Danielle B. Conway to vice president, benefit operations-client services, and Carole L. Paetz to vice president, benefit operations-claims operations.

Conway has been with Blue Cross since 2008 and was previously vice president, enrollment and billing. She earned a bachelor's degree from LSU and later graduating from LSUs Teacher Certification Program.

Paetz was previously director, software engineering and business engineering, in the benefit operations division  a position she held since 2011. She earned a bachelor's degree in information technology from the University of Phoenix, Baton Rouge campus.

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Our Lady of the Lake has appointed an acclaimed physician-led team to advance its comprehensive oncology services.

Dr. Daniel Nuss will lead the next phase of development for cancer services, and Linda Lee will serve as administrative vice president.

Nuss leads the 20-physician Head and Neck Center at Our Lady of the Lake, the largest specialty practice of its kind in the Gulf South.

Lee served for the past 10 years as a vice president and administrator for Our Lady of the Lakes joint partnership with Mary Bird Perkins.

Our Lady of the Lake will welcome three nationally recognized cancer leaders.

Cyndi Knox, director of clinical research.

Nicole Magee, director of the cancer registry.

Denise Bradford, director of navigation and survivorship.
The four candidates for the New Orleans City Council's at-large Division 2 race have presented bold plans to fix violent crime, blight and other city problems.

But after Hurricane Ida, leading candidates have also tried to show voters how they would tackle issues that sprung up in its wake.

City Councilmember Jared Brossett has renewed a push to get residents a sanitation-fee refund amid missed garbage pickups. Councilmember Kristin Gisleson Palmer was outside an Algiers senior-living center the week after the storm working to get the building evacuated after power failures left many residents stranded.

Meanwhile, former State Sen. Jean-Paul "JP" Morrell volunteered picking up trash around the city amid New Orleans' sanitation crisis, noting that sanitation workers needed higher pay.

Morrell and the two councilmembers, along with Xavier University administrator Bart Everson, are seeking to represent the entire city in the at-large race. Brossett, Morrell and Palmer are Democrats, while Everson is a member of the Green Party.

The primary is set for Nov. 13, due to a five-week delay in the election cycle. A runoff, if no candidate garners more than 50% of the vote, will be held Dec. 11.

Brossett

After being elected District D councilmember in 2014, Brossett, 38, sponsored laws to pay government workers at least $15 an hour. He also passed rules for ride-sharing services such as Uber, and worked with city officials to boost police salaries.

If elected at-large, Brossett would help NOPD recruit 1,600 officers next year by urging the department to aggressively pursue college students. NOPD should offer more competitive benefits, put retired officers back to work, and cover the housing costs of officers who serve for at least three years, he said in a recent crime plan.

Brossett is a year and a few months removed from the drunk-driving incident that cost taxpayers more than $45,000 after he destroyed his city-owned SUV. But he said that experience taught him important lessons that many residents can relate to.

"I'm able to bring a layer of empathy and understanding when working with constituents who are going through their own struggles," Brossett said.

Brossett spent six weeks in a recovery program and a year in weekly counseling sessions after the crash, he said. He's on an installment plan to reimburse the city for the damages.

JARED BROSSETT 38. Born in New Orleans, lives in Gentilly. Graduated from McDonogh #35 Senior High School; bachelor's of arts in political science from Xavier University of Louisiana; Harvard University's Kennedy School Senior Executives Program. City Councilmember District D. Democrat since 2000. Former State House District 97 representative, 2009-2014. Former council aide to Marlin Gusman, 2002-2004, aide and later chief of staff to Cynthia Hedge-Morrell, 2005-2009. Website: https://www.votebrossett.com

Everson

Everson, 48, got into the race to offer solutions for what he said is New Orleans' biggest problem: its fragile climate.

"No one else is talking about this," Everson said. "And everything that we love about this world is at risk."

Hurricanes will likely increase in frequency and intensity in the coming years, further damaging city infrastructure and raising housing costs.

To help, Everson wants to force Entergy and the Regional Transit Authority to use cleaner energy. Public buses should also run every 15 minutes to help convince people to drive their cars less frequently, he said.

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The city should pay a base wage to every resident and provide reparations to the descendants of slaves, moves Everson said would reduce poverty and right old wrongs.

He also backs the full legalization of marijuana and other illegal drugs.

BART EVERSON 54. Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Lives in Mid-City. Graduated from Greenwood Community High School; bachelor's of general studies at Indiana University; master's of immersive mediated environments, Indiana University. Creative Generalist for Faculty Development, Xavier University. Green Party member since 2005. Website: https://barteverson.com/

Morrell

Morrell, 43, is the son of Orleans Parish Criminal Court Clerk Arthur Morrell and former District D City Councilmember Cynthia Hedge-Morrell.

While Palmer has used those family ties to paint Morrell as the scion of a political dynasty, Morrell said voters should consider his track record.

While in the legislature, he worked to change the state constitution to ban non-unanimous jury verdicts in the state, a move that gained bipartisan support following revelations of the racist origins of the law and continuing racial disparities in verdicts.

He was also a key player in negotiations over the "Fair Share" deal, which wrested millions of dollars from the tourism industry to fund New Orleans infrastructure.

"The easiest thing that separates us is, I havent been on the council for the last eight to 12 years," Morrell said. "And I think that when you look at a lot of the systemic problems that face our city, my opponents have had multiple years to systematically address them in a definitive way, and they have chosen not to."

If elected, he'd use a community land trust model to turn blighted properties into new affordable homes. He'd also create stronger penalties for adults who groom children to commit crimes, and invest in youth recreation programs.

JEAN-PAUL "JP" MORRELL 43. Born in New Orleans, lives in Gentilly. Graduated from Metairie Park Country Day School; bachelor's of arts in political science from Spring Hill College; juris doctorate, Tulane University Law School. Attorney at Morrell and Morrell. Former legislative aide to Senator John Breaux. Former public defense attorney in New Orleans. Democrat since 1996. Former District 97 state House representative, 2006-2008. Former District 3 state Senate representative, 2008-2020. Website: https://www.jpmorrell.com/

Palmer

Palmer, 54, said an at-large leader should have experience serving council districts. She has that expertise in spades, she argues, having represented District C from 2010 to 2014 and again over the past three years.

She worked in that time to pass rules aimed at making roads safer for pedestrians and cyclists. Palmer also tightened the rules for short-term rentals, pushed for reliable ferry service and worked to make it easier for bars and restaurants to do business in the city.

"I keep my promises, even if it's really difficult," Palmer said. "And I believe in bringing different groups together to do thoughtful legislation. I think Ive proven that."

Palmer wants to give the citys understaffed police force less work by letting mental health professionals, not police, respond to calls from people in crisis, she said. She also wants better pay for police, and said the city should consider letting the federal government oversee the Sewerage and Water Board.

Voters tired of political machines can take comfort in the fact that she has no such connections, Palmer said, in an apparent dig at Morrell. Before joining the council, she ran a nonprofit that worked to rebuild the city after Hurricane Katrina.
Asked to define her first term in a citywide elected office, New Orleans council member Helena Moreno didn't immediately jump to policy achievements such as recent measures to decriminalize marijuana possession and raise the minimum wage for municipal workers. She first brought up utility regulation.

In the wake of Hurricane Ida, Moreno has become the city's highest-placed and most influential critic of Entergy New Orleans, influential because of her leadership of the City Councils Utility Committee. She says the council must end a culture of acquiescing to the requests of a multibillion-dollar utility company it regulates.

Entergy has had the advantage of just kind of being able to get whatever [it] wanted from the council, Moreno said. Im not saying Im just here to pop them, but it is my job to make sure that they are providing good services for the people of this city. Unfortunately, they have had a bit of a track record of not doing that.

Moreno is widely favored to win reelection in the Division 1 at-large race Nov. 13. Her challenger is Kenneth Cutno, a self-described community development consultant who lost to Moreno in 2017.

The incumbent's campaign reported $182,271 on hand in its most recent filing, covering the second quarter of 2021. As of Sept. 28, the Louisiana Ethics Administration website did not show any reports for Cutno in the current election cycle.

Cutno's website does not include any specific policy proposals. On Facebook, he has laid out a vision for spending $388 million in federal stimulus money that is due to New Orleans under the American Rescue Plan Act.

He wants to cut $6,000 federal stimulus checks for New Orleans residents, raise the hourly minimum wage for municipal workers to $20 and freeze property tax increases.

In an interview, Cutno did not offer any specific criticism of Moreno, But he said she and other sitting elected officials had failed to reduce crime and poverty.

We were facing these issues four years ago, and we are still facing these issues today, he said.

Moreno

Moreno, 44, is a former television journalist who served two terms in the Louisiana Legislature before joining the council.

Born in Veracruz, Mexico, Moreno received a bachelor of arts in mass communication from SMU in Dallas and moved to New Orleans for an on-air job at WDSU. Moreno left journalism to run for the 93rd District seat in the Louisiana House, which she won and held for two terms.

HELENA MORENO Age: 44 Resides: Uptown Education: Bachelors of arts in mass communication from SMU Professional: Journalism, public relations Political: Democrat. Louisiana state representative, 2010-18; City Council at large, 2018-present. Website:www.helenamorenola.com

Moreno said that under her leadership the council has voted to fine Entergy on multiple occasions, first after the company's public relations firm hired actors to support its New Orleans power plant at a 2018 council meeting and again in 2019 for inadequate investments in power poles. The fines totaled $6 million.

Additionally, Moreno points to the councils adoption in May of a new clean energy standard for Entergy New Orleans, which must now draw exclusively from renewable sources by 2050, a goal that Entergy says it embraces.

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Moreno has also focused on reining in fees for consultants, who have typically led the way when it comes to utility regulation, in favor of staffing up the council's Utilities Regulatory Office. The in-house regulatory office has expanded from a single full-time staffer to five, with plans to add four.

She spoke barely a week before Hurricane Ida laid waste to Entergys transmission lines into New Orleans on Aug. 29, and her tough-on-Entergy stance won't surprise anyone who has followed her since.

While Entergy regulation likely will top Morenos agenda as long as she runs the Utility Committee, she said she also wants to continue focusing on criminal justice improvements. She said she is working with District Attorney Jason Williams office to coordinate juvenile offender programs, particularly those focused on helping youths adjust after leaving detention.

Additionally, she said the research preceding her marijuana decriminalization ordinance opened a larger inquiry into how police officers spend their time. Looking to other cities for precedent, Moreno said she wants to set up mental health teams to respond to certain calls that police are now handling.

Moreno is widely rumored to be eyeing a run for mayor in 2025, though she offered a standard non-denial when asked about the prospect:

Im focused on this reelection and serving the people of this city as a City Council member, and thats really what I am thinking about right now.

Cutno

Cutno, 65, previously worked in community development positions for housing authorities in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, then in a variety of supervisory roles for the nonprofit Kingsley House in New Orleans. He has also worked as an extra in the film industry and as a travel agent.

He previously run longshot campaigns for both state and U.S House seats, in addition to his City Council campaign in 2017.

KENNETH CUTNO Age: 65 Resides: Algiers Education: Bachelor of arts in political science from Southern University Professional: Community development Political: Democrat. Ran for Louisiana House of Representatives 102nd District in 2015, U.S. House of Representatives 2nd District in 2016, City Council at large in 2017 Website: https://kennethcutno.com/

In addition to backing stimulus payments for all residents and increasing the minimum wages for city workers, Cutno wants to dedicate $50 million to programs for juvenile crime prevention, mental illness crisis response and other public safety initiatives.

In New Orleans East, he advocates reopening Lincoln Beach and favors a group led by businessman Troy Henry for redevelopment of the former Six Flags theme park.

More than any policy proposal, Cutno emphasizes what he sees as a need for fresh voices in politics.

We deserve better than what we are receiving right now, he said.

Jeff Adelson contributed to this report.
Let the record show that both Louisiana representatives who are part of the Republican congressional leadership voted against aid to help the state recover from a string of disasters.

And also against keeping the government open. Because whats the point of having a functioning government anyway, if youre not going to put it to work for the people you represent?

Last weeks headline for Louisiana communities struggling to recover from a crushing yearlong four-hurricane stretch is that Congress finally approved long-sought community development block grants to help rebuild. The aid, less than whats needed but at least something, was tacked on to a last-ditch measure to avert a partial government shutdown.

But a part of the story  one that shouldnt be swept under the rug once the ribbon cuttings commence  is that House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, and Republican Conference Vice Chairman Mike Johnson, R-Benton, deserve no credit for bringing the money home. This even though both signed a delegation letter to the Biden White House arguing that without substantial and robust emergency appropriations from Congress  Louisiana families will continue to languish as a result of these devastating storms.

Apparently theyve got other priorities besides those languishing Louisiana families.

Having other priorities is kind of a thing these days, particularly with a number of big partisan fights coming to a head at once. That Democrats are narrowly in charge of Congress and also hold the presidency, and that theyre more inclined to spend federal money even for red states, seems to complicate things for Louisianas mostly Republican members.

U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins, R-Lafayette, voted for the bill, but only after having done little to expedite aid for areas in his district decimated by the Category 4 Hurricane Laura and a string of subsequent disasters.

So did U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, who sometimes joins with Senate moderates to back important legislation by Democrats, and his Senate colleague John Kennedy, who rarely does. Both, though, opposed an earlier version of the aid attached to a Democratic bill to suspend the debt limit (Cassidy later explained in an online town hall with The Advocate and The Times-Picayune that they held out until they knew efforts to overcome a GOP filibuster would fail, which isnt a very compelling reason). Also voting in favor were U.S. Reps. Garret Graves, R-Baton Rouge, and Julia Letlow, R-Start, along with the delegations only Democrat, U.S. Rep. Troy Carter of New Orleans.

Before anyone gives all those Republicans credit for putting their constituents above party, consider whats happening with the separate stalled $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, which includes billions for roads, bridges, coastal restoration, storm defenses, and high-speed internet.

Cassidy helped write the bill and pass it through the Senate with votes to spare  although without Kennedys support  and he makes a strong case that its passage would be tremendous for Louisiana. And yet Scalise has been whipping fellow House Republicans to vote against it. So far, most are falling in line, including every member of Louisianas GOP delegation.

They make a disingenuous case that Louisiana wouldnt be guaranteed its fair share, which Cassidy effectively answered during the town hall by pointing to numerous line items that are specifically geared toward areas prone to natural disasters. Hello, thats us, he said at one point.

They also claim that President Joe Biden would somehow shortchange Louisiana in favor of his political allies, even though a CNBC analysis of the bill projects higher per person spending here than in quite a few blue states. Particularly disappointing is Letlow, who campaigned to bring broadband to her rural district but says shell vote no even though the bill dedicates $65 billion to the cause.

When that is coming from a Democratic majority and an administration, from what I have witnessed in Washington, I just dont trust it right now, she told KNOE.

Of course, one way to make sure your priorities are included is to engage, as Cassidy did.

Instead, opponents are sitting back and watching Democrats fight among themselves over whether to pass the infrastructure bill without also approving a larger, more divisive social spending package, even as  or more likely because  their own near-blanket opposition gives progressive holdouts leverage against Democratic moderates.

Im sure its a lot of fun for them to watch their political adversaries tear one another apart and endanger their own presidents agenda.

Maybe not so much fun for their constituents, who could really use all the improvements the bill promises.
Editor's Note This article is brought to you by US Roofing Systems.

Ben Casey is no stranger to the rebuilding thats often necessary after a major storm. Hes done repair work in Guam following super typhoons. With his company, US Roofing Systems, he has overseen roof replacement projects in North Carolina, Mexico Beach, Louisiana, Florida, St. Thomas and the Gulf Coast after major hurricanes. These projects covered buildings from 90,000 to 590,000 square feet.

As a Mandeville resident since 2007, Casey has a particular affinity for helping Louisiana business owners get back on track. Since Hurricane Ida, Casey has traveled extensively throughout the New Orleans area to meet with owners about their needs.

There are a lot of commercial buildings in Elmwood and Harahan, Kenner and LaPlace that sustained severe damage, Casey said. Theres certainly several problems we can see with the naked eye. In a hurricane, you have the obvious damage when a tree falls on a property or the roof is blown off. But we also see a lot of roof issues with peeling, stripping and delamination. Most of the damage cant be seen until you do a thorough inspection."

Casey said that when a potential customer contacts US Roofing Systems, his team first conducts a complete assessment, including using high-powered drones with IR capabilities, to determine the scope of the damage and the work that is needed. These inspections often uncover damages that are not immediately visible. They include a close examination of all roof seams, curbs and roof penetrations, a review of all HVAC units, access doors, and roof energy analysis. The owner receives a complete written report about the roofs condition once the inspection is completed.

Our approach is very straightforward, Casey said. We want to help business owners through the process. Its not a matter of writing an estimate and getting it paid. Its about being honest about the damage and helping the owners work with their insurance agents and adjusters. We know this process is very stressful, so we believe in assisting the owners as much as we can.

Brian Schupbach, Executive Vice President of US Roofing Systems, said one of the most important parts of a project is determining the correct scope of work. He noted that it can be tempting for owners to choose quick and easy repairs, but this can often mask hidden damage that can be more costly in the long run.

The beauty of a claims process is that its your opportunity to do the job correctly, Schupbach said. That starts with having the right scope of work established and having true knowledge of what was impacted by the hurricane. After we know that, we can help owners determine a fair and accurate price.

As a full service professional roofing company that is licensed in most states, US Roofing Systems has experience and expertise in all styles and materials, including single ply flat roofing (TPO, PVC, EPDM), metal roofing systems, standing seam, modified bitumen, built up roofing systems, steep slopes roofs, shingles, clay and concrete tiles, fluid-applied coatings, elastomeric and silicone.

Because of its relationships with the worlds major roofing material suppliers, US Roofing Systems can often obtain the items necessary for a project faster than others. Still, Casey cautioned that it could take several weeks to months to secure everything necessary for a large-scale project with pandemic-related supply chain issues.

We have our own stock of shingles and commercial roof materials that we prepare just for these types of situations, he said. Still, its not infinite. There is a limited amount of stock available in the market. You dont get a lot of choice of color at the moment. The suppliers do their best with what the manufacturers are providing.

Casey added that business owners should be wary of signing a contract with any roofing company that says it can secure all materials in a rapid timeframe. Schupbach noted that while US Roofing Systems has ongoing conversations with suppliers and a foot in the door because of its significant buying power, the pandemics effect on the supply chain is ongoing.

I dont see pricing come down at all anytime soon, he said. The projected materials delivery timelines are still pretty long. Were fortunate to have strong relationships with the major suppliers, but the pandemic has caused a lot of supply chain issues that we continue to work through every day.

Although COVID-19 has also resulted in labor shortages in many sectors, US Roofing Systems has a stable workforce pool. About half of its employees are in-house crew members while the other half is made up of subcontractors. But Casey noted that their subcontractors are qualified and insured, and to ensure crews can work as safely and efficiently as possible, the company has previously leased land near major job sites, set up temporary housing for its workers and hired on-site chefs to provide meals.

As the Hurricane Ida recovery continues, Casey said he hopes all business owners will research contractors and pay close attention when signing documents.

We pride ourselves on working closely with our estimators to provide accurate estimates. We dont put pressure on owners to sign anything right away, Casey said. We want people to do their due diligence when selecting a contractor because ultimately, they will be in a better place.

For more information on US Roofing Systems or to schedule an appointment, call 504-300-8000 or visit www.usroof.com.
This content is provided by Travel Leaders / Fly Away Travel, located at 1445 W. Harvard Avenue in Roseburg. Call 541-672-5701 for information.
NAIROBI, Kenya  A bloody and contentious election season in Uganda, in which dozens of people were killed and the principal opposition candidate was placed under de facto house arrest, recently gave a sixth five-year term to President Yoweri Museveni, a staunch U.S. military ally.

But now the U.S. State Department says it is considering a range of actions against Mr. Museveni, who, since taking office in 1986, has been among Africas leading beneficiaries of American aid, taking in billions of dollars even as he tightened his iron grip on the nation.

Mr. Museveni, 76, has suppressed opposing voices for years, often by force, and the campaign leading to this months election was marred by the intimidation of opposition candidates and their staffs, particularly Bobi Wine, a pop-star-turned-lawmaker who rose to become the presidents toughest challenger. Violence convulsed the country during the campaign, and election observers and opposition figures contend that electoral fraud contributed to Mr. Musevenis re-election.

We have significant concerns about Ugandas recent elections, a State Department representative said in a statement emailed to The New York Times. The United States has made clear that we would consider a range of targeted options, including the imposition of visa restrictions, for Ugandan individuals found to be responsible for election-related violence or undermining the democratic process.
CAIRO  Fluttering flags and ornamental lights in red, white and green went up on buildings and lampposts around the Libyan capital, Tripoli, this month to mark the 10th anniversary of the uprising that toppled its dictator.

There seemed to be reason to celebrate: After a decade of fighting and instability, a new interim government had been formed, one promising to unify the country and hold democratic elections by years end.

Outside the banks, where some customers were waiting in six-hour lines to claim their salaries, at gas stations, where fuel was only intermittently available, and in the Tripoli suburb of Ain Zara, where Ahmed al-Gammoudi lived without electricity for two months last year, the festive lights seemed little more than a mockery.

Ive heard all this talk about elections for eight years, and nothing has changed except were getting older, said Mr. al-Gammoudi, 31, who works 14-hour shifts at a Tripoli cafe to finance repairs to his house, which was damaged during Libyas civil war. Every year the situation gets worse, and every government that comes says that it wont be more than two years before we hold elections, but what happens is the exact opposite. The only thing that happens is war.
The Eritreans crossed the border into northern Ethiopia soon after Mr. Abiy launched a military campaign in Tigray on Nov. 4, accusing rebellious Tigrayan leaders of orchestrating an attack on a major military base and trying to topple the federal government.

As the fighting gathered pace, reports of gross abuses against civilians began to emerge from Tigray. Ethiopian soldiers, allied fighters from ethnic Ahmara militias, and fighters loyal to the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front all faced accusations.

But United Nations officials and human rights groups singled out Eritrean troops for many of the worst violations. Last weekend, Mr. Abiy spent five hours in talks with U.S. Senator Chris Coons, who had been sent to Ethiopia by President Biden to convey his alarm at the deteriorating situation.

In a briefing to reporters on Thursday, Mr. Coons said that the talks were forthright at times, and that Mr. Abiy had reiterated his promise to investigate human rights abuses in Tigray, including credible reports of sexual violence as a tool of war.

But Mr. Abiy has fallen short on such commitments before, Mr. Coons said, and the United States intends to keep up the pressure. Its actions that are going to matter, he said.

On Friday a State Department spokeswoman welcomed Ethiopias announcement, calling it an important step toward de-escalation.

In a mark of the impunity that has come to characterize the Tigrayan conflict, Ethiopian soldiers dragged civilians from a bus on a major road in Tigray and executed four of them in front of aid workers from Doctors Without Borders, the group said in a statement Thursday.
The Nazi leaders building that force needed experienced police officers, said Michael Holzmann, the son of an Austrian Nazi who has for many years been researching the activities of the Gestapo in that country. Huber seized this opportunity and turned from a little investigator into a most successful leader of the Gestapo terror regime in former Austria, he said.

In March 1938, after Germany annexed Austria, Huber was made the Gestapo chief of the most important part of the country, including Vienna, the capital. Shortly after, the Gestapo began an extensive hunt for dissidents in Austria, and Huber gave orders to arrest immediately undesirable, particularly criminally motivated Jews and transfer them to the concentration camp Dachau. A few days later, the first two transports of Jews left Vienna for the camp, with many more to follow.

Huber remained in his post until the end of the war, being given more and more personnel and authority. During that time, 70,000 Austrian Jews who were not able to leave the country were murdered, close to 40 percent of the original community, while their property was looted by the Nazis.

Eichmann confirmed at his trial that he was involved in the deportation of Jews but refused to plead guilty to genocide, saying, I did not have any other option than to follow the orders I got.

Huber took a different approach. Speaking to an official of the Nuremberg war crimes tribunal in 1948  who interviewed him as a witness, not a suspect  he said he had known nothing about the extermination until the end of 1944, when his deputy told him something vague.

But the historical evidence paints a completely different picture, says Prof. Moshe Zimmerman, a historian and Holocaust scholar at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Eichmann may have been a face more familiar to the Jewish community, but the one who shared responsibility for carrying out the terror against the Jews, their collection, their forced boarding on the trains and their deportation to the camps, was the police and the Gestapo under Huber.
I had always hoped my future children wouldnt be short like me. My husband, who sprouts freckles in the sun, hoped they would inherit my darker skin. Otherwise, we had no lofty dreams of them going to Harvard or making any worlds most beautiful baby list. We picked a dog that was the runt of the litter, with a lopsided face, because we thought she was modern art. But thats a lot different from bringing a child into the world knowing it had a risk of living a difficult life.

It was a lot to take in. I wasnt scared that my life would be curtailed if I brought up a child with special needs  I was ready to dedicate myself to a child. But I worried that my wanting a child was blinding me to some of my potential shortcomings. Was I capable of giving up everything to concentrate on this person who would need me in ways I couldnt even fathom yet? I was terrified that I couldnt handle having a child with special needs and would take it out on her.

I was also a little embarrassed that I cared so much about having a perfect baby that fit the standard 46-chromosome human body. Who was I to make this life and death decision for another human?

But it turns out that I didnt know as much as I thought I did. Because genetic tests of I.V.F. embryos are far from perfect.

Labs only test five cells from around 150 that make up the fertilized egg, said Dr. Hugh Taylor, chairman of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at the Yale School of Medicine. Were fooling ourselves if we think we have full information on an embryo based on those few cells.

A recently published study of 1,000 mosaic embryos found those that progressed into a late-term pregnancy and full term birth had similar odds of being born without any discernible genetic differences to a normal embryo. But there were no guarantees.

I didnt want to try another I.V.F. cycle. In late February 2020, we decided to transfer the embryo into my uterus  just in time for New York City to shut down during the pandemic.
Two years ago, Rudolph W. Giuliani finally got one thing he had been seeking in Ukraine: The Trump administration removed the U.S. ambassador there, a woman Mr. Giuliani believed had been obstructing his efforts to dig up dirt on the Biden family.

It was a Pyrrhic victory. Mr. Giulianis push to oust the ambassador, Marie L. Yovanovitch, not only became a focus of President Donald J. Trumps first impeachment trial, but it has now landed Mr. Giuliani in the cross hairs of a federal criminal investigation into whether he broke lobbying laws, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

The long-running inquiry reached a turning point this week when F.B.I. agents seized telephones and computers from Mr. Giulianis home and office in Manhattan, the people said. At least one of the warrants was seeking evidence related to Ms. Yovanovitch and her role as ambassador, the people said.

In particular, the federal authorities were expected to scour the electronic devices for communications between Mr. Giuliani and Trump administration officials about the ambassador before she was recalled in April 2019, one of the people added.
TAIPEI, Taiwan  Closed schools and restaurants offering takeout only. Lines around the block at testing sites. Politicians on television urging the public to stay calm.

If the scenes around Taiwan this week have a distinctly early pandemic feel, it is because the coronavirus is only now washing up on the islands shores in force. A crush of new infections has brought a swift end to the Covid-free normality that residents had been enjoying for more than a year.

By shutting its borders early and requiring two-week quarantines of nearly everyone who arrives from overseas, Taiwan had been managing to keep life on the island mostly unfettered. But all that changed after enough infections slipped past those high walls to cause community outbreaks.

For most of the past week, the government has ordered residents to stay home whenever possible and to wear masks outdoors, though it has not declared a total lockdown. Local authorities are ramping up rapid testing, though some health experts worry that too few tests are being done to stay ahead of the viruss spread.
Armed assailants killed more than 100 people in an attack on a village in northern Burkina Faso, the government said on Saturday, burning houses and leaving many more injured in one of the deadliest assaults the West African nation has seen in years.

The attackers struck early Saturday morning, first at a gold mine near the village of Sobha, near the border with Niger, according to Rida Lyammouri, a Washington-based expert, before then going after civilians. They also attacked the village market, the government said in a statement.

Its definitely one of the deadliest attacks in Burkina Faso in years, said Mr. Lyammouri, a senior fellow at the Policy Center for the New South, a Morocco-based think tank.

Burkina Faso and its neighbors have faced a resurgence of extremist violence in recent years, much of it carried out by jihadists linked to Al Qaeda and the Islamic State.
WASHINGTON  President Biden on Tuesday announced his long-awaited first slate of ambassadors, including his nominees for key posts to Mexico, Israel and NATO, as he made his first trip abroad since taking office.

Mr. Biden also named Chesley B. Sullenberger III, the pilot who executed a water landing off Midtown Manhattan after a dual engine failure brought his plane plummeting toward earth, as his nominee for ambassador to the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization.

Among the nine nominees announced were Ken Salazar, a former Colorado senator who served as the interior secretary during the Obama administration, as ambassador to Mexico; and Thomas R. Nides, a vice chairman at Morgan Stanley who served as a deputy secretary of state under President Barack Obama, as ambassador to Israel.

The official announcements of the long-rumored nominations came as Mr. Biden traveled to Europe with the goal of demonstrating to global leaders that America is back at the table. Mr. Nidess nomination also came just days after a new government took power in Israel, opening up the possibility of a less contentious relationship with the Biden administration.
When the Constitution was being drafted, many framers and others strongly pressed the view, as mentioned in Federalist 53, that where annual elections end, tyranny begins. At the time, most states had annual elections. Elbridge Gerry insisted that the people of New England will never give up the point of annual elections. James Madison urged a three-year term, arguing that annual elections had produced too much instability in the states. In the initial vote, the Constitutional Convention approved a three-year term, but with four states objecting, the convention eventually compromised on two years. The Federalist Papers then had to devote a good deal of energy fending off the demand for annual elections.

If you think American politics is not chaotic enough, imagine if the Constitution had adopted annual House elections.

One argument for the two-year term is that it provides an important check against exceptionally bad or dangerous administrations. (Certainly those who felt that way about the Trump administration were glad to have the opportunity to give Democrats control of the House in 2018.) Other democracies have found a different way to provide a safeguard against this possibility, even as their governments normally have four to five years to govern before voters are asked to judge their performance at the polls. The mechanism is a vote of no confidence; if a majority of a parliament votes no confidence in the government, a new election takes place, or a new government is formed.

As interim checks on government, midterm elections and possible votes of no confidence differ dramatically. Votes of no confidence, when successful, function as an exceptional check on governments. Midterm elections are a much cruder tool; in addition to the political turbulence they bring, they routinely punish virtually all administrations. This is not to advocate a vote of no confidence, which would have vast implications for American government, but to highlight that a two-year legislative term is far from the only means to provide an interim check on elected governments.

Its unrealistic under current political conditions, but through a constitutional amendment, a four-year term for members of the House, corresponding with presidential terms, could be established. Longer terms might well facilitate greater capacity to forge difficult, bipartisan bills in the House, with members not constantly facing primary electorates. With one-third of the Senate still up for election in midterms, voters would retain some means for expressing dissatisfaction with an administration. Giving the minority party in the House greater power to initiate hearings and other measures would be another way to provide more effective interim oversight of an administration.

In discussions of the Constitutions structural elements that we might well not adopt today, the two-year term for the House is rarely noticed. (Attention is usually focused on the Electoral College, the Senate or life tenure for federal judges.)

Yet as other democracies demonstrate, there is nothing inherently democratic about a two-year term. We do not recognize how distorting it is that soon after a president is elected, our politics are upended by the political calculations and maneuvering required by always looming midterm elections and their primaries.

Richard H. Pildes, a professor at New York Universitys School of Law, is the author of the casebook The Law of Democracy: Legal Structure of the Political Process and the editor of The Future of the Voting Rights Act.

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Irans top leader injected new doubts Wednesday into the stalled effort to save the countrys 2015 nuclear pact with major powers, accusing the United States of duplicity and chastising the outgoing Iranian president as naive.

The remarks by the leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, come one week before President Hassan Rouhani  an architect of the original nuclear accord  will step down after eight years.

The fate of Irans negotiations with the United States to revive the accord, which have been suspended for more than a month, now falls to Mr. Rouhanis successor, Ebrahim Raisi, an arch-conservative disciple of Mr. Khamenei who takes office in a week.

The tone and timing of Mr. Khameneis remarks, which he delivered in person to Mr. Rouhani and his cabinet in a meeting reported on Iranian state media, amounted to a public rebuke of the departing president. The remarks also sent a message that the negotiations are likely to face further challenges under Mr. Raisi.
At least 51 people who fled from Afghanistan landed in Uganda on Wednesday, the authorities said, the first to arrive in an African nation amid the race to complete such evacuations before the United States withdraws its military from Afghanistan by the months end.

Uganda said last week that it was preparing to temporarily host evacuees from Afghanistan after a request from the U.S. government. The East African nation is Africas top refugee-hosting nation  with nearly 1.5 million displaced people living within its borders  and the top fourth refugee host in the world, according to the United Nations refugee agency.

The evacuees arrival came 10 days after the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan and hours after President Biden said the United States was on pace for its withdrawal by the Aug. 31 deadline. Their arrival also came as the Pentagon said it had airlifted its biggest daily number of evacuees from Kabuls airport on Tuesday. Some of those are now reaching countries that, like Uganda, agreed to serve as temporary transit stops.

In Uganda on Wednesday morning, the evacuees underwent a security screening and were tested for the coronavirus, the Foreign Ministry said. News outlets shared photos on social media of them arriving at a local hotel.
Her contentious tenure as Denmarks immigration minister included taking out advertisements in Lebanese media warning potential migrants to stay away, planning to house unwanted foreigners on a hard-to-reach Danish island, and celebrating the passage of anti-immigration policies with a cake.

Now, the Danish lawmaker Inger Stojberg is facing accusations that she ordered the illegal separation of couples, some of them with children, who sought asylum in Denmark, in a rare impeachment trial in Copenhagen.

The high-profile case, which began on Thursday, is only the sixth of its kind since Denmarks Constitution came into effect in 1849, and will be decided by a panel of judges from the Supreme Court and others appointed by Parliament. If found guilty, Ms. Stojberg could face fines, a vote in Parliament to remove her as a lawmaker, or a prison sentence.

Appearing Thursday in court, where her arrival was greeted by a small group of supporters waving placards outside, a composed Ms. Stojberg said she expected to be acquitted and that she had acted to split underage girls from older husbands in forced marriages.
Mars Adema, 40, said she had tried over the past year to convince the churchs ministries to care for immigrants, only to hear that this is just not our focus.

With Afghanistan, something completely shifted, Ms. Adema said.

In a nation that is polarized on issues from abortion to the coronavirus pandemic, Afghan refugees have cleaved a special place for many Americans, especially those who worked for U.S. forces and NGOs, or who otherwise aided the U.S. effort to free Afghanistan from the Taliban.

The moment stands in contrast to the last four years when the country, led by a president who restricted immigration and enacted a ban on travel from several majority-Muslim countries, was split over whether to welcome or shun people seeking safe haven. And with much of the electorate still deeply divided over immigration, the durability of the present welcome mat remains unknown.

Polls show Republicans are still more hesitant than Democrats to receive Afghans, and some conservative politicians have warned that the rush to resettle so many risks allowing extremists to slip through the screening process. Influential commentators, like Tucker Carlson, the Fox News host, have said the refugees would dilute American culture and harm the Republican Party. Last week, he warned that the Biden administration was flooding swing districts with refugees that they know will become loyal Democratic voters.

But a broad array of veterans and lawmakers have long regarded Afghans who helped the United States as military partners, and have long pushed to remove the red tape that has kept them in the country under constant threat from the Taliban. Images of babies being lifted over barbed-wire fences to American soldiers, people clinging to departing planes and a deadly terrorist attack against thousands massed at the airport, desperate to leave, have moved thousands of Americans to join their effort.

For a nation that has been so divided, it feels good for people to align on a good cause, said Mike Sullivan, director of the Welcome to America Project in Phoenix. This country probably hasnt seen anything like this since Vietnam.
Few issues divide urban and rural Canada more than guns. In cities and suburban areas, polls have shown for years that theres strong support for even tighter restrictions. Horrific crimes like last years shooting and arson spree in Nova Scotia increase that sentiment.

But in many rural areas and Indigenous communities, guns are a part of everyday life. Totaling up the numbers has been difficult since the Conservative government led by Stephen Harper eliminated the registry for shotguns and standard rifles. But the Small Arms Survey, a project based in Switzerland, estimates that there are 12.7 million legal and illegal guns held by private owners in Canada. There are 2.2 million Canadians who hold a license to buy and own guns.

Last year, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau banned 1,500 models of assault-style semiautomatic rifles after the shooting rampage in rural Nova Scotia that left 23 people dead. Although some designs of semiautomatics can still be owned, their use is limited.

Erin OToole, the Conservative leader, began the election campaign by promising to roll back Mr. Trudeaus assault weapon ban and roll back other Liberal anti-gun measures. He argued that they penalized law-abiding gun owners but did little or nothing to stop gun crime, although assault weapons have been used in mass shootings in Canada.

In place of a ban, he proposed cracking down harder on smuggling, something Mr. Trudeau had already advanced, and hiring 200 additional members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police who would be assigned to gun and gang crimes in Toronto and Vancouver.
JERUSALEM  The Israeli police said on Saturday that they had captured four of the six Palestinian fugitives who escaped a maximum-security prison this week, in a case seen as a rare humiliation of the countrys security establishment.

Two of the prisoners, Mahmoud al-Arida and Yaqoub Qadri, were captured Friday night on the southern edge of Nazareth, in northern Israel, five days after they had escaped through a hole in the floor of the shower cubicle in their cell and tunneled out of a prison about 15 miles southeast of the city. A second pair, Zakaria Zubeidi and Mohammad al-Arida, Mahmouds brother, were seized on Saturday morning in a truck parking lot in Umm el-Ghanem, a village east of Nazareth.

Mr. Zubeidi was a prominent militant leader during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, in the 2000s, and was a former commander of the Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a militant group loosely affiliated with Fatah, the secular group that dominates Palestinian politics in the occupied West Bank. The other three recaptured inmates are members of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, an Iran-backed Islamist militant group, and have been serving life sentences for involvement in attacks on Israeli civilians, the police said.

Video published by the Israeli news media showed the two prisoners who were captured Friday handcuffed inside police cars, wearing civilian clothes. Israeli news outlets reported that the pair had been arrested after a tip by Nazareth residents, who said they had asked for food. More video released by the police on Saturday morning showed two blindfolded men, said to be Mr. Zubeidi and Mohammad al-Arida, being led by officers to police cars.
MANILA  As jubilant students across the globe trade in online learning for classrooms, millions of children in the Philippines are staying home for the second year in a row because of the pandemic, fanning concerns about a worsening education crisis in a country where access to the internet is uneven.

President Rodrigo Duterte has justified keeping elementary schools and high schools closed by arguing that students and their families need to be protected from the coronavirus. The Philippines has one of the lowest vaccination rates in Asia, with just 16 percent of its population fully inoculated, and Delta variant infections have surged in recent months.

That makes the Philippines, with its roughly 27 million students, one of only a handful of countries that has kept schools fully closed throughout the pandemic, joining Venezuela, according to UNICEF, the United Nations Agency for Children. Other countries that kept schools closed, like Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, have moved to reopen them.

I cannot gamble on the health of the children, Mr. Duterte said in June, rejecting recommendations by the health department to reopen schools.
Mr. Aragones said he wanted to explore the possibility of creating legislation in Spain that would legalize such a vote. What is important is there is a political will to get to an agreement, he said.

The issue of an amnesty may also be a thorny one. Such a deal would include Carles Puigdemont, the former Catalan leader who fled Spain to escape charges. He did not receive a pardon this year because he remains a fugitive, Spain said.

But Mr. Aragones said only an amnesty deal could turn the page on the conflict.

While Catalan separatists have failed for years to garner significant international support for their cause, most notably at the level of the European Union in Brussels, separatism has also dominated the political agenda elsewhere in Europe.

On Monday, Nicola Sturgeon, the leader of Scotland, called on the British government to allow Scotland to hold another independence referendum by the end of 2023, following the one in 2014 in which Scots rejected splitting off.

Much as in Scotland, there are not just divisions in Catalonia over whether independence should be pursued but also between the parties seeking independence. The issue has also shown the divide between residents of Catalonias capital and tourism hub, Barcelona, and smaller towns that have helped separatists keep control of the regional parliament since 2015.

Mr. Aragones represents the left-wing Esquerra Republicana party, which leapfrogged Together for Catalonia  the more hard-line separatist party of the former Catalan leader Mr. Puigdemont  in the last regional elections to become the largest separatist force in Catalonia.

Those tensions surfaced again in the run-up to Wednesdays meeting. Mr. Aragones rejected Together for Catalonias nominees to the Catalan delegation, because two of them were not in the regional government, but were former prisoners who had been pardoned on the sedition charges.
BP said it was also advocating for policies such as carbon pricing and regulating methane that would help the world meet the goals of the Paris climate agreement, the pact between nations to try to limit global temperature increase to within 1.5 degrees Celsius of 1990 levels.

Matt Letourneau, a spokesman for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said the House committees leadership had a fundamental misunderstanding of the Chambers positions on climate change. Weve been working hard with members of Congress from both sides of the aisle to enact climate solutions, he said.

Other recipients of the letters didnt respond to requests for comment on Thursday.

The inquiry, modeled on the tobacco hearings of the 1990s that paved the way for far tougher nicotine regulations, sets up a showdown between progressive Democrats pressing for action to fight climate change and an industry that faces increasing scrutiny. A wave of lawsuits filed by cities and states across the country has accused oil and gas companies of engaging in decades-long, multimillion-dollar campaigns to downplay warnings from their own scientists about the effects burning fossil fuels has on the climate. And a diverse cast of actors, from environmentalists and childrens rights advocates to corporate shareholders, are pressing the energy giants to diversify away from oil and gas, and reduce their carbon footprints.

The burning of fossil fuels like oil and gas releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, where it is a major contributor to global warming because it traps heat. In addition, oil and gas production leads to the release of methane, an even more potent greenhouse gas.

Limiting the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius would require the world, among other measures, to immediately stop approving new oil and gas fields, according to a scenario put forward by the worlds leading energy agency. That is a step that no major fossil fuel company has embraced.

The committee had initially focused on Exxon after a senior lobbyist at the oil giant was caught in a secret video recording, made public in July, saying that Exxon had fought climate science through shadow groups and had targeted influential senators in an effort to weaken President Bidens climate agenda. Several of those senators have said the lobbyist exaggerated their relationship or that they had no dealings with him.
Canada, where the center-left has faced a battle to hold onto power in Mondays election, may best encapsulate the trend. The forces boosting center-lefts globally have nudged the Liberals poll numbers there from poor to middling  a fitting metaphor for the movements prospects.

Still, even modest gains among Western democracies could give a long-struggling political wing the chance to redeem itself with voters.

And it would counteract a dominant trend of the past decade: the rise in ethno-nationalism and strongman politics of the new populist right.

People have been writing for several years now about how the Social Democrats are going to die out for good, and now here they are, theyre the leading party, said Brett Meyer, who researches political trends at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, referring to the center-lefts sudden rise in Germany.

Thats been an enormous surprise, he added.

A Test of Covid Politics

If Justin Trudeau, Canadas prime minister, keeps his job, it may be due in large part to political changes brought about by the pandemic.
William Wyatt Bibb is not your historical or moral contemporary; a great many of his beliefs and values would have been remote from yours. We can confidently venture that he accepted that women should, as St. Paul urged, defer to their husbands. What matters, for your immediate purposes, is what Governor Bibb symbolizes to you now.

Your ancestor, like so many Americans, accepted, practiced and no doubt defended a notably cruel form of racial slavery. Although he lived in communities where it was taken for granted, the practice was a terrible wrong, and plenty of his countrymen recognized this. His participation in this evil clearly swamps his achievements in your mind. You cannot give his portrait a place of honor in your heart or in your home.

The fact is, though, that we have to live with the past, even if it is a foreign country. We cant just put it behind us. Nor must we remove from our homes or our albums every picture of someone implicated in evil. We are not responsible for what they did and do not have an individual responsibility to atone for it. We cant undo these injustices; their victims arent here to receive recompense. But as a society, we can acknowledge our difficult history  with both its vices and its virtues  and aim to address the persisting wrongs that derive from past moral error. In doing so, articles from that history like your family portrait can provide tools for reflection. Indeed, you might want to keep Governor Bibb around precisely because he reminds you of the misdeeds of the past, in a notably personal way.

In the tribunal of posterity, what were matters of pride regularly become sources of shame.

You ask how, if you choose to retain the painting, you could display it in a way that doesnt cause offense. Yet offense isnt whats at issue; your home is not a public institution, and it seems very unlikely that your guests will recognize the portraits subject unless you inform them. For any visitor who takes notice of the picture, though, youre well situated to provide the appropriate context. But you should also feel free to sell the painting to raise money for a good cause. Or you could do good in another way: by donating it to the right kind of museum, which could exhibit your painting in a manner that makes clear the historical truths about its subject.
Australia will lift its bans on international travel in November under a plan that Prime Minister Scott Morrison outlined on Friday. It is the second time in 10 days that officials have accelerated the countrys plans to ease travel restrictions.

Until last month, Australia was poised to keep its borders closed into 2022. The tourism minister, Dan Tehan, then said that they could reopen by Christmas.

Once the borders start to open, fully vaccinated Australian citizens and permanent residents will still need to quarantine at home for seven days upon entry. Foreign tourists will not immediately be able to visit, but the government said it was working toward allowing them to come in.

Its time to give Australians their lives back, Mr. Morrison said, announcing that he would begin to reverse a policy that since March 2020 has only allowed some Australians and others to enter the country and blocked all outbound trips except for essential work.
WASHINGTON  The Senate met briefly on Saturday to send a bill to President Biden reviving key transportation programs that had lapsed two days earlier and bringing back nearly 4,000 furloughed workers. Hours later, Mr. Biden signed it.

The rare weekend session was necessary because Congress did not address expiring transportation programs when it passed legislation on Thursday to avert a government shutdown. Those reauthorizations had been included in a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill that had been scheduled for a vote on the same day but never came up amid deep divisions among congressional Democrats over the measure.

Senators approved by unanimous consent a motion from Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon and the chairman of the Finance Committee, to extend the expiring transportation programs for 30 days and end the furloughs of 3,700 workers. The stopgap bill, which the House passed on Friday by a vote of 365 to 51, extends the programs through Oct. 31.

The Saturday vote capped an intense week at the Capitol, where Democrats tried and failed to advance a major piece of Mr. Bidens agenda. The nearly 100-member Congressional Progressive Caucus blocked a vote on the $1 trillion infrastructure bill in the House, seeking leverage to secure passage of a larger $3.5 trillion domestic policy bill that Mr. Biden, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, had assured the caucus would advance as part of a two-track process with the infrastructure bill.
Its a new season at Saturday Night Live, which means new cast members  and, surprisingly, a new performer playing President Biden in his first episode on the show.

You may recall, S.N.L. did not have the easiest time finding a Biden impersonator last season: It relied on the guest star Jim Carrey to fill that role during the 2020 presidential election, but to no great effect, and Carrey announced he was leaving the show after a planned six weeks.

The mantle was then passed to cast member Alex Moffat, who appeared as Biden only intermittently during the rest of the season, prompting some criticism that S.N.L. was pulling its punches on the 46th president.

Enter new cast member James Austin Johnson, a comedian whose hiring as an S.N.L. featured player was announced this past Monday, and who was perhaps better known for viral videos in which he impersonated former president Donald J. Trump.
China tests Taiwanese airspace

For two straight days, China sent a record number of planes in its direction, Taiwan said, a display of strength that added muscle to Beijings warnings that it could ultimately use force to take hold of the self-ruled island.

Although the sorties by nearly 80 aircraft did not suggest an imminent threat of war, the planes reflect Beijings increasingly unabashed signaling that it wants to absorb Taiwan. Notably, China sent the flights out on a symbolic weekend: Oct. 1 is the countrys National Day holiday. Taiwan has been preparing to mark its own national holiday, on Oct. 10.

Chinese military planes now enter Taiwans air identification zone nearly every day, but these flights stood out because of the number and types of planes involved, including bombers and anti-submarine planes, and because China sent its planes at night.

Context: The flights did not cross into Taiwans sovereign airspace, which reaches 12 nautical miles from its coast. But they did cross into the islands much larger identification zone, where Taiwanese authorities assert the right to tell entering planes to identify themselves and their purpose.
Image Credit... Giacomo Bagnara

Whats Up? (Sept. 26-Oct. 2)

[Watch the Facebook hearing live.]

Instagram Under the Spotlight

Facebook on Monday postponed the start of its Instagram Kids product after concerns were raised about whether Instagram is healthy for young people. Critics have spoken out against the project after a report about it was first leaked back in March, and those concerns gained momentum after a Wall Street Journal investigation surfaced internal research showing that Instagram had found that its app adds to body issues in teenage girls. (Facebook disputed that characterization.) At a Senate hearing on Thursday, lawmakers took sharp aim at the social network. Senator Edward J. Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts, compared the company to Big Tobacco, pushing a product that they know is harmful to the health of young people, pushing it to them early.

Ozys Troubled Week

The digital media company Ozy said on Friday that it would shut down. It made the announcement days after The New York Times reported that someone had apparently impersonated a YouTube executive on a conference call with Goldman Sachs, raising questions about Ozys business practices. (Ozys chief executive, Carlos Watson, told The Times that Samir Rao, the companys chief operating officer, was the impersonator, adding that Mr. Rao had been experiencing mental health issues.) Shortly after, one of the companys biggest stars, the former BBC anchor and correspondent Katty Kay, announced on Twitter that she had left it; a key investor, SV Angel, gave up its shares; and Ozys chairman resigned. The board of directors said it had suspended Mr. Rao and hired a law firm to investigate the companys business activities.

Mandates Matter

Vaccine mandates appear to be working. United Airlines, one of the first large companies to require its employees to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, said that 99 percent of its work force of 67,000 had complied (and that it would fire several hundred employees who had refused). Tyson Foods said it had reached a 91 percent vaccination rate for its 120,000 U.S. employees after announcing a vaccine mandate in August. And major health systems in California reported that they had raised their vaccination rates to 90 percent or higher after Californias requirement that all health workers be vaccinated against the coronavirus. Last month, President Biden asked the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to order employers with more than 100 employees to require vaccines or weekly testing.

Image Credit... Giacomo Bagnara

Whats Next? (Oct. 3-9)

Jobs Report

On Friday, the U.S. government releases its report on how many people were hired in September. The numbers for August were disappointing, as employers grappled with uncertainty caused by the Delta variant of the coronavirus. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg expect that hiring rebounded last month. If that was the case, it could influence the Federal Reserves monetary policy plans. At its last meeting, the central bank indicated that it might soon  as early as November  ease some measures it put in place to support the economy since the depths of the pandemic downturn, but with the condition that the September jobs report is reasonably good.
Hi. My name is Alan Taylor, and I directed The Many Saints of Newark. What are you reading? Oh, cant you read a regular comic, you know, Superman, Jughead. Its about some Jewish girl and a knight, and Robin Hoods in it. I didnt know they had Jews back in the Middle Ages. Well, the Bible. Anyway, your mother asked me to talk to you, so What, about getting suspended from school? Hey, put that down. This scene comes early in the movie. Were with young Tony Soprano, whos played by William Ludwig in this part of the movie, and hes having a conversation with his sort of uncle, Dickie Moltisanti, whos played by Alessandro Nivola. Its a scene where Dickie has been sort of forced into giving parental advice to young Tony. Its not something he wants to do. Its not just the gambling. Its everything the cherry bombs at the YMCA, letting the air out of Mrs. Russos tires I apologized to her. You talk big about wanting to be on the football team in high school and youre smoking already? Oh! Youve got to have a better attitude. Tonys dad is in prison, and Tonys mom Livia has kind of shoved this responsibility upon Dickie to go up and try and straighten the kid out. I try to be good. I dont think so. Try harder. Its funny. I mean, the movie is full of action and shootouts and all kinds of stuff going on, lots of storylines, but this has been one of my favorite scenes. And theres something about the scene that is so simple. Its two guys sitting on a bed talking. Pinky swear. But it really contains the entire relationship and the entire destiny of Tonys character. There. One time I went to Playland, I saw the cops shoot a friend of my dads right in the back. This is where hes just beginning to stray into somewhat illegal activities, but hes being given the worst advice in the world and the least convincing advice in the world. I dont want that to happen to me. It wont. So we sort of see how their relationship plays, and I think it comes across beautifully between these two actors. And it really ends on a heartbreaking note for me because he doesnt really answer young Tonys dilemma. And, in fact, at the end of the scene, young Tony is anticipating the end of the series and the end of his character.
Soon after Jack A. Brown III quit his job at a private prison company, his former employer accused him of fraud. A few years later, after Mr. Brown started a nonprofit to run halfway houses, a federal audit found that it had failed to deliver key services. The New York State comptroller concluded in another review that Mr. Brown had shown a disturbing pattern of ethical violations.

None of that history seemed to bother officials in New York City.

Since 2017, as homelessness has risen to record levels, the city has awarded more than $352 million to a nonprofit run by Mr. Brown to operate shelters. The money is meant to help homeless people regain their footing in life, but it has benefited Mr. Brown, too.

The nonprofit has channeled contracts worth at least $32 million into for-profit companies tied to Mr. Brown, allowing him to earn more than $1 million a year, The New York Times found. Millions more have gone to real estate companies in which he has an ownership interest. He has also hired his family members and given employees perks such as gym memberships and cars.

When Mayor Bill de Blasio came into office, he criticized a small group of landlords for charging the city exorbitant rates to house people in squalid rooms while doing little to curb homelessness. In 2017, the mayor pledged to open dozens of new shelters that would be managed by nonprofit groups. Their mission, he said, would be altruistic rather than driven by financial gain.
If you believe that it is from the moment of conception, there is nothing anyone can tell you that would make it OK to terminate a pregnancy, because to you the entire enterprise is one of killing babies.

But is a clump of cells a child? Is a fetus a child? These debates can quickly veer into the philosophical and religious.

Since 1973, Roe v. Wade has protected a womans right to an abortion before a fetus becomes viable outside the womb, about 24 weeks into the pregnancy.

Now, that too is under attack.

I listened to the testimony of these women with great humility, from an outside place, with the privilege of knowing that my body was not built for this purpose. The ability to carry a life and bring it into the world is a tremendous power, and a gift. But carrying a pregnancy to term is simply not right for many women at the point in which they become pregnant.

It is at that point that their bodies become a battleground. At what stage of pregnancy are they still the person in control and at what point must they submit to being a vessel for a person growing inside them? At what stage is choice eliminated?

Viability is the legal standard, whatever anyone may believe.

We also have to remember the shame that many women who have had abortions have expressed, even if they can now say that they are past shame. Why should any woman feel shame about a difficult choice? They have enough to deal with without the rest of society weighing in on their choices.

In the first months after conception, after a woman knows for sure that she is pregnant and before the fetus become viable, she needs to feel free to make choices about her body, her health and her future. That shouldnt be subject to community approval. That shouldnt be against the law.
In the fourth century, the Syrian poet Ephrem wrote, Let your silence speak/to one who listens to you; with silent mouth. The 16th-century Spanish Catholic mystic St. John of the Cross said, What we need most in order to make progress is to be silent before this great God. Mother Teresa said, We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence.

Voices of the church  across racial, ethnic, denominational, national and temporal bounds  urge us to silence and stillness. So, is silence violence or the very way to know God? How do we find the right balance between the need to work for change in the world and the need to cultivate a rich interior life of prayer and stillness? Is balance even what we are after since the pursuit of both justice and the contemplative life must be radical, wholehearted and countercultural?

How do we know when to speak up and when to withdraw? As a privileged person, how do I not turn a blind eye to the cause of justice but also not lose myself in a fog of screens, noise and distraction? There are no simple answers here. We need to examine ourselves to see if our silence and stillness grows from fear or apathy or if it is the holy silence of wisdom. But the witness of the church is that action must grow from a deep well of silence and prayer.

The literature scholar Alan Jacobs argues that we need to embrace not a permanent silence, but a refusal to speak at the frantic pace set by social media. He calls silence the first option  the preferential option for the poor in spirit, you might say; silence as a form of patience, a form of reflection, a form of prayer.

Jesus actively sought justice. His first public proclamation was that he came to preach the good news to the poor and proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed (Luke 4:16-19). Here, at the beginning of his public ministry, he spelled out that he was not just concerned with personal piety but also with the renewal of the social order and, indeed, the world.

But as one who tends toward action and activity, I am often shocked when reading the gospels by how much time Jesus spends not calling out injustice or touching lepers. He spent the first 30 years of his life in relative obscurity, learning a trade, living quietly. In the gospels, almost as soon as he is baptized and we think things will finally get going, he drops off the radar for 40 days, nearly silent in the desert.

Throughout his ministry, this man who could heal, who could preach, who was himself a prophet, ran from crowds and disappeared again and again to pray alone. When he spoke out against evil, he did so within a context of a life punctuated by long, intentional silences.
Trepassey is more or less the midpoint of the Irish Loop, and as we continued west from there the road got a little rougher, the Shamrock road signs tattered and the scenery more barren. Our next stop was St. Vincents Beach, a wide expanse of pebbly waterfront where the main attractions are the whales  because the water is deep near the shore, they often chase small capelin fish right up to the beach. Locals told us more than 20 whales at a time have been spotted here at times; we were less lucky, sighting just a few from a distance, yet we had a lovely day lounging on the beach and watching the seabirds dive down to catch the fish themselves.

Autumn Journeys Looking for vacation ideas this fall? Here are some great escapes in the U.S. and Canada for those who want to explore near and far. In Search of Fall Colors on New Hampshire Roads. A novelist looks back on her past as she reveals her favorite autumn spots  and finds some new ones. Following the Shamrocks on a Canadian Road Trip. Discovering fields of green and Celtic culture on a coastal drive along Newfoundlands Irish Loop. Setting Sail on the Winding Waterways of Californias Delta. The sprawling system of water and farmland in Northern California is a four-season destination. 8 Places to Visit Along Virginias Blue Ridge Parkway. With an autumnal ombre and cooler temperatures, fall is prime time for journeying along this Appalachian Mountain roadway. 8 Things to Do in the Southwest This Fall. Hot-air balloons, sandhill cranes, haunted towns and Hatch chiles are just a few signs of fall in New Mexico and Arizona.



When we had had enough sun, we popped in for a pint at the Claddagh Inn, another convent-turned-guesthouse where the former chapel has been repurposed as Padraigs Folly, billed as Newfoundlands smallest pub. The supremely cozy space has just one table by the window, one small booth lined with repurposed pews and kneelers from the chapel and Fighting Irish Red Ale from St. Johns YellowBelly Brewery on tap. (The Inn closed for the 2021 season because of the pandemic and will reopen in spring 2022; rooms from 140 Canadian dollars.)

For our last afternoon on the Irish Loop we doubled back to Calvert, just north of Ferryland, where Sullivans Songhouse is perched near the top of a steep drive, the front porch offering sweeping views out over Calvert Bay and its towering trees. But the action was in the kitchen, where the host Sean Sullivan welcomes guests for a traditional singsong (25 Canadian dollars per person) twice a week.

Id booked two seats here before running in to Jackie Sullivan in Trepassey, and it turns out they are from the same Sullivan clan  his father and her grandfather are brothers. With folding chairs set up in a simple wood-paneled kitchen, Sean Sullivan strummed guitar while his colleague Sheldon Thornhill paraded around with the accordion. There were a handful of tourists but it was mostly neighbors, childhood friends and friends of friends who explained multiple degrees of connections while introducing themselves.

There were some standard Irish ballads, but many of the songs were Newfoundland originals, and nearly every guest joined in for the choruses of well-loved local tunes like Saltwater Joys. (This island that we cling to has been handed down with pride / by folks that fought to live here, taking hardships all in stride). It was like a mirror image of a kitchen seisiun in Ireland, with feet tapping, those who were so inclined getting up to dance, and everyone singing along to songs that sounded like Ireland, yet were just a bit different.
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ANCHORAGE  There was one bed coming available in the intensive care unit in Alaskas largest hospital.

It was the middle of the night, and the hospital, Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage, had been hit with a deluge of coronavirus patients. Doctors now had a choice to make: Several more patients at the hospital, most of them with Covid-19, were in line to take that last I.C.U. spot. But there was also someone from one of the states isolated rural communities who needed to be flown in for emergency surgery.

Who should get the final bed?

Dr. Steven Floerchinger gathered with his colleagues for an agonizing discussion. They had a better chance of saving one of the patients in the emergency room, they determined. The other person would have to wait.
In the middle of the night, Uyen Nguyen trudged through a grassy marshland with her mother and three siblings until they reached the edge of the ocean, where a small, dilapidated fishing boat was beached on the sand. It set off with 31 people packed on it.

It was 1985, a decade after Saigon had fallen, and their final attempt at fleeing Vietnam. Days later, the boats engine sputtered out, stranding the passengers at sea for about a month and forcing them to catch rainwater to sustain themselves. Ten people died, including Ms. Nguyens mother and two of her siblings. The others, including Ms. Nguyen, 10, and her 15-year-old brother, were rescued by fishermen and taken to a refugee camp in the Philippines.

Ms. Nguyen thought of that escape after seeing images of Afghans crammed on U.S. military planes in August, desperate to leave a country ravaged by a decades-long war. The unmistakable parallels, she said, have compelled her to help Afghans whose situation is similar to what she experienced.
An explosion outside a mosque in the center of Kabul killed at least three people on Sunday, a Taliban spokesman said, underscoring the challenge of maintaining security for the countrys new rulers after decades of waging war.

The blast struck around 3:30 p.m. outside the Eid Gah mosque in central Kabul during funerary prayers for the mother of a high-ranking Taliban official, said Qari Sayeed Khosti, a spokesman for the minister of interior. At least two people were also wounded in the attack.

I heard a huge blast, said Hasibullah, 45, a Kabul resident who was on his way to get groceries near the mosque when it was hit on Sunday. Everyone was in a panic. By early evening the pavement outside the mosque had already been cleaned of the victims blood.

No group claimed responsibility for the explosion, but it follows a trend of similar attacks carried out by the Islamic States affiliate in Afghanistan. The terrorist group has ramped up its campaign of violence in the weeks since American-led troops withdrew from Afghanistan and the Western-backed government was toppled.
MELBOURNE, Australia  The elite Australian troops stormed into a mud-walled Afghan village in the late summer of 2012 on a white-hot mission.

Days earlier, a rogue Afghan Army soldier had killed three of their comrades. A tip indicated that the assailant might be hiding in the village. While a search failed to turn him up, the Australian special forces fatally shot another Afghan man they encountered there.

That much is known. But the moments just before the mans death have become the subject of an intense legal dispute involving Australias most decorated living soldier, rekindling hard questions about the costs of the countrys 20-year mission in Afghanistan and the conduct of its most highly trained soldiers.

In one version of events, the dead man was a laborer named Ali Jan, and he was kicked off a cliff by the decorated soldier, Ben Roberts-Smith. According to this account, Mr. Jan, bound in handcuffs, hit the ground with such force that his teeth were knocked out, and he was then shot dead as Mr. Roberts-Smith watched. This is the story told by three Australian journalists who wrote about the episode and by three Afghan men who say they were at the scene.
A small plane crashed into an empty building in the outskirts of Milan on Sunday, and its six passengers and two crew members all died, the Italian authorities said.

Police authorities said that on board were three Romanian, two French, one Canadian and two Italian citizens, but declined to reveal their identities. The pilot was from Romania, where the aircraft was registered, Milans public prosecutor said.

The Italian news media reported that the pilot was a Romanian billionaire on vacation with his family and friends, and that several of those killed had dual citizenship. One passenger was reportedly a little boy.

Italys air traffic controller, ENAV, said it lost radio and radar contact with the plane a few minutes after it took off. The plane didnt send out any alarm, the public prosecutor, Tiziana Siciliano, told reporters at the scene. She said the flight recorder had been retrieved, according to The Associated Press.
GAZA CITY  King Abdullah II of Jordan came under heightened scrutiny on Sunday after an alliance of international news organizations reported that he was among several world leaders to use secret offshore accounts to amass overseas properties and hide their wealth.

The king was accused of using shell companies registered in the Caribbean to buy 15 properties, collectively worth more than $100 million, in southeast England, Washington, D.C., and Malibu, Calif. The purchases were not illegal, but their exposure prompted accusations of double standards: The Jordanian prime minister, who was appointed by the king, announced in 2020 a crackdown on corruption that included targeting citizens who used shell companies to disguise their overseas investments.

The Jordanian royal court declined to provide a comment to The New York Times, but lawyers for King Abdullah told the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, which published the report, that his foreign properties were bought exclusively with his personal fortune and not public funds.

The claims against King Abdullah were part of a major investigation, known as the Pandora Papers, that was conducted by the ICIJ in partnership with more than a dozen international news outlets, including The Washington Post and The Guardian. Based on leaks of nearly 12 million files from 14 offshore companies, the investigation found that King Abdullah was among 35 current and former leaders, as well as more than 300 public officials, who have used offshore shell companies to disguise their wealth, and to hide the transfer of that wealth overseas.
Some of the children have forgotten that they are Yazidi.

Mr. Hussein knows from his son, who is not being identified for his own safety, that he is being forced to work in construction for about $1 a day.

But without the $9,000 the captors are demanding for each of his six relatives, Mr. Hussein does not know how to bring his loved ones home.

Since he first re-established contact with the child in the summer of 2020, Mr. Hussein said he scraped together $600 for one payment to the captor and $1,200 for another. But that was not enough to free the boy, and it was not even enough to enable his son to keep sending him messages.

Recently, Mr. Hussein said, the kidnapper contacted him again.

A week ago, I was talking through Facebook to the guy holding them, and he told me, If you want to talk to the kids, you need to pay me $300 for each time, Mr. Hussein said. I told him I cant afford that, but lets stay in touch.

Mr. Hussein now relies on aid organizations to survive in a camp on Sinjar Mountain, where he moved his family after a fire raced through the larger camp where they lived in the Kurdistan region.

I did not want what remained of my family to burn, he said.

He said three of his sons were captured by ISIS in 2014. A year later, he managed to borrow money to buy the freedom of his youngest son, captured when he was a toddler along with five other relatives who had been taken to Syria and then to neighboring Turkey. Mr. Hussein said his family paid $30,000 for all six of them and picked up their loved ones at the Iraqi-Turkish border.

From 2015 until 2020, he did not know the fate of his other two sons. In the summer of 2020, he learned it from other relatives still held captive.
FORMER Tullamore retailer Paul Galvin is the man behind an ambitious new fundraiser which aims to build on a landmark achievement by an international school feeding charity.

Marys Meals now serves over two million children in 19 of the worlds poorest countries every day.

Marys Meals Ireland are celebrating this achievement by asking Irish supporters to raise enough funds to feed the entire two million children for a day. It costs just 9c on average to feed a child a nutritious school meal, in some of the poorest communities in the world. This amounts to just 18.30 for an entire school year.

The local branch of Mary's Meals is spearheaded by Paul Galvin, formerly of Galvin Tullamore, who describes the joy of everyone involved as contagious.

Its simple, he said, we dont just want your two cents worth  we want your nine cents! If every person in Offaly gave just nine cents, we could provide a nutritious school meal for 77,961 children!

The campaign runs from September 8 to October 31 2021 and full details can be found on the website www.marysmeals.ie

There are many ways to get involved - from sponsored walks to scrap metal collections, and everything in between, the ingenious supporters of Marys Meals have come up with hundreds of ways to get to this extraordinary milestone. With such a small amount having such a large impact, it is a great cause for schools, families and businesses to get behind.

The charity had humble beginnings to say the least: a one-off good deed from a shed in the Highlands of Scotland eventually led to a small school feeding programme in Malawi, aiming to bring vital meals to around 200 children.

Now more than 30% of the primary school population of Malawi enjoys the nutritious meals, served in schools by local volunteers to help the next generation build a brighter future. The Offaly group was founded in 2019 and has been supporting Libuda Primary School in Malawi since then.

Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, founder and CEO of Marys Meals, said: Today we celebrate an amazing moment in the Marys Meals story. Today, two million children ate Marys Meals in a place of education. When we set out on this path, nearly 30 years ago, we were overwhelmed by peoples goodness in donating  and thats been the story ever since. I thank you with all my heart on behalf of each of those children.

Marys Meals not only feeds huge numbers of children attending government-run schools in Africa, but those in prison awaiting trial in Niger and Madagascar, plus children children in India, Thailand, Syria, Lebanon and Haiti.
A man appeared at a special court sitting on Saturday evening charged in connection to a serious stabbing in Longford town that left another man in hospital.

Fifty-one-year-old Grigorijus Sibika, Top Flat, Keanes Garage, Strokestown Road, Longford was brought before a special sitting of Longford District Court following an incident at the aforementioned address on Friday night.

Garda Peter Doherty gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution to Judge Deirdre Gearty.

He said the accused made no reply after caution when charging him with Section 3 assault causing harm shortly before 9pm.

Mr Sibika, who was wearing a white top and dark trousers, sat quietly in the custody suite as details of the case were relayed to him through an interpreter.

Defence solicitor Brid Mimnagh said her client, who is on disability benefit, would not be making a bail application at this stage.

Judge Gearty, in granting legal aid to Mr Sibika, remanded him in custody to a sitting of Longford District Court next Tuesday.

A second man, aged in his 40s, arrested in connection to the alleged stabbing incident, has since been released without charge ahead of a file being sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
Greece Gambling Conference 2021 Coming in Mid-October

Published October 3, 2021 by Mike P

On 13 October 2021, the next Greece Gambling Conference will be hosted in Athens. An array of experts will lead to talks to inform the entire industry.

The next Greece Gambling Conference is scheduled for 13 October 2021 at Novotel Athenes, which can be found a stones throw from the historic Acropolis in Athens. Prospective visitors can currently receive a temporary 15% discount with the promo code GGConf15 and attend the conference for 250.

Lottery the Central Theme

Tasos Belesis has been booked to feature as the keynote speaker for the 2021 Greece Gambling Conference. With more than 25 years of professional experience as a lottery consultant, Tasos has knowledge of retail betting, online gambling, passive lotteries, number games, scratch cards, and video lottery terminals (VLTs).

Tasos is getting ready to deliver the main presentation of the conference, which is entitled Traditional Lotteries in the iGaming Era. Alongside his past roles with Sisal and Goslotto, Tasos has also assisted in the development of an agreement to introduce a state-run lottery in the Russian gambling industry.

The Wider Greek Gambling Industry

The conference will also discuss the wider gambling industry in Greece and will feature a combination of experts from domestic and international markets, including Carlo Pagan, formerly of the European Casino Association; Alina Dumitru, a senior lawyer at NNDKP; PartnerMatrix CEO Levon Nikoghosyan; and Serpact founder and CEO Nikola Minkov.

Delegates will be walked through how to be granted a Greek gambling licence, with the difficulties of the countrys legislative system discussed. Operators, affiliates, marketers, and other professionals can benefit from also discovering the current trends in digital marketing and how to develop strategies to build and maintain a dependable player base.
On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti and wildlife week, the poachers and timber smugglers decided to return to the mainstream, leaving behind the criminal activity of poaching and timber smuggling.

Guwahati: Bringing hope for wildlife and forest conservation, over 250 poachers and 300 timber smugglers surrendered before the BTC administration in the Chirang district of Assam on Saturday (October 2). On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti and wildlife week, the poachers and timber smugglers decided to return to the mainstream, leaving behind the criminal activity of poaching and timber smuggling. Wildlife lovers of the state believe that the surrender of 565 poachers and timber smugglers will begin a new era of forest and wildlife conservation in the Bodo Territorial Region (BTR) and Assam.

The poachers surrendered 254 handmade rifles, ammunition, and animal trophies. Taking to Twitter, chief minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma said, "Dawn of a new era for wildlife & forest conservation.Thanks to the Bodo Territorial Council (BTC) Administration, 264 poachers surrendered at Chirang with arms & animal trophies. They are getting a rehab package with immediate relief of 50K each. 300 + timber smugglers also surrendered in the presence of BTR Chief Pramod Boro."

Earlier in September, 58 poachers surrendered before the BTC administration. These poachers were mainly active in Manas and orang national parks. After their surrender, the BTC administration gave them 50 thousand rupees under the rehabilitation scheme. Further, the BTC administration promised to create suitable arrangements for their livelihood.

Taking to Twitter, BTC chief Pramod Bodo said, "A fitting tribute to Gandhiji on his Jayanti as 264 poachers & 300 timber smugglers surrendered their arms and equipment at a programme in Chirang today. We welcome their decision to shun illegal activities on this auspicious day & choose to live life with dignity."
Sherman Ali compared martyrs of Assam agitation with murderers and appreciated the killings of 8 martyrs. Said if returned to power will hang DC-SP of Darrang for conducting eviction against illegal Muslim settlers

GUWAHATI: Assam Congress MLA Sherman Ali was arrested on Saturday night by the city police in Guwahati for his provocative remarks on the martyrs of Assam agitation. Sherman Ali compared, the eight martyrs killed by migrant Muslims at Dhalpur in Darrang district during Assam agitation, with murderers. Major protest erupted across Assam after the derogatory comment by the Congress MLA.

The Baghbor constituency MLA was arrested from Dispur MLA hostel last night and taken to Panbazar police station.

It should be mentioned that, after the violent eviction drive in Dhalpur on 23rd September, Sherman Ali said that the youths killed by migrant Muslims in 1983 were murderers. He further added that these types of killings should be appreciated. Assam police booked the controversial MLA under section 153 and 153(A) of IPC.

Earlier the Congress party had served a show cause notice to the MLA for his remark on the martyrs of Assam Agitation. But people were questioning the very normal reaction by the Congress party. Many demands suspension of MLA Sherman Ali Ahmed from the party. But Congress leadership are not paying attension to these public outcry and now trying to defend Sherman Ali. In a video statement on 30th September, Congress MLA Ali said that if Congress return to power in Assam, they will make it sure that the Darrang district DC-SP, who conducted eviction against illegal Muslim settlers at Dhalpur, would hang.

It is noteworthy to mention that MLA Sherman Ali earlier claimed that Dayanath Sarma and eight others martyrs were murderers of migrant Muslims, not martyrs. Ali's derogatory remarks about the 855 martyrs of Assam agitation was opposed by all sections of people across Assam. AASU, AGP, AJYCP and many other indigenous organization's demanded immediate arrest of MLA Sherman Ali. Many complaints were filed against Ali by various organization's in many police stations including AASU.




BJP MP, MLA, in charge and others will go to every district and area to thank and felicitate the doctors, nurses and hospital staff nationwide

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party will felicitate doctors, nurses and hospital staff nationwide when 100 crore Covid vaccine shots have been administered to Indians.

India has completed 90 crore inoculations of COVID-19 vaccines to date (October 3).

A source in the BJP told ANI, "BJP will felicitate doctors, nurses and hospital staff nationwide. BJP MP, MLA, in charge and others will go to every district and area to thank and felicitate them. It is a big achievement for India."

"We have completed the number of 90 crore vaccinations, so most probably by October 11 and 12 we will achieve this target. On that day we will felicitate them," a source said.

Courtesy: ANI
Over the years, it has become a tradition for leftist intellectuals to oppose the idea of Indianization.

The issue in the contention resonates with the formation of a two-member committee by Kannur University that has recommended omitting some texts in response to protests staged by Congress, Left and IUML backed student organizations upon the inclusion of Savarkar and Golwalkar in the academic syllabus citing saffronization of the academia.

Initially, the vice-chancellor denied allegations of saffronization and very aptly said that the syllabus should have representation from all ideologies to allow students to analyze them with a comparative inquiry critically. He also said that the syllabus is meant for post-graduate students and not for school children. India's best varsity's Jawaharlal Nehru University and Delhi University included these texts in their syllabus. The VC later backtracked from his former stance, succumbing to political pressures. This is again a reminder of how colonial and communist forces are responsible for creating and fostering a tradition of intolerance within the nation.

The opposition of Veer Savarkar and Guru Golwalkar is the result of the ideological domination and superiority syndrome of leftist academics. It reflects their disconnection from the people and the ground reality, whereby they audaciously reject the nationalist ideology based on false and fictitious arguments and facts. To put an end to these alluring myths, misconceptions, and fallacies that has been propagated over the years, it is quite pertinent to suggest these anti-Hindutva and anti-India intellectuals, reading of the two-volume masterpiece research work "Savarkar: A Contested Legacy" by historian Vikram Sampath (Penguin Publication).

Just as including 'Das Kapital' in a course syllabus does not turn a university or its faculty and students into Marxists, it is absurd to equate the reading of Savarkar or Golwalkar with "Saffronisation". Actually, the leftist intellectuals assume Indianization to be equivalent to saffronization, a way of thought that is often debated. Over the years, it has become their tradition and the thing to oppose the idea of Indianization. Victor Hugo rightly observed that "No power on earth can stop the idea whose time has come". Similarly, none in the world can erase great historical figures like Veer Savarkar, Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyay, Dr. Hedgewar, Guru Golwalkar from mankind's memory. Some Left-liberal academicians have time and again equate them with Hitler and Mussolini.

These aristocratic intellectuals compare Hindutva with anti-human and monstrous ideologies: Nazism and Fascism. Unspeakable cruelties became state policy under rulers like Adolf Hitler, Mussolini, Joseph Stalin and Mao. Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin and Mao were all tyrants and mass murders. These dictators suppressed opposition with brute force, controlling the media, the police and government machinery to become absolute rulers with total control of power in their hands. How bankrupt is the idea to compare Savarkar and Golwalkar with Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin or Mao? Drawing a comparison of Veer Savarkar or Guru Golwalkar to these mass murderers is totally bizarre and an attempt to deny their role and contribution to the Idea of India.

Those who advocate the removal of texts or excerpts on Savarkar or Golwalkar from Indian books on the pretext of glorification of extremist Hindutva, how come they don't object to the reading of Marx or Lenin? As the intellectual fountainhead of the ideology of Hindutva, both Savarkar and Golwalkar are undoubtedly among the most contentious political thinkers and modern leaders who inspired the masses greatly. They have been the most vocal voice for Indian Nationalism and the Hindus. Undoubtedly, both Savarkar and Golwalkar need to be taught on the same pretext as Gandhi, Dr. Ambedkar, Nehru, Patel, Sardar Bhagat Singh, Subhash Chandra Bose, they also have significantly contributed to the making of the Idea of India and shaping of contemporary India.

The tendency to accuse them as Nazist or fascist is nothing but a replay of an old colonial anti-India tactic. This is incitement! Ensuring that Savarkar or Golwalkar remain a villain as they are made out to be in the minds of many by erasing them from texts and banning their books will continue to paint their uncharitable picture. This wouldn't happen if students were actually allowed to read about them. It is a classic example of preventing the students from developing a critical understanding of various strands of Indian political thought.

Another canker in the system has been textbook writing, banning and syllabi structuring that has been used for political propaganda for a long time.

The roots are indeed in the colonial portrayal of Indian history by the British. The process of curriculum writing has also been going along the same lines. The previous governments had constituted committees with left leanings, essentially to subvert any form of nationalist ideology. It is a matter of fact, most of the writing had been done to undermine the role of Sanskrit, Hindu culture and philosophy. But those who are creating furore now seem to have no problem with that, as we do not see any agitation on the issue by those parties or their student wing.

Many books have been banned completely, or certain texts have been deleted because of demands and outrage by certain outfits to fit RED ideology. An example is a Chinese leader Mao Zedong who completely changed the idea of contemporary China, which he called the Cultural Revolution. An entire chapter of the Cultural Revolution was taken out of the state-approved history books and replaced with Mao's idea of the development of China. The parts about the protests against Mao and the government-backed violence were deleted altogether.

From the pre-Independence era to date, history is full of instances wherein certain groups in India, having ideological positions and interests that are aligned to their colonial/communist masters, turn a blind eye to their wrong doings, rather they support their actions even at the behest of the national interests. Till now, colonial and leftist thinkers had a monopoly on historiography. That is why they have been arbitrary in the selection, glorification and denial of ideologies and thinkers. However, when it comes to their own country, they voice serious concern over the inclusion of few texts written by nationalist historians and Hindutva ideologues and term them as poisonous and "dangerous" for the young minds. Why these double standards? India and Indian culture cannot be imagined by ignoring Hindutva.

Undoubtedly, it is very difficult to understand how a culture of intolerance for nationalist ideology and Hindutva grew so rapidly in post-independence India and succeeded in vitiating the intellectual atmosphere so thoroughly. It was the spirit of inquiry that distinguished Indians from others, and argumentation was the norm in our day-to-day life. It was not viewed with suspicion, and no lack of respect was attributed to it. To say something is negative or positive, we have to flip the coin and see what is there on the other side of the coin! By not allowing books/ texts on Savarkar or Golwalkar, we are actually excusing young minds into believing something that we think is true for them while disregarding all the other impacts on their wholesome development.

As Margaret Heffernan rightly quoted, "For good ideas and true innovation, you need human interaction, conflict, argument, debate", education is understanding diverse ideas, which is not the case for left-liberals. Furthermore, the hegemony of colonial and left ideology in the curriculum and textbooks also raises serious concerns. The Nationalist ideology has been the victim of this government-supported dominant combination. In such a scenario, the larger question remainsshould students be hostages of colonial and leftist narratives, or is it high time a panel of neutral academicians came together to de-colonize and Indianize the textbooks/curriculum once and for all?

(The writer is Dean, Students Welfare, Central University of Jammu)
Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringla will visit Jaffna, where the eighth edition of bilateral joint exercise 'Mitra Shakti' focusing on counter-terrorism will be conducted at Combat Training School, Ampara in Sri Lanka.

New Delhi: Strengthening India-Sri Lanka ties while Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringla is on a visit to the island nation visiting different places, including Jaffna, the eighth edition of bilateral joint exercise 'Mitra Shakti' focusing on counter-terrorism will be conducted at Combat Training School, Ampara in Sri Lanka from Monday (October 4).

The mega military exercise will continue till October 15, the Defence Ministry said. The war game will act as a catalyst in bringing synergy and cooperation at the grassroots level between both armies.

"The aim of the exercise is to promote close relations between armies of both countries and enhance inter-operability and sharing best practices in counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations," it said.

The ministry said an all arms contingent of 120 personnel of the Indian Army would participate in the exercise along with a battalion-strength contingent of the Sri Lankan Army. The exercise will involve tactical level operations at the sub-unit level in an international counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism environment.

A series of deadly bomb blasts rocked Sri Lanka in April 2019, in which over 300 people were killed. In the backdrop of the blasts, both the countries had enhanced their anti-terror cooperation.

The last edition of the Mitra Shakti exercise was conducted at Foreign Training Node (FTN) in Pune in 2019.

Foreign Secy Shringla visit

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringla, who is on a visit to the island nation, will call on top leadership, including President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, Foreign Minister GL Pieris. He will hold talks with counterpart Jayanth Colombage. The Foreign Secretary will also travel to Kandy, Trincomalee and Jaffna. He will visit Jaffna cultural centre, which is being built with India's assistance.

As an immediate neighbour, India came out quickly to extend help to deal with the COVID-19 crisis. New Delhi has supplied 100 tons of liquid medical oxygen, 26 tons of medicines and delivered half a million Covid vaccines.
The activists also protested against the National security law imposed in Hongkong last year and expressed fear that a similar fate could befall Taiwan if the island isn't careful about whom or what it lets in.

Taipei: Hong Kong activists on China's National day held protests in Taiwan and called on the people of the maritime nation to step up efforts to prevent the influx of "Chinese money" into their economy.

These pro-democratic groups were holding demonstrations against oppressive behaviour by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and warned of China's ongoing attempts to infiltrate the democratic island's media and political life, reported Radio Free Asia.

The activists also protested against the National security law imposed in Hongkong last year and expressed fear that a similar fate could befall Taiwan if the island isn't careful about whom or what it lets in.

Meanwhile, the protestors also sprayed the portrait of the Chinese Communist Party's leader Xi Jinping.

"October 1 marks the date that their totalitarian regime was established, so we, the oppressed, are giving them the gift of protest in return," a Hongkonger named Sky said.

"Those of us who are in a free and democratic Taiwan will be presenting our congratulations to China in the form of a portrait of Xi Jinping," Sky added.

Meanwhile, the Hongkong groups also called on 23 million people of Taiwan to boycott the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and for democratic reforms in Hong Kong and Macau, Radio Free Asia reported.

This protest was held in a string of demonstrations by hundreds of Hong Kongers, Tibetans and Uyghurs in London and Washington on 'marking' China's national day.

Courtesy: ANI
The incident comes as yet another example of the deplorable conditions under which religious minorities live in Pakistan.





Islamabad: The terrorist organisation Islamic State (Daesh) has claimed responsibility for killing a Sikh community member earlier this week in Pakistan's Peshawar.

In a statement, Islamic State (Daesh) on Friday (October 2) said Satnam Singh was shot dead by IS (Daesh) members. Satnam Singh, a Hakim (physician), was inside his clinic on Thursday in Peshawar when he was shot dead.

The incident comes as yet another example of the deplorable conditions under which religious minorities live in Pakistan.

Religious minorities continue to face brutal suppression of their rights. They regularly become a target of rampant violence.

Religious minorities remain a soft target of non-state actors and religiously inspired extremists. Meanwhile, the dogged persistence of state policies has failed to reboot the judicial system and the rule of law.

Pakistan, on several occasions, has promised to safeguard the interests of minority communities in the nation. However, rampant attacks on the minorities narrate a different story.

Courtesy: ANI
Trump filed the request for a preliminary injunction against Twitter late on Friday in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

Washington: Former US President Donald Trump has filed a complaint with a federal court, asking Twitter to temporarily restore his account while he pushes forward with efforts toward permanent reinstatement.

Trump filed the request for a preliminary injunction against Twitter late on Friday in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

The filing says, as quoted by ABC News, that Twitter "exercises a degree of power and control over political discourse in this country that is immeasurable, historically unprecedented, and profoundly dangerous to open democratic debate."

Trump argues that Twitter was "coerced" by members of Congress to suspend his account.

In July, Trump announced a class-action lawsuit against Facebook, Twitter, Google subsidiary YouTube and their CEOs. The lawsuit said that the status of the three tech giants "rises beyond that of a private company to that of a state actor" and is constrained by the First Amendment right to free speech in the censorship decisions it makes regarding its users.

Facebook and Twitter have insisted that their bans on Trump are not censorship but were set up for public safety in response to the January 6 unrest at the US Capitol.

At the time Twitter permanently banned Trump in January, the former president had 88 million followers.

Courtesy: ANI/Sputnik
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden on Saturday acknowledged frustrations as Democrats strain to rescue a scaled-back version of his $3.5 trillion government-overhaul plan and salvage a related public works bill after frantic negotiations failed to produce a deal.

"Everybodys frustrated, its part of being in government, being frustrated," Biden told reporters before leaving the White House for a weekend stay at his home in Wilmington, Delaware. He pledged to work like hell" to get the two pillars of his domestic agenda passed into law, but refrained from laying out a new deadline.

The president had gone to Capitol Hill on Friday for a private meeting with House Democrats that was partly a morale booster for the disjointed caucus of lawmakers. According to lawmakers in the room, he discussed a $1.9 trillion to $2 trillion-plus price tag for the larger package that would expand the country's social safety net.

The White House and its allies in Congress are prepared for protracted negotiations. Biden said he would soon travel around the country to promote the legislation and he acknowledged concerns that the talk in Washington had become too focused on the trillions in new spending and taxes in the bill.

He pledged to do more to educate the public about the plan's new and expanded programs, which he contended have the support of the vast majority of the electorate.

Im going to try to sell what I think the American people will buy, Biden said Saturday, adding, I believe that when the American people are aware of whats in it well get it done.

The president said he believed the legislation will be signed into law with plenty of time to change the tax code for people next year.

It's a pivotal time for Biden and the party. His approval ratings have dropped and Democrats are restless, eager to deliver on his signature campaign promise of rebuilding the country. His ideas go beyond roads-and-bridges infrastructure to delivering dental, vision and hearing care for seniors, free prekindergarten, major efforts to tackle climate change and other investments that would touch countless American lives.

Holdout Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia had dashed hopes for a swift compromise on a framework when he refused to budge late Thursday on his demands for a smaller overall package, about $1.5 trillion.

Without a broader deal, prospects for a vote on the companion public works bill stalled out as progressives refused to commit until senators reached agreement. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told colleagues that more time is needed as they shape the broader package.

The House on Friday night passed a 30-day measure to keep transportation programs running during the stalemate, essentially setting a new deadline for talks, Oct. 31. The Senate approved it without debate during a brief Saturday session, to halt the furloughs of more than 3,500 federal transportation workers, a byproduct of the political impasse. Biden signed it by evening.

Pelosi, keeping her promise to centrists, had insisted earlier Friday that there would be a vote today on the $1 trillion infrastructure bill that is popular but is snared in the debate over Bidens broader measure. But with Democratic progressives refusing to give their support for that slimmer roads-and-bridges bill unless advances were made on the presidents big bill, Pelosi was unwilling to call for a vote.

Out of respect for our colleagues who support the bills and out of recognition for the need for both, Pelosi said in a letter Saturday to House Democrats that she would not bring the smaller measure to the floor to fail.

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, a key centrist Democrat who helped steer the public works bill to Senate passage but has concerns that Bidens overall bill is too big, was dismayed by the delay on the bipartisan package negotiated with the president.

In a statement Saturday, she said the canceled vote was inexcusable, and deeply disappointing and erodes the trust needed for good-faith negotiations.

With Republicans solidly opposed to Biden's sweeping vision, the president and Democrats are reaching for a giant legislative accomplishment on their own  all to be paid for by rewriting federal balance sheets with tax increases on corporations and the wealthy, those earning more than $400,000 a year.

The larger of Biden's proposals is a years-in-the-making collection of Democratic priorities with an ultimate price tag he says is zero, because the tax revenue would cover the spending costs.

We will and must pass both bills soon, Pelosi said in her letter. We have the responsibility and the opportunity to do so. People are waiting and want results.

The White House and Democrats also are focusing on raising the nation's borrowing limit before the United States risks defaulting on its obligations  a deadline the Treasury Department estimates will be reached no later than Oct. 18. The House has already acted, but Republicans senators have indicated they will not provide votes for bipartisan passage and want Democrats to go it alone.

I hope that the Republicans wont be so irresponsible as to refuse to raise the debt limit and to filibuster the debt limit, Biden said Saturday. "That would be totally unconscionable. Never been done before. And so I hope that wont happen.
GULU, Uganda (AP)  The light bulb hanging from the ceiling flickered on and off, infuriating the technician in this remote Ugandan town as he checked the refrigerators filled with vaccine doses to confirm they were still working.

If the power supply didnt stabilize, he said, he would have to requisition fuel and start the generator.

It keeps going on and off, like a disco light, said the technician, Tony Elong. This is our biggest problem. ... If I am not here and power is off for many hours, we are likely to lose the vaccines. It needs a timely response.

Power failures are rampant in northern Uganda's Gulu district. For Elong the problem is urgent; two fridges were destroyed by power outages this year. It's among the many logistical issues facing health officials as they expand COVID-19 vaccination into rural areas with the arrival of substantial doses in the previously vaccine-starved nation.

Gulu, home to 325,000 people, has given out about 9,000 doses, with only 2,795 people fully vaccinated. The district had 30 AstraZeneca doses and 300 Chinese-made Sinovac ones as of Sept. 23, an artificial shortage in a country with a growing vaccine stock of millions of doses.

In recent days, Uganda has received more than 2.2 million doses  including Pfizer and Moderna  from the United States, as well as 985,000 AstraZeneca shots from France, Belgium and Ireland.

A total of 11,978,840 doses  donations and purchases via the African Union  are expected in Uganda by December, President Yoweri Museveni said last week. But Ugandas central storage facility near the capital, Kampala, can only hold 5 million doses of the Pfizer vaccines requiring ultra-low temperatures, and some rural areas like Gulu aren't equipped to handle either the Pfizer or Moderna shots.

As supply grows, officials are trying to whip up enthusiasm for vaccines in rural districts where many, citing safety fears, would rather wait.

John Nkengasong, head of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told reporters last week that while some African countries such as Rwanda and Zimbabwe are doing well in rolling out vaccines, others like Uganda are struggling, and the agency will be looking to community and religious leaders for help.

Health systems in Africa are among the poorest in the world, plagued by chronic shortages of essential supplies, corruption and an unmotivated workforce. In Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, those challenges are exacerbated by insecurity, with vaccine distribution in rural areas, especially in the countrys volatile north, crippled by the threat of violence. Only 3% of Nigeria's 200 million people have received their first dose.

In Uganda, an East African nation of 44 million, authorities have ramped up vaccination in the Kampala area, but efforts have largely stalled in rural districts such as Gulu, hampered by hesitancy as well as refrigeration and other distribution problems.

Museveni said last week that officials face dismissal in rural areas, which now account for most of the country's 268 COVID-19 hospitalizations, if vaccines expire under their watch.

We are literally dancing around," said Dr. Misaki Wayengera, head of a committee advising Uganda's pandemic response, speaking of the slow vaccine rollout.

The government rations doses to districts based on demand expectations, and supplies aren't replenished until officials account for doses they previously received.

As a result, shortages stemming from delays in reporting back vaccination data can occur.

The demand is there, said Dr. Kenneth Canna. But right now what is bogging us down ... is availability of the vaccine, both in the urban setting and in the rural setting.

Associated Press journalists reached a remote area of Gulu where a health center without running water had the districts last supply of 30 AstraZeneca doses. Because a vial contains seven doses that must be accounted for, vaccines aren't distributed until seven people are in line. So people come and go without a getting a jab.

You cant open the vial when the people are few. If people are few, you will be wasting the vaccine, said Okello Labedo, a clinical officer in charge of the Awach health center, speaking through a frayed mask. The turnout among the elderly is very poor. I think it is because of the distance.

Amos Okello, a farmer who had waited several hours under a mango tree, expressed disappointment he would be going home without a shot after traveling many kilometers on a rented bike.

They said, If you come alone you cannot get the vaccine, Okello said. I cant go and force someone from his home to come here and get the vaccine.

While it's important for me to get the vaccine, tomorrow I might not be able to come back," he added.

Patrick Okot, a commodities trader in Gulu who received his first AstraZeneca shot in May, said he considered traveling to another district for the second one, but is discouraged by the cost.

You might go there and you find that they also dont have vaccines, he said.

Ugandas goal is to vaccinate 4.8 million of its most vulnerable people  including those age 50 and above  but so far 348,000 are fully vaccinated, according to official figures. And only 37% of the countrys 150,000 health care workers are fully vaccinated, highlighting the slow rollout that led authorities to begin vaccinating students and others in a bid to prevent the expiration of doses.

Authorities have warned schools won't reopen until all teachers and staff are fully vaccinated, a mandate that briefly caused lines at rural vaccination sites. Yet many came hoping there would be no doses, underscoring hesitancy in the aftermath of reports of rare blood clots in a small number of people getting the AstraZeneca vaccine.

The pressure is now bringing them, said Lily Apio, a nurse in charge of immunization at the Aywee health center just outside Gulu town.

Alfred Akena, a schoolteacher waiting to get the Sinovac vaccine, said he was compelled by the government mandate to get the shot but he urged his wife not to, citing safety concerns.

They put pressure on us, so today I came to get vaccinated, he said. I told my wife, Let me first go. When the worst comes to the worst, she will take care of my children.

That view was echoed by college student Onen Richard, who spoke of vaccination as just like school rules and regulations that he didnt think were in his interest.

That morning, after six men had signed consent forms, Apio informed them only five Sinovac doses were available.

One of the men quickly stood up and left.

___

Chinedu Asadu in Lagos, Nigeria, contributed to this report.
The Midland County Apportionment Committee is getting to close to voting on new apportionment for the seven county commissioner districts, based on the results of the 2020 U.S. Census.

Midland County Democratic Party Chair Jennifer Austin presented a second plan for apportionment during the Wednesday, Sept. 29 Midland County Apportionment Committee meeting at the Midland County Services Building. A different plan had been presented at the committee's previous meeting on Sept. 15.

The Sept. 29 meeting, held in the Board of Commissioners room on the first floor, lasted 70 minutes and was attended by 15 to 20 members of the public. All five members of the committee were present: Midland County Clerk Ann Manary, Midland County Prosecuting Attorney J. Dee Brooks, Midland County Treasurer Cathy Lunsford, Austin, and Midland County Republican Party Chair Cathy Leikhim.

The criteria for apportionment are that the districts shall be contiguous, compact and square; townships shall generally not be combined with cities; townships, cities, and villages shall generally not be divided; precincts shall be divided only to meet population standard; no partisan political advantage shall be given to a particular party; and population deviation between commissioner districts must be under 11.9%.

Currently, all seven members of the Midland County Board of Commissioners are Republican.

While projecting the map she had drafted to the rest of the committee on a big screen, Austin explained that its population deviation of 7.11% is significantly lower than the population deviation of 9.78% of the map from the Sept. 15 meeting.

"The Sept. 15 map provides five Republican-leaning districts and two that are competitive, and of those two that are competitive, one has a slight Democratic lean and one has a slight Republican lean," Austin continued. "The map that I have created provides the same five Republican-leaning districts -- 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. The difference is that by changing the way we configured (Districts) 6 and 7, it makes them both competitive districts with a slight Democratic lean, which helps to mitigate the unfair advantage that we were giving Republicans, having nearly all of the districts have a Republican lean.

"I believe the voters of Midland County deserve to have maps that are fair and less partisan and also have less of a population deviation issue," Austin said.

The committee will next meet on Monday, Oct. 6 at 1 p.m. in the same location. Manary, who chairs the committee, said the committee hopes to vote at that meeting to approve one of the two proposed plans to send to the State of Michigan.

If the vote is not held at the Oct. 6 meeting, the committee will meet again on Wednesday, Oct. 8 at 9 a.m. to hold the vote.

The committee will also meet on Wednesday, Oct. 20 at 1 p.m.

A few members of the public in attendance spoke in support of Austin's proposed apportionment map.

"Your decision affects 10 years of voting and the possibility of having any Democrats on the County Board of Commissioners," Molly Morrissey said.

"Is the county gerrymandered like the state was?" said Claudia Warren. "When one party has the strongest voice, they can dominate the discussion. Is (the county gerrymandered so that certain topics don't get discussed?"

Attendees Tina Jacobs and Eric Anders both said the Apportionment Committee meetings need to be better publicized.

"Putting the meeting on the (Midland County) website would go a long way," Jacobs said.

"It was not mentioned in the county newsletter," Anders said. "This is a critical issue. Nobody is asking the voters (for input). It seems very one-sided."

In response, Manary said that written notices of the Sept. 29 meeting had been posted at the County Building and a notice had been submitted to the Daily News. But she said she would make an effort to publicize the committee's upcoming meetings online as well.

The committee's three upcoming meetings are now in the October Midland County Newsletter online at https://www.co.midland.mi.us/.

The Reapportionment Committee began meeting on June 2 and has met at least once a month since that time.

Also at the Sept. 29 meeting, the committee discussed whether Midland County should sign on to the petition to the Michigan Court of Appeals being filed by Livingston and Branch counties. The committee decided not to sign on to the petition.

Midland City Clerk Erica Armstrong and members of her staff were in attendance at the meeting and provided the committee guidance regarding how the apportionment will affect voting precincts.
SANAA, Yemen (AP)  Clashes between Yemeni separatists backed by the United Arab Emirates and a rival splinter group in the southern port city of Aden killed at least 10 people including four civilians Saturday, security officials said.

The fighting has taken place in Adens residential neighborhood of Crater, where the presidential palace and other government buildings are located, they said. It pits forces of the secessionist Southern Transitional Council against an armed religious group that was once part of the council, according to the officials.

The armed group is led by Brig. Imam al-Noubi, a Salafi officer who commanded a faction of the separatist militia known as the Security Belt. He fell out with the council leader two years ago, according to one official.

The officials said a dozen fighters were also wounded in the clashes, which had subsided by Saturday evening after the Security Belt deployed reinforcements, including armored vehicles, to the neighborhood.

The Security Belt called for Craters residents to remain at their homes, as Adens security forces and counter-terrorism forces clear the area from some groups and terrorist hotbeds.

Residents reported hearing heavy gunfire and shelling that hit apartment buildings.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media, and the residents did so for fear of reprisals.

The Southern Transitional Council is an umbrella group of heavily armed and well financed militias propped up by the UAE since 2015. It hopes to restore an independent southern Yemen, which existed from 1967-1990.

The council controls large swathes of territory in southern Yemen, including Aden, which serves as an interim capital of the internationally recognized government of exiled President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.

The clashes in Crater come two weeks after protests in Aden and other southern cities over dire living conditions amid an unprecedented drop in the value of the local currency, the rial.

The rial lost 36% of its value in July, according to the U.N. humanitarian agency. One U.S. dollar trades at more than 1,000 rials in the black market.

The currency collapse has made it difficult for most Yemenis to afford basic needs including food.

Yemen has been convulsed by civil war since 2014, when Iran-backed Houthi rebels took control of the capital of Sanaa and much of the northern part of the country, forcing Hadis government to flee to the south, then to Saudi Arabia.

A Saudi-led coalition entered the war in March 2015, backed by the United States, to try restore Hadi to power, and threw its support behind his internationally backed government. The conflict has deteriorated largely into a stalemate and spawned the worlds worst humanitarian crisis.

Tens of thousands of Yemenis live in famine-like conditions. More than 20 million of the countrys some 30 million people need some form of humanitarian aid, according to the U.N.
Washington, DC, US (PANA) - The US has reiterated its "firm commitment" to Sudan's ongoing political transition which, it said, represents a "once-in-a-generation opportunity for democracy"
Photo: (Photo : Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

A father has committed to walk barefoot for 1,200 miles to raise funds for his daughter's much-needed gene therapy. Chris Brannigan, 41, has been walking across American states without his shoes for more than a month for Hasti, his 9-year-old daughter, who has a rare condition known as the Cornelia de Lange Syndrome or CdLS.

Brannigan and his wife, Hengameh, established the Hope for Hasti foundation in January 2021 to help with research on CdLS. They hope that one of these studies could eventually develop a gene therapy that may prolong the life of those who have the condition.

However, Brannigan told People that coming up with the money to fund the research has been challenging, especially with COVID-19. Thus, the dad decided to walk for a cause and raise awareness to encourage donations.

Read Also: Heartbreak as 8-Year-Old Girl Develops Rare Autoimmune Disorder ADEM Due to COVID-19

What is CdLS?

According to the National Institutes of Health, CdLS is a gene mutation and a type of developmental disorder that may cause growth delays, limb defects, intellectual disability, and changes in the person's facial characteristics. Most cases of CdLS occur in patients with no history of the disorder, and the condition may occur in one in 10,000 to 25,000 individuals.

Aside from slow development in children, symptoms of CdLS may include autism tendencies, gastrointestinal problems, myopia, heart defects, hearing loss, excess hair growth, and seizures.

Brannigan said they knew right after Hasti was born that something wasn't right because she suffered a seizure within 24 hours. For the first year of her life, Hasti could not eat right, and she learned to say her first word at five years old.

Doctors told the parents that CdLS has no cure, and if she lived past the age of 12, her health would deteriorate. It was a future Brannigan, and his wife couldn't accept. To realize their dreams of creating the right gene therapy for Hasti, the family needs to raise $3.5 million.

The Barefoot Soldier's Journey

So, on August 31, Brannigan set off his walk for a cause in Maine. He plans to reach a Marine base camp in North Carolina. In between stops, the father would talk to people about why he is on this challenging journey, risking his health and not minding some cuts and wounds to his feet.

"I'm not some kind of endurance junkie," the dad said. "I'm really just doing this because it's a way to get people to focus on this issue and hopefully help us raise the money we need."

However, this is not the first barefoot journey for Brannigan, a British military member. He also marched miles across Cornwall in England and Edinburgh in Scotland for Hasti and raised $500,000.

If Brannigan reaches his goal, the funds will go to The Jackson Laboratory in Maine once the research receives approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to go on human trials. Currently, the CdLS study is under pre-clinical testing, and if the gene therapy proves to be safe and effective on humans, Brannigan's fundraiser will help expedite the next steps.

Related Article: Trial Gene Therapy Treatment Helped Baby With Rare Tumor' Bigger Than His Head'
Work on the Kumasi International Airport, one of the flagship projects being executed under the President Akufo-Addos Administration to augment socio-economic activities in Ghana, is nearing completion.



On completion, the facility will become the countrys second most important international aviation edifice expected to facilitate trade and economic activities within the West African sub-Region.



Currently, work on the project, being executed by Messrs. Contracta Construction UK Limited at the cost of 124.9 million Euros, with financing from Santander, Deutche Bank, and UKEF, is 77 percent complete.



The scope of work includes the extension of the existing runway pavement from 1, 981 metres to 2, 320 metres, construction of a new taxi link and apron, two new apron parking stands, aeronautical ground lighting systems, the design and building of a terminal with the capacity to handle 800, 000 passengers per annum.



Other components involve the provision of new bulk utility services, encompassing electricity, water, sewage treatment system and internet.



President Nana Akufo-Addo, briefing the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, on the progress of work during a courtesy call on the king at the Manhyia Palace, Kumasi, said his Administration was determined to expand the aviation industry for economic progress.



We are focused on completing this project as scheduled, he assured, saying hopefully, the facility would be test-tried in January, 2022, with plans to bring final works on the facility to completion in June the same year.



The President, who had earlier inspected the project, expressed satisfaction with the progress of work undertaken so far and charged the Ministry of Transport as well as the contractor to ensure that the finishing touches were executed as expected.



The Airport was originally constructed in 1943 with some extensive developments in the late 1950s by the government on the runway and taxiway lights, as well as the extension of the main runway to the southern part in the 1970s.



In 2003, the Kumasi Airport was elevated to international status primarily for regional operations with the addition of security, customs and immigration staff.



Otumfuo Osei Tutu advised the government to improve the countrys operational capacity in aviation and other key industries relevant for the accelerated growth of Ghanas economy.



I am hopeful the President will not disappoint the people, the king noted, urging him to work assiduously to fulfill the governments campaign promises in order to transform the peoples lives for the better.

Source: GNA









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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is to commence a special exercise to monitor how corporate institutions and stored and managed their e-waste to ensure environmental safety.



The move is to guarantee that electronic gadgets such as laptops, mobile phones, air conditioners, fridges and microwaves are disposed of by the right people at the licensed facility.



Where the Agencys officials have reasons to believe that the waste gadgets posed danger and nuisance to the environment, EPA will move in to take inventory and ensure that the institution pays for the gadgets to be disposed of safely.



Dr Henry Kokofu, the Executive Director of the Agency, announced this at an event to outdoor a pilot project to collect hazardous and e-waste for safe management and disposal by experts.



The project is a joint venture between the Environmental Protection Agency and Excellent Waste Management, which seeks to help clean up e-waste, create jobs and boost revenue.



The EPA Executive Director said the pilot project was part of a grand plan to continue to spearhead the fight against environmental pollution as mandated by law to among other things guide development to prevent, reduce, and as far as possible, eliminate pollution and actions that lowered the quality of life.



Dr Kokofu said the EPA as part of the pilot project would take up other initiatives in the area of plastic waste collection and scrap metals to practicalized the circular economy idea.



On the new project, he said already, institutions, including the Electoral Commission and the Electricity Company of Ghana sought the services of the Agency to safely manage and dispose of old electronic gadgets.



Dr Kokofu said the pilot project would be implemented nationwide to sustain the effort at Agbogbloshie, which earned the country an unenviable name as the country with the biggest e-waste yard globally.



He mentioned that the idea was to acquire more trucks and dispatch to Tema, Sunyani, Takoradi, Tamale, Koforidua to ensure that e-waste was properly disposed.



The Director said institutions that would like to engage the services of the Agency should reach out to them via letter or call.

Source: GNA









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Mr Pedro Luis Despaigne Gonzalez, the outgoing Cuban Ambassador to Ghana, has called on Mr Kwaku Ampratwum-Sarpong, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, in Accra, to bid Ghana farewell.



He mentioned the rich Ghana Cuba relations, which started in the 1950s, and called for its further strengthening for the mutual benefit of both countries.



The Deputy Minister congratulated Mr Gonzalez on the great strides made during his tour of duty.



He recalled the longstanding cordial relations between Ghana and Cuba dating back to Ghanas independence and said the past few years had witnessed the further strengthening of those ties.



Mr Ampratwum-Sarpong expressed the hope that Ghana-Cuba relations would continue to flourish on all fronts for the mutual benefit of the two countries.



He commended the outgoing Ambassador for his hard work during his tenure and referred to the assistance offered by the Cuban Embassy and the relevant authorities during official visits of President Nana Akufo-Addo and his Vice, the Foreign Minister and other high ranking Ghana Government officials to Cuba.



With regard to the bilateral cooperation, Mr Ampratwum-Sarpong commended the Ambassador for his role in facilitating the successful enrolment of almost 300 students to study medicine in Cuba within the framework of two academic services agreements with sponsorship from the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) Foundation and Ghana Scholarships Secretariat.



He hailed the efforts of Mr Gonzalez in liaising with government officials in other Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), especially the Ministries of Health and Education, to identify and explore areas of bilateral cooperation.



The Deputy Minister expressed governments commitment to extend the same cooperation to the incoming Cuban envoy to build on the remarkable achievements of Mr Gonzalez in enhancing the relations between Ghana and Cuba.

Source: GNA









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The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has commended the Ghana Police Service for their more proactive public posture in addressing some recent developments which have affected the safety of Ghanaians.



According to the New Patriotic Party's (NPPs) Director of Communications, Mr Yaw Buaben Asamoa, the Police have recently been engaging the public in real-time and sharing the path of their progress in ongoing investigations which affect the security of citizens.



Citing the Police response to the reported kidnap of a pregnant woman in Takoradi which turned out to be fake, Mr Asamoa urged other public service agencies, especially utilities, to engage swiftly on their challenges that affect service delivery in order to forestall misunderstanding.



"We (The NPP) wish to commend the Police on their more proactive public posture. They are engaging in real-time and sharing the path of their progress. We urge them to sustain this level of communication," Mr Asamoah said at a press briefing on Friday in Accra.



"We also urge other public service agencies, especially utilities, to engage swiftly on their challenges affecting service delivery in order to forestall misunderstanding. Above all, we commend the Police for their swift and dogged investigation of the Takoradi matter and hope that they will bring it to the appropriate conclusion".



He said the party would continue to support the Police "to ensure swift action in incidents of mob destruction of property and physical attack in order to terminate violence as a method of resolution of public grievances".



"The NPP is ready to partner well-meaning citizens to expand spaces for dialogue in the democracy we are building. Sustaining economic growth and social cohesion depends on discipline in exercising our freedoms. Your freedom is guaranteed when you guarantee your neighbours freedom".















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President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo appears to have announced contenders for the next leader of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) as his tenure comes to an end.



The Minister of Trade and Industries, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen as well as the Minister of Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, have reportedly harboured ambitions to becoming the flagbearer of the ruling party.



Both men are part of the Presidents team touring the Ashanti Region.



At the Manhyia Palace, the seat of the Asantehene, on Friday, Ocotber 1 at the start of the four-day tour, President Akufo-Addo made a huge announcement.



Nana let me introduce my team, he started. This is your grandson Dr Afriyie Akoto, my Agric Minister who wants to become the president.



Sitting next to the Agric Minister was Mr Kyerematen as introduced by the President.



Nana, this is Alan Kyeremanten, he has been vying for my seat for a very long time, a very workaholic minister, he chuckled amidst loud noise from the crowd gathered at Manhyia.



The NPP has barred party members from campaigning ahead of the presidential primaries in 2023.



The party has issued a code of conduct to all aspiring members and warned of punitive measures if any campaign.



The leading contenders include Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.



President Akufo-Addo, who has led the party since 2008, continues his tour of the Ashanti Region on Saturday with a visit to Darko Farms and inspection of the Abuakwa-Tanoso Road.











Source: 3news.com









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Mr Alan Kyerematen, Minister of Trade and Industry, has rebutted claims that Government is only rebranding some existing projects as "One District, One Factory " (1D1F ) companies.



Critics of Government's flagship programme have always been quick to raise issues anytime names of projects under the programme are put out, asserting that some of the companies are not new.



Mr Kyerematen, at a media encounter in the Ashanti region, restated that the programme was not only about the birthing of greenfield projects, but also the resuscitation of existing but distressed companies.



He said supports were also being given to vibrant companies to either expand or introduce new production lines.



If we say we are embarking on an industrial transformation agenda, if we say we want to stimulate industrial growth, what sense will it make if we allow struggling existing companies to collapse and say that we are supporting only greenfield projects? Why don't we extend similar support to these struggling companies for them to get back on their feet so that we are able to sustain the livelihoods of the Ghanaians who have been employed there as well as increase their capacity to recruit even more? the Minister asked.



The Trade Minister's media engagement was on the back of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's tour of Darko Farms as part of the President's visit to the Ashanti region.



Mr Kyerematen said Darko Farms was a testament of the wisdom of the President in extending the incentives of the programme to distressed but potentially viable projects.



Darko Farms and Company Limited is the oldest private and largest poultry farm established in 1967 with most of its operations located in Akropong in the Atwima Nwabiagya District of the Ashanti Region.



It was a household name for most Ghanaians for the production and sale of fresh wholesome and quality chicken and dominated most supermarkets and distribution outlets for fresh chicken in Kumasi and Accra.



The Company, however, went through a period of decline due to major challenges confronting the domestic poultry industry, including the high cost of feed, high cost of borrowing, inefficiencies across the value chain, high electricity and operational cost, management and governance issues as well as cheap imports.



As part of Governments industrialisation programme, the Company was identified as viable but distressed and considered under the 1D1F programme in 2017.



It received the support of GHc 22.1 Million (out of the 39 million cedis which was initially requested ) loan facility granted by Ghana EXIM Bank as a stimulus package to revamp operations.



The money is expected to help improve the value chain of the operations, upgrade, retool the hatchery, feed mill, processing facility, pay outstanding workers salaries and statutory obligations.



The 1D1F support includes helping establish out-grower schemes and the provision of technical assistance at no cost to the Company.



Darko Farms has a processing plant operating at 10,000 birds per day with one shift and 20,000 birds per day with two shifts and has re-tooled all its commercial farms to bring them up to international standards and increased day-old chicks and feed mill production to supply out-growers.



It has a hatchery with a capacity to produce 6 million day-old chicks a year, breeder farms with a bird population capacity of about 30,000 per batch, layer farms with a capacity of 100,000 per batch.



It also has commercial broiler farms with a capacity of 350,000 per cycle of 8 weeks, a feed mill with an installed capacity of 96 tons of feed per day, a storage cold room of 500 tons and a corn farmland of 1,250 acres at Ejura.



Darko Farms is currently implementing an out-grower scheme where farmers are supplied with broiler chicks, feed as well as appropriate support to breed the birds, which are purchased at maturity by the Farms for processing on a contractual basis.



Currently, the Company has employed 250 workers directly and more than 300 indirectly consisting of out-growers, distributors and transporters.



At full operation, it is expected to directly employ more than 400 workers for its operations, with 500 indirect employment through out-growers scheme, transporters, packaging and handling, and sales outlets.



The Company is engaged with the Mohihani Group, the major local supplier of processed chicken for Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) and other big players in the food industry.



KFC, through its local supplier, has indicated its preparedness to off-take 100,000 birds monthly from Darko Farms under certified conditions.



The Company also has sales outlets in Accra and Kumasi and intends to open more sales outlets in all regional capitals.

Source: GNA









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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivers his remarks during a ceremony on Parliament Hill on the eve of the first National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, in Ottawa, Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021. Trudeau's office says he has apologized to the chief of a British Columbia First Nation which invited him to visit on Canada's first National Truth and Reconciliation Day. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
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Halloween is still four weeks away but Laurens Street had a bit of a ghoulish touch Saturday with help from the Aiken Civic Ballet .

Cast members of the company's upcoming "Dracula" production were posted downtown outside Vampire Penguin, in support of Shepeard Community Blood Center's drive, which resulted in 22 pints being donated.

"It really made sense for Vampire Penguin to partner up with the ballet," said Jeannette Moseley, the business' owner, whose establishment focuses on light, fluffy, creamy shaved ice. She added that "doing a blood drive  is a fantastic thing to do for everybody."

Cast members faced the challenge of encouraging potential blood donors to participate while not breaking completely out of character, in the spirit of the classic character created in the 1890s by author Bram Stoker (an ancestor of Aiken resident Dacre Stoker). The most prominent member of the bunch may have been Scott Ewald, in character as Count Dracula himself, and yet somehow able to withstand the occasional blast of mid-day sun upon his face.

Among the donors encountering the "vampire brides" and "dark creatures" on duty were local resident Bart Little and family friend Kate Dooley, of Danville, Virginia. "She's visiting in town, and we just came down, did a walk through town and the opportunity presented itself, and we gave," Little said.

Moseley said, "We love the fact that we're able to help others any way we can  It would actually help the ballet. It's Halloween. Halloween is Vampire Penguin's birthday, so it was just a win-win-win for everybody."

Tara Reeder, the ballet company's president, said the activity was part of the troupe's tradition of outreach. Plans had been in place for a variety of outreach events this year, but were a casualty of COVID-19 precautions.

She also reported that 80% of Saturday's donors were reportedly first-timers  an exceptionally high percentage, according to Shepeard.

The ballet is set for Oct. 15 and 16 at the USC Aiken Etheredge Center. The production "may be scary for children under the age of 8." Performances are from 7 to 9 p.m. Details are available at info@aikenballet.org.
Jim Lee dealt with a variety of challenges during his 31 years as an engineering manager at the Kimberly-Clark plant, in Beech Island, and his skills remain in demand in his retirement, with Area Churches Together Serving, St. Paul Lutheran Church and the M'Aiken Magic robotics team among local organizations calling on him from week to week.

Lee got on board with Kimberly-Clark in 1977, fresh out of Michigan Technological University, and retired in 2018, having focused his attention for decades on producing pull-up training pants and Huggies diapers. His schedule now has him circulating largely around Aiken  sometimes on his 2005 Suzuki Boulevard, if the weather allows  to put his talents in gear for worthy causes.

"I'm 65. I am blessed to be healthy and blessed to serve," he said, during a visit at the ACTS facility, in the heart of downtown Aiken. "I think we were put here to help other people ... and I'm just very lucky that I'm healthy and financially set up so that I can walk in the door and not worry about things. I can just do the things they need here."

He is learning plenty about "the things they need here," in terms of ACTS, as he is on course to be the organization's next president, stepping up to that role for a one-year term starting Jan. 1, 2022.

His own congregation, St. Paul Lutheran, has him on the church council and the property committee, helping keep the physical facilities in good shape.

Lee, with ACTS, "is the property committee, pretty much," he explained, noting that he spends plenty of time dealing with such challenges as light bulbs, faulty equipment and building modifications. "We've taken walls down. We've put walls up. We've moved things around," he said.

Current topics of conversation include the possibility of getting a walk-in freezer and whether ACTS might move to another facility in the years ahead, if an arrangement can be made to acquire property that would be appropriate for clients, first of all, and volunteers as well.

Paul Gerstenberger, one of Lee's fellow ushers at St. Paul Lutheran, chose the words "reliable" and "dependable" to describe Lee. "He's been doing ACTS as long as I can remember ... and he's one of those folks that recruits and ... he has a great way of appealing to the young and the old," Gerstenberger added.

"He's always lighthearted, in the sense that he always looks for the good in people, and how to do things, and ... he'll give you the shirt off his back."

As a boy growing up in Michigan, Lee learned he had plenty of opportunities to develop his mechanical skills.

"I was raised by a single mother, and my uncle lived right next door, and he was ... a tinkerer, and he just liked to fix things. We didn't have a whole lot of money, so if I wanted a bicycle, you went to the local dumps, found what was there  five or six pieces or parts  and put them together, and that was your ride; and when it broke, you went there and found an inner tube to replace your flat tire, or something else."

He laughingly described himself as fond of taking things apart, but not always great at putting them back together.

His pre-college years, he thought, had him on course for a career as an auto mechanic. One of Lee's uplifting moments from recent years, however, included having  and seizing  the chance to express thanks to a teacher who helped him explore another option.

Lee was attending the 45th class reunion from West Iron County High School and spoke to "Mr. Gasperini," who had been a guidance counselor during Lee's teen years. "It was the coolest thing ... I walked up to him and he shook my hand and gave me a big smile, and I said, 'You know, you changed my life.'"

Gasperini smiled and asked Lee to clarify the comment. "I said, 'Well, you know, we didn't have any money for college.' My mom cleaned houses, bartended, and worked hard. I was the original latch-key kid. I raised myself. TV raised me."

Lee was a skinny, tough, 130-pound junior in high school, with good grades in math and science, when Gasperini suggested that he look into pursuing a college scholarship. Lee listened.

"At the time, my sister had gone to nursing school, but I really didn't think we could afford a college. I had been working in a grocery store since I was 16, and I had some money saved up, but it was barely going to get my foot in the door."

Lee, speaking to Gasperini decades later, recalled going on to earn a degree in mechanical engineering from Michigan Tech, "way up in Houghton, Michigan, on Lake Superior," which led to three decades of work as a successful engineer.

Gasperini was moved to tears and gave Lee a hug. "I don't know that, as a high school guidance counselor, he got that kind of feedback very often," Lee recalled, noting that the retired guidance counselor's wife also expressed her appreciation, giving Lee  who had never met her before  a hug at the end of the reunion.

"It made me feel good ... One man said the right thing. A lot of teachers were influential ... and he's definitely one of them, so it was kind of a neat thing for me."

Lee, following his years at Michigan Tech, moved to Fullerton, California, where he met his future wife, Laura. She also wound up working at Kimberly-Clark, building a career as an environmental engineer and retiring due to some major medical challenges  "a positive force of nature," in her husband's assessment, in admiration and acknowledgement of her tenacity through a variety of surgeries.

Lee, referring to Kimberly-Clark, laughed and said, "It's amazing they kept me that long. It was a great place to work, by the way. They are nice people. Real good company."

He also shared some thoughts on his Kimberly-Clark years. "We did a lot of projects, trying to make machines run better, bigger, faster  more product or better product," he said, recalling that if he did his job well, he could improve the job situation for 350 people working on the floor.

"It was great. You were constantly doing something different. You were helping people, if you did your job right. You were helping people, to make their job easier. The big thing was, as I told my guys when I was hiring them, you'll know you succeeded when you walk up to them and they've got a smile on their face and want to show you a problem, because they know you can help. That was the best part of that job, working with people every day."
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Charleston, SC (29403)

Today

A few showers early becoming a steady rain overnight. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%. Rainfall around a half an inch..

Tonight

A few showers early becoming a steady rain overnight. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%. Rainfall around a half an inch.
In its lifetime, Charleston Place has cycled through a few iterations of its name as ownership and management of the iconic hotel has changed.

But, regardless of what brand name would be added or taken off, the hotel, retail and dining center has been Charleston Place from the start, and the propertys new owners  an affiliate of the office that manages the personal fortune of businessman and philanthropist Ben Navarro  toasted to the same name when the acquisition was finalized late last week.

When the hotel, which is Charleston's largest, made its debut in 1986, amid a fanfare of multi-colored balloons and promises of bringing downtown back to life, it was The Omni at Charleston Place.

It remained "The Omni" for about a decade, until 1995, when Bermuda-based Sea Containers Ltd. bought a large stake in the property and Orient Express took over its management.

That November, the property was prepping for the big name change to The Charleston Place and Orient Express Hotel, according to a report in The Post and Courier.

Then-general manager Dean Andrews described at the time the process of dropping The Omni name, which included everything from updating insurance policies to buying different employee uniforms and rebranding matchbooks and cocktail napkins.

The Orient Express name stuck until 2014, when the company decided to change its name and the names of all of its hotel properties to Belmond.

Travel publication Skift reported at the time that the new name was a play on combining the French words for beautiful and world," which are belle and monde," respectively.

Another ownership change happened in 2019, when French luxury lifestyle conglomerate LVMH Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy acquired Belmonds entire portfolio, but the Belmond name stayed.

LVMH confirmed in June that it was exploring "market interest for the possible sale" of Charleston Place.

A marketing brochure for the property advertised it as a prime chance for some of the biggest luxury lodging brands to gain a foothold in the historic downtown market.

Charleston Place likely represents the only opportunity for brands such as 1 Hotels, Fairmont, Four Seasons, Montage, Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis or Waldorf-Astoria to enter the Charleston market, it said.

But instead of adding any of those brands to its name, Charleston Place has become the flagship asset of the recently formed Beemok Hospitality, an affiliate of Beemok Capital, the family office" that invests Navarros personal fortune.

The hotel is one of just two lodging assets Beemok currently has. The other is a boutique lodging in Travelers Rest in the Upstate, Hotel Domestique.

For a transition period following the sale, Belmond will continue to manage Charleston Place.

Beemok has promised to make "significant investments to improve the property, but its also looking to preserve a lot of what Charleston Place already is. Navarro said in an Oct. 1 statement that it intends to honor the "overall identity" that solidified the hotel as "one of the most iconic" in the Southeast.

And, at least at this time, its still Charleston Place.
Regulators are trying to get to the bottom of what brought down a tiny Charleston financial institution that was formed during the civil rights era.

They're focusing their sights on a fallen Atlanta finance entrepreneur who had been stonewalling efforts to establish a paper trail between him and the newly failed CO Federal Credit Union.

This game of cat and mouse is up.

The two sides squared off for the first time last week in downtown Charleston, with U.S. District Court Judge Richard Gergel presiding.

The purpose of the hearing was to determine whether onetime CO Federal loan consultant Vincent Terry was in contempt for failing to cough up a lengthy list of documents the National Credit Union Administration requested about two years ago.

An impatient Gergel put the former mortgage brokerage owner on notice early into the two-hour Q&A session.

"I want you to understand, this dance is over," he said.

Two-year wait

CO was short for Community Owned Federal Credit Union, which the late Johns Island civil rights activist Esau Jenkins helped launch in the mid-1960s to serve low-income minorities. Federal regulators seized the 55-year-old Spring Street loan cooperative and placed it into conservatorship earlier this year, citing unsafe and unsound banking practices.

On Sept. 17, the NCUA determined CO Federal "was insolvent and had no prospect for restoring viable operations."

Less than two weeks later, federal investigators and the elusive head of Westminster Mortgage LLC were face-to-face and under oath.

The NCUA issued an investigative subpoena in 2019 demanding that Terry turn over a trove of documents about his dealings with CO Federal. It upped the ante earlier this year after he ignored or resisted the requests and sued to force the issue.

Terry turned over some paperwork by last week. But most of it was useless, such as brochures from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said NCUA trial attorney Bruce Hegyi.

"They actually weren't things we asked for," Hegyi said.

Gergel then ran though all of the information the NCUA wants Terry to provide. The documentation dates back more than five years  about loans, about his businesses, about specific acquaintances, about his personal finances, about taxes, about his dealings with CO Federal and its executives.

Terry, who was represented by an attorney at the hearing, spoke quickly as he responded to a battery of questions. He provided few concrete answers.

For instance, he said he knows where most if not all of the requested paperwork is  it's online "in the cloud"  but that he didn't have access to it because he stopped paying the service provider. Also, he said, a lawyer had advised him that "we could not touch" the closed web-storage account because it would violate a cease-and-desist order he was under.

Gergel interjected.

"Let me make it clear  you're authorized. ... You have my authorization," he said.

On deadline

Regulators believe Terry met with CO Federal management in February 2019 and presented himself and his firm as licensed underwriters and brokers of real estate mortgages. They also offered training to loan officers and management.

What he didn't disclose was that he and Westminster Mortgage already had agreed to surrender their licenses over "allegations including purposefully withholding documents requested ... and refusal to permit an examination," according to Georgia financial regulators.

Also, the NCUA noted that Terry has filed for personal bankruptcy nine times since 1998 and that numerous companies he was helped incorporate wound up failing.

He struck up a deal with CO Federal through the newly formed Westminster Mortgage of America LLC, which he registered in South Carolina in early 2019. He promised he would "expertly" underwrite loans and then sell them to another company with "negligible" financial risk to the credit union, the Alexandria, Va.-based NCUA alleged.

"None of those things were true," it said in its complaint.

While Terry and his company weren't licensed, they were able to generate some loans. But most the proceeds went to him, friends, relatives and other associates. And most failed to repay the money, according to the NCUA. Asked if he had paid back the $30,000 he'd borrowed, Terry replied. "No."

He also denied that he and his companies were mortgage underwriters that financed the loans.

"What we do, we prepare the documents," he said.

Terry, who testified that he's now driving a truck for a living, faces a tight deadline to comply with the subpoena and advance the investigation into the collapse of CO Federal. He said that, as "last solider standing" at Westminster Mortgage, he'd work seven days a week to retrieve and hand over the documents.

That's more time than he's been allotted. Gergel ordered him to produce the goods by Oct. 6. Otherwise, he'll be detained and sent to jail until he does.
COLUMBIA  They are a business owner, a public health researcher, an attorney, activist, photographer, lobbyist and a government watchdog.

While some of the seven candidates running for Columbia City Council's at-large seat have sought elected office before, none have held one. Some have campaigned and raised money since early spring, while others only more recently filed to run ahead of the August deadline.

No matter the result a month from now, a fresh political face will take over a seat that has been held for nearly 20 years by Tameika Isaac Devine, who is leaving her citywide seat open to run for mayor. While the mayor's office is the higher profile race  with Devine running against fellow council member Daniel Rickenmann, former Councilman Moe Baddourah and former mayor's aide Sam Johnson  the at-large seat also represents the entire city and carries one vote on council.

The seat is one of four on the council that could have a new face in 2022. In addition to mayor and at-large, the District 1 seat representing North Columbia and Rickenmann's District 4 seat representing neighborhoods east of downtown are also up.

Attorney Tina Herbert is running against nonprofit head Christa Williams in the District 1 race, while former state commerce chief Joe Taylor is unopposed for the District 4 seat.

On the ballot in the at-large race will be attorney Tyler Bailey, business owner and project manager Heather Bauer, public health researcher Aditi Bussells, government watchdog John Crangle, environmental lobbyist Deitra Matthews, photographer Aaron Smalls and community activist John Tyler.

With a month left, the field of largely political newcomers is trying to distinguish itself.

Bussells, who has a doctorate in public health, is director of research for Children's Trust of South Carolina, a nonprofit that focuses on preventing child abuse. She said it was the COVID-19 pandemic that initially pushed her to run and that she'll bring a data-driven approach to problem solving and understanding challenges faced by Columbia children and families.

She touts support from hundreds of campaign donors across the political spectrum and said she's heard from voters concerned about continued pandemic recovery for small businesses, public safety concerns and roads and sewer infrastructure.

"I think generally speaking, what I've continued to hear and why I think our campaign has done really well is that people want somebody who is a complete political outsider at the table, who is not going to be afraid to make some tough decisions," Bussells said.

With $63,812 raised as of the latest quarterly campaign filing in July, Bussells has led the at-large field. Candidates' next filings are due Oct. 10.

Bailey, who runs his own Columbia law firm, is also running for his first elected office. He too promotes himself as a candidate who doesn't represent the status quo, saying his experience as a business owner, father and husband make him relatable to voters.

Bailey has also been among the tops in the field at fundraising, collecting $55,855 as of his last quarterly filing in July. Bailey said he will announce some of his campaign's endorsers in the next few weeks.

"I've been getting a whole lot of diverse support across the entire city," Bailey said. "I'm optimistic about that and the energy that's behind the need for change to move Columbia forward."

Bauer, who lives in the Rosewood area, has touted her previous work in the community as a volunteer for several nonprofits, including as a longtime litter fighter with Palmetto Pride, and as a business owner who endured the pandemic. Her gym, Workhorse Fitness, is near Williams-Brice Stadium.

She said her background makes her adept at addressing complex problems. She said she's been talking to residents since last year's run for the state House and feels in tune with their concerns about affordable housing, food insecurity, community safety, and a desire for clean water.

Bauer has secured endorsements from at-large city Councilman Howard Duvall, county Councilwoman Allison Terracio, state Rep. Jermaine Johnson and Soda City market founder Emile DeFelice, among others. Bussells' endorsements include Coroner Naida Rutherford, former S.C. Democratic Party Chair Carol Fowler, Forest Acres councilman John Barnes and Columbia businesswoman Sara Middleton, who unsuccessfully ran against Duvall in 2019.

"My approach with everything is working with the community to make sure that I understand how they envision their community, and I think that's really resounded with people," Bauer said.

In a recent candidates forum presented by the Columbia Urban League Young Professionals, Matthews touted her experience in government relations and working with state and federal policymakers. She's also tapped her experience as a former school teacher who's in touch with needs of children and families.

"I deeply know what governance looks like," she said.

Matthews has announced support from the group she lobbies for, Conservation Voters of South Carolina, as well as neighborhood leaders and business owners, including Booker Washington Heights neighborhood president Regina Williams and Historic Waverly president Frank Houston.

Smalls, a photographer who documented the protests in Columbia that followed the killing of George Floyd by Minnesota police, said in the forum that the experience showed him police seemed to operate outside of proper policies and there was a lack of accountability from elected officials on City Council.

Tyler has the backing of his nonprofit organization One Common Cause Community Initiative, which has spearheaded social justice protests and other community events in recent years. He said he's been devoted to listening to residents, taking public transportation and mingling with crowds and learning the needs people face.

"Do you want them sitting up in some building delegating orders, or do you want them with their sleeves rolled up with you solving the solutions to those problems?" Tyler said in pitching himself at a recent forum. "I am that candidate. A vote for me is a vote for the people."

Crangle, who has lived in Columbia more than four decades and railed against corruption among state lawmakers, said he would advocate for a more robust lobbying effort by the city for state and federal resources. He also praised the strength of the at-large field.

"I've been impressed by the knowledge and intensity of all the candidates," Crangle said during the Urban League forum. "I think all of the people sitting here could handle the job of being a city councilman very effectively."
NORTH CHARLESTON  Monica Leon used to hesitate before calling Hunley Park Elementary.

Whenever the Spanish-speaking mom of three needed to pick up her students early or wanted to know about changes within the school, she approached the phone with trepidation.

What am I going to say? she would think to herself, preparing for the moment when the English-speaking secretary would pick up.

She frequently found herself fumbling through emails Charleston County School District sent out to parents, attempting to decipher school news using Google translate, which was often unreliable. Her problems amplified once the pandemic hit and her kids were learning from home. Written communication became the main way Leon found out about what was happening at Hunley Park.

More Coverage To read more in-depth stories from The Post and Courier's Education Lab, go to postandcourier.com/education-lab.

Leons situation is not unique. The number of Hispanic people in South Carolina has risen sharply over the past two decades. According to census data, 95,076 people in the state identified as Hispanic in 2000. In 2019 that number was at 298,478.

This influx has been reflected in South Carolina schools, with the number of Hispanic and Latino students growing from 51,894 to 87,639 over the past eight years.

Some of these students and their parents struggle with English, meaning they are frequently left to navigate the complicated school system without access to resources. Often, districts do not have tools in place to properly keep them informed of whats going on at their childrens schools.

Until this year, Charleston County School District failed to properly communicate with its Spanish-speaking parents. Results released in March from a federal investigation found that the district often did not use qualified interpreters in meetings with Spanish-speaking or limited English proficient families and did not consistently translate written communications into Spanish.

The school agreed to improve its services for non-English-speaking parents as part of its settlement agreement and created a new Office of Interpretation and Translation Services.

Since its creation, the office has helped the district bolster its services for Spanish-speaking families by taking the burden of translation and interpretation off district workers who help families with issues that sometimes go beyond typical school-related matters.

Christina Vivas, a bilingual parent advocate under the district's learning services department, told The Post and Courier that, in addition to her work helping children of non-English-speaking families in classes, checking their immunization forms and other such day-to-day duties, she helps the families by scoping out affordable housing, finding discounted or free furniture, leading teen pregnancy groups and connecting with primary care providers. It was much more difficult for Vivas to offer these services before the new office was created.

These are the things that we are able to do now that the translation office is with us and were able to focus more on providing these resources, Vivas said.

Angela Rush, the office's director, said their work is especially important as the coronavirus' delta variant causes schools to shut down and students to go into quarantine. Last year, South Carolina saw that the pandemic hit Spanish-speaking students especially hard since many of these students struggled with online and virtual learning. They frequently could not get proper internet access and had trouble communicating with their teachers.

Their academic performance suffered as a result. From 2020 to 2021, the number of English language learner students who met or exceeded learning goals dropped 20 percentage points. Just 24.3 percent of students met or exceeded goals on the 2020-21 South Carolina Report Card, falling below the states 31.7 percent average.

Charleston County's office of translation's parent advocates assists students like these by visiting their homes to ensure they can connect to their school's online learning portals, and help families show their kids' negative test results to the district.

The office currently employs three interpreters who work with school administration, parent advocates and other school officials to translate newsletters, emails, documents and anything else that parents need to access. The district is looking to expand the translation office's services, investing over $700,000 to hire 13 additional bilingual secretaries.

Nine of those positions are currently open to any bilingual person with a high school degree and a year of office experience, though Rush cautioned that they are looking for employees who have an understanding of all the complex issues that non-English-speaking families face.

The office has improved the lives of Spanish-speaking parents in Charleston like Monica Leon and Mari Bartolon. Bartolon used to wait for days at her old district to speak to her three childrens teachers and principals. The district employed one bilingual person, who only came in on Fridays.

Bartolon would prep herself for that Friday, marching into the district with a list of questions she hoped to get answered. The whole experience left her feeling alone and frustrated. It ultimately pushed to enroll her students at Hunley Park.

Since then, the district's parent advocate Girmania Matrille has been her lifeline. She's guided Bartolon through all of the school processes and changes in a way she understands. Bartolon regularly meets with Matrille in Hunley Parks parent room, an old classroom now outfitted with a couch, a coffee table, books and toys.

The truth is theyre stressed out. Theyre stressed out all the time. ... We try to make them calm down and create that atmosphere and that space where they can feel safe, they can feel engaged and they can feel loved, Matrille said.
SPRINGER MOUNTAIN: Meditations on Killing and Eating. By Wyatt Williams. University of North Carolina Press. 128 pages. $19.

It began with a chicken. It became a quest.

Wyatt Williams Springer Mountain purports to ask why we humans kill animals for food and how it defines us, as if this remains a mystery.

The real mystery is why Williams, a former restaurant critic who has spent years contemplating food and eating, invested so much time and ink pursuing a phantom.

At a soiree, the current Atlanta magazine writer was told that the excellent chicken he was eating came from Springer Mountain, a little family farm north of the city. But no one could tell him exactly where it was. So he went off in search of the company, only to learn that there was no such farm, at least under that name, only one brand from a closed-mouth corporation called Fieldale.

Still, he suspects there is a secret to uncover, if only he knew what he was looking for. Off he goes, meandering rather pointlessly for the first half of the book. Rambling, however, is not style. A book so brief it is almost a vignette, Part One of Springer Mountain reads like a book for young children. But even kids might notice the fragmented, almost random construction, caroming in time and place with little cohesion.

Williams did write a newspaper piece on the subject on 2012, thinking himself done. But he continued looking for Springer Mountain for years, taking a job in a slaughterhouse, working in a farm and more. Why? We never get a concrete answer.

What we do get are lots and lots of statements of the obvious.

But Williams is capable of good reportage. After the midpoint, when he dispenses with the ethereal, he finally settles into a more engaging account: heading to Alaska in search of whales. He offers vivid observations on the town of Barrow, its people and subsistence on whaling. The author also finds some telling insights on why we collect and display things, in the way maps, museums, books and farms try to do in a futile attempt to reduce the world to such artifacts.

Williams weighs in on vegetarian philosophies of the 19th century and serves up bits and pieces of interesting or arcane lore from around the globe, bespeaking a fair amount of research casting a wide net. But what does it add up to? He read a lot of books and assembled a lot of unconnected factoids.

The cohesion the book lacks is not merely a narrative one, but philosophical and thematic. Williams confuses his ability to gather facts with an ability to interpret them.

He intended to write a book that would be a kind of narrative field guide to eating meat, telling stories of raising and slaughtering and preparing meat so that we might glimpse the interconnectedness of our lives, as if others had not done so numerous times before, and much better.

He concludes that it is only through killing that we would ever know how we live and that most of human endeavor and human history  medicine or science or politics or war or trade  is about killing to know who we are.

A questionable assertion. Williams believes he killed animals himself because he wanted to know how he relates to them. And this is his answer: We are predators, killers. We are good at it. And we like it. The comfort of nature is knowing that we are not the only killers. We are just among them.

Its navel gazing that tells us nothing we dont already know.
Kingstree, SC (29556)

Today

Considerable cloudiness with occasional rain showers. Low 64F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Considerable cloudiness with occasional rain showers. Low 64F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
GOOSE CREEK  Authorities are investigating a shooting off of Old Black River Road that killed an unidentified person on Oct. 2.

Deputies responded to Northside Lane at about 7:30 p.m. to reports of shots fired, said Carli Drayton, spokeswoman for the Berkeley County Sheriffs Office.

Deputies found one person when they arrived, who had died at the scene from the shooting, Drayton said. The Berkeley County Coroners Office has not released the persons identity.

The Sheriffs Office is investigating the case. Deputies have not confirmed whether a weapon was obtained from the scene. They have not announced any suspects.

This shooting comes days after the Sept. 27 shooting in a neighborhood just east of North Goose Creek Boulevard where another unidentified person died from a gunshot wound to the head. Two people have been arrested in connection to that fatal shooting.
When we arrived at the Dorchester District 2 School Board meeting Monday, there was something a little different. First, there were a lot more police cars.

The board was supposed to announce the results of the survey of staff and parents about whether to mandate masks. We assumed it was going to go with the results of the survey. Otherwise, what was the point of sending it out? We perhaps naively assumed that it was making preparations for the reaction from some angry anti-mask parents because it was planning to adopt a mask mandate.

When we entered the building, it was even more apparent that there could be problems, as we all had to go through metal detectors; we were told the board had received threatening emails.

Some of us had spoken the week earlier about the importance of putting in a mask mandate. One of us told the story of his own daughter who had gotten COVID a week into the school year and how the district was responsible for community spread if it did nothing. A student spoke about how uncomfortable he felt being at school with few mitigation strategies.

We came back Monday to press the board to make changes. One parent talked about intimidation and not letting a small, radical minority win out and control the decisions. We warned the board members that if they allow this to occur, it is a death knell for our democracy. The board seemed receptive, and we hoped we had gotten through a little.

After the comment period ended, the board announced the results of the survey: 72% of parents and 75% of staff who participated favored a mask mandate.

So logically, between these overwhelming results and the overwhelming medical advice, the board would require masks in school.

Instead, it seems that the intimidation coupled with the boards fear of repercussions won out. There wasnt even a vote. Despite the overwhelming support of parents and staff for commonsense measures and the CDC calls for mask requirements, the board did nothing.

There were concerns that principals were worried about parental resistance and logistical and legal complications (this was before a federal judge blocked the state restrictions on mask requirements). However, the decision was a complete slap in the face to all the parents and staff who assumed the board cared about their opinions. It also made us wonder about the real purpose of the survey. Were officials hoping parents would oppose the mandate, and give cover to deny a mask mandate?

The winner here was extremism. The administration and board members sided with the people they had to put up metal detectors to protect themselves against. They sided with the people they castigated at the beginning of the meeting for being disruptive. They sided with the people they had to kick out in the middle of the meeting  the people who flipped them off and yelled obscenities.

The board taught everybody a powerful lesson: Intimidation and coercion work. The voice of the people is secondary to the voice of fear.

It was a shameful day in Dorchester 2. We can do so much better.

If we let the mob win, our democracy is dead. This month, its about mask mandates. In a couple months, it might be the mob trying to get a teacher fired for speaking about racism in American society. We cannot let this extremism rule. Otherwise, we do not have actual self-rule. We are calling on Dorchester 2 officials to do better: to drop their fear, and to actually do whats right for our community.

Jason Brockert is a parent of sixth- and eighth-graders in Dorchester District 2. Will McCorkle is a South Carolina educator whose wife teaches and daughter attends first grade in the district. This was written in collaboration with other members of the Facebook group Dorchester Parents and Staff for Mask Requirements.
Insights

Lately, weve been hearing a lot about the unhappy fate of women and girls in Afghanistan now that the Taliban has again assumed power. The ed Read more
The Democrats dystopian dreams are packed into the prospective Reconciliation bill whose fate we have been following. Michael Goodwin takes up the spectacle of last weeks Democratic infighting and opines: By giving his blessing to the radicals refusal to vote on the bipartisan $1.2 trillion infrastructure deal until they get a vote on the $3.5 trillion grab bag of socialist trash, he turned his back on the central promise of his election and guaranteed his presidency will continue to hemorrhage public support. I appreciate Goodwins formulation: the $3.5 trillion grab bag of socialist trash.

Goodwin omits to mention another salient point about the $3.5 trillion grab bag of socialist trash. Last week Biden and others in the Democrat/media axis sought to promote the line that the true cost of the $3.5 trillion grab bag of socialist trash is zero. I say Biden et al. staked out New frontiers in the whopper. That is quite an accomplishment in the counterfeit currency of democratic politics.

Last week also brought us the exposure of Bidens lies about the military advice he received before the Afghanistan debacle. These lies staked out no new ground. They are the common currency in politics, but they are notable in this case given the scope of the disaster they sought to shield from blame directed at Biden himself. Marc Thiessens October 1 Washington Post column provides a convenient summary in Our military leaders confirm: Biden misled America. (The link is to the accessible AEI version of the column.)

And thats not all. The administration redistributed illegal Haitian immigrants around the United States under the cover of darkness and defamation. The defamation came in Bidens absurdly false charge that border agents had strapped the Haitians crossing the border. As I repeatedly noted in Whos whippin who, that is ludicrous. Professor Jonathan Turley now calls it out as a contemptible lie.

Goodwin alludes to the scope of the Biden disaster in the early innings of his presidency:

For his part, Biden has backed nearly every far-left piece of nonsense in the wind, including a voting rights bill that would put Washington in full charge of federal elections. He talked about making Puerto Rico a state, packing the Supreme Court and ending the Senate filibuster. Hes also showed himself to be an open-borders president and adopted the language of the worst race-baiters by insisting the nation is guilty of systemic racism even while he calls Americans good people. None of these positions reflect the Joe Biden people knew from his long tenure in Washington, where he personified the word moderate. Indeed, when he talked repeatedly in his campaign and at the inaugural about unity and working as hard for those who didnt vote for him as those who did, there was reason to hope he was serious about trying to heal the nations breach. Yet here we are, with the president remaking himself as a leftist, the left calling it insufficient, and he shrugs his shoulders and says OK.

Biden and his crowd have done a lot of damage already, and we havent seen anything yet. They have much more in store for us and we have a long way to go until the next elections can provide a check or remedy.
My friend Bruce Sanborn was chairman of the Claremont Institute for something like 20 years, if not more. That is a wild guess  Bruce is traveling in Croatia or I would have the exact number for you. Bruce recruited Tom Klingenstein to the board and stepped down upon the accession of Tom to the chairmanship a few years back.

Over that approximately 20-year period, Bruce and I attended the panels sponsored by Claremont at the annual convention of the American Political Science Association held in Washington, Chicago, Atlanta, Boston, San Francisco and so on over Labor Day weekends. The convention is work for political scientists who ply their trade in the university setting, but attending the panels was our idea of a good time. We attended for the sheer pleasure of the thing.

Like the panels of the Federalist Society, the Claremont panels always included prominent speakers opposing what might be thought to be the conservative or Claremont position on the subject up for discussion. Among the outstanding liberal and left-wing teachers and intellectuals we saw speak on Claremont panels were Paul Kennedy, Bill Galston, Cass Sunstein, and Martha Nussbaum, among many others.

Larry Arnn, now president of Hillsdale College, was the president of the institute. We made friends with many Claremont-affiliated teachers and scholars along the way. In addition to Larry, Charles Kesler, Tom West, John Marini, Ed Erler, Mackubin Owens, Ken Masugi, R.J. Pestritto, Chris Flannery, Ben Boychuk, Glenn Ellmers, and John Eastman are a few who come to mind this morning. I first met Steve Hayward through his association with the institute. I first met the great Jean Yarbrough when I spoke on an APSA/Claremont panel that Jean chaired. We learned from all of them and greatly enjoyed their company.

A few years after John Hinderaker and I started writing for newspapers and magazines on the side of our law practice, Larry named us fellows of the institute. He thought highly of our work and sought to support it. In our extracurricular pursuits, we kept the name of our law firm out of it and identified ourselves as Minneapolis attorneys and fellows of the Claremont Institute. When Ryan Williams became president of the institute, I confirmed with him that we were still fellows in good standing. We are in any event proud of our friendship with Claremont. Indeed, we seek to support its work.

This year the APSA shut Claremont out of its place at the annual convention. The institute has come under attack in the pages of the Washington Post and elsewhere. Roger Kimball tells the story in the American Greatness column Claremont under fire. John Eastman addresses the proximate cause of the most recent controversy in the American Greatness column Trying to Prevent Illegal Conduct From Deciding an Election Is Not Endorsing a Coup.

Roger is a man of courage and character. He could easily stand aside and remain mute. He chooses to stand with the institute and call out its enemies. His column prompts this note. I only want to add my voice to Rogers.
In July, shortly before embarking on an annual recess, the Senate and the House of Representatives passed different versions of the Electoral Amendment Bill. Over two months after, controversies still trail the passage of the bills.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the federal legislature passed the legislation amid chaos and disagreement arising from some controversial sections of the bill.

One of such sections is Clause 52, which deals with electronic transmission of results of elections  a key recommendation from Nigerians including the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

In passing the bill, the Senate changed the Section 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.

But the House of Representatives retained the original provision.

With the 2023 general elections about 15 months away, some Nigerians are still angry with the Senate over its version, which they described as an attempt to discard the use of electronic transmission of results and ultimately hinder the nations electoral process.

INEC, on its part, has repeatedly said it is ready for electronic transmission of future election results.

Other grey areas

But this is just one of the differences in versions of the Electoral Bill passed by the lawmakers.

Besides the popular Clause 52, there are other major clauses of the bill where the conference committee will harmonise or concur on. They include the following:

*Clause 5, which deals with annual estimates and accounts. While the Senate version prescribes that INEC submits estimates of its expenditure, income and payment to the Ministry of Finance not later than August 31 of every financial year, the House simply prescribes that INEC keep proper accounts and records of each financial year which shall be audited.

*Clause 16, which deals with powers to print and issue voters cards. While the Senate prescribes a fine of N500,000 or imprisonment or a term not more than one year or both for persons found with more than one valid voters card, the House prescribed N100,000 or imprisonment for a term not more than one year; or both.

*Clause 23, which deals with offences of buying and selling voters cards. The Senate deleted a sub-clause of this section which frowns at persons in unlawful possession of any voters card whether issued in the name of any voter or not. The House retained the sub-clause.

*Clause 24, which deals with offences relating to the registration of voters. The Senate deleted a sub-clause that criminalises the act of making false statements in any application for registration as a voter. The House retained that part.

*Clause 50, which is about the right to challenge the issue of a ballot paper. The Senates version reads a candidate or polling agent may challenge the right of a person to vote on the ground that the person is not a registered voter in the polling unit. The House version reads a candidate or polling agent may challenge the right of a person to vote on such grounds and in accordance with procedures as provided for in this bill.

*Clause 63, which deals with the counting of votes and forms. The Senate prescribed a fine of N500,000 or imprisonment or a term of six months for a presiding officer who wilfully contravenes any provision of the section. The House, however, prescribed N100,000 or a term of six months.

*Clause 73, which deals with forms for use at elections. The Senate prescribed N1 million or imprisonment for a term of one year, or both, for presiding officers who intentionally announce or sign any election result in violation of the procedure provided for in the bill. The House prescribed N200,000 or a term of one year or both.

*Clause 87, which deals with the nomination of candidates by parties. While the Senate passed to allow for direct or indirect primaries, the House allows for only direct primaries by deleting the words or indirect in the clause and other parts it appeared in the bill.

Consequently, both chambers have constituted their harmonisation committee in line with parliamentary procedures.

On September 22, the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, constituted the conference committee to harmonise the different versions of the bill.

It comprises seven members, mostly critics of the use of electronic transmission of results.

The House set up its own committee on September 28, dominated by APC members, which has the majority in the chamber. Most members are opposed to transmitting election results electronically.

Here are the members of the committees of the two chambers and what you need to know about them.

1. Abdullahi Yahaya

Mr Yahaya, who is the Senate Leader, was named the chairman of the committee.

He represents Kebbi North senatorial district under the platform of APC.

The two-time senator is also the Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Rules and Business.

He was Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources in Sokoto State and later Kebbi State after the latter was excised from the former.

Mr Yahaya is one of the lawmakers who tried to sell the idea that Nigeria does not currently have the necessary technological infrastructure in place to use electronic transmission of results in an election, coupled with poor network coverage in some villages across the country.

Prior to the vote in July, he attempted to talk the Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, out of his call for Division when there was a stalemate during plenary. He, however, went ahead to vote against the use of electronic transmission.

2. Kabiru Gaya

Mr Gaya was the Third Republic governor of Kano State.

He represents Kano South under the platform of the APC. He was a member of the defunct ANPP. He is a four-time senator.

He is the chairman of the Senate Committee on INEC who later voted against the use of electronic transmission (earlier recommended by his committee).

As an excuse for voting against his panels recommendations, Mr Gaya said the amended version was better.

There is nothing wrong if the chairman of a committee supports the amended version of a report he presented. It is not possible as it is, to transmit elections in one part of the country and refuse to do so in other parts.

It has to be uniform. The card reader can work anywhere in the country but you need network coverage to transmit results, he had explained.

3. Ajibola Basiru

Mr Basiru is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs.

Prior to his election into the Senate, the lawmaker served as Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Osun State.

Mr Basiru (APC, Osun Central), like two senators from Lagos State, surprisingly voted against the use of electronic transmission in elections.

Despite voting against electronic transmission, the lawmaker at a roundtable on September 17, expressed worry over Section 52 as passed by the Senate describing the provisions as nebulous, vague and one that should be deliberated. This is even as he promised thorough scrutiny of the different versions passed by the Senate and House.

4. Danjuma Goje

Mr Goje is a former governor of Gombe State and a former junior minister in the Obasanjo administration (1999-2003). He was a member of the PDP before crossing over to the ruling APC.

Mr Goje voted against the use of electronic transmission of results during elections.

Mr Goje, who has been in the Senate since 2011, believes that the poor network coverage in some remote areas of the country will leave some Nigerians disenfranchised.

5. Sani Musa

The lawmaker who represents Niger North senatorial district is currently the chairman of the Senate Committee on Senate Services.

Shortly after his election into the Senate in 2019, he became widely criticised across the country after he reintroduced the Protection from Internet Falsehood and Manipulations Bill, 2019 (popularly known as the Social Media Bill).

Mr Musa, like many northern senators of the APC voted against electronic transmission.

He premised this decision on the poor network coverage in some areas of the country.

6. Matthew Urhoghide

He is one of the two members of the panel from the opposition party, PDP.

He represents Edo South in the Senate.

The two-time senator is currently the chairman of the Senate Public Accounts Committee.

Prior to his election into the Senate in 2015, the lawmaker was the Publicity Secretary for the PDP in Edo State.

He is also the only member of the Senates seven-member committee who voted for the use of electronic transmission of results in an election.

As public accounts committee chair, Mr Urhogide is notorious for threatening to arrest (or demand removal of) heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies who default in their spending or budget performance.

7. Uche Ekwunife

Mrs Ekwunife, a former bank official, represents Anambra Central in the upper legislative chamber on the PDP ticket.

The two-time senator is currently the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Science and Technology.

She was an aspirant for the Anambra governorship election. She, however, lost during the primaries.

Mrs Ekwunife was absent from the plenary when the voting on the bill took place in July.

In her defence, the lawmaker said she vehemently argued against the amendment, which she claimed would favour some regions against others, especially in the South-east that has good network coverage.

House of Reps members

8. Akeem Adeyemi

Mr Adeyemi, a son of the Alaafin of Oyo, Lamidi Adeyemi, represents Afijio/Oyo East/Atiba West federal constituency of Oyo State. He is a member of the ruling APC.

He is the Chairman of the House Committee on Communications. He was first elected into the House in 2015 and re-elected in 2019 after defeating his brother, Bayo Adeyemi.

Mr Adeyemi is the Chairman of the House Conference Committee and will lead its members to meet with their Senate counterparts.

9. James Faleke

Though Mr Faleke hails from Kogi State, North-central region, he represents Ikeja Federal Constituency of Lagos State in the South-west region.

He is a former Chairman of Ojodu Local Council Development Area (LCDA) in Lagos and he is a political ally of the former governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu.

He is a member of the APC. He currently chairs the House Committee on Finance, a committee considered to be juicy.

Mr Faleke was the running mate to the late Audu Abubakar during the 2015 Kogi State governorship election.

The Audu/Faleke ticket was leading the race against the then incumbent, Governor Idris Wada, before (INEC) declared the election inconclusive. It was in the middle of this that Mr Audu died.

The incident created a crisis because the 2010 Electoral Act did not envisage the death of a candidate while an election is still ongoing.

In the aftermath of the death of Mr Audu, the APC resolved to replace him with the runner up at the primary election, Yahaya Bello. Mr Bello subsequently won the election and is currently in his second term as governor.

Mr Faleke challenged the position of his party up to the Supreme Court but he lost.

10: Blessing Onuh

Mrs Onuh is the daughter of former Senate President, David Mark.

She is a first-timer and represents Otukpo/Ohimini federal constituency of Benue State in the House.

Mrs Onuh is the Vice Chairman of the House Committee on Federal Capital Territory.

She was elected on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) but decamped to the APC early this year.

During the 2019 election, she defeated her uncle, Egli Ahubi, of the PDP.

Although Mr Ahubi had earlier defeated his niece during the PDP primary, with the APGA ticket, Mrs Onuh trounced her uncle in the main election.

11. Aisha Dukku

Mrs Dukku represents Dukku/Nafada federal constituency of Gombe State in the lower legislative chamber on the platform of the APC.

She was Minister of Education (State) in the administration of late President Umar YarAdua between 2007 and 2010.

Mrs Dukku was elected into the House in 2015 and was appointed Chairman of the Committee on Electoral and Political Matters.

All attempts to amend the Electoral Act in the 8th Assembly were futile as President Muhammadu Buhari rejected the bill on three occasions.

She was re-elected into the House in 2019 and also re-appointed chairman of the committee.

It was Mrs Dukku who led the committee to work on the bill that the chamber considered and voted on in July.

12. Chris Azubogu

Mr Azubogu represents Nnewi North/Nnewi South/Ekusigo federal constituency of Anambra State.

He was elected into the House in 2011 under the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). He was re-elected in 2015 and 2019 on the ticket of the PDP.

He participated in the just concluded Anambra State governorship PDP primary election but lost.

Mr Azubogu is one of the two members of the PDP in the committee and also supports the electronic transmission of results.

He reportedly suggested that the November 6 Anambra poll could be a testing ground for some of the proposed innovations in the bill.

13. Unyime Idem

The lawmaker represents Ukanafun/Oruk federal constituency of Akwa-Ibom State.

The first-time lawmaker joined the House in 2019 under the banner of the PDP.

Since joining the House, Mr Idems attention has focused on reforming the digital space. He has a bill seeking to amend the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to allow pay per view subscriptions.

14. Ahmad Kalambaina

Mr Kalambaina represents Kware/Wamakko federal constituency of Sokoto State on the platform of the APC.

The lawmaker was first elected into the lower legislative chamber in 2017 following his victory at a by-election. In 2019, he was re-elected for another four-year term.
The father to the Speaker of the Zamfara State House of Assembly, Muazu Magarya, has died while being held by bandits.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how bandits abducted the speakers father, uncle, step mother and four other relatives from Mr Magaryas country home in Magarya.

A notorious bandit known as Turji is suspected to be behind the abduction.

Although another notorius bandit, Halilu Kachalla, was said to have intervened with Turji to release the captives, he refused.

Sources close to the speaker had told PREMIUM TIMES that one of Turjis commanders, Dan Bokkolo, rejected the ransom money brought by the speakers aides.

Speaking to journalists at the police headquarters in the state on Saturday evening, an uncle to the speaker, Dahiru Sarki, said his brother died of heart failure while he was being held by the bandits.

Mr Sarki and four of those kidnapped at Mr Magaryas house had been rescued by police and military personnel.

A local news medium in Zamfara reported Mr Sarkis conversation with journalists at the police headquarters in Gusau on Saturday.

Although, we were separated when they kidnapped us, they took my brother to another camp. But Kachalla, one of the commanders of the bandits, told me about the death of my brother as a result of heart attack a few hours to our rescue, the platform quoted Mr Sarki as saying.

An aide to the speaker, who demanded not to be named, told PREMIUM TIMES that the speaker had feared the worst after Turji rejected the ransom.

But we didnt think that Alhaji was dead by then. I spoke to some of our people who were in contact with the bandits negotiating the release and they told me we needed to intensify prayers. I think he was already dead by then, the speakers aide said.

The speakers official spokesperson, Mustapha Jaafar, did not respond to calls and SMS sent to him on the issue.
The insecurity across Nigeria got worse last week (September 24  October 2) as at least 123 people including security personnel and civilians were killed in various attacks by non-state actors.

The figures, collated manually from media reports, do not contain unreported cases.

Out of the 123 persons killed, four were security personnel while the other 119 were civilians.

Most of the killings of security personnel which were mostly carried out by bandits occurred in the North-west and North-central zones, the epicentre of banditry activities.

The figures for the security personnel consist of two policemen and two soldiers.

The figure for last week is the highest weekly toll in the past month. There were less than 40 cases per week in the last three weeks.

The causes of the killings last week were similar to those of the previous weeks. They include terrorist attacks, banditry, and attacks by suspected separatists.

Below are the cases compiled from media reports last week.

North-west

At least one person was killed and many others injured after gunmen attacked the ECWA Church at Gabaciwa village in Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State on Sunday morning. According to a report by security agencies, the gunmen invaded the church during the Sunday morning service, and immediately attacked the worshipers, which led to the death, while some others were seriously injured.

No fewer than 34 people were killed following a fresh attack by gunmen on Madami village in Kaura Local Government Area of Kaduna State. Seven other persons sustained injuries in the attack while some houses were also set ablaze during the operation which occurred on Sunday night.

Also in Kaduna State, at least eight persons were killed in what looked like a reprisal attack in Kacecere Village in Zangon Kataf Local Government Area of the state on Monday. Seven persons were said to have sustained injuries in the attacks.

In Sokoto State, bandits on Tuesday night killed at least 20 people and abducted several others in Gatawa, a village in Sabon Birni Local Government Area. The agrarian community was considered to be one of the few secure villages in the eastern part of the state where bandits have been very active.

Also in Sokoto State, a resident was burnt alive while many policemen were unaccounted for in an attack that occurred in Sabon Birni Local Government Area of the state, on Wednesday.

South-east

Gunmen went on rampage on two locations in Anambra State, killing two persons and wounding many at an APC rally. Armed persons also set ablaze a car belonging to a leader of the Chukwuma Soludo group. While the attack on APC took place during the partys rally at Uruagu, Nnewi, the attack on the leader of one of the Soludo support groups, Nelson Omenugha, took place at Nnobi in Idemili South Local Government Area of the state. Mr Soludo is the governorship candidate of APGA in the November 6 election in the state.

In a separate incident, Chike Akunyili, the widower of the late former Minister of Information and Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Dora Akunyili, was gruesomely murdered in Anambra state. The deceased was shot dead on Tuesday evening alongside seven others at Nkpor in the Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State.

The convoy of Emeka Azubogu, the lawmaker representing Nnewi North/Nnewi South/Ekwusigo Constituency in the House of Representatives, came under gun attack in Anambra State on Thursday. The lawmakers driver was shot dead in the incident.

There was panic in Owerri, the Imo State capital, on Thursday, when officials of the Owerri Capital Development Authority and members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers in the state clashed. While gunshots rent the air, a passer-by, who was later identified as Amaechi Udogaranya, was hit and killed by a stray bullet.

South-west

Two police officers were feared dead as suspected armed robbers on Tuesday attacked a first generation bank in Iragbiji, Boripe Local Government Area of Osun State. Reports said that some people also sustained various degrees of injuries while the operation lasted.

North-central

The Niger State Government said that over 30 people were killed by gunmen suspected to be bandits in Kachiwe and adjourning villages in Sarkin Pawa, headquarters of Munya Local Government Area of the state. The people were said to have been killed on Tuesday by the bandits who sneaked into the villages from their hideout in Kaduna State to execute the heinous act.

Also in Niger State, the police command confirmed the killing of three people by gunmen who attacked the palace of the Emir of Kagara in Rafi Local Government Area of the state.

Also in Niger State, 10 people were reportedly burnt alive, several others killed while seven women were said to have been kidnapped by bandits during an attack in the Kachiwe community in Sarkin Pawa Ward of Munya Local Government Area of the state during the week.

The state governor, Abubakar Bello, also confirmed the killing of two soldiers while 12 others were injured in a recent attack by suspected bandits in Kagara, the council headquarters of Rafi Local Government Area of the state.

Buhari Speaks

President Muhammadu Buhari last week acknowledged the worsening security situation across the country saying his administration was making efforts to reverse the trend.

In a speech to mark Nigerias 61st Independence Anniversary, Mr Buhari said his administration was recruiting more security personnel to address the shortage of manpower.

To support our surge approach to fighting banditry, the Nigerian Armed Forces have recruited over 17,000 personnel across all ranks.

Furthermore, I have also approved for the Nigerian Police Force to recruit 10,000 police officers annually over the next six years, the president said.
The general overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Enoch Adeboye, has advised his church members to consider taking the coronavirus vaccines.

Mr Adeboye, who heads one of the largest pentecostal churches in Africa, said he was ready to take the jab if mandatory for his evangelism work. He noted that he had never told his followers not to be vaccinated.

He, however, condemned the decision by some states to make the vaccination a prerequisite for attendance of major gatherings such as church services, saying the number of vaccines available in Nigeria cannot justify such positions.

According to a report by Punch newspaper, Mr Adeboye said this on Friday night during the monthly Holy Ghost Service programme of the church at the Redemption Camp along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, in Ogun State.

The newspaper quoted Mr Adeboye as saying; I have never said to you, Dont be vaccinated. Youve never heard that from me. Rather than live in fear or doubt, get vaccinated. If you believe that getting vaccinated will put your mind at rest, then go ahead.

If vaccination or no vaccination is going to hinder me from doing the work God has called me to do, even if they ask me to be vaccinated 100 times, I will be vaccinated.

Other pastors position

Religious leaders in Nigeria and Africa as a continent command huge followership and sometimes even more than political leaders and have the power to boost vaccine acceptance and reduce the chance of death from the pandemic.

However, some popular Nigerian pastors have consistently campaigned against the vaccine, expressing doubts about the scientific basis for the pandemic and the vaccines.

For instance, another popular pastor and head of the Living Faith Church International (Winners Chapel), David Oyedepo, reportedly said he would not take the COVID-19 vaccine because he wouldnt want to be a guinea pig.

Other pastors including Johnson Suleman of Omega Fire Ministries International; Chris Okotie of Shepherd of the Household of God Church International Ministries; Chris Oyakhilome of Christ Embassy; among others, have also reportedly condemned the vaccine administration and referred to it as some anti-christ products.

But there are a few of these Christian ministers who have risen to encourage their congregation to take the vaccine. Among them are, Matthew Ashimolowo of Kingsway International Christian Centre; Mike Okonkwo of the Redeemed Evangelical Mission; Ituah Ighodalo of Trinity House; Sam Adeyemi of Daystar Christian Centre, among others.

There are also others who have yet to declare their stance on the development openly. They include Daniel Olukoya of Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries; William Kumuyi of Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Wale Oke of the Sword of The Spirit Ministries International and President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria.

COVID-19 vaccination in Nigeria

According to data from National Primary Health Development Agency (NPHCDA), out of an estimated 206 million population in Nigeria, only five million have taken the first dose and only two million are fully vaccinated.

This is nowhere close to the at least 10 per cent vaccination benchmark for September set by the WHO.

Nigeria has received three different vaccines for its population  Oxford AstraZeneca, Moderna, and Johnson and Johnson, with only AstraZeneca and Moderna approved as of the time of filing this report.

According to the Africa CDC vaccination database, Nigeria has received 10,927,520 vaccine supply and administered 6,734,764 doses.

Also, by these statistics, Nigeria may also miss the 40 per cent benchmark set for the end of the year 2021.

The NCDC on Saturday reported 138 fresh infections bringing the total number of COVID-19 infections to 206,064 with 2,723 deaths.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested one Mario Okiwelu, a final year student of Fine Arts and Design, University of Port Harcourt, Rivers state, with illicit drugs.

The NDLEAs spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, who said this in a statement on Sunday, in Abuja, added that the suspect was arrested for importing variants of liquid cannabis weighing 49.6gms, from the U.S.

Mr Babafemi said he was arrested through controlled delivery, along with his accomplice, Precious Awuse, on Monday, 27 September around NIPOST area, Port Harcourt.

In a similar vein, narcotic officers attached to some courier firms in Lagos have seized different sizes of illicit drugs, including 40gms of cocaine, concealed in a University of Uyo degree certificate, heading to Australia.

The NDLEA spokesman said that another 280 gms of cannabis, hidden in body cream bottles going to Cyprus; and another 400gms of tramadol, tucked in plastic bottles, heading to Australia, were also seized, just as a one kilogramme of methamphetamine, concealed in auto parts, with Hong Kong as destination, were similarly seized.

Attempts by some traffickers to also import into Nigeria 20 cartons of khat weighing 126.900 kgs were also quashed.

This was through the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company (NAHCO) import shed of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, MMIA, Lagos,  he said.

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On Wednesday, 29 September, Mr Babafemi said one Ibrahim Sulyman was arrested, during a cargo search operation at Skyway Aviation Handling Company Plc (SAHCO) export shed, with sachets of tramadol weighing 76gms, concealed inside black soap, heading to Dubai, UAE.

He said the operatives also arrested a widow, Aliya Idris, on Saturday, 25 September in the house of a wanted drug dealer, Shamsu Boda, at Joji road, Tudun Wada, Zaria, Kaduna State, having been found in possession of 30 bottles of cough syrup with codeine, and 20 sachets of Rophynol with gross weight of 4.2kg and 77.5 gms, respectively.

Mr Bababfemi further disclosed that at least two drug dealers were arrested and over 1,213.2kg of drugs seized at Ikosi, Ketu, Kosofe Local Government Area (LGA) in raids across Lagos State on Wednesday, 29 September.

Similar arrests were also made by the drugs agency of a 22-year-old Peter Onome, from Isoko, Delta State, with 442 gms of different types of drugs, including 426 gms of cannabis sativa, 15 gms of Colorado, six grams of Cocaine; four grams of Rohypnol and one gram of methamphetamine.

 In Lekki, one Justin Clement, from Michika, Adamawa State, was also arrested with 500 gms of cannabis sativa.

Also, on the same day, officers of the Lagos Command of the agency raided another notorious hideout in Petti, Lagos Island, where they recovered an abandoned 1,213.2kg of cannabis sativa, Mr Babafemi added.

In his reaction, Buba Marwa, the NDLEA chief executive, commended officers and men of the Rivers, DOGI, MMIA, Kaduna and Lagos Commands of the Agency for their outstanding performance in the past week.

He charged them and their counterparts in other commands to remain vigilant and continue to exhibit the spirit and determination of the new NDLEA.

(NAN)
The Defence Headquarters, on Saturday night, honoured the late Abuh Ali, a lieutenant colonel, who died while fighting Boko Haram terrorists in the North-east on November 4, 2016, for gallantry and professionalism.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the award of honour was received by Mr Alis daughter, Fatima Abuh-Ali, supported by his widow, Samira Abuh-Ali, at Nigerias 61st Independence Anniversary Dinner organised by Defence Headquarters in Abuja.

Mr Abuh-Ali is one of the 24 officers and soldiers comprising 12 officers and 12 soldiers who were honoured for gallantry and professionalism at the event.

The Chief of Defence Staff, Lucky Irabor, who eulogised the late officer, said he represented gallantry, dedication and professionalism while commanding troops against terrorists in North-east.

Mr Irabor said members of the armed forces felt the need to share moments of joy and recognise some of its personnel who had distinguished themselves in battlefields.

He added that the event was also in the spirit of their adherence to military regimentation and a clear demonstration of reinvigoration for the operation and togetherness being experienced in the Armed Forces of Nigeria.

The memory and sacrifices of our colleagues who have paid the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty  were not in vein and certainly will not be in vein, he said.

As we celebrate our independence anniversary today, the armed forces of Nigeria is proud of its role and effort in the Nigerian project.

Indeed, at no other time in our nations history have members of the armed forces been so engaged as it relates to addressing the current myriad of security challenges in our dear country that threatened the very foundation of our unity, security and wellbeing.

Rising up to this challenge, the armed forces has made tremendous sacrifices in answering the clarion call.

The armed forces of Nigeria remains resolute and undaunted in the face of these challenges and we shall be victorious, he said.

Mr Irabor commended the spouses of officers and men as well the husbands of some of our female officers and soldiers who had dedicated their lives to the service of our nation.

He reiterated the commitment of the armed forces to continue to defend the territorial integrity of Nigeria in line with its foreign policy objective.

The CDS said the military would continue to support democratic governance in the country, as well as ensuring the attainment of a more secure and prosperous Nigeria, he said.

(NAN)
Governor Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State has advocated for a permanent framework to limit the movement of cattle from the Sahel to other regions in Africa.

Mr Bagudu was speaking on Saturday while declaring closed the 2021 Pastoralists Week held in Birnin Kebbi, the state capital.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting was jointly organised by Dosso state in Niger republic, Alibori state in Benin republic and Kebbi State, Nigeria, alongside ECOWAS and national boundary authorities of the three countries.

The governor noted that any framework designed by the meeting would be accepted by the Nigerian government, as long as it was in the interest of unity and progress of West African countries.

Mr Bagudu, who is also the Vice-Chairman of Nigerias Food Security Council (NFSC) said: Animal Husbandry is an important work in West Africa, and I am happy that we all appreciate the importance of this sector and I am glad that the CILSS is leading efforts to generate resources that will help us to develop the sector.

There was a statement that about 300 million dollars funding has currently been mobilised by the CILSS and that is most important. What this funding can do, is to help us draw the attention of the world to the potentials in animal husbandry in West Africa.

This is because it requires more than that to develop and we must have a way of communicating it to the ECOWAS leadership, perhaps the African Union (AU) leadership, that we need them to be unanimous in this area so that we can generate billions of dollars that can support the pastoral sector in West Africa, Mr Bagudu said.

He noted that the pastoralism sector was full of hardworking people, looking for opportunities to cater for their children and give them a good education, as such any investment in the sector would yield the desired results, including better returns on investment.

I believe that Nigeria, particularly President Muhammadu Buhari, will support us on this programme as quickly as possible, so that we can demonstrate how it will work.

Even before then, the current protocol of West Africa, and the framework of operations, allows us to collaborate more and I propose that we send the recommendation to the appropriate authorities.

So that Dosso, Alibori, Nigeria and Kebbi State, supported by ECOWAS and CILSS can create this framework, while we are waiting for our national leaders to endorse it and send it to other countries, so that they can come and learn from us, he noted.

The immediate past governor of Kebbi State, Saidu Nasamu-Dakingari, urged Nigerian politicians and those of Niger and Benin republics to take the issue of pastoralists very seriously as it was not about land, but the rain and climate change.

Mr Nasamu-Dakingari explained that the expansion of land for farming had continued to pose serious challenges to pastoralists, who were always migrating during dry seasons from the Sahel to Southern regions, for pasture.

Earlier, Sekou Sangare, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, the Governor of Dosso in Niger Republic, Assoumana Ahmadou and the Governor of Alibori in Benin Republic, Ky-Samah Bello, appreciated the warm hospitality they had received from the government and people of Kebbi State.

They congratulated the Kebbi state governor, Abubakar Atiku-Bagudu, and the entire people of Nigeria on the countrys 61st independence anniversary, while calling for closer ties to deal with issues challenging pastoralism, insecurity, trans-human and cross-border cooperation.

On his part, Adeniyi Adedoyin, a deputy director, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, suggested the need for a framework to track performance and \identification of animals, stressing that to practice ranching, Kebbi State could even start its own framework to test its workability.

Also, the Director-General of the National Boundary Commission, Adamu Adaji, represented by Hauwa Abdul-Ismail, commended the organisers of the meeting assuring that it had given the commission an opportunity to witness projects implemented by the Kebbi State government.

(NAN)
A medical doctor, Olusola Adeyelu, has urged the Federal High Court in Abuja to declare the membership of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), the umbrella body of medical and dental practitioners in Nigeria, as voluntary.

In the suit in which the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) and the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) are sued as the defendants, the plaintiff urged the court to declare him free of any financial obligation to the association following his resignation as a member in April 2019.

He also wants the court to issue an order of perpetual injunction restraining MDCN from further subjecting him to mandatory payment of building levies or any other levies imposed by NMA for his rights as a medical practitioner to be recognised.

His lawyer, Tope Temokun, argued in the suit that the MDCNs imposition of NMAs building levies and other financial tasks on him for his practising licence to be renewed was in violation of section 40 of the Nigerian constitution, which guarantees freedom of association and dissociation from the NMA.

The plaintiff also urged the court to hold that the NMA lacks the power to impose or continue to enforce its financial resolution or its building levies on him.

In an affidavit in support of the originating summons, Mr Adeyelu said while the MDCN was a creation of the National Assembly with the sole mandate of regulating medical practice in Nigeria, the NMA was a private organisation, registered under the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA).

The plaintiff said he never indicated interest of becoming a member of the NMA, the umbrella body of medical doctors in Nigeria, adding that upon his induction into the medical profession, he was automatically conscripted into the association.

Although the 2nd defendant (NMA) is a voluntary association but has been operating in a manner that portrays it as a mandatory association for the medical practitioners in Nigeria.

It is commonplace that every medical practitioner became conscripted through payment of annual practising fee to the 1st defendant (MDCN), which money is legislated to be subject to sharing formula of 30 per cent -70 per cent between the 1st defendant and the 2nd defendant, Mr Adeyelu said in an affidavit filed in support of the suit.

He said as a result of the inextricable ties between the MDCN and the NMA, he had no choice to exercise in choosing the membership of the NMA.

That it was through this statutory anomaly, which robbed me of the free exercise of right to choose membership of a supposedly voluntary association that I became a member of the 2nd defendant upon my induction.

That to be eligible to lawfully practise my profession as a medical practitioner in a year, I am required by law to pay a medical practising fee to the 1st defendant (MDCN) before the 31 December of the preceding year.

The implication of the above is that, even as a qualified medical practitioner in Nigeria, legally registered to practice medicine in Nigeria by the 1st defendant (MDCN), if I did not pay my annual practicing fee, from 1 December to ` December, before the end of every year, practicing license is deemed to have expired or lapse, since renewal of license is a result or offshoot of payment of annual practicing fee, the plaintiff explained.

The doctor further revealed he had suffered deprivations with debilitating effects on his health as a result of happenings in the association (NMA).

In order to save myself of the mental agony of sharing burden, financial burden of an association from which I derive no cognisable corresponding benefit, I resolved to resign my membership of the association of the 2nd defendant (NMA), Mr Adeyelu said.

NMA membership not compulsory for doctors

Both the MDCN and NMA have filed separate counter-affidavits urging the court to dismiss the suit.

They argued in their separate court filings that NMA membership was not compulsory for doctors.

Francis Ali, MDCNs Head, Practising Licence, said in a counter-affidavit that Mr Adeyelu was not forcefully conscripted by the council to join NMA.

He added that the plaintiff has the discretion to choose whether or not to be a member of the 2nd defendant (NMA).

He also said the MDCN never insisted on the payment of NMAs building levy as a precondition for mandatory renewal of the practising licence of the plaintiff.

The MDCN admitted that section 14(4) of the Medical and Dental Practitioner Act prescribed a formula of 70-30 for sharing the practising fees paid by practitioners between NMA and MDCN, but noted that it did not amount to robbing Mr Adeyelu of his right to freedom of association.

How the proceeds from practising fees paid by medical and dental practitioners is utilised is not within the rights of the plaintiff to challenge, MDCNs filing added.

The NMA similarly said medical personnel automatically became a member of the association upon induction into the medical profession, but, like every Nigerian, has the right to either continue to be part of the association by comply with requisite conditions for eligibility or renounce its membership.

Philips Ekpe, NMAs secretary-general, who deposed to the associations counter-affidavit, said Mr Adeyelu had ceased to be a member since his resignation through his letter dated 19 April, 2019.

Mr Ekpe added that the issue of building levy raised by the plaintiff had been decided by the Federal High Court, Enugu division, in a suit between Fedrick Awkadigwe vs MDCN and another defendant.

The said judgement is subject to appeal at the appellate court, he added.

Plaintiff faults MDCN, NMA

The plaintiff in his further responses has faulted the claims by MDCN and NMA.

He noted that contrary to their claim of voluntariness of NMA membership and despite his resignation as a member, he was left with no choice or discretion to choose whether or not to pay the associations annual fee because the mandatory annual practising paid to MDCN is cojoined with the annual association fee of the 2nd defendant (NMA).

He noted that the share of NMA constitutes the 70 per cent of my mandatory practising fees paid to MDCN yearly for my practising licence renewal.

He urged the court to stop the MDCN from further remitting 70 per cent of his practising licence renewal fee to the NMA, as he had ceased to be a member of the association.

Mr Adeyenlu also noted that the defendants continued to make payment of the associations building levy as precondition for renewing his licence despite his resignation.

I submit as a matter of fact that after having resigned my membership of the 2nd defendant (NMA)vide a letter dated 19 April 2019, I logged on to the website of the 1st defendant (MDN) to complete the process of my licence renewal, but surprisingly came to a halt when I got to a column requesting the confirmation of payment of the 2nd defendants building levy, invariably making it impossible for me to severe myself from any form of financial obligation to the 2nd defendant (NMA).

He also said the declarations and orders made by the Federal High Court in Enugu mentioned by the NMA are in the most part distinct from the prayers sought in his suit.

The trial judge, Donatus Okorowo, has 10 November for hearing.
The country home of a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Joe Igbokwe, was allegedly set on fire in Nnewi, Anambra State, on Sunday, the politician has said.

In a Facebook post, Mr Igbokwe accused members of the Indigenous People Of Biafra (IPOB) for the incident.

IPOB invaded my house in Nnewi about now. I am sure they raised (sic) down my house giving the jerrycans of petrol being offloaded from their sienna via CCTV. To God be the glory I am still alive, Mr Igbokwe posted on Sunday afternoon.

He did not provide any evidence on the involvement of IPOB in the alleged arson.

Mr Igbokwe did not respond to calls and messages seeking clarification over the incident.

Emma Powerful, the IPOB spokesperson, could not be reached as his phone line was switched off.

Over the past weeks, unidentified gunmen have targeted known personalities in the southeast, including Chike Akunyili, a medical doctor and husband of the late NAFDAC boss, Dora Akunyili.

Most of the attacks have been blamed on the members of IPOB, whose leader, Nnamdi Kanu, is in detention over charges of treason.

The IPOB leadership has, however, distanced its members from the attacks.
Prominent lawyer and son of the late Rotimi Williams, Ladi Rotimi-Williams, is dead.

His father, Rotimi-Williams, a President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in the 1950s , died at 84 on 26 March, 2005.

According to the deceaseds younger brother, Kayode Rotimi-Williams, he died in the early hours of Sunday from COVID-19 complications.

The deceased was aged 74, The Nation reported.

His father, Rotimi Wiliams, was one of the first two persons to become a SAN in the country. The other person was Nabo Graham-Douglas.

In the 1950s, Rotimi Williams was the president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).

Until his death, Ladi Rotimi-Williams was the Principal and founding Partner of Chief Ladi Rotimi-Williams Chambers.

He was appointed a member of the Constitutional Drafting Committee in 1988.

He was also appointed a Director of the National Electric Power Authority (NEPA)

He became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 1995.

In a tribute to the deceased, Lagos-based lawyer and prosecutor for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Wahab Shittu, said the deceased would be sorely missed.

Mr Shittu recalled his personal relationship with the late lawyer, describing him as sociable, friendly, nice and decent.

We had mutual respect for one another. He drew me close to him like he did several others. No airs .None at all, Mr Shittu said in a statement on Sunday.

He lamented that his demise is a huge loss to the legal profession and the Nigerian society in general.

According to Mr Shittu, the deceased reportedly fully vaccinated, adding it is surprising that in spite of the precautions he took, he still died of Covid-19 complications  an indication that fully vaccinated or not, we remain endangered in these perilious times. How sad! We mourn, the statement read.
On October 1, 1960, the Union Jack flag of the British Empire was lowered and replaced by a green and white flag, designed by Taiwo Akinwunmi at Independence Square in Lagos. Princess Alexandra of Kent, the official representative of Queen Elizabeth of England, handed over Nigerias symbol of Independence to the nations first Indigenous speaker of Parliament, Jaja Nwachukwu.

Though since 1955, Indigenous leaders have governed the three regional governments of Nigeria, leading to greater economic and social transformation than almost a century of colonial rule delivered, it was on October 1st 1960 that power was transferred at the centre to a parliament comprising indigenes.

The hope and optimism of that season was captured by the first elected Prime Minister of Nigeria, Alhaji Tafawa Balewa, who spoke better English than most British, I promise you we shall not fail for want of determination and we come to this task better equipped than many Tafawa Balewas velvet voice rang.

The Prime Ministers speech was not an empty boast. Within 5 years of limited self-government, the black Indigenous rulers of Nigeria had built more educational institutions, hospitals, industries, and created jobs than the British rulers did in about 100 years of colonial rule. Production of vaccines to cope with outbreak of diseases was not a challenge for them as they continued to maintain the Yaba Vaccine Production Centre that not only served Nigeria but many African countries as well. Nigeria had a prosperous economy diversified and comparable to her peers, like Malaysia and Thailand, as well as a comparable Per Capita Income (PCI).

Those momentums of greatness were punctured by a tragic military coup in January 1966, led by Chukwuemeka Kaduna Nzeogwu. They killed Balewa and other leaders, leading to two counter coups, lacking in political management skills. The military in government plunged the country into a civil war, distorted the Countrys Federalism and mismanaged the economy in its adventure in politics, which aside the 5 years of civil rule (between 1979 and 1985), lasted till 1999.

Since the return to democracy, the nation has struggled to shake off the ruinous effects of prolonged military rule that suspended the momentum of development recorded from 1955 to 1966. While the telecommunications sector has expanded, the country has however seen the near death of industrialisation. An educated Nigerian diaspora community has emerged, contributing over $26 billion in 2019 in remittances, which is a billion US dollars more than the receipt from oil, Nigerias major export. While the countrys citizens abroad are becoming more educated, there is growing illiteracy at home. To an extent, the country is recording up to 10 million out-of-school children according to UNICEF figures.

At the security front, Nigeria is facing new challenges proving tough for a country that has once been a helper to nearby countries like Liberia, Sierra Leone, Sudan and Congo in achieving stability and peace. The challenges of the country are, however, surmountable, if the nations polity reconnects with the ideological and moral rectitude that galvanised development between 1955-1966, and if updated on modern precepts and new realities.

Politics has to be driven by developmental issues of economics, access to health and education, plans for industrialization, security, jobs, reform of decaying ethical and social values, political accountability and inclusiveness. Greater patriotism, tolerance, maturity and political accommodation are necessary, as exhibited by political leaders of the Independence era, who despite youthful ages resolved complex divisive issues in the National interest by working out political compromises.

The promise of Nigerias greatness is within reach, it is still the nation with the biggest economy in Africa. A 2015 PwC forecast based on GDP projection predicts Nigeria could be the 14th largest economy in the world by 2050 ahead of Spain, Canada, Italy, Portugal and many European nations. We can surpass the projection if we overcome our internal divisions, fix electricity distribution, the weakest link in the electricity sector, focus more on industrialisation and emerging cyber market where Nigeria has the advantage of been the 6th largest user(country) of Internet users in the world and take part more as content creator.

We can make regulations of infrastructure investment more investor-friendly. We can afford a bit more decentralisation in policing, to states and local government, as well as other areas of control, over economic activities that can galvanise production, resolve divisive issues like who should collect VAT and how should it be shared. Our nations future is brighter than bleaker, but we need to get some things under control-and it must be now!

Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, a chieftain of the APC, was a former Presidential candidate.
You can be spiritual and may not be excellent. But you cannot be excellent as a Christian and not be spiritual, just like Daniel. Why? A life committed to excellence will do everything well, including serving God. However, spirituality will never compensate for deliberate mediocrity.

Sister Rose said to me, Pastor, I have been attending many deliverance sessions, and I think I need more prayers to overcome this unemployment situation. Why, If I may ask? Sister Rose replied, I have been applying for jobs for months, and till date, not one single employer has called me or acknowledged my application. I think there is a generational curse on my C.V.!

Is your C.V. a generational trash?

In my usual curious nature, I requested to see Sister Roses C.V. (not her real name). When I sighted it, it was in shambles. Her name occupied virtually the entire length of the page; her work experiences over the years were grossly inconsistent; the formatting was poor; and typos littered the C.V. In short, I said to myself, I will not employ Sister Rose if she were my biological sister. Then, the mentorship and creativity in me jumped out, and I said to her, Sister Rose, you do not have any generational curse. On the contrary, your CV is a generational trash. You are not excellent! You are applying for jobs with this kind of CV, in direct competition with graduates from world class universities? I am busy now but send your C.V. to me for a quick makeover.

Total C.V. makeover

I flipped the C.V. over, turned it around, cut down on her names; edited and re-formatted the C.V., and sent it back to her. Before the week ended, she got her first interview.

Spirituality does not confer automatic excellence on people!

Are you reading this post, and have become a full-time customer of deliverance ministers, even when you know that you are not excellent at your work? Spirituality does not confer automatic excellence on people. Excellence is intentional and deliberate. You can be spiritual and not be excellent. But you cannot be excellent as a Christian and not be spiritual. Why?

A life committed to excellence will do everything well, including serving God. Fellow believers, it is painful to realise that the African culture is deeply rooted in spirituality, but also unfortunately badly deficient in excellence. Of course, both are needed, but not at the expense of either of them! What excellence will do for you, spirituality will not do.

There is presently a massive protest in hell. I call it a fictional protest against wrong accusations from Christians. Satan has just convened an emergency meeting to discuss the unjust accusations being levelled against him  mostly by African Christians. Given the focus of his ministry  which is to steal, kill and destroy, Satan is very happy to see so many people attribute the cause of their current problems to him  as opposed to attributing it to their lack of excellence. At least, by diverting their attention away from the real source of their problems  which is their lack of excellence, they will remain stagnated and frustrated in their families, careers, ministries, and businesses.

There is a pandemic of mediocrity in our societies. A lot of young people attend colleges and universities that are very deficient in preparing them for excellence, and sadly, many false pastors are taking advantage of their ignorance  by further polluting their minds with false deliverance and narratives of generational curses.

There is a pandemic of mediocrity in our societies

There is a pandemic of mediocrity in our societies. A lot of young people attend colleges and universities that are very deficient in preparing them for excellence, and sadly, many false pastors are taking advantage of their ignorance  by further polluting their minds with false deliverance and narratives of generational curses. If there is a nation on earth that should carry the fullest weight of the worlds generational curse, that should be Germany. The Germans worked directly against the Jews  killing more than eight million of them under the brutal Nazi regime. Yet, Germany, today, remains today one of the greatest countries on earth in education, the economy, and technology. Same as Great Britain, and the United States: which both invested massively in slave trade! But these nations stand poles apart from many African countries that have not even done as much evil as many of them.

Excellence speaks to doing things so well, and above average, and with so much distinction and dexterity. It speaks to putting the WOW factor into your work. It speaks to ensuring that to the best of your ability, not one single error or mistake can be found in your work  to the admiration of everyone.

Excellence is a culture, so is the lack of it!

Excellence is a culture. The lack of it is a culture  one that is endemic in most failed nations. It is a value. Excellence is not the icing on the cake  but the cake itself. While undertaking my Systems Engineering post graduate degree at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, I submitted an engineering assignment to one of my professors. A couple of days later, I received his feedback, with the following words, If I decide to grade your present work, youre going to fail. I was stunned. I asked him to tell me why my work would attract a failed grade, to which he replied, THERE IS NO WOW FACTOR IN YOUR PAPER. That is it! I did it all over again  drenching my work with the expected wow factor  and till date, it has been about being excellent.

Excellence does not come by impartation, but by hard work

Excellence does not come by impartation, but by hard work  and the embracing of a culture of doing things well  whether people are watching you or not. Daniel was branded as one of the most excellent individuals in the Bible. You know why a lot of Africans struggle to attract patronage in the Diaspora? Many of them hold professorial degrees in mediocrity.

An example of a rare mindset of excellence

The famed painter, Michelangelo got a contract to paint the roof of a church. Together with one of his workers, Michelangelo went to the church to commence the work. He spent hours upon hours painting the roof of the church, with the assistance of his worker. But something strange happened. The employee who followed Michelangelo noticed that his boss was spending a lot of time on a section of the churchs roof that is not visible to the public. In other words, when people seat inside the church auditorium, they will not see that portion of the roof  yet Michelangelo spent more time on this portion of the roof. In total frustration, the young man asked Michelangelo, Why are you spending so much time on a section of the roof that no one will see? Michelangelo replied, God will see. No wonder Michelangelo rose to the very top of his profession and became one of the worlds most celebrated painters.

It was Abraham Lincoln who said, If I had six hours to cut down a tree, I will spend the first four hours sharpening my axe. Sadly, the main difference between Africans and the West is excellence! Most of our universities and colleges neither teach nor model excellence  an indirect consequence of failed leadership in the larger society.

If you are not good enough, the devil is not after you. You are after yourself. A lot of us are fighting demons and doing deliverances all around town on issues that only require excellence.

How excellent are you?

How excellent is your C.V.? How excellently do you clean that house you are employed to clean? How excellently do you package your product? As a pastor, how excellently do you prepare your messages? Do your scriptural references match your messages? As a government contractor, how excellently do you do the job you have been paid for? A former U.S. Navy Seal, John McLaren was invited to speak to the graduating class of a University in the U.S. He mounted the podium and said the following words to the class: Do you all want to conquer the world, and become the best? They all said Yes. Then, John McLaren said, Start making your beds every morning. If you can be so excellent at making your beds every day, you will conquer the world.

Average is always rejected

Excellence is contagious. Excellence is like a perfume. You are being rejected because you are too average. Step up your quality and watch how men will compete to hire you. I did not say it will be easy. It always comes at a cost. Recently, I read the story of a sculptor with a paralysed hand. One day, he was engaged to draw the image of a famous man. As he struggled to create and complete this drawing, someone, out of pity, confronted him, why are you going through these pains, just to create a drawing? The man replied, THE PAIN PASSES, THE PLEASURE STAYS.

To stand out, learn to sharpen your axe

It was Abraham Lincoln who said, If I had six hours to cut down a tree, I will spend the first four hours sharpening my axe. Sadly, the main difference between Africans and the West is excellence! Most of our universities and colleges neither teach nor model excellence  an indirect consequence of failed leadership in the larger society. A lot of our graduates do not know how to write C.V.s. Many do not know how to stand before their peers to make professional presentations. Consequently, the basic components and rudiments of excellence  such as communication skills, writing skills, relationship skills, critical thinking skills, and an innate desire to do things well, even when no one is watching  are absent in the formative years of young Africans. Except for the foreign education that many African parents are now leveraging, the African society would have become a pariah (outcast) generation of mediocres.

Super Intelligence versus spiritual excuse

I will not believe that your case is spiritual until I am sure that you have done all that is to be done  by being super excellent. Excellence speaks to applying for jobs with a world class C.V. In fact, life has been made so easy for us in this generation. There are so many organisations whose main business focus is to design C.V.s. Excellence speaks to going for a first class in your academic pursuit  regardless of the cost. Excellence does not cut corners; excellence does not compromise quality for profit. Desire and determine from today that when people see your work, it will provoke a wow from them, and with the grace of God on your life, watch how many doors will open to you of their own accords. You can be spiritual and may not be excellent. But you cannot be excellent as a Christian and not be spiritual, just like Daniel. Why? A life committed to excellence will do everything well, including serving God. However, spirituality will never compensate for deliberate mediocrity.

Ayo Akerele, a leadership and system development strategist and minister of the word, writes from Canada and can be reached through ayoakerele2012@gmail.com.
I find a symbolic similarity between the travails of Dr Chike Akunyili and Reverend Richard Henry Stone (18371915), with the latters experience narrated in his memoir that contains his missionary activities in Nigeria, entitled, In Africas Forest And Jungles. Stone was an American missionary who came to Africa during the nineteenth century to represent the Southern Baptist Convention and spent years among the Yoruba-speaking people of Western Nigeria. He lived in Ijaye, Abeokuta, and Lagos and traveled to Ibadan, Lahlookpon, Ewo, Ogbomishaw, and Oyo, in his own words.

For both Stone and Akunyili, I struggled, with scant success, to reconstruct the horror of the grisly movie in which they starred. Akunyili was shot and killed at Nkpor, Idemili Local Government of Anambra State by yet unidentified gunmen. About eight other people were said to have been shot dead or beheaded in that melee. Save for the video circulating on the social media of his huge frame lying on the bare floor, writhing in unimaginable pain, his face a huge gash of ripped open flesh and blood, Akunyili didnt live to recount the gory horror of his waylay by that band of bloodthirsty hounds in the last minutes of his life. Nor could he tell anyone how these messengers of death fired rude, hot lead at his cerebrum. What transpired between Akunyili and those beasts between that moment of his ambush and his eventual gruesome killing? Did he plead with them to spare his life? Did he identify himself? Did they know he was the widower of Dora, that ecumenical spirit, the angelic Amazon who saved many Nigerian lives from drug fakers? Were the killers that impervious to recognising Angelic spirits that they did not identify one in Chike? Questions. Questions. No answer.

For want of a narrative to fill that void, I dug into the experience of Reverend Stone, who was subjected to a similar waylay, over a century ago. Again, while Akunyili was said to have been driven in a car, Stone was riding a war horse, which he named Bucephalus, sold to him by the legendary warrior of the Yoruba Ijaye kingdom, Kurunmi, who Stone had the opportunity of meeting with; a man he called a despot in the memoir. The Ifa oracle had earlier counseled Kurunmi to dispose off his horse and subsequently ride only white horses. After selling the horse to Stone, Kurunmi then purchased a beautiful Arabian white horse as replacement.

Kurunmi, translated to mean, death has ruined me, had the legendary fame of a warlord of the empire of Ijaye, which was just a 20-kilometre distance from present day Mokola in Abeokuta. From the account of the respected Yoruba history authority, Samuel Johnson, Kurunmi was the greatest soldier of his age, who possessed huge mystical powers and was highly dreaded. An ally of the Oyo Prince, Atiba, who later became Alaafin, Atiba subsequently installed him as the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland.

The Egba supported the British in their war against King Kosoko and his Portuguese allies in ending the slave trade. This riled Ogumulla, the military leader of Ebaddan  according to Stones memoir  the friend of, again from the memoir, the king of Yoruba  I suppose the Alaafin of Oyo. Ogunmola was an enemy of Kurunmi, who began to be referred to as Aare after his installation by Alaafin Atiba. Ogunmola, in alliance with the Dahomeyans  now the Beniniose of Benin Republic  enemies of the Egba, conspired to wage war against the Egba and the English for their opposition to slavery. Their plan was to destroy Ijaye and Abeokuta and recapture Lagos but Balogun Ibikunle, Ebekoonleh to Stone, the civilian governor of Ibadan, being a friend to Kurunmi, was opposed to this plan. Upon receipt of a message from Kurunmi that one of the missionaries stationed in Oyo might be in danger, Stone set out on a journey from Ijaye on his Bucephalus.

Unfortunately for Stone on that journey, like Akunyili, he was ambushed and quickly surrounded by a body of men armed with guns and cimeters at Eedoh, most likely Ido, a suburb of Ibadan; men he later found out were Tarkpar (Tapa) and Foolah (Fulani) adventurers under the command of Ebaddan (Ibadan) officers. Conversely, we are yet to find out, except hold the suspicion that those who attacked Akunyili were execrable murderers of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) or their blood-baiting sympathisers. According to Stone, The eyes of some of them were greyish and had the cold, merciless gleam of the steel in their hands. They stared up into my face and pressed closer and closer to me like beasts of prey ready to spring upon their victim. They made to kill the white missionary, with war soldiers gathering round to feast on his flesh. Stone was eventually taken to Ibadan, to Ibikunle, who he called a remarkably handsome man and charged with a capital crime of riding on the horse of the enemy of Ibadan, Kurunmi. He was later imprisoned and escaped to meet the Alaafinof Oyo.

Unsuccessful in my bid to reconstruct the horror of the grisly movie wherein Dr. Akunyili starred in the last minutes of his life, I began to look at the symbolism of Nkpor, where he breathed his last; or where his destiny chose his extinguishing. Descendants of a hunter named Okoli Oti, Otis sons, Omaliko, Oji and Dimudeke played ancestral roles to Oji people of Umuoji and Dimudeke. Nkpor people, otherwise named Umudim, were relocated to where they are due to incessant wars with their neighbours. Nkpor people, from time immemorial, are known to be warriors, which got them the moniker obodo dike (land of the brave). They are also known to be peace-loving and accommodating. Why then would a peace-loving Akunyili, on a peace-loving soil, be killed by people whose skewed sense of peace is killing their brightest?

I went into this long history to conjure the comparatively agonising travails Akunyili went through in the hands of his own killers. Stone, a man of peace, intent on rescuing a fellow man opposed to slavery, escaped being killed but comparatively, Akunyili, whose friends and acquaintances in Enugu State told me was a man of peace who lived his life saving others as a medical doctor, was killed by men who stood for everything but peace. While Stones crime was riding a war horse associated with Aare Kurunmi, enemy of Bashorun Ogunmola and his slavery-disposed allies, Akunyilis sin was allegedly being found with accoutrements of the enemies of Biafra  a gleaming car suggestive of Nigerian beasts and a police orderly that is the metaphor of the injustice his people suffer.

President Muhammadu Buhari came on national television, a few days after the murder of Akunyili, with his ritualistic homilies, which he yearly places at the groove of an almost dead god of One Nigeria. In his October 1 Independence speech, the Hobbesian life that is nasty, brutish and short that Nigerians live under the Buhari presidency merely received an euphemistic treat from him. No remorse from the president on the fact that when Nigerians leave their homes in the morning, there is no guarantee that they will come back in one piece. Even during the Nigerian civil war, life did not regress into this frighteningly Hobbesian state.

Buhari has not been able to answer the question of why and how Nnamdi Kanu and Sunday Adeyemo, a.k.a. Igboho, who terrifyingly shrink the presidents balls today, were disregarded and inconsequential entities in 2015 when he came into power. Who canonized, deified and catapulted them to this level of renown and worth? It was Buhari and his hostility against equity and good governance.

Buhari, in the said speech, in his time-worn characteristic, found the Nigerian media most convenient group to scapegoat. Our media houses and commentators must move away from just reporting irresponsible remarks to investigating the truth behind all statements and presenting the facts to readersThe seeds of violence are planted in peoples heads through words. Reckless utterances of a few have led to losses of many innocent lives and destruction of properties, he said.

The president was however dead wrong. He is the one who has led us to where we are today and nobody or nothing else. All other growths from this are mere offshoots. This platitude of imploring us to take this opportunity, on this special day that symbolises the unity and oneness of our great nation to embrace peace and dialogue, whatever your grievances, is mere cant and hypocritical. President Buhari has this conquest and ethnically-driven mentality that is unrivalled in the history of Nigerian leadership. He is unforgiving, self-righteous and persuaded in his own understanding, at the expense of others.

Added to his skewed understanding of justice and equity and administration of Nigeria, the stage was set for implosion of people who seek other loops to equity and fairness, no matter how foul. This is the logic that makes IPOBs animalism in the South-East to fester and why characters like the duo, in Buharis own narrow admittance, would be funded by a National Assembly member. This governments disregard for equity has led to the growth of people who carved out allegiance to anything but Nigeria. Buhari is the sole reason why otherwise inconsequential characters like Igboho and Kanu are holding Nigeria to ransom and why Chike Akunyili and so many others have been killed by men who foolishly think killing their kith and kin and burning structures in their locality will remedy this governments arrogant and inequitable governance.

This administration still harbours a narrow conception of what the media represents. Nigeria is not an Iron Curtain with its barrier. All shades of opinions, including the so-called irresponsible remarks that Buhari so much abhors, in the spirit of free speech, must be accommodated and reported to the world. When he, as presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), in May 2012, made the generally considered irresponsible remarks that if the alleged rigging of 2011, when he was voted out, happened again in 2015, by the grace of God, the dog and the baboon would all be soaked in blood, in the name of free speech, the press gave him a voice, even though the statement was divisive, outlandish and dripping with a Osama bin Laden-kind of terrorist temperament.

Buhari seems to perceive a thin divide between his despotic decrees of 1984 and legislations, and policies in a democracy. He thus cannot stomach free speech and its appurtenances. Banning Twitter, a major ventilating window of free speech and seeking to formulate, directly or through legislative proxies, stringent regulations, legislations and policies aimed at muzzling the press and controlling the traditional and social media space seem right to him. Rottweilers and Alsatian dogs like the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) are used to enforce this rout of free speech. In the abhorrent October 1 speech under reference, the president felt compelled to mention an unnamed legislator as the financier of Kanu and Igboho but the administration he leads has been tongue-tied and feels not compelled to reveal the sponsors of banditry in Nigeria. What manner of Janus-faced sense of justice is that? Aghast at this double-faced justice, a motion was moved last week by his northern kinsmen in the National Assembly to get bandits declared as terrorists.

I feel compelled to bring into this argument the last days on earth of Obadiah Mailafia, ex-Deputy Governor of the Central Bank, who died recently. Till date, the Buhari governments unforgiving disposition to contrary opinion and whatever it feels was wrong with Mailafias interrogation of the state of the Nigerian state has impeded it from commiserating with the family he left behind. Yes, the government has the freedom to choose who it showers its obsequies on, but the optics of this synchronise with the near-fabulous story of a military Head of State who allegedly divorced and never forgave his first wife till her unfortunate death, her crime being that she sought his freedom from the shackles of his prisoners.

Mailafias last days on earth, from accounts published in the media, where he dictated hospitals to be taken to, dreadfully imploring his family against taking him to government hospitals, speak to the apprehension among people opposed to this government that it can speed up the death of those who hold contrary opinions to it. Even Papa and Baby Doc of Haiti were not known by this heinous intolerance.

As we pray for the repose of the souls of Akunyili and Mailafia, it is evident that only Buhari holds the key to Nigerias peace and progress. The moment he chooses to administer this country as a national and not Fulani leader; a peace-loving leader and not one who delights in attacking violence with violence, the likes of Akunyili will not die in vain, for, we would have succeeded in steering our beloved nation away from the precipice of hatred, bigotry, divisiveness and despotism.

Inside Nigerias huge heist, the COVID-19 IGR

With the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic came widespread global misinformation about it. One of this was that there was a deliberate attempt to depopulate the world through the virus escape from its epicentre in the Chinese city of Wuhan. From one conspiracy theory to another, so many other theories have been spurned in the process. Right here in Nigeria, the pandemic has also attracted so many. It began from claims that it was a cash cow for so many state governments, which were in a frenzied competition to deploy it as an avenue to funnel illicit cash into their vestries. According to the theory, the more empirical data of the pandemic patients are presented, the more access state governments got to multilateral donor funding and Federal Government assistances. This, thus goes the theory, has provoked all manner of tricks by state governments to falsify figures.

If you travel out of Nigeria, especially in many African countries, the Nigerian variant of the COVID-19 fraud theory will hit you like a tempest. While it is a global protocol that passengers must show evidence of negative results before departing one country for another, many have frequently asked why, in Nigeria, passengers are made to pay the sum of N50,400 for the COVID-19 test when leaving and coming out of the country. Passengers who travel for medical reasons, schooling and other non-productive reasons, go through the excruciating process of having to cough out over a hundred thousand naira, among other expenses, simply because they need to leave the country.

The question to ask then is, why do passengers coming in and out of Nigeria, an average of 2,000  3,000 persons per day, pay for ingress and egress testing in Nigeria but travelers in other countries, especially in Africa, dont? The practice all over the world is the use of Antigen Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT), common in virtually all airports globally. Why is this not done in Lagos and in virtually all international airports in Nigeria?

From data I have come across, the unit cost of the PCR reagents used for the testing is so prohibitive in Nigeria, compared to other countries, making one to wonder who is making a criminal kill from Nigerian passengers. What makes this even easier for those who are making this heinous money at the peoples expense is that most passengers who pay for the PCR on arrival at Nigerian airports never go for the test, thus making the cabal and government who make billions of naira at the expense of the people to grow heavy laden in their infamy. Methinks that the proper thing to do is for travelers to be tested at the airports, while payments for tests undone should be refunded if the clients can be tracked. Failure to test travelers at the points of entry has led to private laboratories making undue free money at the expense of travelers.

In Lagos, the State government is said to make a profit of N12,000 on every Nigerian that flies into Lagos and with an average of 2,000  3,000 passengers per day, the state rakes in a conservative N24 million to N36 million daily. All the monies are alleged to go into the Lagos Biobank Account and not the Ministry of Healths purse.

Many Nigerians who arrive from foreign countries dont usually isolate. Examples abound from those who have visited the national leader of APC in recent times. They travel all over the country and for party meetings immediately after arrival and therefore make nonsense of the seven-day post isolation testing after arrival. What therefore is the science of this PCR test after arrival when the returnees are already everywhere, apart from the profits made by the Lagos government, private PCR labs and other members of their cabal?

The Lagos COVID-19 IGR has created so many crises in the top management of the ministry and even amongst the State Executive Council Members. Even at that, ordinary Nigerians who have lost their businesses or income to the same virus continue to pay the price.

Come to think of it, the same Lagos health ministry was said to have gotten a grant of $5 million from the Global Fund and N10 billion from the Federal Government over the same COVID-19 matter. Both those who gave the grant and the grantee seem to have moved on while the common people suffer. In furtherance of this, Lagos and the PCR cabal are resisting the use of Antigen RDT in airports in Nigeria, a practice that is common in virtually all airports globally. PCR done outside Lagos costs less and even at that, the cost of inputs is less than N15,000. With this, Lagos and Nigeria are smiling to the banks at the expense of Nigerians. Why are we plagued with leaders who will not take no for an answer until they drain the last pint of blood from the people?

Festus Adedayo is an Ibadan-based journalist.
Bandits Saturday evening killed at least three people, including a humanitrian staff nurse working with Medicine San Frontiers (MSF), who were travelling in a commercial vehicle in Zamfara State.

The MSF nurse, Hassan Muhammad, was returning to his work station in Shinkafi town when the bandits opened fire on the vehicle he was in on the Shinkafi  Kaura Namoda road.

The two other people killed were named as Dahiru Scamper and the driver of the vehicle, Musa Moriki. One other person, Shuaibu Buti, was injured and is receiving treatment at the General Hospital in Moriki.

A family source who asked for anonymity told PREMIUM TIMES that the corpse of the nurse has been deposited at the Federal Medical Centre in Gusau.

But we have been summoned to come and take it. I am in Gusau right now with some of our relatives, the family source said.

A friend of the slain health worker, Usamah Abubakar, confirmed the circumstances of Mr Muhammads death.

Hassan lived a life of service to humanity and God, as a life saving professional. For the much time I knew him, he was a very humble, calm and honest person, Mr Abubakar said.

The phone number of the police spokesperson in the state, Sanusi Abubakar, could not be reached as of the time of filing this story.

Shinkafi is one of the local government areas most plagued by bandits attacks in Zamfara State.
The Lengnau site is a 1.5 million square-foot facility that will leverage highly flexible bioproduction technologies, including both single-use and stainless steel with up to 12,500L bioreactor capacity. This will provide biopharma companies with a pathway from development to large-scale production as manufacturing needs evolve.

"We are excited to add the new Lengnau site to our global biologics manufacturing network and we are thrilled to welcome more than 200 new colleagues to Thermo Fisher," said Michel Lagarde, executive vice president of Thermo Fisher Scientific. "Through our partnership with CSL, this site further strengthens our unique customer value proposition to leverage our scale and depth of capabilities for pharma and biotech customers. With the addition of new high-volume stainless-steel capabilities in Lengnau, we are enabling our customers to start their projects with us and stay with us as their manufacturing requirements grow."

Following completion of site construction in 2022, Thermo Fisher will initially support manufacturing of CSL's next-generation recombinant factor IX product Idelvion for patients with hemophilia B. Over time, Thermo Fisher plans to expand the use of the site to include additional biopharma customers.

The Lengnau site is an important expansion of Thermo Fisher's biologics manufacturing network that includes Princeton, NJ and St. Louis, MO, USA; Groningen, NL; Brisbane, AU; and Hangzhou, China.

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:

Ron O'Brien

Phone: 781-622-1242

E-mail: [email protected]

Investor Contact Information:

Raf Tejada

Phone: 781-622-1356

E-mail: [email protected]

SOURCE Thermo Fisher Scientific

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Version 2.1.2 of EVA Voice Biometrics includes AWS Foundational Technical Review accreditation for using best practices related to security, reliability, and operational excellence

SYDNEY, Oct. 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Auraya, a voice intelligence company, announces today that its latest EVA Voice Biometrics release on the AWS Marketplace has achieved AWS Foundational Technical Review accreditation.

Auraya's policy of continuous improvement provides an 'evergreen' upgrade path ensuring its AWS Marketplace customers are using the latest voice biometric solution for secure authentication and fraud detection capabilities on their Amazon Connect contact center platform. The auto scaling nature of EVA enables small organizations and the largest enterprises to simply activate the EVA capability in their own AWS instance and consume the service for all selected customer interactions.

Paul Magee, President of Auraya said "It has never been easier for organizations that use Amazon Connect as their cloud-based contact center platform to activate a comprehensive active and passive voice biometric solution within a few hours. EVA delivers improved personalized self-service, reduced agent handling time, improved agent experience and most importantly, delivers on the promise of convenience and security for customers in all channels. In this world of more online, more work from home, more risk from cyber criminals and fraudsters, this easy-to-deploy and easy-to-use highly secure voice biometric capability is a game changer. Customer experience is significantly improved when it is easy for customers to verify their identity without disclosing personal information or needing to remember passwords or fumble for one-time passcodes".

Ray Doak, CEO of Auraya said "The approved FTR status enables Auraya to earn a 'Reviewed by AWS' solutions badge which unlocks AWS partner benefits that benefit Auraya, its customers and partners".

This was achieved by working directly with an AWS Partner Solutions Architect to review and accredit EVA for meeting its security, reliability, and operational risks requirements. With this badge of accreditation, customers using EVA Voice Biometrics can have complete confidence in selecting and using Auraya's secure and delightful voice biometrics capability.

About AWS Foundation Technical Review

The AWS Foundational Technical Review (FTR), formerly known as Technical Baseline Review, is a process to identify and remediate risks in an organization's products or solutions. It requires the implementation of AWS Well-Architected Framework for best practices related to security, reliability, and operational excellence.

About Auraya

Auraya is a voice intelligence company with the mission of empowering people and organizations to interact and engage with convenience and security in all channels and languages. Auraya develops next-gen voice biometrics technology to deliver easy-to-use and highly secure authentication and fraud detection capabilities. Auraya provides its technology to a global network of partners who incorporate Auraya's voice biometric technology into their secure, customer-facing applications and fraud detection solutions. The ecosystem of partners delivers solutions in all industries including government, education, healthcare, financial services, retail services, and telecommunications. If you would like to talk to the team at Auraya, send us an email at [email protected].

SOURCE Auraya Systems

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BEIJING, Oct. 3, 2021 /PR Newswire/ -- Joy Spreader Group (HKG: 6988, "the Group") announced on September 30, 2021 that the trustee of the Group's Share Incentive Plan had purchased 42.35 million of its shares from the market for a total consideration of some HK$120 million (approx. US$15.6 million) at an average price of HK$2.85 (approx. US$0.37) per share in accordance with the rules of the Plan and will hold the shares in the interest of the participants of the Plan.

The Share Incentive Plan announced in June aims to recognize the contributions of some of the Group's directors, employees, consultants and advisors in a move to retain them to assist with the company's future growth and expansion.

The implementation of the Plan fully demonstrates the Group's strong confidence in its business prospects. Going forward, the firm plans to continue implementing its share repurchase program based on market conditions.

For more information about Joy Spreader Group Inc., please visit here.

SOURCE Joy Spreader Group Inc.

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London, Oct 3 : Another 30,301 people in the UK have tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 7,871,014, according to official figures released Saturday.

The country also recorded another 121 coronavirus-related deaths, Xinhua news agency reported.

The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in the UK now stands at 136,910. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test.

There are currently 6,733 patients in hospital with Covid-19.

The data came as Eddie Gray, chair of the British antivirals taskforce, has hinted the country could buy a new pill called molnupiravir after "very encouraging" clinical trial results found it cut hospitalisations and deaths by half.

"We are involved in looking closely at all of the options available, but we're really not in a position to give out the details around specific conversations at this moment in time," said Gray.

US pharmaceutical giant Merck and its partner Ridgeback Biotherapeutics said early results showed patients who received the drug within five days of displaying Covid symptoms had half the rate of hospitalisation and death as those who were given a placebo.

Meanwhile, nearly 90 per cent of people aged 16 and over in Britain have had their first dose of vaccine and more than 82 percent have received both doses, the latest figures showed.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Panaji, Oct 3 : The political war cry 'khela hobe' (game on) put Trinamool Congress on the front foot in its high stakes battle for West Bengal against the BJP in the assembly polls held earlier this year.

However, the party's attempt to coin another slogan 'Gonychi Navi Sakal' (Goa's News Dawn) ahead of the 2022 Goa assembly polls, now has TMC on the backfoot in its visibility campaign in a state where regional pride is emerging as a significant political factor.

After the error-ridden slogan went up on public billboards, social media hashtags and other advertising avenues, the party went into damage control mode as the error was panned by political parties as well as social media commentators.

While the correction to 'Goenchi Navi Sakaal' is being papered over the earlier erroneous poll slogan, the person who coined the erroneous slogan, Sahitya Akademi award winning writer and Goa TMC member N. Shivdas claims that the error in the slogan was inserted on purpose, in order to attract popular attention.

"There is a mistake in some banners in Roman script. That was my draft. It is a deliberate draft. And there is discussion now on the spelling. I am a Sahitya Akademi award winning writer. I have taught Konkani for the last 36 years in different schools in Goa," said Shivdas, a former state Congress office bearer. Konkani is written in multiple scripts which include Devanagri, Roman, Kannada and Malayalam.

Over the last couple of days, the TMC's slogan was panned on social media.

"TMC should have learnt a little bit of Konkani before putting up this banner. Gonychi cannot be a Konkani word," Rakesh Kandolkar, a local businessman, tweeted.

"@MamataOfficial Your Journey to Goa is started with Wrong Spelling so this will definitely bring you a very bad luck in elections 2022. Goa is not Bengal and Goa is no more available for outside parties to rule," said Manoj Parab, president of the Revolutionary Goans, a new political outfit with a regionalist credo.

"When you want to make a political entry inside a state, the least you can do is spell the name of the state right," said Rohan Govenkar, a local writer.

Despite being panned, Shivdas continues to stick to his guns.

"Whatever spelling I have mentioned, that was done deliberately to start a discussion. I got the result, because people are discussing the TMC because of that," Shivdas said.

Specifically responding to criticism from the Aam Aadmi Party, whose spokespersons have used the error to question the credentials of the TMC's Goa leadership, Shivdas said: "I have taught Konkani for the last 36 years in different schools in Goa. They need not teach me. If AAP has a problem, they should approach us to learn Konkani," he said.

The TMC has re-entered Goa politics with a bang ahead of the 2022 state assembly polls. The West Bengal based party has already roped in former Chief Minister and ex Congress Working Committee member Luizinho Faleiro into its ranks. The party is expected to contest all 40 seats in Goa, even as TMC MP and Mamata Banerjee's nephew Abhishek Banerjee has said that the party will not enter into any alliance in Goa.
Kohima, Oct 3 : Involving the Chief Ministers of Assam and Nagaland, the renewed talks between the government and the NSCN (IM) would soon start in Delhi. All the stakeholders seem keen to achieve a breakthrough in the decades old Naga peace process before Christmas this year.

To take forward the Naga peace process, in a significant political development the ruling and opposition parties in Nagaland recently agreed to form an all-party government named the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) headed by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio.

The Bharatiya Janata Party, which is now an ally of the ruling Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) and the opposition Naga People's Front (NPF) and two Independent MLAs would be partners in the opposition-less UDA government.

Though the schedule of the meeting in the national capital is yet to be finalised, the groundwork has already been done in the series of meetings in Nagaland in the fourth week of last month.

A top Nagaland Home Department official and a leader of the Isak-Muivah faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN-IM) separately told IANS that although the meeting schedule has not yet been finalised, it would be held sometime this month.

When approached by IANS, Nagaland Principal Secretary, Home, Abhijit Sinha refused to say anything about the upcoming peace talks in Delhi while the Chief Minister, other ministers and officials in the northeastern state also remained tight-lipped about the talks.

The Nagaland Chief Minister said in Kohima that Union Home Minister Amit Shah has asked him and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to facilitate the peace process and convince all the Naga groups for a lasting solution.

The Chief Minister has also expressed his satisfaction that the Centre and the Naga groups have resumed negotiations to find a permanent solution to the Naga political problem.

"The talks had been stalled for many months over differences in opinion on some issues, but it is a matter of happiness that after a long time the NSCN (IM) resumed talks with the Centre's representative," Rio told the local media in Kohima.

Days after the transfer of Nagaland governor Ravindra Narayan Ravi, who was appointed as the Centre's interlocutor for the Naga peace talks on August 29, 2014, to Tamil Nadu, the peace talks had begun on September 20 in Nagaland.

The meetings between the Government of India's envoy A.K. Mishra and the NSCN (IM) leadership led by Thuingaleng Muivah were held in Kohima and Dimapur.

Though Mishra, Assam and Nagaland Chief Ministers and top officials refused to disclose anything about these meetings, NSCN-IM leader Rh Raising had told the media after the meeting that everything should be initiated on the basis of the "Framework Agreement" signed with the government in 2015.

"We reiterate our commitment to the 'Framework Agreement' in letter and spirit. After the Covid-19 pandemic, the talks have resumed," Raising told a television channel in Kohima stating that a separate flag and constitution are uncompromising issues.

The former Nagaland Governor (Ravi) had on a number of occasions rejected the NSCN (IM) demand for a separate flag and constitution of Nagaland.

Despite opposition from various circles, specially from the Congress, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma after being assigned by the Union Home Minister held a series of meetings in Dimapur with his Nagaland counterpart, the NSCN (IM) leaders led by Muivah and Mishra.

After the meetings, Sarma, who is also the Convener of the pro-BJP front North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), had tweeted: "PM Shri Narendra Modi and HM Shri Amit Shah are committed to ensure ever-lasting peace in the Northeast.

The opposition Congress in Assam has raised questions over the Assam Chief Minister's involvement in the Naga peace talks and said that the state's interest may be compromised in the long run.

The Central government has been separately holding peace talks with the NSCN-IM and eight other Naga outfits, which came together a few years ago under the banner of Naga National Political Groups (NNPGs).

The NSCN-IM and the other outfits entered into a ceasefire agreement with the Government of India in 1997.

The NSCN-IM, the dominant Naga group since August 1997, has held around 80 rounds of negotiations with the Centre.

The Naga outfit and intelligence sources said that while many of the 31 demands of the Naga groups have been almost resolved during the talks with the Centre, differences remained over a separate flag and a separate constitution.

The NSCN (IM)'s demand for integration of the Naga dominated areas of the neighbouring states -- Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh - was also strongly opposed by all the three northeastern states.

(Sujit Chakraborty can be contacted at sujit.c@ians.in)
Hyderabad, Oct 3 : With the Election Commission of India announcing the poll schedule for the much-awaited by-election to Huzurabad Assembly seat in Telangana, a bitter contest is on the cards between the TRS and BJP.

A battle of prestige for the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), the October 30 bypoll will also be crucial for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which aims to capture power in the next elections. The Congress party will also be looking to revive its fortunes in the state.

By already announcing their candidates, both the parties are much ahead of the Congress party, which is yet to finalise its nominee.

The by-election is being seen as a semi-final for the 2023 general elections as the outcome will decide which way the wind is blowing. The outcome is expected to set the course of politicking in the state over the next two years.

The poll battle has become prestigious for the TRS as the man who has been winning the constituency for it since 2009 is entering the fray this time as the candidate of the BJP.

Eatala Rajender, who was dropped from the Cabinet by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao in May following allegations of land encroachment, ended his nearly two-decade-long association with the TRS in June and also quit the Assembly, necessitating the by-election.

The 57-year-old leader, who served as finance minister in the previous TRS cabinet and held the health portfolio till he was dropped, joined the BJP, which was quick to announce him as its candidate in the by-election. While resigning from the TRS, Rajender hit out at what he called the autocratic style of functioning of Chandrasekhar Rao and also alleged that he was humiliated in the party as he comes from a backward class.

Rajender's allegations provided a platform to the BJP to intensify its attacks on KCR for his 'family rule' and his alleged failure to fulfil the promises made in the 2014 and 2018 elections.

TRS will be looking to continue the series of electoral victories. After last year's defeat in the Dubbak Assembly by-election at the hands of the BJP and a reduction in its strength in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), TRS made a comeback this year to retain Nagarjuna Sagar, where its candidate making his electoral debut trounced political heavyweight and former minister K. Jana Reddy of the Congress. The ruling party also made a clean sweep in the elections to eight urban local bodies.

TRS is confident of continuing the momentum in Huzurabad as its leaders argue that the party had a solid base in the constituency even before Rajender was first elected. They also claim that Rajender's victory was because of the party.

Huzurabad constituency has been the stronghold of TRS since 2004, the first election faced by the party since it was floated by KCR in 2001.

In 2004, V. Lakshmikantha Rao was elected from Huzurabad on a TRS ticket and retained the seat in the by-election in 2008.

Rajender, who was first elected from Kamalapur constituency in 2004 and retained it in the by-election, was shifted to Huzurabad in 2009 and since then he had been winning the seat for the TRS.

One of the founding members of the TRS, Rajender maintained his grip on the constituency. In 2009, he defeated his nearest rival V. Krishna Mohan Rao of the Congress by 15,035 votes. In the 2010 by-polls, Rajender increased his victory margin to nearly 80,000 and this time his nearest rival was M. Damodar Reddy of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

In the 2014 elections held just before the formation of Telangana state, Rajender retained Huzurabad with a majority of 57,037 votes. K. Sudershan Reddy of the Congress was the runner-up.

Rajender continued his winning streak from Huzurabad in 2018, defeating his nearest rival Kaushik Reddy of the Congress by 47,803 votes.

The BJP hardly had any presence in Huzurabad in the elections held in the past. In 2018, its candidate P. Raghu polled only 1,683 votes, which was less than NOTA votes (2867).

However, with Rajender joining its ranks, BJP leaders are confident of wresting the seat from the TRS.

They believe that the saffron party will repeat its Dubbak performance in Huzurabad. In the by-election to the Dubbak Assembly constituency held in November last year, the BJP had pulled off a sensational victory to stun the TRS.

It was following the Dubbak victory that the BJP started projecting itself as the alternative to the TRS. The party's central leadership too started focusing on Telangana. A month later, the saffron party put up an impressive performance in the elections to the GHMC. In the 150-member municipal body, the BJP increased its tally to 48 from just four seats it won in 2016. It not only emerged as the main opposition in the GHMC but also deprived the TRS of a clear majority.

Following these victories, the BJP intensified its efforts towards the goal of capturing power in the 2023 elections. However, the outcome of the elections to two graduates' constituencies of the Legislative Council in March and the by-election in Nagarjuna Sagar came as a disappointment to the party.

The BJP could not retain one Legislative Council seat and finished a poor fourth in the other. In Nagarjuna Sagar, where the main contest was between the TRS and the Congress, the BJP candidate Ravi Kumar Naik polled only four per cent votes and forfeited his deposit.

The Huzurabad by-election has given the BJP a chance to bounce back and again project itself as the real alternative to the TRS in the run-up to the 2023 polls. The saffron party is pinning its hopes on the good support enjoyed by Rajender among the electorate.

Poll-bound Huzurabad attracted all the attention as KCR chose it to launch his ambitious 'Dalit Bandhu' scheme on a pilot basis. He addressed a public meeting in the constituency to roll out the scheme and declared that every Dalit family in the constituency would get a Rs 10 lakh grant under the scheme to start any business or self-employment activity of its choice.

Unfazed by the criticism from opposition parties, who alleged that the scheme is aimed at luring Dalit voters, the TRS government has released Rs 2,000 crore for implementing the scheme in the constituency.

Hundreds of Dalit beneficiaries are making a beeline to the banks to get the money under 'Dali Bandhu' as the Election Commission has made it clear that there will be no restriction on implementation of schemes announced before the poll schedule was declared.

The TRS also picked its candidate from the backward class to match Rajender. The ruling party's student wing president Gellu Srinivas Yadav has already hit the campaign trail.

As Backward Class voters constitute nearly 50 per cent of the 2.10 lakh voters in the constituency, KCR picked a BC candidate.

The Congress party faces an uphill task in Huzurabad. This will be the first poll battle for the party after A. Revanth Reddy took over as the party's state unit president in July.

Though leading an aggressive campaign against the ruling party on various issues, he is facing a big challenge in Huzurabad, which the Congress party never won for nearly 30 years.

The party is yet to decide its candidate, though 19 aspirants have submitted applications to the leadership. Political analysts say that at least by winning sizeable votes in the by-election, the Congress party under Revant Reddy will try to show that it may be down but not out.
Kolkata, Oct 3 : Amid tight security arrangements counting began at the three Assembly constituencies, including Bhabanipur in Kolkata, and Samserganj and Jangipur in Murshidabad on Sunday at 8 a.m. The counting for Bhabanipur is being held at the Sakhawat Memorial School of Kolkata.

According to sources in the commission, the counting will be held in 21 rounds for the Bhabanipur constituency, 26 rounds for Samserganj and 24 rounds for the Jangipur constituency.

Tight security arrangements have been made in all the counting centres of the state. Altogether 24 companies of central forces have been deployed at the counting centres, and the entire area has been put under CCTV surveillance. Officials will only be allowed pen and paper and only the returning officer and observer are allowed to use phones, officials informed.

Eight CCTV cameras have been fitted at the EVM strong room and the results will be declared after 21 rounds of counting.

Prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC have been imposed within 200-metre radius of the counting centres at all three constituencies that went to the polls on September 30.

Candidates and their agents, who have received both the doses of Covid-19 vaccine or have tested negative for the infection, will be allowed to enter the counting venues, the Election Commission official said.

All officials and agents have been asked to abide by Covid-19 protocols, he said.

The entire focus of the nation is on Bhabanipur where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who had lost the Assembly elections from Nandigram earlier this year, is up against BJP's Priyanka Tibrewal and CPI(M)'s Srijib Biswas in Bhabanipur in south Kolkata. She will have to get elected to the Assembly to retain the CM's chair.

Polls were countermanded in Jangipur and Samserganj in the Murshidabad district, following the death of one candidate each.

Over 57 per cent polling was registered in Bhabanipur.

A high voting rate at 79.92 per cent and 77.63 per cent was recorded in Samserganj and Jangipur, respectively.
New Delhi, Oct 3 : After making his presence felt in Mamata Banerjee's territory, political strategist Prashant Kishor seems to be out to poach leaders from the Congress outside West Bengal.

In fact, he has successfully poached two prominent leaders of the grand old party.

Both Sushmita Dev from Assam and Luizinho Faleiro from Goa, who joined the Trinamool Congress in recent times, were considered close to the Gandhi family. It was Faleiro who publicly said that he was approached by none other than Kishor and his team to join the Banerjee-led Trinmool Congress.

After winning the elections in West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress is also trying to make an impact in the national arena now.

"We have to see who has got the power to face the current dispensation which is ruling in Delhi and Goa. Definitely, I will support Mamata because she has fought, she has succeeded... She symbolises women's empowerment which can bring this country back on the track of development and progress," Faleiro said, describing the Congress as a "divided house".

Now, the Congress, which was trying to protect the party from poaching by the BJP, needs to keep its guard active against the Trinamool as well.

Even former Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma has been approached by the Trinamool and he had also held a meeting with the party leaders.

Sangma, however, has been approached by the Congress not to leave the party. He is likely to meet Sonia Gandhi soon.

Not only this, Abhishek Banerjee, Trinamool's national General Secretary, has said that the Congress should leave arm chair politics while his party is capable of fighting the BJP.

Responding to this, Congress secretary-in charge of communications, Pranav Jha, questioned if the change in heart is due to the ED's summons.

The Congress has been taking inputs on Prashant Kishor joining the party from the members of the Congress Working Committee (CWC).

Even as several Congress leaders are divided over Kishor's role in ticket distribution, none is averse to the idea of the political strategist joining the party. They believe that he should be made in-charge of the election management department without the candidate selection authority.

Congress leaders do agree that his inputs should be considered in the party, but suggested that state leaders as well as the former and incumbent Chief Ministers should have a say in the ticket distribution process.

The Congress has been consulting the CWC members to revamp the party structure after losing two consecutive general elections.

Sources said the CWC members have been asked to give their feedback on the process. Sonia Gandhi's loyalists and two of the party's senior-most leaders -- Ambika Soni and A.K. Antony -- are involved in the process.

Congress General Secretary (Organisation), K.C. Venugopal, has also been roped in for the purpose.

Kishor has been meeting the Congress leaders informally in the poll-bound states as his induction into the party is still under consideration by Sonia Gandhi.

At the same time, he has also met a couple of leaders and gave his personal state-specific inputs to them.
Kolkata, Oct 3 : With the monsoon likely to take another week before starting its withdrawal process, the districts of Gangetic West Bengal have received 31 per cent more rainfall this year with the city recording nearly double (96 per cent) rainfall than normal, making it the wettest September in this decade.

In general, North Bengal receives more rain than South Bengal but this year the process was reversed with Gangetic West Bengal recording surplus rainfall of nearly 31 per cent and North Bengal and Sikkim receiving 9 per cent deficit rainfall (between June 1 and September 30). However, the met department has predicted heavy rainfall in North Bengal in the next couple of days and it is expected that this will reduce the deficit considerably.

Interestingly enough, according to the Meteorological Department though the state witnessed a comparatively dry August this year with 34 per cent deficit rainfall, the excessive rainfall in September has helped in covering the deficit and having surplus rainfall in the state.

In September, the state received 39 per cent excess, while Gangetic Bengal had a surplus of 80 per cent rain. North Bengal, which usually receives more rain than the south, has been dry this year. Along with Sikkim, North Bengal has a 9 per cent rain deficit, down from a 40 per cent deficit in north Bengal and Sikkim last month.

As far as Kolkata is concerned, the city received nearly 96 per cent more rainfall in September this year. The normal rain count for Kolkata in September is 318 mm. This year, it received 613 mm, said the Met Office. The city has rarely had such a wet September in recent years, said the weathermen.

"Two rain-triggering systems -- one a cyclonic circulation on September 20 and the other a low-pressure front that struck on Wednesday -- generated heavy rain that took the count above the normal mark. Both triggered a night-long deluge, and the city received rain in excess of 100 mm each day. We have rarely come across such a wet September in recent years," a senior official of the weather department said.

The city had received 142 mm rain on September 20, while the rain-count touched 105 mm on September 22. September 20 turned out to be the wettest September day in Kolkata since September 25, 2007, when the city had received 174.4 mm rain.

"Cumulatively the city received around 250 mm rain in these two days. But the rain didn't really stop in between. Local thunderstorms and clouds floating in from the Bay of Bengal continued to trigger consistent drizzles. We hardly had a sunny day in the last fortnight," the official added.

The excess rain coupled with the release of water from the Damodar Valley Corporation have led to a flood situation in seven districts of South Bengal.

Several districts including Howrah, Hooghly, Birbhum and Bankura, areas of Purba and Paschim Medinipur districts besides the industrial areas of Asansol and Durgapur in Paschim Barddhaman district have been flooded because of this.
Los Angeles, Oct 3 : Hollywood star Daniel Craig has talked about how he landed himself a cameo in the film 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens'.

The 53-year-old actor, who's making his final outing as 007 in 'No Time To Die', recalled how being on set for 2015's 'Spectre' saw him take a shot and end up being cast by director J.J. Abram's for role as a Stormtrooper, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

Speaking at a BAFTA talk, Craig said: "I nearly gave up after that. What else am I gonna do? "I think we were doing 'Spectre', and all of our crew were on Star Wars. Ben Dixon, who was our seconding, a great lovely man Ben Dixon, he was on was seconding and I kind of went to - I had to go into Pinewood to, I don't know what I had to go to Pinewood for, to do some fitting or something.

"And I said to Ben, I said, 'Part for me?' And he was like, 'Are you serious?' I was like, 'Yeah'. And he went, 'I'll go ask JJ'. And he came back and said, 'Yeah'." Craig's idea for his cameo was a "background" character, or a hidden role doing something clumsy in the background, but he ended up much more involved.

He said: "Thing was, I thought 'background Stormtrooper'. I mean I wanted to do that guy that bumps his head in the original one, you know that person who drops his lightsaber or something.

"Then I was in a whole f****** scene, I was like OK! And we did the scene and then I just thought they'll loop me, they'll put another voice on it, you know, then I had to spend like three hours with JJ on a looping session like doing all the dialogues. Like really, you want me to do this? Get someone else to do this."The actor couldn't quite believe his luck.

He added: "And I kind of went and said no way was I in 'Star Wars'. I mean, I thought I was great to kind of play around with that and everybody kind of started hating on me 'cause I sort of said I didn't like 'Star Wars' and I just was like, 'Oh it was so stupid'.

"But it was amazing and I'm in the movie and Rian says when he saw the movie the first thing he did afterwards was he said, 'Who was that f***** Stormtrooper?' He said he knew it was somebody, whatever. It's the way I walk, clearly."
Chandigarh, Oct 3 : A day after protests erupted across the agrarian states Punjab and Haryana with the postponing procurement of paddy to October 11, the Centre on Sunday started procurement in both states.

Expressing gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his immediate personal intervention to advise the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution to start procurement, Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Channi said this decision would be now instrumental in ensuring smooth and hassle-free procurement to the satisfaction of the farmers.

The Chief Minister met Modi on October 1, who had assured him of early resolution of this issue.

In Haryana, a government official said the farmers whose schedule for selling the paddy was fixed for October 1 and 2 could bring their paddy for sale on Sunday.

The work of procurement will be done according to the schedule from Monday.

The Centre has fixed a target for procurement of 170 lakh tonnes of paddy in Punjab. However, as per state estimates, 191 lakh tonnes is expected.

The original procurement date for paddy at the minimum support price (MSP) was October 1 in Punjab. In Haryana, it was officially due to have started on September 25.

The Centre had said delaying the paddy procurement was in the "overall interest of farmers and consumers as well because of the untimely rains, maturity of paddy grains is delayed".
Chennai, Oct 3 : With the nine districts of Tamil Nadu going for rural local body polls in two phases on October 6 and October 9, the state is witnessing a tough political battle between the AIADMK led front and the DMK led front.

The polls are wide open and both the fronts have a point to prove. While the DMK front which is in the saddle in Tamil Nadu wants to establish that the 2021 victory was not a fluke, the AIADMK wants to regain lost ground and establish its supremacy in these rural local body elections and hence prove its presence with a bang.

The AIADMK has however received a jolt even before the polls in the northern parts of Tamil Nadu as the powerful Vanniyar political party, the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) which was part of the AIADMK front suddenly announced that it would go it alone in the ensuing polls. While the PMK has openly announced that lack of time to decide on seat-sharing led to its decision to contest the polls alone, sources in the party told IANS that the party was miffed at the AIADMK not pushing the case of its leader, Dr Anbumani Ramadoss for getting a cabinet berth in the recent expansion at the Centre.

The PMK contesting alone in the northern districts will affect the prospects of the AIADMK.

In the southern districts of Tamil Nadu, the recent beheading of four people as part of a caste war has affected the ruling dispensation and the people's ire is directed at the failure of the state police and its intelligence wing as the major reason for the rise in brutal killings. The fact that these killings are mainly done on caste lines has also affected the prospects of the ruling front, especially in Tirunelveli district. The fight is mostly between the Dalits and the Thevar community and has led to a polarization of the social fabric in almost all the southern districts of Tamil Nadu.

Director-General of Police C. Saylendra Babu called a meeting of senior officers in Tirunelveli and Madurai to take strict action against the perpetrators of the violence and killings. He directed the district police superintendents to be on alert and closely monitor the shops where weapons like knives and machetes are sold. The police have directed all the shopkeepers to keep a record of those who have bought these weapons.

While the police are undertaking strict monitoring, the local people are worried that either before the polls or immediately after them, there could be violence in the region on caste lines.

M. Rajendran, Retired Professor of Social Sciences, Madurai Kamaraj University, told IANS that "The police have to be tough with these thugs. They should not be given a hero's welcome in their native villages for killing someone and the police should put it down with an iron hand. The steps taken by the DGP to get information about those who buy knives and machetes is a good idea and constant intelligence inputs and arrest of those involved in reprisal killings are a must as the immediate solution. Caste differences have to go and the government should conduct massive awareness programmes right from school children to adults to overcome this." The nine districts of the state that are going to the polls in two phases are Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu, Tenkasi, Vellore, Ranipet, Tiruppatur, Tirunelveli, Villupuram, and Kallakuruchi. Political parties are busy connecting with the people.

While Chief Minister M.K. Stalin is leading the DMK campaign, the AIADMK is being led by former Chief Ministers, O. Panneerselvam and Edappadi. K. Palaniswami.

With the results of the elections coming out on October 12, it remains to be seen who will have the last laugh even as political observers are of the opinion that the DMK led front has an edge.

R. Padmanabhan, Director, Socio-Economic Development Foundation, a think tank based out of Madurai, told IANS that "The DMK led front has a slight edge in the rural local body polls, as generally in panchayat elections the party which is in power has an edge. Moreover, the Stalin government has done well in the past few months since it assumed office and this will also work in favour of the DMK led front. In the AIADMK, there are certain issues within the party and the PMK announcing it will contest the elections alone is a setback for the AIADMK front in northern Tamil Nadu."
Lucknow, Oct 3 : The historic Bada Imambara in Lucknow has banned the entry of women wearing shorts and without headscarves.

This comes a day after a video went viral on social media in which a girl was seen dancing inside the Imambara premises.

The decision was taken by the Hussainabad Trust, which looks after the iconic monuments.

Several Shia clerics had sharply criticised the incident and demanded strict rules for the tourists, who visit the Imambara, which is essentially used by the Shia Muslims to hold mourning congregations during Muharram.

Shia cleric Maulana Saif Abbas said, "It is a serious matter. A probe should be conducted and strict action should be taken against the girl. The Imambara is not merely a tourist place. It is a religious place also and such activities cannot be allowed inside its premises." The Trust has also deployed volunteers in the Imambara to distribute headscarves among the women visitors.

"We are not allowing girls in shorts or in miniskirts," said an office bearer.

The monument was built in 1784 by the fourth Nawab of Avadh Asaf-ud-Daula as a major famine relief project. Its central hall is considered to be among the largest arched halls in the world without any kind of support from wooden, iron or stone beams.

The Bada Imambara also has the famous 'Bhulbhulaiya' (labyrinth). The term became popular as it was very difficult for the visitors to navigate without a guide.
Seoul, Oct 3 : Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon returned home early Sunday after 14 hours of questioning by prosecutors over allegations that he spoke falsehood during a TV debate in the run-up to April's mayoral by-election.

Oh was accused of spreading false information after he said during the pre-election debate that a scandal-plagued development project in 2009 had nothing to do with his previous term as Seoul mayor from 2006 to 2011, reports Yonhap news Agency.

Police looked into the allegations and referred the case to the prosecution.

Oh has claimed he forgot about the case because the project ultimately fell through.

He appeared at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office for questioning around 10 a.m. Saturday and left the prosecutors' office around 20 minutes past midnight.

Oh, affiliated with the main opposition People Power Party, won a landslide victory against the ruling Democratic Party's candidate in the April 7 mayoral by-election.
Islamabad, Oct 3 : Seven people were killed when a car plunged into a ditch in Pakistan's capital of Islamabad, according to a local media report.

According to the report, the accident occurred after the car skidded off the road due to fast current of the gushing rain water, reports Xinhua news agency.

Police told local media that they received the information of the accident Saturday morning and then rushed to the site and shifted the victims to a local hospital.

All the deceased, which included six women, were from one family, who were on the way back home from a wedding ceremony.

Heavy rains hit different areas in Pakistan last week and are expected to continue for the next few days.
Chennai, Oct 3 : Masanagudi area in Tamil Nadu is tense with the villagers not coming out of their homes after a killer tiger which, according to the villagers have killed four people and 12 cattle, is still on the prowl.

The Chief Wild Life Warden of Tamil Nadu, Shekar Kumar Neeraj has already ordered to shoot the tiger and five teams have been deployed in the area but the tiger is elusive.

Sankara Subramanian, a local businessman at Gudalur who is running a homestay while speaking to IANS said, "The tiger is still on the prowl and from Theppakadu check-post, forest rangers and police have restricted entry and this is affecting business. We appeal to the forest department to kill the tiger immediately." The tiger code-named MTR 23 was spotted on Saturday noon by one of the five teams but could not be targeted. Forest officials are however confident that the tiger would be either captured or killed soon.

A senior officer at Madumalai Tiger Reserve told IANS, "Drones are pressed into search operation but the fog and heavy rains are an issue. We have commenced search in the morning as after sunset, no operation is possible according to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) guidelines." Forest department has also placed live baits in areas of the movement of the tiger and is expecting to spot it immediately. A ten-member elite team from Megamalai and Coimbatore has already joined operation from Sunday morning.

Masainagudi residents are conducting protests to kill the tiger. Umesh Chandran, a local farmer, and trader from Kerala who is staying in the area for business purposes told IANS, "Villagers are fearing for their lives and they want the animal to be shot dead immediately. They are even ready to engage sharpshooters who have already approached the forest department, things will get out of hand if the department doesn't find a solution soon." Meanwhile, the last rites of Basavana 82, who was killed by the tiger were held on Saturday and people protested at the funeral site also.

The tourism circuit of Gudalur and surrounding areas have also been hit by the presence of tiger and the movement of forces but with the tiger still remaining elusive, local people are totally disappointed.

Activists have in the meanwhile moved the Madras High Court against the forest department which is trying to hunt down and kill the tiger. A UP-based animal activist Sangeeta Arora and Chennai-based People for Cattle in India (PFCI) moved the court on Saturday against killing the tiger code-named MT23.
Ankara, Oct 3 : Turkey has been sending aid convoys to Afghanistan where approximately 18.5 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, Kerem Kinik, president of the Turkish Red Crescent, tsaid.

Turkey's latest convoy, carrying 33 tonnes of food supply, set off the road from Pakistan on Saturday to deliver food for 16,000 Afghan people living in different parts of the country, Kinik, who is also the vice president of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), told Xinhua news agency.

Kinik remarked that a new "authority" was appointed to the head of the Afghan Red Crescent Society after the Taliban seized power, and Turkey could deliver its humanitarian aid to everywhere in Afghanistan without facing any problems.

In cooperation with Pakistani and Afghan red crescent societies, Turkey delivered approximately 3 tonnes of food aid to 800 families in need in August, and 4 tonnes of food supplies to another 800 families early in September, he said.

The Turkish Red Crescent has been conducting a long-running program that promotes the return of Afghan migrants to their homeland by providing several funds.

"Supporting Afghan citizens, who return voluntarily from Turkey to Afghanistan, with livelihood improvement projects in their country has significantly reduced illegal immigration," he stressed.

With the cooperation of their Afghan counterparts, the Turkish aid institution has been granting funding for the immigrants to run their own shops suitable to their professions, such as bakeries, grocery stores, and barbershops.

"We started this program in 2018, and since then, we has opened 63 stores with a cost of approximately $250,000. This year, we plan to open another 50 shops for nearly $150,000," Kinik told Xinhua.

Turkey has been facing an influx of refugees from Afghanistan fleeing turmoil in their homeland since the withdrawal of American forces.

According to officials, an estimated 400,000 Afghan refugees are living in Turkey, a key transit point for asylum seekers on their way to Europe.

Kinik also announced that his institution plans to launch a "global" campaign in the upcoming period to send more humanitarian aid to Afghanistan together with the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and the United Nations.

"This will be a model that will both relieve the human suffering in the region and build trust to reconnect Afghanistan with the international system," he noted.

The Turkish Red Crescent Society has been operational in Afghanistan since 2018 with a head office in its capital city of Kabul.
New Delhi, Oct 3 : With tensions mounting between the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and Tajikistan, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has stepped in to defuse tensions, Dawn reported.

"Prime Minister Imran Khan held telephonic conversation with President EmAoAmAali Rahmon of Tajikistan today," the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement on Saturday.

The call took place as Taliban officials and Tajik government exchanged barbs and reports emerged that Tajik forces held parades in regions bordering Afghanistan last week in a show of power and Taliban sent thousands of fighters to the border with Afghanistan's northeastern neighbour, the Dawn news report said.

Tajikistan has taken a tough line on Taliban regime and has been critical of human rights violations committed by it, particularly in Panjshir province.

Khan had on his return from Shanghai Cooperation Organization's summit in Tajikistan on September 18 announced that he was persuading Taliban to form an inclusive government by including people from other ethnicities.

He had on this occasion specially referred to his conversation with President Emomali on this issue.

"After mtgs in Dushanbe with leaders of Afghanistan's neighbours and especially a lengthy discussion with TajikAistan's President Emomali Rahmon, I have initiated a dialogue with the Taliban for an inclusive Afghan government to include Tajiks, Hazaras and Uzbeks," Khan had then tweeted.

Taliban, however, see Tajikistan's criticism of them and the composition of their government as meddling in Afghanistan's internal affairs, the report said.

In an interview last week, Afghan Dputy Prime Mnister Abdul Salaam Hanafi said: "We will not allow any neighbouring nation to interfere in the internal matters of Afghanistan." Ethnic Tajiks make up the second biggest ethnicity in Afghanistan.

They are nearly 27 per cent of Afghanistan's population.

Most of the groups opposing Taliban have, meanwhile, taken up refuge in Tajikistan.
New Delhi, Oct 3 : As many as three persons received minor burn injuries from a fire that broke out in a guest house located in east Delhi on Sunday.

A Fire Department official told IANS that they received a call about a fire incident at around 05.06 a.m. at Street No 3, Metro Pillar 39 in Shakarpur, after which as many as four fire tenders were immediately rushed to the spot.

"An electric meter had caught a fire which then spread to nearby rooms," the official said, adding that the fire was doused in just 40 minutes.

The guest house also had occupants which were evacuated at the time of the incident. There was no loss of life, however, the damage to property is being ascertained.

After the fire was doused, the electric meter could be seen completely burnt along with the walls around it.

The three people who got injured were given first aid on the spot. "Hospitlisation of the injured was not required as those were very minor burn injuries," he said.

The injured have been identified as Irfan (18), Ruksaan (20) and Sagar Rai (25).

The incident comes nearly seven days after a fire broke out in a stationery shop just outside the Delhi High Court. This blaze was brought under control and no casualties were reported then.
Beirut, Oct 3 : Lebanon's security authorities have arrested a human smuggling network attempting to facilitate the illegal entry of 14 Syrian nationals.

The arrests were made in the northern district of Akkar, Xinhua news agency reported.

The network works on smuggling Syrians between the towns of Chadra and al-Khalsa in Akkar by foot and then transfers them by minibuses to Tripoli and Beirut.

The network's members and Syrian nationals were both arrested and will be subjected to further investigation and other legal procedures.
New Delhi, Oct 3 : Eight people, including Aryan Khan -- the son of Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan and producer Gauri Khan, who were detained from a rave party aboard a luxury cruise liner in Mumbai on Saturday, are likely to be arrested in a drug case, a top official said on Sunday.

Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Director-General S.N. Pradhan said that all the eight accused were detained on Saturday during raids carried out by an NCB team in Mumbai.

"Of the eight accused, three are from Delhi," Pradhan told IANS. He further said all the eight accused are currently being questioned and are likely to be arrested.

All the eight detainees have been identified as -- Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant, Munmun Dhamecha, Nupur Sarika, Ismeet Singh, Mohak Jaswal, Vikrant Chhoker and Gomit Chopra.

Of these, Mohak, Nupur and Gomit are from Delhi. Mohak and Nupur are both fashion designers while Gomit is a hair stylist. Sources confirmed to IANS that both Mohak and Nupur had come to Delhi with Gomit.

In the first of its kind operation on a cruise ship, the NCB swooped onto the rave party being held on the cruise ship off the Mumbai coast.

The raid -- which shocked Mumbaikars and rattled the rich crowds -- started on Saturday afternoon, is still continuing with the process of registering the FIR underway, with the possibility of some high-profile arrests.

DG Pradhan told IANS that they were investigating this drug racket for the past two weeks. He further said that the involvement of some from the film fraternity has also come to the fore.

"The probe is still underway and we are investigating all angles," he said.

The participation for the rave party, where NCB conducted raid on Saturday, was reportedly done via social media with the ticket rates upwards of Rs 75,000 per person.

To avoid detection, the NCB sleuths booked themselves on that cruise as ordinary passengers and they soon found some of their co-passengers consuming drugs.

Then the NCB launched its full-scale raid, detained eight passengers, including two women, consuming drugs, and seized different types of narcotics in varying quantities.

Simultaneously, the cruise ship was ordered to turn and sail back to the ICT at Ballard Pier where the detained passengers were offloaded along with their baggage.

A comprehensive search of their belongings as also the cruise ship is being carried out, while the detainees were sent for a medical examination.
New Delhi, Oct 3 : Khadi which played a vital role in providing the ultimate source of energy for the upliftment of the weakest and marginalized sections of India is the thread of emotions even today. During 1918 Mahatma Gandhi put the spotlight on Khadi and although handspun textiles are still available in some parts of India, with technological advancement we now have 'solar-vastra', by Greenwear who has positioned itself for.

The company is closely working with its community partner -- 'Bhartiya Harit Khadi Gramodaya Sansthan' -- an organization that implemented the pilot project for the Mission Solar Charkha, launched in June 2018, and the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC).

Abhishek Pathak, Founder and CEO, Greenwear Fashion Pvt. Ltd, who aspires to penetrate into new market segments talks to us about solar khadi and its contribution to the Khadi movement.

Q: Khadi Day pays homage to Mahatma Gandhi's vision for the Khadi movement. How have Bapu's ideals inspired you as an entrepreneur? A: From a broader perspective, Khadi was a social venture designed to utilise India's rural workforce and local resources -- which soon became a symbol of liberation, not just from the exploitative colonialism, but also from the market-driven techno-capitalism. In Bapu's own words, Khadi wasn't a piece of cloth but an ideology. Bapu was against the de-humanizing aspect of machinery but he always encouraged technical interventions and was constantly looking for ways to make 'charkha' even better and more useful. Gandhiji offered his ashram as a place to implement various improvements in the charkhas and allied activities. The symbolic 'Kisan Charkha' or 'Sudarshan Charkha' was improved to 'Peti Charkha' (or Box Charkha) to achieve portability. Unfortunately, for so many years after independence, Khadi got trapped in its material format and could never live to fulfil its own ideological destination.

I got more inspired by the 'concept of Khadi' rather than the 'brand Khadi'. Charkha, in Bapu's vision, was a symbol of self-respect, self-reliance and economic self-sufficiency. While working to establish a Khadi institution back in 2016, I realized that in the current scenario, the vision of the Khadi movement cannot be achieved through the manual charkhas. However, with little technical intervention, Solar-Charkha (compact new model charkha/ring frame powered by solar) can definitely become a tool to improve the socio-economic structure of rural India. It was back then I started working to understand the Solar Charkha value chain and planning to establish a backward linkage through community engagement and capacity building.

Over time, Khadi got limited to be associated with a specific set of people and for the specific occasions rather than fabric for all times. I did not want that to be the case of 'solar-vastra'. Hence, in 2019, Greenwear Fashion Pvt Ltd was established to provide forward linkages to the yarns homespun on solar charkhas by rural women. By that time, Mission Solar Charkha was launched by the Ministry of MSME based upon the successful pilot project implemented in the Nawada district of Bihar. I worked as Chief Executive Officer of implementing organization of the Mission Solar Charkha -- Bhartiya Harit Khadi Gramodaya Sasthan.

Our focus since its inception revolved around creating livelihood opportunities for rural women and reducing carbon footprints from the fashion industry. Bapu's Khadi believed in the localized and circular economy (LACE), and that's what I also aspire to contribute to with my venture. We at Greenwear are always open to technical interventions and innovative processes as far as it is adding value to generating employment for marginalized communities and reducing pollution caused by the textile industry.

Q: With a wide range of fabrics available today, what is the appeal of Khadi which inclined you towards starting a venture around it? A: More than fashion, it was the functional appeal of Khadi I got inclined towards. The breathability and absorbency due to anticlockwise-softly-twisted yarns, the comfort due to natural fibres, the uniqueness due to the handcrafted process and the feeling of authenticity fascinated me to the core. Being a textile designer, I think it comes by default to focus more on the fabric than fashion. Since my college days, I was super fascinated by traditional textiles and crafts but it was more towards its attention to details, intricacy and uniqueness. Later, when I started understanding Khadi as a product and process, I was amazed by its potential impact on both producers and the market.

Q: In what ways does your enterprise support and boost existing Khadi and village industries? What are the key challenges in terms of doing this that you have noticed and how did you overcome these challenges? A: We are India's first brand for 'solar-vastra'. Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) recently formed a solar-vastra cell after the launch of Mission Solar Charkha by the Ministry of MSME. We procure cotton yarns homespun on solar charkhas through its close association with Bhartiya Harit Khadi Gramodaya Sansthan -- a Khadi institution involved in solar charkha training and production. These yarns are then converted into fabrics on solar looms installed at traditional textile clusters e.g. Varanasi, Bijnor, Gaya and Bhagalpur. Since the production of yarn and fabric is decentralized, the biggest challenge is quality control. To this end, we need to put one supervisor on each set of 10 machines. The second challenge is maintaining the balance in the production value chain. Since the production of solar charkhas is much more than manual new model charkhas, we need to have improvements in solar looms as well which is still under process. The existing solar looms have limitations in production as well as quality. We also tried putting solar sets with power looms in order to utilize their strength, but still maintaining the speed remained a challenge. Over time, we realized that there must be a correlated value chain of spinning and weaving that doesn't leave any yarn inventory behind. Greenwear is building a upmarket for solar-vastra in order to match the productivity of solar charkha yarns.

Q: What is the potential of Khadi in uplifting the rural economy and in enabling Atmanirbhar Bharat? A: Khadi is one of the most powerful tools for uplifting the rural economy -- if production and consumption both can be managed locally. To begin with, If only 5 per cent of Indian villages become solar charkha clusters (around 30,000), it can produce 180 crore kilogram of cotton yarn -- which is nearly 50 per cent of India's current cotton yarn capacity -- and also generate livelihood for 1.2 crore rural Indians without migrating from their villages. But the sustainable impact will come with certain government-level interventions to provide a regular market for this much production. Many state governments provide free uniforms to their primary and senior secondary school-going students. Such procurements can be done locally by involving the solar-vastra value chain. This will further promote the use of Khadi among the masses and generate livelihood opportunities at the local level, thereby adding value to the vision of 'Atmanirbhar Bharat'.

Q: Tell us in detail about the unique Solar Charkha value chain model that Greenwear has introduced to promote Khadi? How many lives/livelihoods are you impacting to date and in which parts of the country? A: Our head office is based in Lucknow and it is currently operating in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. At present, it is working with close association with Bhartiya Harit Khadi Gramodaya Sansthan (BHKGS) which has trained around 3500 rural women across the country in the skill of spinning yarns on 'Solar Charkhas'. It provides training for 3 months and then facilitates these women with linking them with financial institutions so that they become owners of 10-spindle solar-run Charkha which is installed in their households. Hence, these women are able to work from their households while taking care of family and daily chores. A Solar Charkha with a 10-spindles capacity can produce 1 kg of cotton yarn in 8 hours. BHKGS provides raw material (Sliver) to these women and collects finished goods (yarn) while paying 200 Rs/kg into their bank accounts. Hence, each woman is empowered to earn Rs 6,000 per month. Since there is no drudgery in operating solar charkhas, one woman can easily run two machines simultaneously and earn up to Rs 12,000 while working from her household. The yarn collected by BHKGS is purchased by us after thorough quality checks and further work orders get assigned based on market forecasts and requirements.

Hereafter, we distribute these yarns to various traditional textile clusters e.g. Gaya, Bhagalpur, Varanasi and Bijnaur which gets converted into fabrics. We further encourages and facilitates existing power loom weavers to run their looms on solar power and in turn ensures regular workflow for solar looms. These fabrics are then marketed by us to various mainstream fashion brands and to its own retail outlets. If we take the example of shirting fabrics, 1 kg yarn is used to make around 8 metres of fabric and a solar loom can weave 24 meters of fabric in 8 hours. Hence, 3 solar charkhas can feed one solar loom in the textile value chain. Further, weaving consists of 5 processes that engage manpower at each level. Usually, an entire family of the weaver gets involved in various processes of converting solar yarns into solar vastra. For plain-woven fabric, the weaver earns Rs 25/metre and can earn up to Rs 18,000 per month.

At present 400 weavers are engaged in our eco-system -- spread across 6 different clusters. At least 80 per cent of fabric gets sold as unprocessed fabric to well-established brands and the rest of the fabrics are used for value addition techniques such as dyeing, printing and embroidery. Greenwear is also exploring organic dyeing techniques and traditional crafts on its fabrics. It has two stitching units in Nawada (Bihar) and Lucknow (UP) -- where 380 women artisans are engaged in garment construction processes. The entire value addition process is running on solar and hybrid renewable energy resources and are directly impacting rural and marginalized women artisans.

Q: Why and how is Greenwear supporting the Solar Charkha Mission of the Indian government? Abhishek Pathak: The Solar Charkha Mission was launched by President of India in June 2018 and The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) is implementing this program. The government of India accorded approval to set up 50 solar charkha clusters with a budget of Rs 550 crore for 2018-19 and 2019-20. The scheme is envisaged to generate direct employment of nearly one lakh persons in these 50 clusters. Currently, we are the only brand dedicated to developing the market for products made through the solar charkha value chain.

As mentioned earlier, we procure yarns from Bhartiya Harit Khadi Gramodaya Sansthan (BHKGS) and creates a further value chain of fabrics and garments. BHKGS has successfully run the pilot project for Solar Charkha Mission and now gearing up to provide knowledge support to 50 other solar charkha training-cum-production centres (TPC). These TPCs will strengthen backward linkage for us. Although the price of yarns procured from BHKGS is marginally higher than a mill-made yarns, but the quality of Khadi (S-twisted yarn which mills don't produce) makes it exclusive and worth its cost. Also, the direct impact on rural women beneficiaries who are running solar charkhas at their households ensures authentic sourcing. The fabrics made of these yarns are then sold to the brand 'W for Women' without further processing -- which generates 80 per cent of revenue for us as of now.

Q: What are your short-term and long-term growth plans in the times to come? A: We have a mission to create 5,000 jobs for women in rural India by 2025. The jobholders we have engaged currently have valued the income and informed that the flexibility in working hours allows them to manage household obligations. Our observation indicates a reasonable likelihood that they were just above the extreme poverty line before getting engaged with solar charkha spinning and allied activities.

With the support of the Powering Livelihood programme -- jointly run by Villgro Innovations Foundation and CEEW -- We have been streamlining its business activities while sailing through the most stressful times of Covid-19. Further, Greenwear was also able to engage 240 women SHG members in mask manufacturing at household levels during the Covid lockdown period. The Powering Livelihoods programme helped Greenwear to onboard new institutional partners as well, thereby accelerating our future growth prospects.

(N. Lothungbeni Humtsoe can be contacted lothungbeni.h@ians.in)
Mumbai, Oct 3 : National Award-winning actor Manoj Bajpayee's father R.K Bajpayee passed away on Sunday morning.

Manoj's father died aged 83. His father's condition was very critical in the past few days.

After hearing about the news, Manoj has rushed to Delhi from Kerala where he was shooting for his next project.

His father's funeral will be at 1.30 p.m. at the Nigam Bodh Ghat in New Delhi.
Algiers, Oct 3 : Algeria has decided to recall its Ambassador to France for consultations over controversial statements of French President Emmanuel Macron.

"Algeria recalls its ambassador in Paris, Mohamed Antar-Daoud, for consultations, and a press release will be announced on the issue," Xinhua news agency quoted a statement from the President's Office as saying.

It further noted that "recalling Algerian ambassador to Paris comes in response to irresponsible statements attributed to French President Macron over Algeria".

Algeria categorically rejects the statements of the French President which "constitute interference in its domestic affairs", it added.

French media said earlier on Saturday that Macron made some remarks during a short dialogue with a group of young people whose parents or grandparents fought with the French army against Algerian revolutionists during the Algerian War (1954-1962).

Macron reportedly said the country was ruled by a "political-military system" and described Algeria as having an "official history" which had been "totally re-written", according to the French newspaper Le Monde.
Islamabad, Oct 3 : Five security personnel were killed when terrorists attacked their vehicle in North Waziristan district of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, an army statement said on Sunday.

The security personnel from paramilitary troops Frontier Corps and Levies were in the vehicle when it came under attack, the military's media wing Inter-Services Public Relations said in the statement.

"Clearance operation is in progress to eliminate any terrorist found in the area," following the incident, Xinhua news agency quoted the statement as saying.

A surge in terrorist attacks on security forces in Pakistan has recently been witnessed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and southwest Balochistan provinces.
Wellington, Oct 3 : Air New Zealand announced on Sunday that it will ask customers to get ready for international travel by getting fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

"We're getting ready to reconnect with the world and letting customers know what they need to do to be ready to take off when we can," said Air New Zealand's Chief Executive Officer Greg Foran on Sunday.

Air New Zealand's vaccination requirement from February 2022 will apply to all passengers aged 18 and older arriving or departing the country on the carrier's aircraft, reports Xinhua news agency.

Customers who are not vaccinated will be required to present proof that vaccination was not a viable option for them for medical reasons.

"Being vaccinated against Covid-19 is the new reality of international travel - many of the destinations Kiwis want to visit are already closed to unvaccinated visitors. The quicker we get vaccinated, the sooner we can fly Kiwis to places like New York, Vancouver and Narita.

"We've been hearing from both customers and employees that this measure is important to them. It came through loud and clear in our recent consultation process with employees and we want to do everything we can to protect them.

"Mandating vaccination on our international flights will give both customers and employees the peace of mind that everyone onboard meets the same health requirements as they do," Foran said.

These requirements will sit alongside the measures the airline already has to keep New Zealand safe.
Kabul, Oct 3 : At least three people, including a journalist, were killed in a shooting in Afghanistan's eastern province of Nangarhar, authorities confirmed on Sunday.

"Journalist and author Sayyed Marof Saadat along with his relatives were travelling in a sedan along a road in Police District 5 of Jalalabad city on Saturday evening when gunmen in a rickshaw opened fire on them," a security source told Xinhua news agency.

Saadat's son and the driver of the vehicle were wounded in the shooting, the source said.

An independent Afghan media group Afghan Journalists Safety Committee (AJSC) has condemned the murder.

No group has claimed responsibility for the shooting so far, but Taliban authorities were investigating the case, according to the source.

Since the Taliban takeover in mid-August, at least 10 people have been killed and many others wounded as Jalalabad, about 120 km east of Kabul, has been hit by a series of bomb attacks reportedly claimed by militants affiliated to the IS opposing the Taliban government.

Saturday's attack came a day after an explosion on Friday in Charikar city, the provincial centre of Parwan province, Bilal Karimi, a deputy head under Taliban spokeamn Zabihullah Mujahid, said that after the explosion, forces arrived at the scene and started a search operation during which a hideout of the Islamic State (IS) terror group was discovered, TOLO News reported.

Karimi said a few of the IS fighters present at the hideout were killed, while some others arrested.

He also said three to five members of the Taliban forces were injured in an explosion that happened during the search operation.
New Delhi: BJP National president JP Nadda pays tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, in New Delhi on Saturday October 02 2021.(Photo: Qamar Sibtain/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, Oct 3 : BJP Chief J.P. Nadda will meet the national office bearers of the party's youth wing on Monday.

In a statement, the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) said that its national office bearers meeting will be held on October 4 at party headquarters here.

"The national office bearers will receive guidance from the BJP chief Nadda," it said.

Following this, on October 5 a meeting with all the national office bearers, national executive members, all state presidents and general secretaries will be held at the NDMC Convention Centre here.

"The agenda of the BJYM's national executive meeting is to discuss roles and strategies for the upcoming state elections in several states due next year, to delegate responsibility for election campaigns and other events lined up and further discuss the role of today's youth in nation building. The future road-map on various issues will be thoroughly discussed and delivered in this meeting," it said.

The Assembly polls are likely to be held in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur in February-March next year.

This would be the first national executive meeting of BJYM since Lok Sabha member Tejasvi Surya assumed charge as the national president in September last year.

"It is expected that some key points related to further strengthening the organisational work will be delivered in this meeting. The Yuva Morcha will talk about numerous government schemes that have successfully benefitted millions of people and also further brain-storm to suggest new policies and schemes that would prove to be supportive and encouraging for the youth," the statement added.

The BJP leadership has asked all its morchas to conclude their national executive meetings by October.

A two-day executive meeting of the Schedule Caste (SC) Morcha was held in Varanasi and the Scheduled Tribes (ST) Morcha organised its national executive on September 23-24 in Ranchi. The BJP Mahila Morcha held its national executive in Dehradun on September 26-27.
New Delhi, Oct 3 : Vice President of India M. Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday called upon the private sector to come forward and partner with the state governments to provide modern cancer treatment facilities in the rural areas.

The Vice President, who embarked on an eight-day tour of the northeastern states, while inaugurating a PET-MRI wing at the state Cancer Institute in Guwahati, said that it would not only greatly help in more accurate diagnosis, but will also reduce patients' exposure to radiation. It is only the 4th such machine in India and the first in the country, which is based on Time-of-Flight technology.

The Vice President lauded the Assam government and the state's medical fraternity for the services rendered during the pandemic. He also called for making healthcare more accessible and affordable to the common man. In this regard, he reiterated the Prime Minister's statement that there is a need to have at least one medical college in each district of the country.

Under the Distributed Cancer Care Model, it is planned to have one Apex Referral Centre called L1, Comprehensive Cancer Hospitals attached to Government Medical Colleges called L2s and Diagnostic and Day Care Centres with Radiation adjacent to District hospitals called L3s.

Referring to the aim to create patient-centric cancer institutions to deliver standardized and affordable care closer to the patients' homes, instead of a single apex hospital handling a cancer patient's treatment, Naidu noted that they would provide high-quality cancer care closer to home and reduce out-of-pocket expenses for cancer patients.

The Vice President said palliative care was a crucial area that required greater attention of the governments and health professionals. "Palliative care is basically supportive care and seeks to improve the quality of life of patients," he added.

Naidu also urged all the state governments to include lessons on the importance of adopting healthy lifestyles in the school curricula to make children aware of the need to prevent non-communicable diseases. He called for a national campaign to bring awareness among people about 'lifestyle diseases'.

As per the Indian Council of Medical Research report, there were 14 lakh new cancer cases in 2020 and this number is estimated to rise to 16 lakh by 2025. "I am told that the northeastern region of India has a huge burden of cancer with Papum Pare district of Arunachal Pradesh reporting the highest incidence of the disease in India. Assam also has a high burden of cancer with around 52,000 new cases reported in 2020," he said.
Kolkata, Oct 3 : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the by-election in Bhabanipur assembly constituency in South Kolkata defeated her nearest rival Priyanka Tibrewal of BJP by a record margin of 58,832 votes. Previously Banerjee had the record of winning from this constituency by a margin of 54,213 votes in 2011. With this win Banerjee secured her position as the chief minister of West Bengal.

After 21 rounds of counting, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee secured 84,709 of the total 1,17,875 votes, securing more than 71 per cent of the total votes polled while Tibrewal secured 26,350 votes, little more than 22 per cent of the votes. CPI(M) candidate Shreejib Biwas managed to get only 4,201 votes.

"I am indebted to the people to Bhabanipur because they helped me win with a record margin. The most interesting thing is we didn't lose in any of the ward. The polling in Bhabanipur has always been low and there was rain. Despite that people came out in numbers and gave us votes," Chief Minister who was flanked by All India Trinamool Congress General Secretary and his daughter said.

"There was a lot of conspiracy against us and the people of Bhabanipur have given the answer. When we won in all the seats, we lost in Nandigram. The matter is subjudice and so I shall not say more," she said adding, "I shall not show victory signs raising two fingers. I am not selfish. Two of my colleagues are contesting from Jangipur and Samserganj and so I shall raise three fingers. They are also leading and blessing them so that they can win".

Speaking to the media state transport minister Frihad Hakim who was also instrumental in facilitating the victory of the chief minister said, "I had no doubt about her win. It was my curiosity to see whether she can win with a margin of more than 50,000 votes and she did that".

"It is a victory for the people of Bhabanipur. It is a victory of the people of West Bengal. It's an answer to the way she was treacherously defeated in Nandigram. People have taken revenge. They have shown that Mamata Banerjee cannot be stopped in this way. She will become the prime face against BJP nationally and that is the verdict of the people," Hakim said.

Meanwhile Mamata Banerjee announced the names of the candidates for the three of the four assembly constituencies that are going for the by-elections on October 30. "Our candidate from Khardha will be Sovondeb Chattopadhyay, for Shantipur in Nadia the candidate is Broj Kishore Goswami and for Dinhata in Coochbehar the candidate will be Udayan Guhaa. The chief minister said that the name of the candidate for Gosaba in South 24 Parganas is yet to be decided.

Sovondeb Chattopadhyay who won from Bhabanipur by a margin of 28,189 votes in the assembly election resigned to make room for Mamata Banerjee. Banerjee who lost to Suvendu Adhikari in the assembly election had to win within six months to retain her position as the chief minister of the state.

In two other constituencies - Jangipur and Samserganj the Trinamool Congress candidates have maintained their lead. Jakir Hossain who is contesting from Jangipur assembly constituency is also leading by a margin of 57,935 votes after the sixteenth round of counting. Trinamool Congress candidate from Samserganj Amirul Islam is also leading by a margin of 17,863 votes after the fourteenth round of counting.
New Delhi, Oct 3 : The Pakistan opposition has criticised the government for its decision to hold talks with some groups of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) without consulting it and has called on Prime Minister Imran Khan to take Parliament into confidence over the issue, Geo News reported.

A few days ago, Khan had revealed in an interview with TRT World that his government was holding peace talks with some groups of the TTP.

PML-N Senator Irfan Siddiqui said negotiations with the TTP was a very sensitive issue, adding that it was not appropriate to keep the opposition in the dark over it.

He referred to former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's move to include all stakeholders in the process of peace talks with militants, the Geo News report said.

"Negotiations in the Nawaz Sharif tenure were approved by Parliament," he said.

He demanded the government immediately convene a session of the Parliament to discuss the issue further.

PPP leader Shazia Marri flayed the government, questioning the terms based on which it intended to forgive the banned outfit, the report said.

In his interview to TRT World, khan admitted that the Afghan Taliban were involved in both parties talking to each other.

"I think some of the Pakistani Taliban groups actually want to talk to our government. You know, for some peace, for some reconciliation," he had said.

When asked to confirm whether Pakistan is actually in talks with the TTP, the premier jad clarified to say that talks are ongoing "with some of them".
Chennai, Oct 3 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin said that the DMK government which assumed office on May 7 after the win in the 2021 assembly elections has already fulfilled 202 of the 505 promises that it had made during the run-up to the elections.

Stalin was communicating to the voters of the nine districts of Tamil Nadu where rural local body elections are to be held on October 6 and October 9. Stalin spoke to the voters on Sunday through a voice message.

The Chief Minister said that even after 10 years in power since 2011, AIADMK had not honoured the promises it had made to the people of Tamil Nadu.

He said that the DMK has always been thinking about the people of Tamil Nadu and people should make use of the party's thinking. Stalin told the voters, "You voted for us in assembly elections leading to our victory and now you should vote for us in the rural local body elections. You had voted for us expecting that we would fulfill the promises we made during the elections and you made me Chief Minister of the state and I am working for you and fulfilling our promises." The Chief Minister announced several schemes that the government had introduced in a short span of time and added that the government would come up with more such schemes. Stalin in the message said, "The schemes that are announced by the government reach the people through local bodies and your votes are important for their implementation." Stalin said that the DMK government is working always for the welfare of the people and that the party has experienced hands who are well versed in the aspirations and necessities of the people. He called upon the people to vote for the candidates put up by the DMK in the ensuing rural local body polls and to make the party candidates victorious.

While Stalin is leading the DMK campaign from the front, the AIADMK election campaign is jointly led by former Chief Ministers and senior leaders of the party O. Panneerselvam and K. Palaniswami.
Patna, Oct 3 : Four close friends in Patna used to sell blood to buy drugs, as part of long-running racket in district hospitals, police found out as three of them approached them after one of the youths died and revealed the scam.

According to the youths, a majority of youths addicted to drugs "sell their blood" to hospitals to fund their habit.

"These four youths were childhood friends and studied in the same school in a prominent school of Kadamkuan locality. During school days, they fell into drug addiction. They used to buy contrabands using pocket money. Once their family members learnt about them being drug addicts, they stopped giving them pocket money," Patrakar Nagar police station SHO Manorajan Bharti said.

"After they faced shortage of money, they started snatching mobile phones in various localities to buy contraband. During the snatching bid, they were arrested six months ago and served jail term. After being released on bail, they stopped mobile snatching," Bharti said.

"As per the statement of the three youths, they came in contact with an employee of a private hospital located in the Kankarbagh area of Patna. He told them to sell their blood in hospitals and earn Rs 1,000 per unit. As it was a risk free option for them to earn money, they started doing it on regular basis. While doing that, they came in contact with four other hospitals of Kankarbagh locality," Bharti said.

"The sale of blood and consumption of drugs turn fatal for one of the friends who died. After the demise, the other three became scared and so were their family members. They locked them in a room of their respective houses for more than three weeks and did not allow them to go outside. As a result, they somehow managed to come out of addiction," Bharti said.

"They have given the names of the hospitals where illegal purchase of blood is currently going on. The reports are being submitted to top officials of our department as well as the health department for further action against them," he said.
Islamabad/New Delhi, Oct 3 : Pakistan and China have been collaborating in the field of space technology for some time now. The progress made thus far by Pakistan in building its space infrastructure has been mainly a result of constant assistance from China, even though Pakistan had taken the initiative of setting up its Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) as early as in 1961 with a promising dream of building its own space architecture under the guidance and supervision of Abdus Salam -- a Pakistani physicist and Nobel Laureate, who is also the founder of the Pakistani space programme.

However, over the years, the Pakistani space programme did not witness as much growth as was expected and planned due to increased focus by the government on the nuclear programme. This led to shifting of scientific talent and resources towards Pakistan's nuclear programme.

Moreover, the years of governance by the military led to a lack of freedom and independence for scientists in Pakistan. Realization of prioritized objectives became the mainstay of the scientific community. Subsequently, with the signing of an agreement between the Chinese Ministry of Aerospace Industry and SUPARCO in 1991, the Pakistani space programme got more attention.

Over the years, one saw considerable exchanges between the two sides as the Pakistani space program saw progress and growth. China and Pakistan also signed a 2012-2020 roadmap for space cooperation between SUPARCO and the China National Space Administration (CNSA) in 2012. This agreement sets the pace for more intensive cooperation between the two sides.

Besides, the fact that China and Pakistan have signed an agreement on space exploration, China has also successfully launched two remote sensing satellites for Pakistan. There are also plans for Pakistan to send an astronaut to space with the help of China. The Chinese have also been assisting Pakistan in its Remote Sensing Satellite project.

According to reliable inputs, SUPARCO is in the process of acquiring Satellite Image Telemetry Service and Associated Ground Station for High-Resolution Optical Satellite Constellation. In this regard, a Chinese entity M/s China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC), has come forward in cooperating with SUPARCO. The technical proposal submitted by the company is presently under consideration before being finalized. Earlier, in August 2020, SUPARCO was in the process of procuring High-Resolution Optical Satellite imagery data and its telemetry services, and the Chinese company M/s China Volant Industries Co. Ltd. (VOLINCO) had come forward with assistance.

Pakistan has also been exploring the possibility of cooperation with other countries in the space sector with the aim of modernizing and advancing its space programme. In this connection, a three-member delegation from SUPARCO was scheduled to visit (September 5) Bucharest to meet officials of M/s Airbus Defence and Space. The delegation, led by Zafar Iqbal, Member, Space Application Research Wing, was also to discuss possible areas of bilateral cooperation with Romania in the field of Space Sciences,Technology & Applications. M/s Airbus Defence and Space, Romania, established in 2005, is a subsidiary of M/s Airbus that provides a full spectrum of defence & space products and related services.

Space programmes are of enormous value for a developing nation especially in the context of peaceful uses of space technology which can contribute towards climate monitoring, agriculture science, socio-economic sector, urban planning etc. However, Pakistan has always been seeking a competitive edge over India in every sphere and the high degree of insecurity that prevails in the Pakistani establishment vis-a-vis India has undoubtedly led to a strong defence centric focus of its space programme.

With China's assistance, Pakistan would have been inevitably working towards proactively building the framework of a defence oriented space programme. This is an area that will warrant close watch by the international community as behind the scene cooperation between China and Pakistan can lead to damaging outcomes, especially since Pakistan's core objective in expanding its space and nuclear programmes has been to remain a step ahead, if not at par, of India.
Chennai, Oct 3 : The Tamil Nadu State Election Commission officials are vigilant over the possibility of use of money during the rural local body polls to be held in nine districts on October 6 and October 9. While the State Election Commission has agreed to appoint block-level monitoring officers during elections following a writ petition by the AIADMK and the intervention of Madras High Court, sources said that political parties are spending money in large quantities for ensuring victory in polls.

A senior party leader on condition of anonymity told IANS that money is being spent in large quantity with a panchayat president candidate spending around Rs 1 crore for the election. The talk is that around Rs 7,000 will be spent per voter.

The Election Commission has already communicated to the political parties that stringent action would be taken if they are using the method of buying votes and subverting the process of democracy.

In several village panchayat seats, money to the tune of Rs 50 lakh is being spent by each candidate and most of the money is spent on liquor as well as providing to those who are seen moving around with the candidate. A political party leader said, "Elections are like celebrations and political parties, as well as people, are happy at the arrival of elections. They can make merry at the cost of other people including free liquor, money, and food." With the block level monitoring officers of the election commission reaching the constituencies and police on vigil, there are possibilities of a reduction in the exchange of money and other freebies during polls in the nine districts of the state.
Indore, Oct 3 : To promote and spread awareness about water conservation among people, hotels in Madhya Pradesh's Indore have come up with a unique initiative on 'saving water' under a programme organised by non-profit Ojas Foundation.

Indore, known as the commercial hub of Madhya Pradesh, has emerged as one of the fastest-growing cities widely praised for several innovations. Now onwards, efforts are going to be made to boost water conservation and end wastage of water.

To promote these efforts, a half-filled glass of water will be served to customers in hotels across the city of Indore with an aim to create awareness among people about the importance of water.

'Jalhaat' programme was organised in the city recently in which water crisis and suggesting ways to conserve water was discussed.

People stressed on putting an end to unnecessary wastage of water and saving all forms of precious water sources such as ponds, rivers, lakes, streams etc.

During this water conservation programme, Indore Hoteliers' Association President, Sumit Suri announced that during the initial phase of 'Jalhaat Jan Abhiyan' programme, half a glass of water will now be served to customers dining at hotels.

Addressing the Jalhaat programme organised by Ojas Foundation, Madhya Pradesh Water Resources Minister Tulsi Ram Silawat said the state government is committed to water conservation and preventing water wastage. The state government is fully cooperating in every effort to create mass awareness in this regard.

Through Jalhaat programme, continuous work is being done regarding water conservation in all urban and rural areas of Indore district and connecting all sections of the society to it.

During this water conservation programme, Nishant Khare, member of the Madhya Pradesh Covid Advisory Committee, said cities like Chennai, Bengaluru etc have been reeling under serious water crisis. Continuous efforts will have to be made to avoid such a situation in Indore.

He said significant work would be done in the field of water conservation through Ojas Foundation connecting all sections of the society with it. There is an urgent need to work continuously in the field of water conservation in urban and rural areas.

All the public representatives present at the event gave suggestions to adopt new ways and methods to conserve water. All the public representatives stressed that the ponds should be made encroachment-free. Public awareness must be spread among people, educational institutions as well as youth in this regard.
Chandigarh, Oct 3 : Shortly after 'rebel' Congress leader Navjot Sidhu's assertions, Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Channi on Sunday clarified that the new Director General of Police (DGP) would be appointed as per the law as the state government has forwarded a panel of all senior police officers with 30 years of experience to the Centre.

Channi's assertion came after Sidhu again demanded the government to rollback its decisions to appoint Advocate General A.P.S. Deol and DGP Iqbal Preet Singh Sahota.

Talking to the media on the sidelines of the state-level function of debt waiver scheme in Morinda town, the Chief Minister said now the state government was awaiting a panel from the Centre regarding three names finalised for the post of the DGP.

"Thereafter, the name of DGP would be finalized after consultation with PPCC President Navjot Sidhu, all Ministers and MLAs," the Chief Minister said.

He said the state is functioning with dedication, sincerity and honesty and to ensure transparency in its administration would be the top most priority.

He, however, said the organisational work is being looked after by Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President and a committee has been constituted for better coordination between the government and the party.

Earlier in the day, Sidhu in a tweet said: "Demand for justice in sacrilege cases and for arrest of main culprits behind the drug trade brought our government in 2017 and due to his failure, people removed the last CM (Chief Minister).

"Now, AG/DG appointments rub salt on wounds of victims, they must be replaced or we will have no face." In his earlier tweet, Sidhu said DGP Sahota was head of SIT investigating 'Beadbi' or sacrilege case under the Badal government and he wrongfully indicted two Sikh youth for sacrilege and gave clean chit to Badals.

Unhappy over the first Cabinet expansion, allocation of portfolios and appointments on crucial posts, including the Advocate General and the DGP, by the Chief Minister, Sidhu last week resigned from his post of state Congress chief.

As his decision pushed the state Congress into deeper crisis, Sidhu, however, maintained that he would not be leaving the party.
Hyderabad, Oct 3 : The Telangana government will host virtual blockchain symposium, Un-Block 4.0 on October 21, followed by two-week extensive blockchain hackathon named HackDLT, it was announced on Sunday.

Principal Secretary, IT, Electronics, and Communication, Jayesh Ranjan said that Un-Block 4.0 intends to provide participants and delegates broad-spectrum knowledge through presentations and pointed insights about various industries through case studies. The leaders of this technology will share their vision and insights at the symposium and the discussions that follow will bring new thinking from fresh minds.

"The symposium shall also have rich panel discussions that will allow participants to share their points of view and network with the delegates. The discussions will fuel thought and spark debate on how blockchain has changed the way we see transactional security and Enterprise-to-Enterprise (E2E), Enterprise-to-Government (E2G) and Department-to-Department (D2D) collaborations. These discussions will also throw light on what the future holds for corporate contracts," an official release said.

HackDLT is 14 days of problem solving blockchain Hackathon from October 21 to November 2 on various problem statements in the public sector. It shall be conducted by DLT Labs with support of Emerging Technologies Wing, of the state ITE&C Department to build a research community of blockchain enthusiasts.

This will be an opportunity for the blockchain enthusiasts to showcase their skills in a competitive and challenging atmosphere.

"In times when data security and governance are of utmost importance, more governments and businesses are set to integrate rapid advancing technologies like blockchain to facilitate safe and secure transactions and operations using the distributed data management. This kind of integration of blockchain technology is something Telangana is looking out for. This hackathon is therefore the right platform to accelerate blockchain skills and solve public sector problems," said Ranjan.

DLT Labs TM co-founder and Chief Information Officer Ajay Singh said that Un-Block 4.0 is a perfect platform for unveiling the power of blockchain by presenting various industrial-grade applications that are solution-centric which will prove to be beneficial to both private and public sectors. "HackDLT is built on the concept of 'Any Body Can Develop' which will kindle a spark and guide blockchain enthusiasts in developing applications using blockchain technology on our plug and play tech-enabler platform."
New Delhi, Oct 3 : The Common Services Centres (CSC), an SPV under the Ministry of Electronics and IT, has tied up with the Krishak Bharati Cooperative Ltd (KRIBHCO) to provide access to fertilisers and agricultural inputs to farmers through the network of around 4 lakh Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs) at the last mile.

CSCs will facilitate the sale and distribution of products of KRIBHCO, which manufactures, imports and markets fertilisers, agri inputs and seeds, including fertilisers like imported urea, DAP, NPK/NPS, bio-fertiliser, city compost, zinc sulphate, certified seeds, hybrid seeds, and potash derived from molasses.

Early this year, CSC set up an agri services platform to facilitate agri inputs like seeds, manure, and pesticides, rent and hire of farm machinery and implements, and trading of agri produce etc. through its VLEs and farmer producer organisations (FPOs).

Elaborating on the partnership, CSC e-Governance Services India Ltd Managing Director Dinesh Tyagi said: "Our alliance with KRIBHCO is a step ahead in furthering the agenda of the government in serving the farmers and agricultural community. The last mile delivery of fertilisers, seeds and other agri products is an important aspect of our activities at CSCs and the partnership will help us reach out to farmers and citizens in the villages with timely supply of reliable and quality agri inputs." KRIBHCO Managing Director Rajan Chowdhry said that this partnership will usher in a new era where farmers can get cost effective agri inputs at the click of a mouse and smartphones, thereby promoting 'Digital India'. FPOs, as agribusiness retailers, will help the farming community become "agriculture entrepreneurs" from "agriculture producers", he added.
New York, Oct 3 : The 47th season of "Saturday Night Live", the late-night comedy sketch and variety show aired on the US television network NBC, opened with comedian James Austin Johnson, previously famous for his Donald Trump impersonations, making his debut as Joe Biden, reports Variety.com.

After winning eight Emmys last month, including the variety sketch series award for the fifth consecutive year, "Saturday Night Live" returned to Studio 8H in New York City for the live premiere of its 47th season on October 2. Hollywood's funny man Owen Wilson was the host and Kacey Musgraves, the musical guest.

It was not an easy task for the newcomer, according to Variety.com, to take on the opening. He had the unenviable task of summarising the last few months of U.S. politics in a few short minutes.

And how was his summer? Bad, said Johnson in his Biden avatar. "Not Cuomo bad, but definitely not Afghanistan good," he added. "Everyone keeps razzing me about that drone strike, but on the bright side, I went through the entire summer without falling down the stairs once." He commented on Broadway being back, but noted that so was the Taliban. "You win some, you lose some," he said. He also drew comparisons to Trump, noting that, "I'm like an oil change; you don't think about me until you absolutely have to." Longtime cast members Cecily Strong, who portrayed the iconoclastic Democratic Senator from Arizona, Kyrsten Sinema, and Aidy Bryant, who played the Democratic Senator from West Virginia, Joe Manchin, joined Johnson in the opening, as did Ego Nwodim, appearing as Member of the House of Representatives Ilhan Omar, and Melissa Villasenor, as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who spearheads the Progressive faction of the Democratic lawmakers.

Pete Davidson popped in at the end as former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, while Alex Moffat showed up as the Senate Majority Leader, Chuck Schumer, Democrat from New York.

Of course, the latter had to comment on Ocasio-Cortez's Met Gala moment, in which she wore a dress that said 'Tax the Rich' and "then spent all night partying with the rich. "Oops".

Johnson follows in the footsteps of his new co-star Moffat, who previously played the President after taking over from special guest star Jim Carrey. Others who played Biden on the series include Kevin Nealon, Jason Sudeikis, Woody Harrelson, and John Mulaney.
Gold Coast : , Oct 3 (IANS) India captain Mithali Raj on Sunday lavished praise on batter Smriti Mandhana, who got her maiden Test century here, and veteran fast bowler Jhulan Goswami after their one-off pink ball Test against Australia ended in a draw.

"Smriti has been very impressive. I was impressed by Yastika Bhatia and Richa Ghosh too in the one-dayers. I am sure Harmanpreet (who is injured) will take the field in the T20s," said Mithali in the presentation ceremony.

She further said 38-year-old Jhulan also showed why she has been the best from her country for such a long time. "Jhulan has always been our best bowler for so many years and we got to see why she was the best. She shared her experience and young seamers Pooja Vastrakar and Meghna Singh were given an opportunity alongside Jhulan so that they learn a lot," the Indian skipper said.

India were dominant throughout the match, with Smriti's super hundred in the first innings putting them beyond'hosts' reach. However, they did not have enough time to dismiss the hosts twice with almost one entire day of the match washed out.

Mithali said that the visitors would have attempted a few more overs had they got about four more wickets in the Australian second innings. The match ended in a draw with Australia on 36/2 as the two teams shook hands.
Bhubaneswar, Oct 3 : Two women Maoist cadres have surrendered before Odisha DGP Abhay in Koraput on Sunday.

The surrendered Maoists have been identified as Debe Padiami alias Gangi of Guma area Committee and Gita Padiami alias Rajita a member of the Andhra-Odisha Border (AOB) Military platoon.

While Debe was carrying a cash reward of Rs 4 lakh in her head, Rs 1 lakh reward was on the head of Gita, said DGP Abhay.

Debe, 32, was inducted in the Maoist organisation in 2005 in Kalimela area committee and in December 2009, transferred to Gumma area committee. An Insas rifle was issued to her, the Odisha police said in a statement.

Similarly, Gita, 22, joined the Dandakaranya special zonal committee of Maoists in 2018 and transferred to the AOB military platoon in 2019. She was given formal training in 2019 and issued with 303 rifle, the police said.

Both ultras were involved in several incidents and attacks on security forces. Abhay welcomed the duo to the mainstream and appealed to others who are still into left wing extremism to shun violence and join mainstream society.
Hyderabad, Oct 3 : The Hyderabad Police on Sunday arrested a Nigerian for selling cocaine and seized 4 grams of cocaine from his possession.

Acting on a tip-off, the sleuths of Commissioner's Task Force (South) team in a joint operation with Panjagutta Police arrested Daniel Ayotunde Olamide, 33, staying in Friends colony in Shaikpet.

Police seized a Honda Activa from the accused, who is also addicted to drugs.

A police officer said Daniel came to Hyderabad in 2014 on student visa and was studying at a private college in Kukatpally. During his stay in the city, he came in contact with John Paul, also a Nigerian, who was already into drug peddling and was staying in Delhi.

Police are on the lookout for John Paul, 37, who is absconding.

In the past, Daniel was arrested by Langar Houz police on charges of drug peddling. After coming out on bail, he resumed selling drugs. He was reportedly selling a gram of cocaine for Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000.
Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 3 : Kerala Health Minister Veena George said that the state will have new mandatory quarantine stipulations for international travellers from Monday, on the basis of Union Health Ministry guidelines.

Travellers from UK will have to undergo ten-day quarantine at home or destination address, according to the new guidelines. Passengers from South Africa, Brazil, and Europe will have to undergo a seven-day quarantine mandatorily on arrival.

The Minister, in a statement, said that all international travellers irrespective of their vaccination status will have to take RT-PCR tests on reaching the airports in the state.

Travelers from other countries will have to undergo self-monitoring for 14 days if they test negative in RT- PCR test. Samples of passengers from countries like Botswana, the UK, New Zealand, South Africa, Brazil, European nations, of the Middle East, Bangladesh, China, Mauritius, and Zimbabwe will be sent for virus mutation tests.

The Centre had ordered 10-day mandatory quarantine for passengers arriving from the UK, after it imposed such quarantine measure for Indian visitors.

George also said that three RT- PCR tests are required for an international passenger to the state - One prior to 72 hours of the journey, the second on arrival at an airport in the state, and the third eight days after arriving in the state.
New Delhi, Oct 3 : Congress on Sunday demanded sacking of Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra in wake of violence at a farmers' protest in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur-Kheri that left at least six dead and 15 others injured.

Addressing a press conference, party spokesperson Gourav Vallabh said: "We demand that MoS Home Ajay Mishra should be sacked immediately while while government should constitute enquiry by a sitting judge of the Supreme court." He also called for sacking Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar for allegedly giving instructions to the BJP workers to attack farmers while hoping that the apex court will take cognisance of the matter immediately.

Protests on farm laws in the UP district took a violent turn as unidentified persons opened fire at the farmers. Infuriated farmers set three jeeps on fire after some of the protestors were run over by the vehicles. One of the vehicles is said to belong to Ashish Mishra, son of the Union Minister.

In wake of the violence, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that the sacrifice of the farmers will not go waste.

"Those who are silent upon witnessing such inhuman genocide, have already died. But we will not go this sacrifice go waste, farmers satyagrah zindabad," he said, in a tweet in Hindi.

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi, who is expected to head to Lakhimpur Kheri on Monday, in a Hindi tweet, said: "How much does the BJP hate India's farmers? Don't they (farmers) have a right to live? If they raise their voices, will you open fire on them, trample them under vehicles? Enough is enough. This is a land of farmers, not a realm for BJP's cruelty.

"The farmers' agitation will get stronger, and their voice louder".
New Delhi, Oct 3 : The special cell of Delhi Police has arrested four sharp-shooters of the gangster Gogi gang and recovered arms and ammunition from them, an official said here on Sunday.

"The four sharp-shooters, who have been arrested, were planning a spate of murders," the official said. The accused sharp-shooters have been identified as -- Anuj, Kaala, Mithun, and Sumit. All the gangsters were carrying bounties on their heads, ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 2,25,000.

Earlier, the most wanted gangster Jitender Mann alias 'Gogi' was killed along with two other assailants in a shoot-out at Delhi's Rohini Court on September 24.

The incident, seemed to have been taken straight from a Bollywood potboiler, as Gogi was shot dead in a courtroom by two assailants from the rival 'Tilu Tajpuriya' gang, who were dressed in lawyers garb. The assailants opened fire at Gogi inside the courtroom where a case was being heard against him.

Due to these recent incidents of gang-related violence, a dedicated team of Special Cell was constituted by DCP Special Cell Sanjeev Yadav.

The police said that they received a piece of information that associates of Gogi, Lawerence Bishnoi, and Ashok Pradhan Gang will be coming to Delhi in the area of Prahladpur or Village Khera to murder some members of their rival gang.

The team working on the information was deployed in the area of Prahaladpur Village, where they spotted a grey Baleno car of the accused persons.

The team followed the car which was going towards Khera Village.

"On getting the right opportunity, the police team blocked the way of the moving car and the criminals having found themselves surrounded by police, whipped out their firearms and opened fire at the police team, but the cops reacted quickly and overpowered all the aforementioned four criminals," an official said.

In the meantime, two other associates of the Gogi gang, who were at a distance in a separate car, managed to escape, leaving the car behind.

With the apprehension of accused persons, nine sophisticated semi-automatic pistols (Make: Zigana, Tauras, and Star) along with 123 live cartridges and one spare magazine have been recovered. Also, one Baleno Car and an I-10 car have been taken into police possession.

The police have registered a case under sections 186, 353, 307, and 34 of the Indian Penal Code and 25, 27 of the Arms Act at the Special Cell police station.

"The police are still investigating the case," the official added.

Notably, the deceased Gogi was on the Delhi police's most-wanted list and he was also an accused in dozens of cases - including murder, kidnapping, and fraud - in other states. His gang was also involved in crimes such as possession of illegal arms, carjacking, and land grabbing.

A day later after the shootout, on Saturday, September 25, the police arrested two persons, identified as Umang Yadav (22) and Vinay Mota (19), in connection with the Rohini Court shootout. Of the two arrested, Yadav had revealed that he worked for Tillu Tajpuriya, currently lodged at the Mandoli jail, for the last two years.

With the arrest of four new gangsters, the police have so far arrested six people in the Rohini Court shootout case.
Mumbai, Oct 3 : The Narcotics Control Bureau late on Sunday arrested five more youngsters in connection with the rave party busted aboard a luxury cruise liner, officials said here.

They are Nupur Satija, Ishmeet Singh Chadha, Mohak Jaiswal, Gomit Chopra, and Vikrant Chhokar.

Under detention since this morning, they were formally arrested and will be produced before a magistrate's court after undergoing their medical tests.

Earlier, a Mumbai Magistrate sent three accused-arrested - Aryan Khan - the son of Shahrukh Khan, Arbaz Merchant, and Munmun Dhamecha - to NCB custody till Monday.

They were arrested this evening and charged under various sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.

They will be produced again before the court on Monday for their judicial custody, even as their lawyers plan to challenge the NCB action in the Bombay High court.
Guwahati, Oct 3 : Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday conferred the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi Award for National Integration and National Contribution to eminent writer and scholar Nirode Kumar Barooah, Assam Branch of the Kasturba Gandhi National Memorial Trust and Meghalaya's Shillong Chamber Choir.

The award, which was instituted by the Assam government in memory of the state's first Chief Minister and Bharat Ratna Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi, carries a cash reward of Rs 5 lakh, a citation and a shawl.

Germany based writer-scholar Barooah, who was alumni of Guwahati based Cotton College and University of Banaras, taught modern history at the University of Delhi, authored several books and research papers on the Indian freedom movement with particular reference to Assam.

The Assam branch of the Kasturba Gandhi National Memorial Trust, which was founded by Mahatma Gandhi on January 9, 1946, had initiated huge efforts to forge national integration and promote the ideals of non-violent resistance. The Trust has been contributing immensely for empowerment of women.

Renowned music troupe Meghalaya's Shillong Chamber Choir (SCC), which was founded in 2001, has performed in several national and international platforms and received much acclaim.

The SCC also performed at former President Pratibha Patil's presidential banquet at the Rashtrapati Bhavan for the former US President Barack Obama during his November 2010 state visit to India.

Speaking on the occasion, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that Gopinath Bordoloi was a visionary leader who laid the foundation of modern Assam.

Underlining Bordoloi's role in India's freedom movement and as Prime Minister of the erstwhile provincial Assam government, the Chief Minister said that Bordoloi led the state during the most difficult times with immense fortitude and farsightedness.

"Bordoloi with the blessings of Mahatma Gandhi vehemently opposed the proposal of the Cabinet Mission to put Assam in Group C along with then East Pakistan and it was because of his leadership that Assam remained a part of India. Bordoloi would always be remembered for his stand against 'Grow More Food' policy of the then Syed Muhammad Saadulla government, contribution towards inclusion of 6th schedule in the constitution, creation of belt and blocks and stand against the grouping system of the Cabinet Mission," Sarma said.

Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi, Cultural Affairs Minister Bimal Bora among others were present in the function held at the Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra in Guwahati.
New Delhi, Oct 3 : West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress has won all three seats, including the crucial Bhabhanipur from where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was contesting, and Odisha's ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) won one seat where polling was held on September 30.

The Trinamool won Bhabanipur, Jangipur and Samserganj assembly constituencies, and the BJD has won Pipili.

Banerjee has defeated her nearest rival Priyanka Tibrewal of BJP by a record margin of 58,832 votes from Bhabanipur. Earlier, Banerjee had won from Bhabanipur by a margin of 54,213 votes in 2011.

With this win, Banerjee secured her position as Chief Minister. Having lost to former aide Suvendu Adhikari in Nandigram in the Assembly polls earlier this year, she had get elected to the Assembly within six months.

Banerjee secured 71.9 per cent of the total votes polled while Tibrewal secured 22.29 per cent of the votes. CPI-M candidate Shreejib Biwas managed to get only 4,201 votes.

"I am indebted to the people to Bhabanipur because they helped me win with a record margin. The most interesting thing is we didn't lose in any of the wards. The polling in Bhabanipur has always been low and there was rain. Despite that people came out in numbers and gave us votes," Banerjee said.

BJP's Tibrewal said, "I am overwhelmed by the affection of people and commitment of my party leadership and workers who put in many times more effort than myself. I express my deep sense of gratitude.. I rededicate with greater vigour to be in service of people." In Jangipur, Trinamool's Jakir Hossain defeated his nearest rival Sujit Das of the BJP by margin of 92,489 votes. Hossain got around 69 per cent while BJP's Das received only 22.17 per cent.

In Samserganj, Trinamool's Amirul Islam defeated Congress candidate Zaidur Rahaman by 26,379 votes. BJP's Milan Ghosh was third, with just over 10,000 votes.

In Odisha, BJD's Rudrapratap Maharathy's won from Pipili by defeating BJP' son Ashrit Pattnayak by 20,916 votes.

The BJD victory shows that the party is well prepared for next year's panchayat and local bodies election and is still popular among masses. The BJD candidate got 53.6 per cent votes while the BJP's Pattnayak got 42.04 per cent votes.
New Delhi, Oct 3 : The window into the personal finances of individual Pakistani generals is especially rare and provides a glimpse at how top military officers - known in Pakistan as "The Establishment" - use offshore system to quietly enrich themselves while maintaining, until now, the military's image as a bulwark against civilian corruption.

The revelations are part of the Pandora Papers, a new global investigation into the shadowy offshore financial system that allows multinational corporations, the rich, famous and powerful to avoid taxes and otherwise shield their wealth. The probe is based on more than 11.9 million confidential files from 14 offshore services firms leaked to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and shared with 150 news organisations around the world.

The Pandora Papers investigation exposes civilian government and military leaders who have been hiding vast amounts of wealth in a country plagued by widespread poverty and tax avoidance.

One legacy of colonial rule is the military's wealth. The military's combined business holdings amount to Pakistan's largest conglomerate, and it controls 12 per cent of the country's land. Many of the landholdings are owned by current or former senior leaders.

The Pandora Papers reveal that in 2007, the wife of Gen Shafaat Ullah Shah, then one of Pakistan's leading generals and a former aide to President Pervez Musharraf, acquired a $1.2 million apartment in London through a discreet offshore transaction.

In one of several offshore holdings involving military leaders and their families, a luxury London apartment was transferred from the son of a famous Indian movie director to the wife of a three-star general. The general told ICIJ the property purchase was disclosed and proper; his wife didn't reply.

The property was transferred to Gen. Shah's wife by an offshore company owned by Akbar Asif, a wealthy businessman who has opened restaurants in London and Dubai. Asif is the son of the Indian film director K. Asif.

Asif's sister, Heena Kausar, is the widow of Iqbal Mirchi, a senior figure in a leading organised crime group, D-company. Mirchi was at the time under sanction as a drug trafficker by the US Before his death in 2013, Mirchi was one of India's most wanted men.

The younger Asif once met Musharraf at London's Dorchester Hotel to ask for an exception to Pakistan's 40-year ban on Indian films to allow the release there of one of his father's most acclaimed movies. Musharraf granted the exception and later lifted the ban.

The leaked documents show that Asif has owned a multimillion-dollar property portfolio through a web of offshore companies.

One of those companies, called Talah Ltd. and registered in the British Virgin Islands (BVI), was used to transfer the London apartment to Shafaat Shah's wife. Talah bought an apartment near the Canary Wharf financial district in 2006. The next year, Asif transferred ownership of the company to Fariha Shah.

Shah said that his wife has never met Asif and that he met him just once, while an aide to Musharaff, when Asif briefly lobbied the president for his father's film "in the corridors of Dorchester Hotel when he had accompanied the hairstylist, who had come to cut Mrs Musharraf's hair".

ICIJ revealed insights into the private wealth of top military officers and their families are exceedingly rare; journalists who have written about the military within Pakistan have been jailed, tortured and killed.

The Pandora Papers also reveal that Raja Nadir Pervez, a retired army Lt Colonel and former government minister, owned International Finance & Equipment Ltd, a BVI-registered company. In the leaked files, the firm is involved in machinery and related businesses in India, Thailand, Russia and China. Records show that in 2003, Pervez transferred his shares in the company to a trust that controls several offshore companies.

One of the trust's beneficiaries is a British arms dealer. According to UK court documents, one of the trust's other companies has helped broker arms sales from Belgian manufacturer FN Herstal SA to Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, a state-owned Indian defence company.

While he owned International Finance & Equipment, Pervez also held several high-level positions in Pakistan's government. He was elected to the National Assembly in 1985 and later joined Imran Khan's party. Pervez did not respond to reporters' questions.

Another influential former military leader who shows up in the leaked documents is Maj Gen Nusrat Naeem, the ISI's onetime Director General of counterintelligence. He owned a BVI company, Afghan Oil & Gas Ltd, that was registered in 2009, shortly after his retirement. He said that the company had been set up by a friend and that he didn't use it for any financial transactions.

Islamabad police later charged Naeem with fraud related to the attempted purchase of a steel mill for $1.7 million. The case was dropped.

The Pandora Papers also bring to light the notable offshore holdings of close relatives of three senior military figures.

Umar and Ahad Khattak, sons of the former head of Pakistan's air force, Abbas Khattak, in 2010 registered a BVI company to invest what documents call "family business earnings" in stocks, bonds, mutual funds and real estate.

The Khattaks did not respond to reporters' questions.

In an example involving intergenerational wealth transfer, Shahnaz Sajjad Ahmad inherited a fortune from her father, a retired lieutenant general, through an offshore trust that owns two London apartments, purchased in 1997 and 2011 in Knightsbridge, a short walk from Harrods. She, in turn, set up a trust for her daughters in 2003 in Guernsey, a tax haven in the English Channel. Her father was a favourite of Field Marshal Mohammad Ayub Khan, the country's first military dictator (1958-1969). After her father retired from the army, he founded one of Pakistan's biggest business conglomerates. Ayub Khan's son later married into the family and sits on the boards of several of the group's businesses.

Shahnaz did not respond to ICIJ's requests for comment.

Taken together, the findings offer a portrait of an unaccountable military elite with extensive personal and family offshore holdings.

(Sanjeev Sharma can be reached at sanjeevs.@ians.in)
Gandhinagar, Oct 3 : The Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation elections, held on Sunday, saw over 56 per cent turnout, against 2016's 52.02 per cent, while being peaceful with no untoward incident reported from anywhere.

The polls were three-pronged with the entry of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), to take on traditional rivals - the BJP and the Congress.

A total of 162 candidates were in the fray for 44 councillors' posts across 11 wards.

Out of total of 2,81,897 voters, 1,58,354 - 86,046 males and 72,308 females - cast their vote at 284 polling booths, out of which four were marked as extremely sensitive, and 144 as sensitive.

The least polling was registered in the Panchdev temple ward in the heart of the city, at 37.41 per cent and maximum at Kolawada-Vavol ward, at 66.93 per cent.

"We have not received a single complaint from anywhere and everywhere where the elections were conducted, it was carried out peacefully. We only had to replace one EVM machine in Bhanvad, which was carried out quickly," State Election Commissioner Sanjay Prasad told IANS.

After delimitation, some areas of adjoining villages have been added into the Municipal Corporation area. A majority of the wards comprise rural areas.

Both the BJP and Congress had fielded 44 candidates, while 40 candidates were from AAP, 14 from the Bahujan Samaj Party, 2 from the Nationalist Congress Party, 6 from other parties and 11 independent candidates.

Counting of the votes will take place on October 5. If required, re-polling for a particular seat may be held on October 4.

With Gandhinagar the state capital and a significant number of residents are government employees, the municipal corporation elections assume a special significance. Besides that, this is the first major election after Bhupendra Patel took charge as Chief Minister.

The GMC elections also hold significance as this is the last big elections before Assembly polls scheduled in December 2022. The results of this elections can give a glimpse of public response towards the Congress and also the new kid on the block AAP, as the state has been for the BJP since the past two and a half decades.

In the 2016 elections, the BJP and Congress had both won 16 seats each, out of the then total 32 seats.

However, within days, two Congress councillors defected to the BJP, paving the way for the saffron party to form the body in the GMC. Pravin Patel - one of the defectors - was then elected Mayor.

The GMC polls were earlier schceduled for April 10, 2021, but were postponed due to the pandemic.

Besides this, by-elections were also held for 2 seats of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and one seat of the Jamnagar Municipal Corporation, for which 10 candidates were in fray. Of these, three each were from BJP, and Congress, one from NCP, two from AAP and 1 from another party.

The BJP candidates were already declared unopposed winners on 4 seats of ward number 3 in Thara and on 2 seats of ward number 8 of Okha municipality.

A total of 205 candidates were in fray for 78 seats in Thara, Okha and Bhanvad, of which 78 were from the BJP, 72 from the Congress, 52 from the AAP and 3 independents.

Against 8 seats left empty in various district panchayats, there are 24 candidates in the race.
Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 3 : Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday called upon state police officers to be extra cautious in their actions, while engaging with individuals, and deal properly with poor people.

He was addressing a virtual meeting of police officers across the state, ranging from station house officers to Directors General of Police, from the state police headquarters here.

This is his first broad interaction with the police force after his government retained power, winning the 2021 Assembly elections.

Vijayan had called the meeting after there were several allegations against the force including intimidation of poor people. Police were under criticism for even attacking fisherwomen who were selling fish on the streets.

As the presence of former Director General of Police, Loknath Behra, and Additional Director General of Police, Manoj Abraham at the private museum of the fake antique dealer Monson Mavungal has left the force red-faced, Vijayan noted that the police and its officers were a pride to the state but they should be extra cautious in engaging with individuals as people with shady backgrounds would befriend them for their ulterior motives.

He said during the tough lockdown times, the Kerala Police were highly appreciated and praises were showered on the force due to the selfless service of several policemen and officers. He said that the force must be vigilant about its image and that the people gauge the government by the actions of the force.
New Delhi/Kolkata, Oct 3 : A day after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee asked Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) not to release water without informing her state, the Corporation on Sunday came out with public advertisements in major newspapers claiming multiple authorities in the state were informed about water release in advance.

The flood situation in seven south Bengal districts has snowballed into a controversy after Banerjee's charge. "In the last three days, they (DVC) have released more than 10 lakh cusecs of water, most of which has been released without informing the state. This is a crime and the state is not going to sit and watch. If they do it again, the state will be forced to demand compensation," she had told media persons on Saturday.

The DVC has a network of four dams - Tilaiya and Maithon on Barakar river, Panchet on river Damodar, and Konar on the river Konar. Besides the Durgapur barrage and the canal network, handed over to the West Bengal government in 1964, Bokaro barrage is used to provide cooling water to BTPS. As per the DVC website: "In the existing scenario, utilisable flood reserve capacity is 971 MCM as available in four reservoirs. The combined flood storage in Maithon and Panchet reservoirs can safely moderate a peak flood of 14,169 cumec (cubic metres per second) to safe lower Damodar channel carrying capacity of 36,684 cumec." On the mechanism of flood moderation by the DVC dams, an official said: "The water release from the DVC dams for moderation of flood is as per the advice of the Damodar Valley Reservoir Regulation Committee (DVRRC). It is headed by Member (R&M), Central Water Commission, New Delhi. The DVRRC comprises members in the rank of Chief Engineer from the governments of West Bengal and Jharkhand and DVC." After Banerjee's allegations, the DVC came out with advertisements in multiple news papers on Sunday. "DVC authorities only follow the water release advice and instructions of the DVRRC towards discharge of water through dams and has no role in the quantum of water released. The release advice are as per the capacity of the dams to hold water up to a certain level," the advert said.

Moreover, it said that "before the release of water, flood warning messages are communicated well in advance to Chief Engineers of Government of West Bengal, District Magistrates of Purba Bardhaman, Paschim Bardhman, Purulia, Bankura, and Superintending Engineer and Executive Engineer, Durgapur, government of West Bengal".

It also said that the Executive Engineer, Durgapur, communicates the messages to the District Magistrates of Hooghly, and Howrah, SDOs, ADMs, BDOs and others as per the Flood Warning Memorandum. "This is as per the established system followed during flood events," the advertisement read.

An official from the Central Water Commission, who did not want to be identified, said: "This happens every year. Not just are the West Bengal engineers and other top level officials are part of the DVC's DVRRC, but they also have a dedicated WhatsApp group and every single release is let known to the downstream authorities. The Chief Minister is unnecessarily raking up the issue."
Dhaka, Oct 4 : Five Rohingya men have been arrested in connection with the killing of a prominent community leader in a refugee camp in Bangladesh, police said on Sunday.

The killers' links to militant outfit Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), as his family suspected, are being probed, a police officer told IANS.

Mohibullah, a high-profile figurehead for the nearly one million Rohingya refugees and chair of the Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights (ARSPH), was killed by unknown gunmen late on Wednesday in his room at Kutupalong camp in Cox's Bazar district.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, said: "Mohib Ullah was vocal about Rohingya repatriation. Investigation is underway to find out the main cause of Mohib Ullah's murder and his killers will be brought to book soon." The United Nations and the US have condemned the killing of Rohingya refugee leader and called on Bangladeshi authorities to investigate

Mohib Ullah, who was in his late 40s, led one of the largest of several community groups to emerge since more than 730,000 Rohingya Muslims fled Myanmar after a military crackdown in August 2017.

"The UN urges the Bangladeshi authorities to undertake an investigation and to hold those responsible to account," UN spokesperson Stephanie Tremblay told a press briefing in New York on Thursday.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he was "saddened and disturbed" by Mohib Ullah's murder, calling him "a brave and fierce advocate for the human rights of Rohingya Muslims around the world." "We urge a full and transparent investigation into his death with the goal of holding the perpetrators of this heinous crime accountable," Blinken said in a statement.

After a meeting on Sharadiyo Durgo Utsab security arrangements at the Home Ministry's conference room on Sunday, Kamal said: "Construction work is underway to erect a barbed wire fence around the Rohingya camps, which will be completed in a few days. The government has also been setting up watchtowers at Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar aimed at ensuring security." "The law and order situation of the Rohingya camps is still good as our law enforcement forces are doing a good job in coordination with the army." Meanwhile, Foreign Minister, Dr A.K. Abdul Momen suspected that some vested quarters killed the Rohingya leader as Mohib Ullah wanted them to return to Myanmar, their land of origin. Bangladesh would take stern action against those who were related to this Rohingya leader's murder, he said.

Police also told IANS that militant wings of Jamaat-e-Islam and radical Islamists are active in arms trade and drug trade in Rohingya camps of Cox's Bazar, which cause regular gunfights between rival groups in the camps.

Eight Rohingya were killed in a week on first week of October last year, while two Rohingyas were killed in a reported gunfight between two rival groups in a camp in Ukhia of Cox's Bazar on October 4, 2020. The gunfight erupted between two groups of Rohingya drug dealers and arms traders over establishing supremacy in the area, said Samsuddoza Nayan, additional repatriation, rehabilitation, and relief officer of the government after the incident.
New Delhi, Oct 4 : An RSS-linked magazine has taken potshots at the Congress and its former President Rahul Gandhi, saying the country's oldest political party is passing through its "worst-ever phase" due to "an immature and careless leader".

In its cover story on Rahul Gandhi for the October 10 edition, the Panchjanya, criticised the working style of the Congress leader, saying "the rahu kaal (bad phase) of Congress begins with Rahul".

Citing the internal bickering and disagreements in the Congress, the magazine said as long as seasoned leader Ahmed Patel was alive, he used to prepare party strategies on the basis of party interim chief Sonia Gandhi's suggestions, and also provided "necessary balance" to Rahul Gandhi. However, the situation has changed now, the magazine noted.

Alleging that Rahul's sister Priyanka Gandhi, the party's General Secretary, and her husband Robert Vadra, have their own "ambitions", Panchjanya said even Vadra believes that his wife has more potential than Rahul Gandhi, and she is not just capable of contesting election from any seat but also emerging victorious.

On the recent developments in Punjab, the magazine said naming Charanjit Singh Channi as the new Chief Minister in place of veteran leader Captain Amarinder Singh -- whom the Panchjanya described as later former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's friend -- and terming it a "masterstroke" turned out a joy cut short moment following state chief Navjot Singh Sidhu's resignation.

Taking a dig at the Congress high command, Panchjanya accused the Congress, during its long period of governance, of only promoting division among people and poverty, and now since it is out of power, the party is struggling with infighting.

It also held the "owners of the house" responsible for the current political scenario the Congress is dealing with in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan.

The magazine also questioned the Congress over former Left leader and former JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar's inclusion into the party fold, saying "tomorrow he might claim to be a taller leader than Rahul Gandhi by standing on his shoulders".

It further said the Congress needs to do some serious introspection to save the party, adding it is necessary to have a competent Opposition in the democracy, and "it's not the responsibility of those in power to strengthen the Opposition".

The Panchjanya had been in the news for its previous issues attacking Infosys and its leader N.R. Narayana Murthy over the glitches in the income tax portal, and then Amazon and its chief, Jeff Bezos, calling the global e-commerce giant "East India Company 2.0".
Lucknow, Oct 4 : Congress General Secretary and party incharge of Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi has left for Lakhimpur Kheri after reaching Lucknow. However police tried to stop her convoy in the state capital.

Gandhi stopped for a while due to rain and then started walking towards Lakhimpur Kheri.

"I am going to meet the family of the victim, wipe out their tears and there is nothing wrong in it," she said.

"The government has lost morality, which is using force to stop me from going to Lakhimpur," Gandhi asserted.

At least six people were killed in violence in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri on Sunday, while 15 others are injured, according to official sources.

Protests on farm laws in the district took a violent turn after some unidentified persons allegedly opened fire at the farmers.

Infuriated farmers set three jeeps on fire after some of the protestors were run over by the vehicles.

One of the vehicles is said to be belonging to Ashish Mishra, son of Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra Teni.

Farmers have refused to allow post-mortem examinations of the deceased. They have said that they will decide the future course of action only after talking to their leaders Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has appealed for calm and has assured action against the responsible people.
While compromise was needed by all parties to move this legislation forward, we are very pleased the legislature and Governor recognized the need to support virtual meetings in North Carolina communities, says, Paul Mengert, CMCA, PCAM, chair and federal liaison of the CAI NC-LAC.

Community Associations Institute (CAI) applauds Governor Cooper and the North Carolina General Assembly for the recent passage of HB 320 Modernize Remote Business Access, new legislation allowing community associations to conduct their associations board and annual meetings virtually.

The legislation supports the 2.8 million North Carolina residents living in the states 14,000 community associations, commonly referred to as condominiums, homeowners associations, and housing cooperatives.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, community associations were required to host in-person meetings. Once the pandemic forced residents to shelter in place, CAI and the Institutes North Carolina Legislative Action Committee began advocating for new laws to assist community associations officially conduct business. On Dec. 31, 2020, the states emergency executive orders authorized a board in its sole discretion to determine that all or any part of a membership meeting may be conducted by remote communication and remote balloting. Since December, North Carolina residents immediately voiced a preference to this type of meeting.

Virtual meetings have increased the efficiency and resident participation of meetings resulting in more community engagement, as well as offering a cost-effective way to share information and documents, says, Paul Mengert, CMCA, PCAM, chair and federal liaison of the CAI North Carolina Legislative Action Committee. While compromise was needed by all parties to move this legislation forward, we are very pleased the legislature and Governor recognized the need to support virtual meetings in North Carolina communities, added Mengert.

CAI-NC Offers Educational Webinar About HB 320 Oct. 5, 2021  All are welcome! To register, please visit: https://www.cai-nc.org/events/EventDetails.aspx?id=1558543&group=

Since March 2020, nearly half (47%) of associations say theyre now hosting virtual board meetings and 49% of associations report that virtual meetings have increased efficiency for association operations, according to CAIs Virtual Meeting & Electronic Voting Survey results. According to CAI, the North Carolina Legislative Action Committee worked closely with lawmakers to help craft the legislation so that it is meaningful to homeowners living in community associations and their governing boards of directors. The new legislation is a huge win for North Carolina community association residents, says Thomas M. Skiba, CAE CAIs chief executive officer. Weve witnessed the pandemic change the way companies conduct business and community associations are no exception. We believe that the best communities have highly engaged members and by creating new channels of communication, more residents have the opportunity to be heardincreasing homeowner participation and collaboration to make important decisions for the community.

Today, 12 states have statutes that allow for remote or virtual meetings, six states initially enacted emergency powers that allow associations to meet virtually with both Connecticut and North Carolina passing and enacting state statutes since the start of the pandemic. For a full list, visit at http://www.caionline.org/virtualmeetings.

About Community Associations Institute

Since 1973, Community Associations Institute (CAI) has been the leading provider of resources and information for homeowners, volunteer board leaders, professional managers, and business professionals in the more than 355,000 homeowners associations, condominiums, and housing cooperatives in the United States and millions of communities worldwide. With more than 42,000 members, CAI works in partnership with 36 legislative action committees and 63 affiliated chapters within the U.S., Canada, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates as well as with housing leaders in several other countries, including Australia, Spain, and the United Kingdom. A global nonprofit 501(c)(6) organization, CAI is the foremost authority in community association management, governance, education, and advocacy. Our mission is to inspire professionalism, effective leadership, and responsible citizenshipideals reflected in community associations that are preferred places to call home.

Visit us at http://www.caionline.org and follow us on Twitter and Facebook @CAISocial.

CAI-North Carolina Chapter is one of more than 60 Community Associations Institute chapters across the US and around the globe.
Based in Cologne, the comedy fiction label will be headed by Denzer as managing director and executive producer. Good Humor will focus its output on humorous fiction formats, from comedy series and sitcoms, to comedies and sketch shows. Commencing as a start-up, the business will look to organic growth via the wider assets of the Banijay group and its capacity as a global distributor, with the ultimate goal of enriching comedy output in Germany and beyond.From July 2019, Denzer was head of the Mainzer Kleinkunstbuhne Unterhaus. Previously, he headed the Cabaret and Comedy division at ZDF within the Show editorial department. There for ten years, he was at the forefront of establishing a host of successful comedy brands. Under his leadership, he created the Heute Show, Neues aus der Anstalt, Sketch History, and comedy fiction formats like Merz gegen Merz, Nix Festes and Ellerbeck. From 2016, Denzer was also responsible for all comedy formats on ZDFneo and 3Sat in addition to those for ZDFs main schedule."Stephan Denzer has decisively shaped the comedy successes of ZDF for over 15 years. Standing for quality, he certainly knows his way around sitcoms and comedy series, said Banijay Germany CEO Marcus Wolter commenting on the move. With his creativity and experience, we believe Good Humor will be a resounding success in Germany and look forward to the new partnership.Denzer added: We believe good humour is important in a time full of challenges, in order to give us joy and thus strengthening our resilience. With the backing of Banijay, we want to create formats with relevance, originality and a lot of love, in order to perhaps bring a little more lightness and laughter to the world and hope to find partners who share this vision.
Over the weekend, I saw two tweets with roughly the exact same time stamp. The first one, stamped at 2:32pm, was from the official account of the United Nations (UN) spokesperson announcing that UN officials were in Kabul discussing humanitarian issues with The Taliban. The second tweet, from investigative reporter Lara Logan, included reports of The Taliban executing Afghan women police officers including one who was six months pregnant. It was stamped 2:43pm.

It makes you wonder what the actual purpose of the UN is these days.

The neo-liberalism of this relic, which seeks to legitimize The Taliban and welcome it into the global community, will result in many more senseless deaths. And they will use American dollars to do so. The U.S. currently funds 22% of the entire UN budget, contributing roughly $675,000,000 tax dollars. This is more than double the next largest donor, China, who contributes $336,000,000. Its bad enough the UN bureaucrats are so foolish in foreign policy. One could argue they are even more clueless and moronic on energy and environmental issues.

Heres one small, or rather, enormous, example of the UNs green stupidity: two months from now, an anticipated 30,000 activists will gather is Glasgow, Scotland, for yet another international conference on climate change. There, in large auditoriums with impressive sound systems and jumbo screen TVs, they will live stream charts and graphs of climate panic porn predicting the inevitable end of mankind unless we immediately stop using fossil fuels.

Rest assured, there will not be one slide on the carbon footprint of 30,000 activists gathering in Glasgow.

But Ill write more about UN Hypocrisy Fest in November once they finalize the speakers. Im sure youll be just as excited to hear billionaires like Bill Gates and Michael Bloomberg tell us how we need to alter our lifestyles for Mother Earth before boarding their Gulfstream Six to the mega-yacht in Capri. But well have to wait: theres plenty of UN hypocrisy for today.

The most recent example of UN stupidity is the August 25th letter from CERD, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which is part of the UN Commission on Human Rights. The focus of the letter was, of course, the U.S. and especially the known source of all racial strife: oil pipelines.

Line Three, a proposed pipeline to ship tar sands from Alberta, Canada to Superior, Wisconsin, is the new pipeline of attack for the green movement now that Joe Biden granted their wish of stopping the Keystone XL Pipeline. No one gained from the Keystone decision. Oil still arrives from Canada, as it did previously, via the more carbon intensive railroad and truck, but that was never the issue. It was never about carbon footprints or the Earth. Its about the battle. As a Wellesley College student titled her 1969 thesis on communist activist Saul Alinsky There Is Only the Fight. Hillary Clinton would probably agree with the green movements tactic of never declaring victory: just move on to the next target. Line Three.

This project would project would infringe the rights of the Anishinaabe indigenous peoples, in particular by significantly reducing their traditional source of food, the manoonim wild rice the UN letter states without any specifics. Reportedly, this project would exacerbate the already disproportionate impact of climate change on indigenous peoples in Minnesota it adds without any data of how the indigenous Minnesota people are faring. But facts are not necessary when you have a green agenda. Just ask the 30,000 climate advocates gearing up to fly to Glasgow.

Heres the line that really should make you break your screen: the Line 3 project would furthermore increase the risk of violence against indigenous women, including sex trafficking and sexual abuse, due to the significant influx of workers and the establishment of camps composed of male workers. Yes, you read that correctly: an accusation that American energy workers will sex traffic and abuse the native women of Minnesota.

Id like to ask Governor Tim Waltz if he will let this accusation go unanswered. Some UN bureaucrat besmirching the people of your state for a political agenda. Id like to ask Middle Class Joe Biden if his team will stand by the American energy worker before such a disgusting claim. I wish they would both tell the UN Committee to, politely, pound sand.

To make this letter even more offensive, more egregious, more infuriating is the author of the Chair of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is Yanduan Li, delegate from China. Yes, thats right, the country that has over one million Uighurs in slave camps is sending their diplomats to blast America for building an oil pipeline to its largest trading partner.

The slave owner chastising you for wearing white after Labor Day.

Chinas myriad of human rights abuses run the gamut from the persecution of the media and lack of a free press to crackdowns on human rights in Hong Kong to nationwide censorship to forced sterilization to political imprisonmentthe list is seemingly without end. It is the systematic abuse of a brutal regime. The Biden Administration and the Governor of Minnesota should rip up that letter. On TikTok so the Chinese are sure to see it.

And if the UN had any credibility left, it would assume Yanduan Li from China is as much a threat to human rights as the country she represents. But they wont. Its the same UN meeting with The Taliban while they are murdering women police officers. Its the same UN telling you to go green as it books celebrity entertainers for a week-long junket in Scotland.

Energy is a critical resource and sadly has been the source of countless wars and acts of violence. America has many energy enemies: Russia, Iran, Venezuela, Iraq. Its sad to now have to count the UN on that list. And even sadder to know were paying for all of it.

Now is the time for the Biden Administration to see American energy independence as more critical than ever before.

Daniel Turner is the founder and executive director of Power The Future, a national nonprofit organization that advocates for American energy jobs. Contact him at daniel@powerthefuture.com and follow him on Twitter @DanielTurnerPTF
If theres one thing the Left knows cold, its deception. From Vladimir Lenin to Saul Alinsky, leftists are unparalleled masters of the art of victory through hoodwinking: Defeating opponents by fooling them into false agreement.

Owning the battlefield in this war starts with controlling the language. Weve seen this play out in the debate over abortion access, with pro-choice activists redefining pro-life to mean anything but the conviction that life begins at conceptionand swindling unwitting Christians into their ranks.

Now its spreading to the debate over climate change, with environmental activists claiming theres nothing partisan about their one-sided campaign to fundamentally transform America. Radicals, socialists, and authoritarians know that global warming offers them the best chance to weaponize Big Government and dictate where Americans live and work, what they drive, eat, and buy, and even what beliefs theyre allowed to holdall through fear.

Truth-loving skeptics are all that stand in their way. So what better way to defeat them than by undermining the skeptics unity with false promises?

Meet the eco-Right, the collection of lobbying, litigation, and activist nonprofits that identify themselves as free market yet who have bought the Lefts argument that the Earth is getting dangerously hot and were to blame. Groups like ClearPath, Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions, and the Climate Leadership Council disagree over specific policiessome want a devastating carbon tax to reduce emissions, others want federal subsidies for expensive lithium batteriesbut all want skeptical Republicans to compromise with uncompromising leftists on their global warming policies.

By doing so they threaten to undermine both affordable energy in America and the future of the conservative movementwhich is why theyre often funded by the likes of George Soros as well as the Ford and Hewlett Foundations.

My colleagues and I at the Capital Research Center first broke the news on the secret liberal mega-donors bankrolling the eco-Right in order to rebrand radical environmentalism as conservative. Our new report, Rise of the Eco-Right, compiles years of research and investigative reporting to expose the funders, leadership, and lobbying of the eco-Right, exposing a web of overlapping boards and shared donors in service to a destructive and cynical agenda.

Weve studied the professional Left for decades and are all too familiar with activists use of deception and misdirection to camouflage their agenda to the casual glance. Unlike Activism Inc., we believe that Americans should be free from fearmongering to listen to arguments from both sides and come to their own conclusions in the global warming debate. Rise of the Eco-Right aims to make it clear that climate-conscious conservatives cannot compromise with the Left because activists arent interested in anything less than a green socialist revolution.

Dont take my word for itthats the crux of an open letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) signed by 263 activist groups in November 2019, urging Congress to pass the Green New Dealarguably the most sweeping legislation ever proposed in Americato combat increasing income/wealth inequality and rising white nationalism and neo-fascism in America.

Todays environmentalists are more interested in environmental racism and restitution for Black and Indigenous farmers than the environment, and theyre no longer hiding it behind the fig leaf of saving the planet from greenhouse gases.

Recall the explanation that Green New Deal author Saikat Chakrabartis gave to the Washington Post: Do you guys think of [the Green New Deal] as a climate thing? Because we really think of it as a how-do-you-change-the-entire-economy thing.

Heres the bottom line: carbon taxes, green tech subsidies, and greenhouse gas pledges will never be enough for Big Green because the debate isnt really about those things, but power. Activists know this, which is why theyve abandoned these market-friendly proposals for the ultimate prize: the utopia of socialized medicine, federal jobs for everyone, slavery reparations, and more.

The eco-Right offers the Left a backdoor for the kind of statist policies that conservatives would never supportif they werent falsely labeled. Its a sirens song that promises free market answers to climate change but will only result in tyranny. Conservatives, you have nothing to gain and everything to lose by listening to the eco-Rightso dont give up the ship.

Hayden Ludwig is a senior investigative researcher at the Capital Research Center in Washington, DC.
The beleaguered middle class, especially those of the suburbs, for the most part did not join rioting radicalized youths and inner-city minorities in the violence, looting, and destruction, even as their businesses were often targeted, and jobs lost. Some small stores that had somehow endured the two months of shutdowns, did not survive the flames and break-ins that devoured entire city blocks from Santa Monica to Minneapolis. It was also no accident that many of the nations wealthiest, from enclaves in Malibu, Silicon Valley, and Manhattan, played the Jacobin role among the French aristocracy, and so cheered on the violent protests, assured that they were exempt from the violent ramifications of their own ideology.
The following is Part 3 of my interview with former President Donald Trump, in which he discusses whether hell run for the White House again in 2024 and his possible rationale for doing so.

To read Parts 1 and 2 of the interview, click here and here.

When I sat down with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago last week, my plan was to wait until the very end to ask him about running for president again. But before hed even taken his seat, Trump was touting his 2024 poll numbers.

In nearly every interview hes done since he left office on Jan. 20, Trump has been asked whether hell run again. Each time he has hinted and hedged, teased and toyed with his answer, saying only that his supporters would be very happy with his decision. I decided to ask the question a different way.

Given your dominance in Republican primary polls, and given that President Bidens approval ratings have fallen to 45% nationally and 31% in Iowa and 39% in Michigan, I asked, why wouldnt you run?

Trump parried with a noncommittal answer. I love the country, and I hate what happened, he said, adding that since he left office things have gone to hell. Its been a terrible time.

With that, the former president was off and running, lamenting what had taken place in Afghanistan, which led to a lengthy detour. A bit later, however, I gave it another try. So, I said, I know you might do it, but give me one reason you might not do it.

This time, Trump was somewhat more direct, and a tad fatalistic. Well, one reason could be your health. You get a call from your doctor and thats the end of that, he said. That stuff happens; you hope it doesnt. I just had a medical, just had great result. You never know, there are many things can happen; politics is a crazy world. It is a big commitment of you, your children, your wife and your family.

Trump couldnt resist delivering his standard line that people will be very happy with my decision, adding that his new slogan is Make America Great Again, Again.

If Trump still has some doubts about 2024, during the 90-minute interview he expressed no doubts whatsoever about 2020.

I feel very strongly that the election was rigged, he said. I dont feel like I couldve lost Georgia, Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and I just needed a couple of them.

The issue of the fairness of the election has become the third rail of American politics. Among Trump and a good chunk of his supporters, there is a sincere belief that Democrats took advantage of pandemic-induced rule changes like universal mail-in ballots, ballot harvesting, drop boxes, etc., to corrupt the system enough to allow Biden to eke out victories in key battleground states. To Democrats and most of the media, it strains credulity that Trump could really believe such a thing. They dismiss these claims as The Big Lie, citing a host of lawsuits and recounts that have produced no evidence of fraud on anything approaching the scale necessary to have changed the outcome of the 2020 election.

Yet Trump still cannot get past a singular idea: that he could have done so much better in 2020 than in 2016, winning nearly 12 million more votes nationwide than he tallied four years earlier, and still lose the election.

You win South Carolina big, Alabama by record numbers, then you lose Georgia? he told me. Doesnt happen.

Trump also mentioned his victories in traditional bellwether states like Ohio and especially Florida where he garnered over a million more votes in 2020 than he did in 2016, nearly tripling his margin of victory from 1.2% to 3.3%. So many of those metrics that, when you add them all up, it gives very little chance to the other side, Trump said.

Trump related that, before the election, Republican pollster John McLaughlin told him if he was able to win 64 million votes in 2020, improving on his 2016 total by just 1 million votes, he would win.

I got 75 million votes and lost, Trump said, before catching himself and adding, Supposedly lost. I didnt lose. You know, Ive never conceded. Its okay for Stacey Abrams to not concede, but if I dont concede

Adding to Trumps skepticism about the accuracy of the election returns was what he experienced on the campaign trail, where he perceived a massive enthusiasm gap in his favor.

Dont forget when Biden went out, he couldnt fill his eight circles. They had to use the press to fill the circles because nobody was there, Trump said. And I go out and Ill get 40,000 or 50,000 people, and then I hear I lost the state? Its just not possible.

Trumps continuing claim that the 2020 election was rigged now presents him, and his party, with a quandary. According to a recent NPR/Marist survey, only one-fourth of Trumps 2020 voters express a great deal or a good amount of trust that elections are fair. On the other hand, 72% of Trump voters have not much trust or none at all in the fairness of elections.

Republicans have embarked on a series of legislative measures in state capitals that they insist will restore Americans faith in the electoral system and which Democrats and sympathetic journalists have attacked as everything from Jim Crow 2.0 to the greatest constitutional crisis since the Civil War. No one needs to guess where Trump comes down: He takes credit for leading the GOP push on voting procedures. Georgia has a bill, Texas has a bill. Some are stronger than others, he said. Thats one of the good things that I have done by being vocal about this.

Some in his party disagree and wish Trump would stop trying to relitigate the outcome of the 2020 election. Instead, they want him to look ahead and help Republicans win back majorities in the House and Senate in 2022. Trump thinks this is backwards.

The 2020 election fraud is the biggest and its most energizing issue within the Republican Party, Trump said, and a large percentage of elected Republican leaders, including Congress, dont understand that.

So far, Trump has a better track record of understanding what rank-and-file Republican voters want than the pundits and politicians in Washington, D.C. Whether he decides to run in 2024 or not, rest assured he will not stop talking about 2020 and the importance of election integrity.

I used to say you cant have a country without borders, Trump said. But these days he adds a qualifier. You also cannot have country with a corrupt election process. And we have a very corrupt election process.
Community members gather at Brattleboro Union High School to show their support for the school in a circle of love on Friday, Oct. 8, 2021, after graffiti threats were discovered in the school earlier in the week.
TORRINGTON  The idea is to highlight the power of collaboration between the students of Torrington High School and the city.

To that end, a launch party for students involved in URock! an art, music and writing program, is set for Oct. 8 at the Noelke Gallery and Howard Bookstore, in the Howard Building at 25 Main St. .

Creative Community/Creative Economies is the theme of the party, and it will have music and raffles from Revolution Records, an interactive art project with artist Peter Cusack, live bands, student writing, student art, food from Tequannas Soul Food and Sweets and Toothpick restaurants, and an open mic, according to organizers.

URock! Director Peter DiGennaro said he brought the after-school program to Torrington High School in 2019 as a way to connect students to other parts of the community, using art and music as well as helping local businesses. When the pandemic shut down the state in 2019, the program continued, with students meeting online. They recorded a song about the pandemic, One Day, sharing their thoughts about COVID-19, and exploring other facets of Gennaros platform for URock!

URock! celebrates diversity, and community, but theres a whole other side to what were doing here, DiGennaro said. Kids have have to adjust to the trauma of being isolated from their friends and the outside world in general, that they experienced during the past year.

Its important for these kids not to feel ashamed of who they are or what theyre going through, he said.

DiGennaro is a human rights and music educator, and has spent his career helping young people connect with themselves and their community. His programs aim to combine education with creative projects the students develop , with a goal of building their own self-pride while helping others.

Revolution Records, a music store that opened in 2019, is a good example of this type of project, he said.

Revolutions owner, John DiBella, is a great guy, DiGennaro said. Were developing an earn-while-you-learn internship, where the students will work with John to promote his business. Hell be here at the launch party, cranking the tunes. Its a way to tell more people about his store, which has a great collection, and hes bringing records to play and T-shirts to give away.

Some of the students involved in URock! are in the high schools English as a Second Language program. Theyll be playing music from the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico ... , DiGennaro said.

Talia Ellis, a THS student who recently won a poetry award from ASAP!, the Washington-based education program, is scheduled to give a reading, and others have been invited.

Im excited to open the doors of Howards Bookstore for this event, John Noelke said. I look forward to many more events.

The activities planned for the party are things the students themselves want to do, DiGennaro said. Teens always say theres nothing to do in Torrington, DiGennaro said. I say, then do it. Do what you want. Teens need to be at the center of these plans. Its amazing how much wisdom and intelligence they have.

DiGennaros work as a human rights and music educator is fueled by his own experiences as a teen, growing up in Waterbury. Im aware of the history of the Brass Valley, where theres inter-generational trauma, he said, caused by racism and other abuses. That trauma persists through the generations of a family, but it doesnt have to.

Economic and social disparity, he said, can result in violent crime. So that response gets passed on to the next generation of kids, and their kids ... It takes time to eradicate that. Its not just poverty, but shame, hopelessness, and those things take time to change. A creative communication outlet helps them rise above it.

We also need to understand what healthy and fun is, and celebrate our right to have fun, he said.

To learn more about URock! and the launch party on Oct. 8, visit https://anewheroism.wixsite.com/urockths Email anewheroism@gmail.com with any questions.
BOSSIER CITY, La. (AP)  Jonathan Lindsay only met his fiance Melissa Linns grandfather a few times before he died. However, when Ted Gates passed away last May, Lindsay knew he wanted to do something to bring comfort to the family that he was about to join. He was just not sure how to do it.

I know how much he meant to the family and I wanted to carry that memory on, he recounted.

Lindsays friend Bill Wood knew a great way to help the family pay tribute to their loved one.

Wood had volunteered his time to make wooden benches for the Red River National Wildlife Refuge. The Adopt-a-Bench program is part of their fundraising efforts.

Its a win-win, said Zac Burson, president of the Friends of the Red River National Wildlife Refuge. The $100 donation helps fund programs provided at the refuge and gives a way to memorialize people, especially those who loved nature explained Burson, It gives people a memorial that they can continue to enjoy.

When Gates widow, Norma Fae Gates, first saw the bench she was moved to tears. A double rainbow was in the sky when she sat on the bench the bore the name of her husband of 72 years. I dont know why, but when I sit here I feel closer to daddy than anywhere else.

For Melissa Linn, she likes seeing her grandmother sitting at the refugee instead of the graveyard. This is more like life. It is heavenly, peaceful and keeps him close to her.

The Red River Refuge consists of four tracts stretching along the Red River from Bossier City to Cloutierville. In October 2000, the RRNWR Act was signed into law authorizing up to 50,000 acres for the northwest Louisiana system as funds are available. The refuge currently has 15,022 acres.

The Headquarters Unit and Visitor Center of Red River National Wildlife Refuge is located along the Arthur Teague Parkway south of the Jimmie Davis 70th Street Bridge in Bossier City.

In addition to the visitors center, which includes offices for the rangers, a store, operated by the Friends of the Red River Refuge, a large meeting room and displays, Lake Caroline is one of the highlights of the Bossier site. It serves as a backdrop for the center and as a harborage for wintering waterfowl. Fishing is allowed for much of the year with non-motorized boats and there is a free boat ramp. Caroline is used for canoeing outings during special events at the refuge.

A wide variety of animals call the four tracts home and the rangers constantly seek ways to create more substantial habitat for the abundant white-tail deer, raccoon, possum, skunk, river otter, beaver, mink, nutria, fox, coyote and bobcats.
India is making swift developments in the battle against COVID-19, with over 90 crore people vaccinated & a significant reduction in the daily COVID cases. The country is looking forward positively towards reducing the dangers of the disease.

The stringent COVID restrictions have been relaxed, months after the ferocious second wave of COVID-19 had hit India, but the experts suggest that it is no time to get complacent as the battle has not been won yet and COVID can still hit us back.

Asserting the need to be cautious against COVID-19 spread, Dr Navneet Wig, Chief of the COVID Task Force in AIIMS Delhi, said that the war against COVID is still not over yet and people are still vulnerable.

While speaking with ANI, Dr Wig said, "We have to go far ahead of 100 crores and have to make everybody double vaccinated. So this is our aim and we are moving ahead, but we have to move faster and ensure that everybody gets the second dose as well. And that is how we are going to win this war. It is not an easy war still, we cannot be overconfident, we have to be a little underconfident so that we don't lower our guard and take all precautions.

He highlighted that there are over five states that have a positivity rate of more than 10% and the numbers can rise further if we dont act wisely. "It is not easy. Many countries are still fighting battles. So we have to be very cautious as this can come back with a vengeance," he stated.

COVID task force chief went on to say that until two weeks following Diwali, people should be particularly cautious because acute febrile sickness is widespread.

"Dengue fever, scrub typhus, typhoid fever, and other airborne infections are all being reported. As a result, determining whether it is COVID, flu, dengue, typhoid fever, or viral hepatitis is extremely challenging for clinicians. So, until the festival season, please take it easy, wear your mask, and avoid social events " Dr. Navneet Wig explained.

COVID-19 situation in India

In the last 24 hours, India has recorded 24,354 cases and 234 deaths. The Health Ministry told the press that Kerala accounted for 59.66% of all COVID cases reported last week, with over 1 lakh active cases in the state. Eighteen districts have a weekly COVID positivity rate of 5-10%, while 30 districts have a weekly positivity rate of more than 10%, according to the Health Ministry.

With ANI Inputs

Image: PTI
Colombo, Oct 2 (PTI) Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Saturday began his four-day visit to Sri Lanka during which he will meet the top leadership, including President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, and review the bilateral ties between India and the island nation.

Shringla was received at the airport by his Sri Lankan counterpart Jayanath Colombage. He arrived on Saturday at the invitation of his Lankan counterpart Jayanath Colombage, the foreign ministry said on Saturday.

The visit will contribute towards the long-standing multi-faceted relations and enhance bilateral partnership between the two countries, the ministry said in a press release.

Shringla will also visit the central district of Kandy, the eastern port district of Trincomalee and the northern city of Jaffna. This is his first Lanka visit after assuming the position of foreign secretary in January last year.

President Rajapaksa, who was in the US for the UN General assembly sessions, will return to the country on Monday, officials here said, adding that his meeting with Shringla will happen as planned.

The visit of Shringla will provide an opportunity to review bilateral ties, the progress of ongoing bilateral projects and ongoing cooperation to tackle Covid related disruptions, the Indian High Commission here said on Friday.

His visit came days after Ahmedabad-headquartered Indian multinational conglomerate Adani Group entered into an agreement with Lanka government-owned Port Authority to develop the Colombo Ports West International Container Terminal.

The USD 700 million Build-Operate-Transfer deal is the largest foreign investment ever in the port sector of the island nation, the Lankan government has said.

Announcing Shringla's visit, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday said Lanka occupies a central place in India's 'Neighbourhood First' policy and Shringla's visit signifies the importance both the countries attach to strengthening their close and cordial relations in all spheres of mutual interest.

His visit is taking place at a time when Lanka is reeling under economic hardships and he is likely to assess whether India could extend any assistance to the island nation to tide over the situation.

It is learnt that matters relating to the building of the western container terminal at the Colombo port are also likely to figure during the foreign secretary's visit to the neighbouring country.

In his talks in Colombo, Shringla is also expected to reiterate India's views on the long-pending Tamil issue.

India has been consistently calling upon Sri Lanka to fulfil its commitments to protect the interests of the Tamil community and preserve the island nation's character as a multi-ethnic and multi-religious society.

The Tamil community in Sri Lanka has been demanding the implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution that provides for devolution of power to it. The 13th amendment was brought in after the Indo-Sri Lankan agreement of 1987. PTI CORR SCY AKJ MRJ

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla began his visit to Sri Lanka on Sunday by seeking blessings at Sri Dalada Maligawa temple in Kandy city. The Foreign Secretary was received by the chief custodian of the temple, Diyawadana Nilame. The High Commission of India in Sri Lanka said in a tweet, "Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla begins his visit by seeking blessings at Sri Dalada Maligawa. He was received warmly by Hon'ble Diyawadana Nilame of the temple."

Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla landed in Sri Lanka's capital Colombo on Saturday. He is on a four-day visit to the nation. Jayanath Colombage and Gopal Bagley, Sri Lanka's Foreign Secretary and High Commissioner of India in Sri Lanka respectively received Shringla upon his arrival in Colombo. The Ministry of External Affairs issued a statement on Friday saying, Sri Lanka occupies a central place in India's 'Neighbourhood First' policy and Foreign Secretary's visit signifies the importance both countries attach to strengthening their close and cordial relations in all spheres of mutual interest. As per the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry, Foreign Secretary Shringla will also have a meeting with Sri Lankan President Gatobaya Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and Foreign Minister GL Peiris. Earlier during the day, Indian Army Mitra Shakti was also received by the Sri Lankan Army and High Command at the airport.

Indias support to Sri Lanka

The visit by the Foreign Secretary will provide an opportunity for the two countries to review their bilateral ties and the progress of several projects. The two countries also decided to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic together and help each other in whichever way possible. Earlier this year, India supplied COVID-19 vaccines to Sri Lanka under the Neighbourhood First policy. Under the same police, India also sent vaccines to other neighbouring countries like Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Myanmar, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

(with ANI inputs)

Image: ANI
On Saturday, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Manoj Sinha inaugurated a retreat ceremony in Suchetgarh village along the Indo-Pakistan international border. The event was held in the RS Pura Sector. Giriraj Singh, Union Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, and hundreds of tourists and local residents joined the ceremony.

Inaugurating the retreat ceremony, L-G Manoj Sinha said that it reflected the great legacy and valour of the Border Security Force, India's first line of defence. He went on to say that the BSF has now made a new beginning that ensures a massive push to J&K tourism while putting Suchetgarh on the global tourism map. Sinha also remembered late Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri on the auspicious occasion of the birth anniversaries.

On 2 Oct 2021 Sh Manoj Sinha,Honble Lt. Governor,UT of J&K Inaugurated the Retreat Ceremony at BOP Octroi,in presence of Sh Giri Raj singh,Minister of Rural development and Panchayat Raj,Sh NS Jamwal, ADG,FTR @bsf_jammu & other Civil Dignitaries and BSF officers & men@BSF_India pic.twitter.com/Bjm05iwdep  BSF JAMMU (@bsf_jammu) October 2, 2021

Addressing the audience gathered, Manoj Sinha said, "Our great nation believes in peaceful coexistence. Security forces are vigilantly protecting India's territorial integrity, effectively countering the nefarious conspiracies of the neighbouring country. The initiative of the Border Security Force will give a push to tourism in the UT and put Suchetgarh on the global tourism map." He went on to add that the ceremony on the lines of Amritsar's Wagah Border reflected legacy.

L-G lauds BSF's role in J&K tourism expansion

"I firmly believe that the expansion of the tourism industry to Suchetgarh will add prosperity to the region ushering in a new era of development. I also thank the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Department for contributing to this initiative of national importance," the L-G added. "While the nation is celebrating the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, we must remember all the martyrs who sacrificed their lives to protect the integrity and sovereignty of the country," Sinha said paying homage to the security forces.

The L-G further pushed the BSF for their duty and commitment towards the nation. He also added that their efforts were changing the region for the better. "The spirit with which our Border Security Force is guarding our border and protecting every inch of the land by putting their lives at stake, with the same spirit, Jammu and Kashmir government is making untiring efforts for inclusive growth and development of the Union Territory and transforming the lives of the people", Sinha said.

Image: Twitter
Amid attempts to give a communal colour to the protests in Lakshadweep, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh asserted that the patriotism of the Muslims living there can't be questioned. Singh was addressing a gathering on Saturday after unveiling the first public statue in the Union Territory- that of Mahatma Gandhi on his 152nd birth anniversary. Maintaining that the people of Lakshadweep have always followed the path of Gandhi, he rubbished the notion that the BJP government is against minorities. On this occasion, he announced the Centre's intention to make the Union Territory another Maldives.

Speaking in Kavaratti, Union Minister Rajnath Singh remarked, "No one can dare to test the patriotism of Muslims of Lakshadweep. I have come to Lakshadweep even before. As a Home Minister, we had information from Intelligence and IB. No one can put a question mark on the patriotism of the people of Lakshadweep."

The former BJP president's remarks assume significance at a juncture when Kerala BJP president K Surendran alleged the involvement of "radical Islamist organizations" in the protests. Moreover, he claimed that the opposition parties were trying to project Lakshadweep as an entity separate from India. Similarly, BJP's Lakshadweep in-charge AP Abdullakutty accused "Muslim fanatics" of Kerala of trying to foment trouble in the Union Territory.

Mahatma Gandhis statue is being unveiled today in Kavaratti. Speaking on this momentous occasion. https://t.co/kFkdlYtiqK  Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) October 2, 2021

Protests against Lakshadweep administrator

Multiple opposition parties including Congress, NCP, Makkal Needhi Maiam and CPI(M) have joined hands in seeking the recall of the Lakshadweep Administrator for his purported "anti-people" policies. A BJP leader, Praful Khoda Patel took charge in December 2020, thus becoming the first person from a non-civil service background to be appointed to this post. Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has assured that all their concerns will be addressed.

The opposition has expressed his concerns:
In a fresh development, the Gauhati High Court granted bail to a person accused of lauding the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan. A single-judge bench of Justice Hitesh Kumar Sarma was hearing a bail petition filed by Maqbool Alam who was arrested in connection with the FIR filed under Sections 120(B),153 A(1)(a) and (c), 298, 505(1)(b)(c), 505(2) of the IPC, Section 66 of IT Act and Section 39 of the UAPA. After perusing the Facebook posts in which Alam praised the terrorist group, the court concluded that his further custodial investigation is not required.

The HC stated that the accused will have to submit a bail bond of Rs.10,000 with one surety of the like amount to the satisfaction of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Kamrup. Moreover, he cannot leave the territorial jurisdiction of the court without written permission. The court also ordered that Alam shall not hamper with the investigation, tamper with the evidence or make any inducement, threat or promise to any person acquainted with the facts of the case.

The Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan

After the Taliban stormed into Kabul on August 15, Afghanistan president Ashraf Ghani resigned and fled the country with his associates. Since then, several persons have lost their lives in the chaos at the Hamid Karzai International Airport with thousands of people desperately trying to flee the country. This includes the death of at least 169 Afghans, 11 US Marines, a US Navy sailor, and a US Army soldier in a suicide bombing at the Abbey Gate of the Kabul airport on August 26. This led to US airstrikes on terrorists belonging to ISIS-K which claimed responsibility for this attack.

On August 31, the Taliban gained control of the Kabul airport after the last batch of US troops left Afghanistan. Though the Taliban promised to form an "inclusive" government to run Afghanistan, it announced a caretaker Cabinet that neither has women nor mainstream politicians from previous regimes. While Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, the chief of the Taliban's Rehbari Shura, is the new Prime Minister, he has two deputies in Mullah Baradar and Mawlavi Hanafi. So far, the terror outfit's rule has been marked by repression of women's rights, restrictions on media, economic crisis and atrocities on Panjshir residents.
Two watchmen of a housing society were arrested for allegedly stealing jewellery worth Rs 25 lakh from a flat at Vashi in Navi Mumbai, police said on Sunday.

Police recovered stolen jewellery and cash worth Rs 21 lakh from the duo, identified as Navin Vishwakarma (31) and Kami Gore (36) who hailed from Nepal, a senior officer said.

The accused had shut the CCTV cameras on Friday and burgled a flat while its occupants were away, he said, adding that two more persons were involved in the theft.

The duo had been booked in six cases in the past and convicted in two of them, the officer said.

They were planning to flee to Nepal but were arrested before they could do so, he added.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted searches at nine different places in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday while probing a large-scale transfer of funds from Pakistan to India through the import of California Almonds (badam giri) across the Line of Control (LOC) trade routes. NIA teamed up with Jammu and Kashmir Police, Central Reserve Police Force and Indo-Tibetan Border Police and raided suspected safe houses at the Poonch district. The NIA has confiscated several documents, digital devices and other incriminating materials during the raid.

Import of California Almonds was done through cross-LoC Trade Facilitation Centers (TFCs) located at Salamabad and Uri in Baramulla district and Chakkan-Da-Bagh in Poonch district. The NIA filed an FIR on December 16, 2016, and began the probe after a new order by the Home Ministry. The NIA found several violations of the trade policy, especially the prohibition of trade in 'third-party foreign goods' through this mechanism. The NIA later investigated and found out that these funds were diverted for possible terrorist and separatist activities in Jammu and Kashmir. Therefore, the NIA registered the case under Section 17 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

NIAs vigorous investigation

The Central government had received information about the illegal trade and immediately began the investigation. The LoC trade began in 2008 to build ties between Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK). The trade was only based on a barter system, and the third-party origin goods were banned from the trading system. Earlier in 2017, the NIA interrogated government employees at TFC; however, the NIA officials did not disclose the interrogation findings. The NIA has information that a part of the profits is diverted to fund militancy in the valley. The NIA also found that some traders sent their surplus profit to various terror organisations, while many other traders are suspected of having direct links and connections with proscribed terrorist organizations. It was the first time when the role of TFC employees came in terror funding case as these centres are government-built facilities that overlook trade logistics between two countries. The TFC's located at Salamabad, Uri, and Chakkan-da-Bagh are among the facilities under the NIA scanner.

(with ANI inputs)

Image: PTI
If you are someone who loves to watch the chemistry of celestial bodies in outer space, then the latest post shared by NASA Hubble will surely leave you amused. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has posted a short video clip of "space sound". The post shared by the US space agency has given people a wonderful chance to witness the stars and galaxies in a better way. The mesmerising post shared by NASA plays soothing music from the Milky Way's center, which scientists claim is "cosmic music". Explaining about the Blue Planet and the music NASA wrote, "Celebrate #InternationalMusicDay by exploring sonification. Scientists interpret data from images by representing them in sound, creating some beautiful cosmic music!". They further said, "This sonification of the Milky Way's center combines data from the Hubble Space Telescope, the Spitzer Space Telescope".

NASA shares sounds from Milky Way's center; netizens mesmerized

The scientist also described that the shining light on the top of the picture is a high pitch sound and claims that the intensity of lights in the Milky Way regulates the sound volume. Scientists wrote, "The light of objects located towards the top of the image is pitched higher, while the intensity of the light controls the volume. Stars and compact sources are converted into individual notes, while extended clouds of gas and dust produce an evolving drone," they added.

The post has garnered 1.8 lakh views since it went online, along with a flood of comments. Whoever came across the post expressed their opinion after hearing the sound. One Instagram user said, "Divine sounds". The second person's comment read "Beautiful". "Wow," wrote a third guy. Many dropped heart emoticon while some appreciated NASA's effort of sharing these rare phenomena.

Image: Instagram/@Nasahubble
Head of Algerian state-owned oil firm Sonatrach, Toufik Hakkar, announced on Monday that the technical layout for the construction of trans-Saharan gas pipeline Medgaz running through West Africa, supplying northern Nigeria and Niger had completed. The route for the gas pipeline was also decided as the company was now preparing to negotiate talks with Nigeria, Algerian daily El-Jazair reported, citing remarks made by Hakkar with National Radio Channel One. EGPDF pipeline, which links to the international Medgaz pipeline that will transport natural gas from Algeria to Europe was inaugurated by the Algerian Minister of Energy and Mines Mohamed Arkab in May this year.

The ambitious project of gas pipeline transiting the Sahara Desert was proposed in the 1970s but had stalled due to opposition by environmentalists preserving the Niger River delta and terror threats from the militant groups that warned an attack on pipeline crew, according to Sputnik. If completed, the pipeline will serve as a major gas source to Nigeria and the markets in Europe, via Algeria. Announcing the plans for implementation of the technical aspects of the pipeline projects, Harrar said that the decision to launch such an investment would depend heavily on the price of the gas it would carry, noting that since 2010, the price had fallen from 10 dollars per thermal unit to less than $1 in 2020.

New impetus to Nigeria-Algeria relations

Algerias minister of energy and mines Arkab was quoted as saying by Sputnik that the Algiers will focus their special attention on the rapid completion of the ambitious project which will give a new impetus to the relations between our two countries in terms of technical cooperation and capacity strengthening. Algeria reportedly aims to ramp up its gas capacity from 8.2 billion cubic meters a year (Bcm/y) to 10.2Bcm/y. Algerias Sonatrach became the majority shareholder after it acquired a 19.10 per cent stake in the project from Spanish engineering company Cepsa, according to Algerian press reports.

"This project will have important social and economic results in the transit countries, within the framework of environmental protection and sustainable development, Arkab said, as translated by Sputnik.

Abuja although has deterred from the display of enthusiasm about the construction of the gas pipeline, saying that it would be virtually impossible to guarantee the construction of the gas pipeline as it passes through Daesh and Al-Qaeda stronghold territories not under the control of the Nigerian government that has had little success in countering threats from Boko Haram. Additionally, Abuja argued that the undersea gas line would have to run off the African coast to Morocco. While Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari was quoted saying by Sputnik that he had conveyed to the Moroccan King Mohammed VI about the project launch for as soon as possible, the project could end in limbo. Chief operating officer, Yusuf Usman, of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), told Nigerian Newsdirect that the firm was ready to make investments to kick start the constructions.

Image: Unsplash/@selimarda (Representative Image)
Algeria on Saturday, 2 October, recalled its ambassador to France for consultation over controversial statements of French President Emmanuel Macron on Algerian politics and history. In a Twitter statement, the Presidents office called Macrons statement irresponsible and further informed that Algeria has decided to immediately summon its ambassador in Paris, Mohamed Antar-Daoud, for consultations. It also claimed that the French Presidents remarks were harmful to Algerian martyrs who fought for independence from France.

In the face of this unacceptable situation that these irresponsible statements left behind, the President of the Republic decided to immediately summon Algeria's ambassador to the French Republic for consultations, the statement read.

#

   :



                       .  Algerian Presidency    (@AlgPresidency) October 2, 2021

In a separate tweet, the Algerian Presidency said no one or anything can forgive the colonial forces and their crimes, especially the October 17 massacres in Paris. It even added that following Macrons remarks, Algeria expresses its categorical rejection of inadmissible interference in its internal affairs. It went on to slam Frances countless colonial crimes in Algeria that correspond to genocide and crimes against humanity. The Algerian Presidency added that these crimes should not be the subject of manipulation of facts and interpretations that lessen their ugliness.

Visa spat between France and N African nations

Meanwhile, French media outlet Le Monde had quoted Macron as saying that Algeria was ruled by a political-military system. He had said that the former French colony has an official history which has been totally re-written. He even said this history was not based on truths but on a discourse of hatred toward France.

This comes amid a visa spat that also involves Morocco and Tunisia. Earlier this week, the Algerian authorities summoned the French ambassador Francois Goyette 'to notify him of a formal protest following the unilateral decision of the French Government. The decision came amidst the fray between the French government and the North African nations over the latter's refusal to grant consular passes to accept some of their own nationals. The announcement made by France's government spokesperson Gabriel Attal has drawn much angst from the citizens of the countries mentioned above and their respective admins.

Image: AP
The German media has reported that the European Union is considering sending a military training mission to Ukraine after the eastern European country requested an ally military presence on its border with Russia. The Welt am Sonntag newspaper obtained a copy of an EU working document that indicates an EU Military Advisory and Training Mission Ukraine for Ukrainian commanders.

Russia's ongoing military activities, according to the secret memo, justify sending military personnel to Ukraine. In a letter submitted to EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell in July, Ukrainian foreign and defence ministers reportedly requested the training programme. Ukraine and its Western allies claimed that Russia gathered soldiers on its western border in the spring to attack Ukraine. In April, a Russian presidential spokesman stated that Russia was free to transfer military soldiers wherever it pleased within its boundaries.

Ukraine demands penalties on Russia's gas export monopoly

Ukraine demanded Friday that Germany and the US put penalties on Russia's gas export monopoly, Gazprom, for a contentious arrangement with Hungary that resulted in the loss of transit capacity for Kyiv. This week's pact, which will provide 4.5 billion cubic metres of Russian natural gas to Hungary per year through non-Ukrainian transit lines until 2036, was slammed as "political" by Kyiv, according to Aqarat See News.

Yuri Vitrenko, the CEO of Ukraine's pipeline operator Naftogaz accused Gazprom of using gas exports as a weapon, saying the Hungary contract clearly reveals Russia's goal after the Nord Stream 2 pipeline traverses Ukraine to carry the gas to Germany, according to Aqarat See News. He said that a joint statement from the US and Germany implies that if the Kremlin uses gas as a weapon, there should be an appropriate response, referring to a July accord between the US and Germany that threatened Russia with sanctions and extended gas transit through Ukraine.

Ukraine is seeking deeper connections with the West

Ukraine, which is not a member of NATO, is seeking deeper connections with the West and its forces to aid it in its struggle against Kremlin-backed separatists in the east of the country, which has claimed the lives of more than 13,200 people, according to Radio Free Europe. Just before the outbreak of the conflict, Russia captured and annexed Ukraine's the Crimean Peninsula.

(Inputs from ANI)

Image: AP
On October 3, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that he was willing to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin face to face.

"We're prepared for such a meeting, and I believe that meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin is the proper thing to do. We might have a very in-depth face-to-face conversation," he said at a press conference, Sputnik reported.

President Zelensky claimed that Putin's team did not want them to meet one-on-one for fear of an 'unexpected result' from the meeting. However, he expected it to be successful.

According to Sputnik, in response to the possibility of a four-way conference between the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, Germany, and France, Zelensky stated that he was, in principle, open to the idea.

Any conference at this level, according to the president, would aid Ukraine in dealing with the Donbass tragedy and the Crimea issue. He further stated that he is convinced that this conference could be accelerated if Ukraine decided not to raise certain problems. However, he also conceded that the country cannot afford to do so at this time.

Russia-Ukraine conflict

The conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which has previously been referred to as "undeclared war," has spanned over seven years and claimed the lives of thousands of people. It began when Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014, a move that numerous Western governments have refused to acknowledge.

Later, the battle extended to Ukraine's east, where Moscow backs pro-Russian separatists in the Donbass region, with more troops (an estimated 10,000) massing near the border. The violence in eastern Ukraine has claimed the lives of 14,000 people since 2014.

(With inputs from Sputnik)

Image: AP
World Health Organization will deliver the COVID-19 shots under its COVAX initiative only to the countries with the lowest levels of vaccine coverage, the global health agency said on October 1. The decision was reached as the WHO designed a new global scheme to ensure vaccine equity and fair distribution to cement the gap between the vaccine hoarding nations, and those that were undersupplied. In January, under the COVAX program, WHO planned to deliver the coronavirus vaccine doses to 140-plus beneficiaries, but as some low income developing nations have already procured enough shots or achieved their vaccination targets, the agency will now focus on deliveries to the least supplies countries of the world.

For the October supply we designed a different methodology, only covering participants with low sources of supply, Mariangela Simao, WHO Assistant Director-General for Access to Vaccines, said in a recording of a conference presentation last week posted on the WHOs website.

The world missed the target set by WHO of vaccinating % of all people in all countries by the end of September.



Vaccinating the  equitably is a moral, epidemiological, and economic necessity. #VaccinEquity pic.twitter.com/x9eaUxjUmy  World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) October 1, 2021

Less than 20% population vaccinated in low-income nations

WHOs decision to re-strategise the jab delivery comes just 15 months after the launch of COVAX. Simao backed her statements from the WHO data on the presentation as she said that more than 90 under or low developed nations that were poor had managed to inoculate less than 20 per cent population, while the wealthier nations, who have hit 70 per cent coverage, continue to stock the vaccine for the third booster shots. Under the WHOs COVAX initiative, the global health agency managed to supply 5 million doses of Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, and Sinopharm vaccines to the financially struggling countries of the world.

As the global solution designed around equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, COVAXs strategy will continue to adapt as the pandemic evolves. Dr. Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, WHOs vaccine alliance said in a statement.

In a meeting held earlier this year, Gavi Board approved new funding of US$ 799 million to support the delivery of COVAX-funded doses in lower-income economies, in addition to a previously approved envelope of US$ 150 million in delivery support for the poorest nations. COVAX has so far delivered over 313 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines and with vaccine supply now increasing significantly, the Board emphasized, as it stressed the importance of pivoting to a more intense focus on delivery.
Iranian officials are closing up preparations for discussions with the US and its allies on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), popularly the Iran Nuclear Deal, in Vienna.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian was quoted by news agency ANI as saying that authorities are wrapping up preparations for the Iran Nuclear Deal in Vienna and that the talks are expected to resume soon. Abdollahian said, according to the Fars news agency, that the composition of their team of negotiators is almost complete and talks will soon be held at the level of deputy foreign ministers.

Iran and the P5+1 group of countries including the United States, China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and Germany and the European Union had signed the JCPOA in 2015. In exchange for sanctions relief, including the lifting of an arms embargo after the agreement was signed, Iran had agreed to scale back its nuclear programme and drastically decrease its uranium reserves. In 2018, the US, under then-President Donald Trump unilaterally abandoned its conciliatory approach toward Iran, withdrawing from the JCPOA and initiating hard-line measures against Tehran, prompting Iran to substantially disregard the agreement's terms.

US President Joe Biden 'willing' to return to negotiating table

EU foreign policy leader Josep Borrell and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian met on the margins of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) and reaffirmed their readiness to resume nuclear talks in Vienna as soon as possible. US President Joe Biden had stated in September that the US was willing to return to compliance with the JCPOA if Tehran agreed to do the same.

US State Department spokesman Ned Price had said last week that the Biden administration has observed the foreign minister's assurances that Iran will return to negotiations "very soon," but hasn't received clarity on what exactly that means. He further said that they are prepared to return to Vienna and complete the negotiations as soon as possible before the window of opportunity to return to the JCPOA closes.

Iran expects all parties to join Vienna talks

Iran expects all parties to return to the Vienna talks and then implement their pledges under the 2015 agreement in a complete and verifiable manner, Amir Abdollahian said. With the exception of Israel, which Iran does not recognise, the country wants contacts and has set agendas with all countries throughout the world, according to the foreign minister. He said that this includes its regional foe, Saudi Arabia.

(With inputs from ANI/AP News, Image: AP/Unsplash)
SANAA, Yemen (AP)  Clashes between Yemeni separatists backed by the United Arab Emirates and a rival splinter group in the southern port city of Aden killed at least 10 people including four civilians on Saturday, security officials said.

The fighting has taken place in Adens residential neighborhood of Crater, where the presidential palace and other government buildings are located, they said. It pits forces of the of the secessionist Southern Transitional Council against an armed religious group that was once part of the council, according to the officials.

The armed group is led by Brig. Imam al-Noubi, a Salafi officer who commanded a faction of the separatist militia known as the Security Belt. He became a dissent two years ago after he fell out with the council leader, according to one official.

The officials said a dozen fighters were also wounded in the clashes, which had subsided by Saturday evening after the Security Belt deployed reinforcements, including armored vehicles, to the neighborhood.

The Security Belt called for Craters residents to remain at their homes, as Adens security forces and counter-terrorism forces clear the area from some groups and terrorist hotbeds.

Residents reported hearing heavy gunfire and shelling that hit apartment buildings.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media, and the residents did so for fear of reprisals.

The Southern Transitional Council is an umbrella group of heavily armed and well- financed militias propped up by the UAE since 2015. It hopes to restore an independent southern Yemen, which existed from 1967-1990.

The council controls large swathes in southern Yemen, including Aden, which serves as an interim capital of the internationally recognized government of exiled President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.

The clashes in Crater have come two weeks after protests in Aden and other southern cities over dire living conditions amid an unprecedented drop in the value of the local currency, the Rial.

The rial lost 36% of its value in July, according to the U.N. humanitarian agency. One U.S. dollar trades at more than 1,000 rials in the black market.

The currency collapse has made it difficult for most Yemenis to afford basic needs including food.

Yemen has been convulsed by civil war since 2014 when Iran-backed Houthi rebels took control of the capital of Sanaa and much of the northern part of the country, forcing Hadis government to flee to the south, then to Saudi Arabia.

A Saudi-led coalition entered the war in March 2015, backed by the United States, to try restore Hadi to power, and threw its support behind his internationally backed government. The conflict has deteriorated largely into a stalemate and spawned the worlds worst humanitarian crisis.

Tens of thousands of Yemenis live in famine-like conditions. More than 20 million of the countrys some 30 million people need some form of humanitarian aid, according to the U.N.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday said that the United States government will "sooner or later" have to recognise the Taliban.

In a televised interview with the Turkish-state affiliated TRT World, Khan said that the U.S is in a state of "shock and confusion" after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

Khan also stated that the U.S public is currently looking for a scapegoat and "unfairly targeting" the U.S President Joe Biden.

He stressed that if the U.S does not unfreeze the Afghan reserves, the country could face a "chaotic situation" and that the U.S has to come up with a solution.

When Khan was asked if he was "pro-Taliban", he responded that he is "anti-military solutions" and that the only way to solve the conflict in Afghanistan is through peaceful means.

Khan went on to say that Pakistan alone recognising Taliban wouldn't "make much difference" but a joint recognition of regional powers and neighbours would be a better solution.

During the interview Khan revealed that his government is currently in peace talks with some of the groups within the Taliban Movement in Pakistan (TTP), and he further revealed that the talks are being held in Afghanistan and if reconciliation is achieved, members of the organisation would be "forgiven".

Khan said the concern on human rights abuses should not be "selective" in the international community and that the lockdown of Kashmir by the Indian military should also be addressed.

IMAGE: AP

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Authorities reported on October 3 that three persons, including a journalist, were killed in a shooting in Nangarhar, Afghanistan's eastern province.

"On October 2, Saturday evening, journalist and author Sayyed Marof Saadat was travelling in a sedan along a road in Police District 5 of Jalalabad city when gunmen in a rickshaw opened fire on them," ANI reported quoting Xinhua source. The shooting injured Saadat's son and the vehicle's driver, according to the source.

The assassination was condemned by the Afghan Journalists Safety Committee (AJSC), an independent media organisation in Afghanistan. So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the attack. As per the ANI reports, Taliban authorities are looking into the matter.

Since the Taliban takeover, Afghanistan has been in a state of melancholy

At least ten people have been killed and many more injured since the Taliban took power in mid-August, when Jalalabad, about 120 kilometres east of Kabul, was attacked by a series of bomb assaults apparently claimed by militants linked with an Islamic State organisation opposing the Taliban government.

There have been reports that the Taliban have beaten and threatened journalists since taking over Afghanistan last month. In one known incident, German broadcaster Deutsche Welle said that a Taliban fighter made a door-to-door search for one of the journalists, shooting one of his family members and seriously injuring another.

(With inputs from ANI)

Image: AP
An unfortunate Afghan woman had to sell her infant due to poverty after being displaced from the Baghlan province to Kabul, reported ANI. According to a report published in TOLO News, the woman named Lailuma had to sell her one and a half-year-old infant for treating her another 13-year-old daughter, who was very sick and needed immediate treatment.

Lailuma used to live in a tent in Kabul and been left with no other option had to opt for the unfortunate option of selling her baby for 30,000 Afghani (INR 24,850 approximately). She also said that her husband has been missing for a year and she has no other means of income.

Challenges faced by displaced families in Afghanistan

Since the Taliban took over the Afghan capital, a large number of families were displaced and are currently living in Kabul. However, their difficulties are on a rise due to the approaching winters resulting in sick children and fewer amenities. The families currently living in tents are facing the cruel cold weather.

Also, no help from the Taliban-led Ministry of Refugees has been extended to the displaced families. Speaking on the same, a displaced woman from Takhar said that people from the Ministry of Refugees came to the tents and did a survey. However, no help has been provided so far. "We will starve if this situation continues", she added.

Meanwhile, a large number of families were displaced after the Taliban take over and are now living in tents in Kabul.

Earlier, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has informed that Afghanistan is facing the collapse of health care facilities. Moreover, the IFRC has warned that there will be hunger in the country if the money and aid do not reach there within few weeks. The International Fund for Relief and Development (IFRC) is seeking more than 36 million Swiss francs (USD 38.44 million) to help the Afghan Red Crescent help individuals in desperate need.

(With ANI inputs, Image: AP)
After female Afghan health workers and human rights defenders in Kabul urged the international community to resume financial aid to Afghanistan, an aircraft carrying lifesaving medical supplies landed through the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) Airbridge.

The plane carried 14.4 metric tonnes of urgently needed life-saving medical supplies to the World Health Organization in Afghanistan. It is the second essential consignment after the UNICEFs delivery of 32 metric tonnes of medical drugs, oral rehydration salts, and antibiotics, medical and surgical supplies that would assist almost 100,000 children and women for the next three months in late September.

Janez Lenarcic, Commissioner for Crisis Management said in an EU press release: Over the past weeks, the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan has further deteriorated at an alarming rate, with more than 18 million people in desperate need of humanitarian aid." He added, "This EU-funded Humanitarian Air Bridge flight allows the EU to deliver vital health and nutrition assistance despite the current transport and logistic constraints in the country.

The life-saving cargo consists of medical equipment, including COVID-19 and trauma care kits, provided by UNICEF, Save the Children, and the World Health Organization. This is the second EU-funded airbridge flight landing in Kabul this week. The United Nations in collaboration with foreign aid agencies has been dispatching the emergency supply as Afghanistan is facing serious critical shortages of essential drugs and medications after the US withdrawal from the conflict-ridden region on August 31.

The shipment to WHO Afghanistan will fulfil the health needs of over 10,000 people in the country, the European Union stated in a press release on October 2. The EU has committed to making available over 300 million ($347 mn) in humanitarian assistance for the Afghan people. The WHO thanked the EU aid agency for the timely support as it said that the essential supplies will ramp up preparedness to deliver a rapid response to the escalating health crisis across Kabul, especially among women and children.

"A plane carrying 14.4 metric tonnes of urgently needed life-saving WHO medical supplies landed in Kabul today. The shipment will cover the health needs of more than 10,000 people in Afghanistan, WHO in Kabul tweeted.

TOUCHDOWN: Thanks to @eu_echo, a plane carrying 14.4 metric tonnes of urgently needed life-saving @WHO medical supplies landed in #Kabul today. The shipment will cover the #health needs of more than 10,000 people in #Afghanistan. pic.twitter.com/rBsyWVnT4D  WHO Afghanistan (@WHOAfghanistan) October 2, 2021

WHO airlifted 185 metric tonnes of essential supplies since US' Afghan exit

Since the US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, the WHO has airlifted around 185 metric tonnes of essential medical supplies in a total of nine flights into Afghanistan. The United Nations had announced last month that it would release $45 million in life-saving support from the UN's Central Emergency Response Fund to avert the collapse of the healthcare system in Kabul. Later, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator had released the funds to assist healthcare facilities in Afghanistan and keep them operating through 2021 during the pandemic.

Last month, a plane shipped 8.7 metric tons of life-saving medical and trauma supplies to Afghanistan for the benefit of trauma patients and children with pneumonia. This new shipment will benefit 2,500 trauma patients and 2,400 children with pneumonia in Afghanistan," WHO tweeted. The shipped from WHO suppliers' facilities in Europe to Qatar and onward to Kabul, Afghanistan, in collaboration with the operations and logistic teams of Qatar Airways and the Government of the State of Qatar.
Irans Foreign Minister on Saturday, 2 October, said that US officials had tried to discuss restarting nuclear talks last month, but Tehran insisted Washington must first release the $10 billion of the Islamic Republics frozen funds as a sign of goodwill. In a televised interview with a state-media outlet, Hossein Amirabdollahian said that the US used intermediaries at the UNGA last month to attempt to make contact. But I told the mediators if America's intentions are serious then a serious indication was needed ... by releasing at least US$10 billion of blocked money," the minister added.

Further, the Iranian FM said, They are not willing to free US$10 billion belonging to the Iranian nation so that we can say that the Americans once in the past several decades considered the interests of the Iranian nation.

It is worth mentioning that Iran has repeatedly rejected talks with the US and it has also denied indirect talks on reviving a 2015 nuclear deal accord aimed at keeping the Islamic Republic from being able to develop nuclear weapons. As a result, Iran has been unable to obtain tens of billions of dollars of its assets in foreign banks, mainly from exports, due to the US sanctions on its banking and energy sectors.

Western nations, on the other hand, have repeatedly urged Tehran to return to the negotiation table. They have said that the time is running out as Irans nuclear programme is advancing well beyond the limits set by the accord.

Iran to soon return to stalled nuclear talks

Now, the Iranian Foreign Minister on Saturday said that Tehran would soon return to the stalled nuclear talks in Vienna. However, he declined to give a date. Iran has said that its nuclear steps are reversible if Washington lifts all sanctions. Officials from both nations have said that several issues remain to be resolved before the accord can be revived.

Iran has been calling 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. Newly-minted Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has asserted that he is eager to resume the JCPOA, highlighting that nuclear weapons have no place in Irans defence and deterrence policy. He has 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 in a pre-recorded UNGA message.

(Image: AP/Twitter)
Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz reportedly told Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas that he supports the two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict, while also suggesting that a major peace initiative was unlikely under the new government, Israeli TV reported on Friday.

The two-state solution aims to end the decades-long Israel-Palestinian conflict by establishing two states- Israel for the region's jew population and Palestine for the Arabs. Notably, Israel Prime Minister Naftali Bennett had, last month, dismissed prospects of peace with Palestinians and reiterated his support for the expansion of Israeli settlements.

Meanwhile, a report by Channel 12 news disclosed that Benny Gantz had told Mahmoud Abbas that the two-state solution was appropriate and that he wanted to be the new Yitzhak Rabin but there were restrictions under the new administration. Rabin, who served two terms as Israel's prime minister was the first to recognise the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLA), inked the Oslo Agreements and made multiple efforts to restore regional peace. However, Abbas stuck to his call for the Zionist regime to stick to the 1967 demarcations warning that Palestine would act to advance another solution if it does not happen.

What is the 1967 demarcation?

Following the six-day war in 1967, Israel occupied the Gaza Strip, West Bank and East Jerusalem. While Palestinians initially objected to it, they later accepted the demarcations under the Oslo Accords. The Accords allowed the Palestinians to self-govern the captured land. However, over the years, Israel has increased their influence in the region by building hundreds of settlements and cementing theirs claim on the occupied land.

The Israel-Palestine conflict

Following the six-day war in 1967, Israelis occupied the Gaza Strip, West Bank, Golan Heights and much of the Sinai Peninsula. Subsequently, the Israeli government commenced the construction of settlements in disputed areas in the West Bank. However, Palestinians objected to it and since then both the communities have been trading barbs over the occupied land.

During his tenure, US President Donald Trump promised the then Israeli PM and his close ally Benjamin Netanyahu to continue building in settlements across the West Bank, so long as the construction did not expand beyond communities existing footprints.

(Image: AP)
New Delhi, Oct 2 (PTI) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday held extensive talks with his visiting Colombian counterpart Marta Lucia Ramirez with a focus on boosting bilateral ties in areas of health, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and space.

Ramirez, who is also Vice President of Columbia, began a three-day visit to India on Friday. A 48-member delegation of experts and officials in the fields of health and science and technology is accompanying her.

"The leaders held a comprehensive dialogue covering sectors such as health, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and space. Regional and international issues of mutual interest were also discussed during the meeting," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

In the talks, Jaishankar underlined India's priorities with respect to UN reforms and both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in multilateral fora, it said.

There has been a steady growth in bilateral trade between India and Colombia which stood at USD 2.27 billion in 2020-21, despite the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Both sides agreed to work together to further promote trade and investment in energy, IT, pharmaceuticals and automobile sectors," the MEA said.

"The two leaders witnessed the signing of two Letters of Intent for cooperation in the fields of biotechnology and medical research. These were signed by the Department of Biotechnology and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) with their Colombian counterparts," it said.

Before the arrival of Ramirez, a business delegation headed by Luiz Fernando Ruiz, Colombia's Minister of Health and Social Protection, visited Pune, Hyderabad and Bengaluru from September 27-30.

"They visited centres of excellence and pharmaceutical companies in these cities with the objective of exploring co-production and technology transfers in the development of vaccines and pharmaceutical products," the MEA said.

"They also visited ISRO facilities and met representatives from New Space India Limited (NSIL) and the Human Space Flight Centre (HSFC)," it said. PTI MPB ZMN

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France, the United Kingdom and the United States expressed worry about North Korea's recent missile tests earlier this week, promising to confront the problem in the UN Security Council. North Korea, on the other hand, according to official media, has warned the UN Security Council that continuing to rely on the US' "brigandish policy" will have consequences.

Following requests from the US and other countries in response to North Korea's recent missile launches, the Security Council met behind closed doors on October 1, as per the reports of Sputnik. The director of the North Korean Foreign Ministry's Department of International Organizations, Jo Chol Su, was quoted by official news agency KCNA as saying that the meeting was a provocation and wanton intrusion on the country's sovereignty.

North Korea feels the UNSC has double standards

North Korea also feels the UNSC has double standards when it comes to UN member states' military activity. North Korea declared on October 1 that it had successfully tested a newly built anti-aircraft missile. Following the release of the report, senior defence officials from the US, Japan and South Korea had a conference call to discuss the situation.

North Korea's UN Ambassador Kim Song previously stated at the 76th United Nations General Assembly in New York that his country was free to defend itself and test weapons in the event of foreign invasion, but that North Korea would not threaten its neighbours or the United States.

According to Sputnik, North Korea was willing to engage in discussions if the US ceased its "hostile" policies and military drills on the Korean Peninsula. They have tested a number of missiles in the recent month, including the Hwasong-8 hypersonic missile and a newly built anti-aircraft missile. The West was outraged by Pyongyang's activities, with Washington frequently accusing it of destabilising the area.

"North Korean weapons tests are conducted solely on its own soil"

Jo Chol Su said that all North Korean weapons tests were conducted on their own soil without infringing other countries' land, air or sea zones. They also insisted that they have never posed any threat or harm to the security of their neighbours, as reported by KCNA.

Image: AP
Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte's daughter is set to run for the countrys presidential seat in next years election, according to a report by ABS-CBN. Meanwhile, Senator Christopher "Bong" Go, who was previously touted as the Presidential candidate, would be her running mate. The revelations were made by the incumbent president, who recently revealed that he himself would be retiring from politics soon.

At present, Sara Duterte Carpio is serving as the mayor of the archipelagos third-largest city Davao. Meanwhile, in the same interview, Duterte revealed that he does not talk politics with his daughter. "Ah, no, actually we don't talk about politics, ever since we never talk about politics. I would say that it is for the better," Duterte was quoted as saying by ABS-CBN.

The Pacific archipelago is set to hold its Presidential elections starting 9 May next year. The Filipino constitution forbids the president to run for a second term. Earlier in August, Duterte announced that he would run for the vice presidency, triggering criticism that the move was made to ensure his stronghold on power.

Who is running in Sara's opposition?

The Filipino constitution forbids the president to run for a second term. Previously, a boxer turned politician Manny Pacquiao said that he would run for the countrys upcoming presidential elections. Accepting his nomination in a formal ceremony, the 42-year-old senator reckoned that the time had come to challenge the leadership. Notably, Pacquiao has been a staunch critic of the incumbent president Rodrigo Duterte and has lambasted him for his close ties with China.

Pacquiao is a celebrated national hero, majorly due to his humility and hauling himself out of poverty to become one of the worlds greatest boxers. On Sunday, he asked, For those asking what are my qualifications, have you ever experienced hunger? Have you ever experienced having nothing to eat, borrowing money from your neighbours or waiting for leftovers at a food stall? The Manny Pacquiao that is in front of you was moulded by poverty." According to analysts, anti-poverty and anti-corruption measures are expected to make the majority of Pacquiaos election manifesto.

Image: AP
Following a fresh surge in COVID-19 cases in European Union nations, Romania has revised its restrictions in the hope to combat the situation. However, the rules were met with criticism from far-right citizens. Over 5,000 protestors took to the streets of the Romanian capital Bucharest to demonstrate against the newly implemented protocols.

A large number of mask-less demonstrators marched down the streets with loud sloganeering and placards to oppose virus restrictions, the Associated Press reported. The marchers blocked traffic and honked car horns with rigorous chants of "Freedom" and "Dictatorship." The protests were carried out by the Romanian Far-right AUR Party.

(A protestor holds a placard against Romania's new COVID protocol. Image: AP)

New Romanian rules

As per the new COVID-related restrictions, applicable in few days, people will be required to wear masks in all public places including transit and indoor. Commercial spaces like malls and shops will be under a 10 pm curfew. Restaurants will remain open at half capacity but only with people with COVID-19 passes.

The restrictions are implemented in selective areas with six infections per 1,000 persons over a 14-day time period. As of Saturday, in Bucharest, the infection rate stood at eight per 1,000 individuals. Notably, the protests erupted after a massive fire broke out in a hospital in Romania's port city Constanta, killing seven COVID patients.

[The marchers blocked traffic and honked car horns with rigorous chants of "Freedom" and "Dictatorship." Image: AP]

Romanian hospitals overwhelmed as daily caseload doubles

The COVID-19 pandemic has stripped bare the vulnerable condition of the Romanian health care system. Mostly, all intensive care units and COVID wards are overwhelmed with patients with severe forms of COVID-19, Beatrice Mahler, hospital manager of Bucharest Marius Nasta Institute of Pneumology told AP on Saturday. The recent protests have also enraged the healthcare community, who have worked day and night to ensure the safety of patients. "Believe that their right to freedom is above our right to health," Mahler added while talking to the agency.

According to the Romanian health bulletin, between September 18 and October 1, the east European country recorded over one lakh infections. On October 1, there were 10,887 cases and 169 COVID-related fatalities, which took the overall tally to 12.4 lakh cases and 37,210 deaths, respectively. On the vaccination front, among 1.02 crore rendered jabs, only 27.9% of the entire population has been completely vaccinated.

(With inputs from AP, Image: AP)
After a century, Russias descendants of the czarist Romanov dynasty, which was in power in 1613 held a traditional wedding with aristocrats flocking the ceremony at the dome of St. Isaac's Cathedral in Russias former imperial capital city. The groom Grand Duke George Mikhailovich Romanov belongs to the former royal family and his mother Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna is the self-proclaimed heiress to the Russian imperial throne. The royal family ruled Russia until 1917 before the establishment of the communist state after Vladimir Lenins takeover. Czar Nicholas II, Czarina Alexandra, their five children were executed in 1918 in Yekaterinburg during the Bolshevik revolution but Grand Duke George Mikhailovich Romanov's great grandfather Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich had moved to Finland in 1917. Moscow was later turned into the worlds first communist state.

Russia 2021 in 2 bits of news:

1. A descendant of Russias last emperor Nicholas II wed in St. Petersburg, marking the first royal wedding since the Bolshevik revolution.

2. Moscow police is persecuting communists who protest against bogus elections.

What a time to be alive! pic.twitter.com/EzDfqJZh29  Mikhail Khodorkovsky (English) (@mbk_center) October 1, 2021

Chaumet Diamond tiara, Faberge wedding rings, World's kings and Queens as guests

Aristocrats from as far as Europe had travelled to Russia to attend the first-ever Royal wedding since 1917, Russian agencies reported. The 40-year-old Mikhailovich Romanov, born in Spain and educated in UKs Oxford wedded his Italian bride, 39-year-old Rebecca Virginia Bettarini at Saint Isaac's cathedral in the former Russian imperial capital of Saint Petersburg in an Orthodox Christian ceremony. The bride wore a diamond tiara designed by the high-end jeweller based in Paris, Chaumet, and first converted to the Russian Orthodox Church. The couple exchanged the Faberge wedding rings, and a banquet by a Russian oligarch with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin known as Putins chef was arranged for the latter. The latter is on the United States FBI wanted list for the 2016 election meddling for former US President Donald Trump.

[Credit: Instagram/@rebecca_bettarini]

Czarist trappings included an engagement ring traditionally exchanged in the House of Romanov," according to a press release obtained by the agency NPR. "The ring centers a ruby cabochon gemstone that represents love and nobility and two diamond brilliants that represent purity and strength.

Russias ultra-conservative movement was on showcase, as nationalist philosopher Alexander Dugin told the agency that it was the wedding that marked the remembrance of eternal Russia of sacred czars and patriarchs and (the) church.

Royals from more than 20 countries had arrived in Russia to bear witness to the rare two-day affair which included Queen Sofia of Spain, Princess Leia of Belgium, and Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, brother of the Emir of Qatar. Guests also included the last king of Bulgaria, Simeon II, the last king of Egypt and Sudan, Fuad II, and Princess Lea of Belgium, sources told RTE. On the 1,500 guest list were other prominent names like Konstantin Malofeyev, a monarchist and billionaire close to the Kremlin, and Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. While there is no legal monarch status for the family since Russias assumed communist regime, the wedding was large the pinnacle of their attempts to re-establish themselves in the countrys public life, notes New York Times.
Local media claimed on Sunday that the Taliban-run Defence Ministry in Afghanistan has imposed a temporary ban on weapon trade. According to Sputnik news agency, citing the Pajhwok, the executive order was issued by the Ministry of National Defence. All sales and acquisitions of guns, ammunition, and unauthorised vehicles are to be halted until further notice, according to the decree.

After seizing control in Afghanistan last month, the Taliban created a caretaker authority. According to reports from the ground, the group has ordered residents to hand over weapons and vehicles received from the deposed government or face punishment.

Experts say that Afghan women would face an uncertain future under the Taliban's rule. International analysts have expressed alarm in recent months about the Taliban's latest policy moves, which contradict their promises.

12 people killed in a mosque blast

Meanwhile, in a different incident, a blast at a mosque in the Afghan capital Kabul killed at least 12 people and injured 32 others on Sunday. Three persons have been detained in connection with the incident, according to Qari Saeed Khosty, a spokeswoman for the Afghan Interior Ministry. The incident occurred in a packed area of Kabul's Eid Gah Mosque, according to Sputnik.

Afghanistan's Deputy Minister of Media and Culture, Zabihullah Mujahid, had previously stated that the explosion had resulted in several casualties. More information is awaited.

So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the explosion. However, since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in mid-August, ISIL-affiliated terrorists have upped their attacks on them. Terrorist assaults have increased, raising the risk of a larger battle between the two factions.

Taliban's re-emergence to power has been an 'enthusiastic narrative'

According to an article published in the Global Watch Analysis (GWA) by Ronald Jacquard, the Taliban's re-emergence to power in Afghanistan, toppling the democratically elected Ashraf Ghani administration, has been an 'enthusiastic narrative' for a long time.

According to several recent media reports, the international community has reiterated that the Pakistan government supports the Islamist Group. Current calls by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader and Prime Minister Imran Khan to "recognise" the Taliban have sparked widespread concern among the international community about Islamabad's role in the war-torn country.

(Inputs from ANI)

Image: AP
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly denounced Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attacks on a UN peacekeeping convoy in Mali near Tessalit, Kidal area on October 2, which resulted in the death of an Egyptian peacekeeper and the serious injury of four others.

The secretary-general offered his heartfelt sympathies to the victim's family, as well as Egypt's government and people. In a statement released on the UN website, Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Guterres wished the injured a swift recovery.

The official Twitter account of the UN spokesperson tweeted about the statement with the caption, "The Secretary-General strongly condemns the improvised explosive device attacks today against a @UN_MINUSMA convoy near Tessalit, Kidal region. A peacekeeper from Egypt was killed and four others were seriously injured."

The Secretary-General strongly condemns the improvised explosive device attacks today against a @UN_MINUSMA convoy near Tessalit, Kidal region. A peacekeeper from Egypt was killed and four others were seriously injured.https://t.co/e1IxNrGOhb  UN Spokesperson (@UN_Spokesperson) October 3, 2021

According to the secretary-general, the attack on UN peacekeepers might be considered a 'war crime' under international law. According to the statement, he urged Malian authorities to make every effort to identify the perpetrators of these attacks so that they can be brought to justice as soon as possible.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres underlined the UN's solidarity with Mali's people and government.

Attack on UN peacekeepers

An improvised explosive device (IED) exploded in the northeast of Mali, killing one UN peacekeeper and badly injuring four others.

Several attacks in northern Mali have targeted the UN mission in recent weeks. An explosive device near the MINUSMA camp in Kidal injured three peacekeepers on September 11.

Mali has been in the grip of a serious complex crisis on the security, political, and economic fronts since 2012. Despite the deployment of UN, African, and European forces, separatist insurgencies, jihadist invasions, and intercommunal violence have killed thousands of people and displaced thousands more.

Image: AP
The Government of Uzbekistan has delivered humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan so as to support Afghan citizens and help them cope with the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak, and avert a humanitarian catastrophe or food insecurity, according to the Uzbek Foreign Ministry. As per Xinhua, the ministry further stated that the relief was delivered in a ceremony held in the Afghan border town of Hairaton. The relief includes groceries, other basic commodities, medication, clothes, as well as footwear.

According to the Uzbek Foreign Ministry's press service, the Taliban's official representative of the interim Afghanistan government, Zabihullah Mujahid had conveyed utmost appreciation to President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev on behalf of Afghan citizens for the considerable attention, assistance, and togetherness shown in these hard times for the nation. Mirziyoyev announced earlier this month that his government was open for talks with the Taliban in Afghanistan and that they had been in regular touch.

Uzbekistan provides humanitarian aid to Afghanistan

As per the Morning Express website, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry stated on Tuesday that a train of 25 wagons carrying essentials that include foodstuffs, other essential goods, medicines, clothing and footwear, will be dispatched to Afghanistan as part of the humanitarian aid to the war-ravaged country. The foreign ministry further stated that the essentials were handed over in the presence of officials from the Afghanistan interim government and was provided by Tora Babalov, the governor of the Uzbek city of Suraksondario, and Ismatoullah Arghachev, the special spokesperson of Uzbekistan in Afghanistan.

The Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid also stated that the Uzbek government was the first one to react to the Afghan citizens' appeal for assistance. Further, the Morning Express reports that after the transfer ceremony, authorities from Uzbekistan and Afghanistan met to explore ways to strengthen diplomatic ties between the two nations.

According to Ariana News, the 1,300-ton of shipment contained food, medication, and clothing. The supplies will be delivered to Afghans who are in need across the nation. On Monday, the World Health Organization (WHO) provided the war-torn Afghanistan with medical essentials and other supplies.

Uzbekistan action on Afghanistan crisis

When the Taliban seized power over the war-torn land of Afghanistan in August, hundreds of Afghans waited anxiously to flee the country, that has been in complete chaos ever since the extremist group took over. During that period, Uzbekistan had declared that its border would be totally obstructed by Afghan refugees. According to CNN, the Uzbek-Afghan border was closed, and no land entries were permitted at the Termez checkpoint.

Yet, on the other hand, as per Human Rights Watch reports, Uzbekistan has assisted Western forces in evacuating millions of at-risk Afghans by enabling aircraft to refuel and individuals to travel to other protected countries. Dozens of Afghan pilots and their family members are being temporarily housed in Uzbekistan after fleeing Afghanistan. These were significant contributions to the evacuation operation.

Image: Pixabay/ AP
Hundreds of anti-migration protesters marched through Chile's northern city of Iquique on Saturday amid an increase in the number of people who have illegally crossed into the country.

Police officers watched over the demonstrators as they made their way towards a square.

The protesters carried Chilean flags and chanted anti-migration slogans as opposition demonstrators gathered nearby.

Police officers were seen detaining at least one pro-migration protester.

Similar anti-migration demonstrations were also held in other parts of Chile, including in the capital Santiago.

They were held amid a surge in the number of migrants who have illegally entered Chile at the north of the country.

The Jesuit Migrant Service has estimated that at least 23,000 migrants have illegally crossed into Chile so far this year.

That's compared to 16,848 in total in 2020.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Anti-migration protesters were confronted by opposition demonstrators as they rallied on Saturday across Santiago.

In one demonstration in the Chilean capital, police officers had to deploy a water cannon as the groups of protesters faced off against each other.

At least one protester was seen being detained by police.

Several protesters also gathered outside Santiago's La Moneda, where they held anti-migration signs and sang the country's national anthem.

Other anti-migration demonstrations were also held in other parts of Chile.

They were held amid a spike in the number of migrants who have illegally entered Chile at the north of the country.

The Jesuit Migrant Service has estimated that at least 23,000 migrants have illegally crossed into Chile so far this year.

That's compared to 16,848 in total in 2020.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
A leading Islamic State media figure and foreign fighter has been charged in U.S. federal court in Virginia with conspiring to provide material support to a terrorist organization resulting in death, federal officials said Saturday.

Mohammed Khalifa, a Saudi-born Canadian citizen who was a leading figure in the Islamic State of Iraq, was captured overseas by the Syrian Democratic Forces in January 2019, federal officials said. He was recently transferred into FBI custody, at which point he was first brought to the Eastern District of Virginia.

As alleged, Mohammed Khalifa not only fought for ISIS on the battlefield in Syria, but he was also the voice behind the violence, said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. Through his alleged leading role in translating, narrating, and advancing ISISs online propaganda, Khalifa promoted the terrorist group, furthered its worldwide recruitment efforts, and expanded the reach of videos that glorified the horrific murders and indiscriminate cruelty of ISIS."

Khalifa served in prominent roles within ISIS starting in 2013 and continuing until his capture by the SDF in January 2019 following a firefight between Islamic State fighters and the SDF.

In addition to allegedly serving as an Islamic State fighter, Khalifa allegedly served as a lead translator in the group's propaganda production and the English-speaking narrator on multiple violent recruitment videos.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
US has a significant amount of capability in the Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii to tamp down any potential invasion of Taiwan, Deputy Defense Secretary of the United States Kathleen Hicks said on October 2 at an online forum held by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Hicks, on Saturday, stated that the US has commitments to Taiwan that are enduring since the 1970s and it is central to the United States to help the Taiwanese with their self-defence capabilities.

Taiwans ability to defend itself effectively is a game-changer in terms of that deterrent calculus for China, the US Deputy Defense Secretary said, adding that the globe including the US has an awareness that the Taiwanese people have demonstrated an ability to have a democracy. And we (United States) have an interest in ensuring democracies can flourish.

Hicks says US must be 'credible deterrent'

When asked if the US viewed China as a pacing competitor on the globe, Hicks said that Beijing was beginning to develop capabilities in certain areas that were competing very effectively with the US. In order to defend those interests, the US needs to ensure that in places where China has been growing in certain capability areas the US must credibly deter against.

United States of America includes Hawaii, so we have a real reason to concern ourselves, let alone those treaty commitments we have, The Philippines and the others, Hicks said at the CSIS address.

Our goal is not to have any conflict, armed conflict, with China. It is to reduce tension and demonstrate a credible deterrent, Deputy Defense Secretary of the United States Kathleen Hicks said at a CSIS address.

Citing the recently signed AUKUS security pact, Hicks stated that the US has an advantage in defence capabilities and can bring together the global powers, now that many nations were increasingly concerned about what Chinas trying to do.

The United States, the UK and Australia have come together to sign a deal, this pact demonstrates how the opinions in the western Pacific are shifting, Hicks pointed out. Furthermore, Hicks said that the controversy around the pact also demonstrates how Europes stance with respect to the Chinese threat was also realigning as it does not interpret the seriousness of the Chinese regional influence. Rhetoric of President Xi is as aggressive as his actual capabilities, warned Hicks.

Xi's 2027 transition a potential threat, China can invade Taiwan: US Navy Admiral

Former Indo-Pacific commander and retired four-star admiral in the United States Navy Phil Davidson had earlier warned that the Chinese President Xi Jinpings potential transition in 2027 might prove to be a "potential threat" to Taiwan. The former US armed forces service member had earlier sent shockwaves globally as he predicted a specific timeline on a possible Taiwan eventuality during his testimony to Congress in March 2021.

The then admiral leading US Indo-Pacific Command had said that China could attempt to take control of Taiwan by the end of the decade, approximately within the next six years, as he stressed that the United States needed to rethink Taiwans strategic ambiguity in the Western Pacific.
China's growing demand for natural gas has been driving closer engagement with Turkmenistan, renewing questions about Russia's role in Central Asia, once regarded as Moscow's backyard.

Soaring gas prices appear to be the main motivator behind China's agreement to restart an unfinished and technically challenging project to drill three new wells in Turkmenistan's giant Galkynysh (Revival) gas field, which is ranked as one of the five largest in the world.

According to Interfax, the project "of particular complexity" was started by Gulf Oil & Gas FZE of the United Arab Emirates but never completed.

The project is believed to be one of a package of contracts valued at U.S. $9.7 billion (62.6 billion yuan) in 2009 to develop parts of the formerly-named South Iolotan gas field, producing gas under high pressure with sulphur content requiring treatment for export.

State-owned China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC) Chuanging Drilling Engineering Co. Ltd. won an international tender for the project to be completed in 30 months, Interfax said citing Turkmenistan's state media.

CNPC is to be paid with 17 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas annually for three years, the reports said.

Reuters cited an unidentified Chinese industry source as saying that "the wells are likely to start pumping next year, but that the amount of gas CNPC expects to receive could be significantly below 17 bcm (600 billion cubic feet) a year."

"The CNPC works are aimed at boosting gas output in Turkmenistan, where natural reserve declines and higher local consumption have led to supply reductions to China in recent years," the industry source said.

But Turkmenistan's mercurial president, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, offered a more ambitious vision of plans for gas exports to China, predicting that deliveries would gradually rise from the current level of 40 bcm to 100 bcm per year.

That goal may be the highest since CNPC began importing through the 2,000-kilometer (1,242-mile) Central Asia-China Gas Pipeline (CAGP) system crossing Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan over a decade ago.

As of mid-May, supplies have totaled 300 bcm since December 2009 when the CAGP opened the first of three strands known as Line A, Turkmenistan said earlier this year.

Berdimuhamedov also called for construction of a long- stalled Line D project through Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, originally predicted to bring CAGP capacity up to 80 bcm per year.

Reuters has cast doubt on Turkmenistan's volume claims, citing Chinese customs data showing imports of only 29 bcm last year. Even at the lower figure, Turkmenistan is still China's largest source of imported pipeline gas.

But the challenging Galkynysh project and the Line D plan may be getting a new look as a result of record spot market prices for liquefied natural gas (LNG) and China's rising demand to replace higher carbon-emitting coal.

"The cost of non-contractual LNG has reached such a price that Chinese importers prefer to increase pipeline gas supplies," Azerbaijan's Turan News Agency said.

In late July, Turan cited estimates by the ICIS commodity intelligence service that China's costs for Turkmenistan's pipeline gas stood at U.S. $195 per thousand cubic meters (mcm), less than half the LNG spot market price of U.S. $426/mcm at the time.

That differential forced some local suppliers in China to stop buying LNG, Turan said.

Although it is unclear how long the conditions will last, the resulting shortages may have caused reconsideration of previously unattractive projects like the difficult wells and Line D.

While Berdimuhamedov is likely to have overstated the prospects for exports to China, Beijing has encouraged the outlook for growth with offers of extensive cooperation and investment to come.

Possible win-win

During a visit to Ashgabat on July 12-13, Foreign Minister Wang Yi painted a bright picture of the potential benefits from future cooperation, according to caspiannews.com.

Among the plums dangled were offers of solutions to "existing problems" in the oil and gas sector, as well as "new energy, green energy (and) nuclear energy" as part of a "long-term strategic partnership," the report said.

Wang suggested cooperation on high-tech development that seems unlikely for the isolated, officially neutral autocracy of Turkmenistan. The benefits included development of a digital economy and "cross-border e-commerce." Wang said.

Most striking was Wang's offer of a measure of protection from unspecified security threats.

"China is ready to step up cooperation with Turkmenistan in traditional and non-traditional security fields and help the country safeguard its national security," Wang said.

The timing of Wang's proposal suggests that China may be inching toward a role as a regional guarantor against risks of instability in the wake of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

But the prospect of Chinese protection may be lost on Turkmenistan, which has maintained its neutrality policy since the regime of Berdimuhamedov's predecessor Saparmurat Niyazov, as well as ties with the Taliban and successive Afghan governments for over two decades.

While threats from other fundamentalist groups may emerge, Turkmenistan has stayed focused on the stability of its 764- kilometer (474-mile) border with Afghanistan and its long- sought goal of supplying gas across the country to Pakistan and India.

Unlike its neighboring Central Asian republics, Turkmenistan's neutrality policy keeps it outside the largely-symbolic affiliation of the Chinese and Russian-led Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the post-Soviet Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).

On Aug. 26, the Turkmen Foreign Ministry said that trade and transit with Afghanistan for petroleum products, grain and other goods remained unchanged, Interfax reported.

"More than 70 train cars and about 160 trucks pass through the Imamnazar-Aqina and Serhetabad-Torghundi checkpoints every day," the ministry said.

On Aug. 30, Berdimuhamedov told European Council President Charles Michel that Turkmenistan stood for "settling the situation in Afghanistan exclusively with peaceful, political-diplomatic means and methods."

He added that Turkmenistan had also granted dozens of permits for flights of evacuation planes through its airspace, Interfax said.

But while Turkmenistan seems unlikely to take China up on its security offers, the initiative leaves questions unanswered about what role in the region China is planning to play.

Security matters

As China's energy demand grows, it remains unclear whether a military presence in Central Asia will follow and whether it will take the lead in cooperation with Russia on regional security, despite a history of mistrust.

Twenty years since the signing of their bilateral friendship and cooperation treaty and the founding of the SCO, Russia and China have been staging military exercises that could point the way toward joint security operations in the region.

The first recent exercise, named Zapad/Interaction-2021, was held on Aug. 9-13 in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. A statement by the National Ministry of Defense made clear that China regarded it as a significant event.

"For the first time, the Russian military was invited to China on a large scale to participate in a strategic campaign exercise organized by the Chinese side," the official Xinhua news agency quoted a ministry spokesperson as saying.

As part of the exercise, the two sides designed a command information system for mixed groups of Chinese and Russian troops, enabling them to carry out effective coordination, the spokesperson said.

The result demonstrated "the determination and ability of both sides to jointly deal with security threats, and safeguard regional security and stability," the official said.

A second exercise, dubbed "Peace Mission 2021," is to be held on Sept. 11-25 under SCO auspices in Russia's Orenburg region near the border with Kazakhstan. It will include over 550 Chinese troops mainly from the Northern Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), Xinhua said.

Defense and energy experts say that China and Russia are drawing closer, raising the possibility that China could be called upon to shore up Central Asian security, which Russia now guards with a single motorized rifle division near Tajikistan's border with Afghanistan.

In a recent online forum for the Jamestown Foundation in Washington, military expert Pavel Felgenhauer said that senior Russian officers have had to suppress their misgivings about China's influence in Central Asia and accept the necessity of relying on China's strength.

"Russian resources are actually spread out a bit too thin" to cover its strategic needs, including the concentration of forces on the border with Ukraine, problems with Belarus and garrisons in the Far East, Felgenhauer said.

"Where will we get the reserve troops if we need to bring five divisions or more ... five divisions at least, strength into Central Asia?" he asked. "And China has the divisions," said Felgenhauer. China could raise 10 divisions or more "easy" to send into Central Asia "to keep the lid on any kind of insurgency there," he said.

Moscow does not want to rely on Chinese involvement in the region, but it appears to be preparing to do so, "because the alternative is seen as worse," Felgenhauer said.

The potential for Russian and Chinese security cooperation in Central Asia is arguably not the result of sudden change in Afghanistan, but rather the consequence of development over time.

"From my point of view, Russia and China have been reconciling any differences or rivalry over Central Asia ever since the creation of the SCO was announced in 2001," said Edward Chow, senior associate for energy security and climate change at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

"What's happening in Afghanistan only pushes their cooperation and coordination closer," Chow said.

Left unanswered is whether China can be relied upon to safeguard the competitive energy interests of Turkmenistan and Russia with equal commitment.

Russia has invested some U.S. $55 billion to develop its 3,000-kilometer Power of Siberia pipeline to export gas to China, competing with supplies from Turkmenistan. Russian pipeline deliveries are scheduled to reach 10 bcm this year and are expected to rise to 38 bcm by 2025.
DUSHANBE -- Tajik authorities say they have accepted around 100 Afghan nationals from a group of more than 200 people, including many women and children, who crossed the border overnight to flee Afghanistan because of the Taliban's takeover of the country.



Multiple sources in the local government in Tajikistan's southeastern district of Hamdoni told RFE/RL on September 13 that the Afghan nationals crossed the Panj River that divides the two nations.



According to the sources, some 100 Afghans were transferred to a Dushanbe suburb, while the rest were sent back to Afghanistan for unknown reasons.



The information has not been officially confirmed.



Central Asian states bordering Afghanistan have been concerned about security threats emanating from the war-torn country and the potential for tens of thousands of refugees to pour over the border.



Last week, the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) held military exercises in another Central Asian nation -- Kyrgyzstan -- to prepare for any possible trouble. CSTO members include Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan.



In August, Tajikistan held military maneuvers with Russia and Uzbekistan, while Uzbekistan held separate drills with Russia along the Uzbek-Afghan border.



The CSTO has scheduled three more sets of military maneuvers close to the Tajik-Afghan border in October, with a fourth scheduled for November.



The Taliban has sought to reassure neighboring countries and Russia that it poses no threat since gaining control last month over almost all of Afghanistans territory, including Kabul, the capital.



Russia, which has military bases in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, has vowed to defend Moscow's allies in Central Asia against any security threat from Afghanistan.
TBILISI --Near-final results from Georgia show the ruling party well ahead of challengers after nationwide local elections amid high tensions, allegations of electoral fraud, and early claims of victory by the South Caucasus country's two main political forces.

With results from all but one of the country's 3,743 precincts tallied, the ruling Georgian Dream party had nearly 46.7 percent of the vote, according to the Central Election Commission on October 3.

The main opposition party, the United National Movement (ENM), had 30.7 percent of the vote. The rest of the vote was split among the remaining 48 parties, with the For Georgia party third at nearly 7.8 percent.

The mayoral races in Tbilisi, Batumi, Kutaisi, Poti and Rustavi were all heading for runoffs after no candidate got an absolute majority of votes.

The elections "took place in a calm, fair, safe and competitive environment. It is very important that today one more step towards democracy and stabilisation was made," President Salome Zurabishvili was quoted as saying by Russia's state-run TASS news agency.

The nationwide elections were held on October 2 in a highly polarized atmosphere and were seen as a referendum on Georgian Dream's rule.

The opposition was seeking to use the elections as leverage to demand early parliamentary elections if Georgian Dream failed to get more than 43 percent of the national vote.

Tensions were heightened with the arrest of former President and ENM founder Mikheil Saakashvili within hours of his return from self-exile to rally the opposition ahead of the vote. Saakashvili was convicted in absentia in 2018 of abuse of office.

Prime Minister Irakli Gharibashvili said on October 3 that Saakashvili would serve his full term of six years in prison.

A mission of observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said in a statement on October 3 the election had been "marred by widespread and consistent allegations of intimidation, vote-buying, pressure on candidates and voters, and an unlevel playing field," although candidates were able to campaign freely.

In the capital, Tbilisi, the mayoral race appeared headed for a runoff with more than 99 percent of the votes counted.

Mayor Kakha Kaladze of Georgian Dream had nearly 45 percent of the vote, while ENM party chief Nika Melia was at 34 percent.

The incumbent conceded on October 3 that he had failed to reach the 50 percent required to avoid a runoff, saying he respected the will of voters and would begin to assess the reasons for the result, mentioning the strained political atmosphere as one potential cause.

Kaladze claimed, however, that Georgian Dream had retained its majority in the Tbilisi city council, although it appeared to have lost seats.

According to the election commission, all five of the mayoral races being contested in the country were heading for a runoff, and three of the races were led by opposition candidates.

Georgian Dream Chairman Irakli Kobakhidze said that he was saddened that the Tbilisi race would go to a second round, but claimed the ruling party had "won convincingly" and predicted that all its candidates facing runoff votes would win.

He scolded the opposition during an October 3 press conference. "You are in a difficult situation," he told a reporter for the opposition-aligned TV channel Mtavari Arkhi in response to a question. "You have severely lost the election, but this should not make you lose face."

After polls closed on October 2, opposition leader Melia claimed Georgian Dream had "lost the political center" and accused the ruling party of "voter intimidation and vote-buying." He called on Georgians to "be mobilized so that Georgian Dream can't manipulate election results."

As the results came in the, other opposition leaders also said there were widespread irregularities despite Georgian Dream saying the elections had been held to the "highest democratic standards."

"The election results were falsified. We have witnessed intimidation and bribing of voters prior to the elections, multiple voting on the election day," Giorgi Baramidze, a leader of the ENM, told AFP.

The Interior Ministry announced on October 3 that it had launched 16 criminal investigations related to incidents that took place on voting day, including physical violence near or at polling stations.

Nongovernmental organizations monitoring the elections reported dozens of suspected cases of electoral fraud, including vote-buying, violations of the secrecy of the ballot, and "carousel voting" -- where voters are bussed into multiple polling stations as an organized group.

According to the Central Election Commission, 366 complaints were filed with the district election commissions during election day, most of them being "procedural deficiencies [that will] require disciplinary action against commission members."

An independent union of journalists, the Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics, reported cases where journalists were cursed, threatened, or physically assaulted at polling stations.

Transparency International, whose Georgia branch had about 300 observers on the ground, reported 160 violations, including multiple voting, the obstruction of monitoring, and the harassment of journalists. The violations led to the filing of 30 complaints, the corruption watchdog said.

Overall, voters cast ballots for mayors in 64 municipalities, as well as nearly 2,100 members of local self-governing councils. Voter turnout nationally stood at nearly 52 percent, according to election authorities.

The local elections come as the country has been in a protracted political crisis since Georgian Dream won parliamentary elections a year ago. Opposition parties claimed the vote was unfair and fraudulent, while international observers said it had been competitive and that fundamental freedoms were generally respected.

Under an EU-brokered agreement reached in April to defuse the paralyzing political crisis between Georgian Dream and opposition parties, early parliamentary elections were to be called in 2022 if Georgian Dream received less than 43 percent in local elections.

But in July, Georgian Dream leader Kobakhidze annulled the so-called April 19 agreement, blaming the opposition for its failure and claiming most other key provisions had been met.

At the time, Kobakhidze said that smaller opposition parties signed the agreement, but the larger "radical opposition" blocs including the main opposition ENM refused to join the deal.

Observers say the election and its aftermath could usher in a period of instability in the country with aspirations of joining Western institutions.

"Today's vote is probably a culmination of the months-long political crisis that has a good chance to drive Georgia into more instability and less prospects for development," Olesya Vartanyan, a senior analyst with the International Crisis Group, told RFE/RL.

"[It's] difficult to say if the ruling party will even want to demonstrate its readiness for compromise after it withdrew from the April 19 agreement that included a step-by-step plan on how to start getting out of Georgia's stagnation and regular crisis situations. Many in the opposition are also very frustrated with the lack of results," she said.

The arrest of Saakashvili, who ruled Georgia from 2004 to 2013, added extra fuel to the country's political crisis, with the ENM's Baramidze saying the situation had undermined the credibility of the elections.

The former president left the country shortly after his term ended, and in 2015 he gave up his Georgian citizenship to become governor of Ukraine's Odesa region, although he continues to be considered a leading opposition figure in Georgia.

Saakashvili was convicted in absentia on corruption and abuse of power charges in 2018 that says are politically motivated. He faces a total of nine years in prison after being found guilty of abusing his authority in two separate cases: one related to trying to cover up evidence related to the 2005 beating of an opposition lawmaker, and another relating to the killing of a Georgian banker.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on October 3 that he would personally press for Saakashvili to be returned to Ukraine.

With reporting by Civil.ge, AFP, and Reuters
ALMATY, Kazakhstan -- Police in Almaty have dismantled a tent set up by protesters in front of the Chinese Consulate as part of their protest demanding the release of their relatives from prisons and so-called reeducation camps in China's northwestern Xinjiang region.



Despite a police order not to erect tents at the site, dozens of protesters spent a 20th night in front of the consulate in Kazakhstan's largest city on September 14.



One of the protesters, Khalida Aqytkhan,told RFE/RL that she will continue to spend her nights in front of the consulate even without a tent as she fights for the release of her three sons from Chinese custody.

After Kazakhstan gained independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, many ethnic Kazakhs from Xinjiang and elsewhere have benefited from Kazakhstan's state program on resettlement of ethnic Kazakhs into the country.



Many of them obtained permanent residence in Kazakhstan or Kazakh citizenship but continue to visit Xinjiang on a regular basis either to see relatives or for bureaucratic reasons, where some of them face pressure or even arrest and imprisonment.



Some of the protesters have been rallying in front of the Chinese Consulate in Almaty for many months.



The rallies of one of such protesters, Farida Qabylbek, paid off after her 58-year-old husband, Raqyzhan Zeinolla, was released from home arrest in Xinjiang and came to Kazakhstan from China in April after serving almost 15 years in prison and reeducation camps on espionage charges that his relatives rejected.

In recent years, many similar protests have taken place across Kazakhstan, with demonstrators demanding the authorities officially intervene in the situation faced by ethnic Kazakhs in Xinjiang.



The U.S. State Department has said that as many as 2 million Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and members of Xinjiang's other indigenous, mostly Muslim ethnic groups have been confined in detention centers.



China denies that the facilities are internment camps, but individuals who have fled the province say people undergo "political indoctrination" at a network of facilities officially referred to as reeducation camps.



Beijing's policies in Xinjiang are a sensitive issue in Kazakhstan.



China is a major trading partner for the Central Asian country, and the Kazakh state-controlled media has generally avoided reporting about Beijing's policies in Xinjiang.



Kazakhs are the second-largest Turkic-speaking indigenous community in Xinjiang after Uyghurs. The region is also home to ethnic Kyrgyz, Tajiks, and Hui, also known as Dungans. Han, China's largest ethnicity, is the second-largest community in Xinjiang.
A massive new leak of financial documents has exposed how the presidents of Azerbaijan and Ukraine, as well as hundreds of other politicians and billionaires around the world, are linked with companies that use offshore tax havens to hide wealth.



The files from offshore companies, dubbed the Pandora Papers, involve some 35 current and former leaders and more than 300 officials.



The findings of an examination of the files -- the largest organized by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) -- were released on October 3.

The investigation found that the family of Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev and their close associates have secretly been involved in property deals in Britain, almost entirely in London, worth nearly $700 million, using offshore companies, according to the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), which is part of the ICIJ consortium.



Most of these properties were purchased in cash.



The files show how the Aliyevs, long accused of corruption in the South Caucasus country, bought a total of 17 properties, the BBC reported.



Aliyevs son, Heydar, owned four buildings in Londons Mayfair district when he was just 11 years old.



A $44.7 million block was bought by a front company owned by a family friend of the president in 2009 and was transferred one month later to Heydar.



Aliyevs administration did not respond to requests for comment on the allegations, nor did members of his family.

The secret records also show that Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and his close circle were the beneficiaries of a network of offshore companies, including some that owned expensive property in London, the OCCRP reported.



It said Zelenskiy and his partners in a television production company, Kvartal 95, set up a network of offshore firms dating back to at least 2012. Among other things, the offshore firms were used by Zelenskiy's associates to purchase three prime properties in the center of the British capital.



The documents also show that just before he was elected in 2019 on a wave of public anger against the countrys political class, Zelenskiy transferred his stake in a secret offshore company to his business partner, who later became his top presidential aide.



And an arrangement was soon made that would allow the offshore firm to keep paying dividends to a company that now belongs to Zelenskiy's wife.



A spokesman for Zelenskiy declined to comment.

According to the OCCRP, other leaked offshore documents show that the unofficial third wife of Kazakhstans former President Nursultan Nazarbaev received $30 million, apparently for almost nothing.



The payment to Assel Kurmanbaeva followed a number of share transfers involving six offshore companies, almost all registered in the British Virgin Islands, a notorious haven for offshore secrecy, the investigative journalism group said.



The payment was structured as a sale, in which Kurmanbaeva gave up her stake in a company that appeared to do no business. She received the money two months after the 2010 death of a man rumored to be Nazarbaevs confidant, an oligarch named Vladimir Ni, from a company taken over by his daughter.

Nazarbaev did not respond to requests for comment on the claims.



The leaks also link Russian President Vladimir Putin to secret assets in Monaco.



The Washington Post, which is part of the investigative consortium, reported on the case of Svetlana Krivonogikh, a Russian woman who it said became the owner of a Monaco apartment through an offshore company incorporated on the Caribbean island of Tortola in April 2003, just weeks after she gave birth to a girl.

She was at the time in a secret, years-long relationship with Putin, the U.S. newspaper said, citing Russian investigative outlet Proekt.

They are using those offshore accounts, those offshore trusts, to buy hundreds of millions of dollars of property in other countries, and to enrich their own families, at the expense of their citizens."

Krivonogikh and her 18-year-old daughter and the Kremlin did not respond to requests for comment.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on October 4 dismissed revelations leaked in the Pandora Papers as "a set of largely unsubstantiated claims."



In Pakistan, members of Prime Minister Imran Khan's inner circle, including cabinet ministers and their families, secretly own companies and trusts holding millions of dollars, the BBC reported.



The files also expose the offshore dealings of Jordans King Abdullah II, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis, and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and detail the financial activities of more than 130 billionaires from Russia, the United States, Turkey, and other nations.



Many of the transactions in the documents involve no legal wrongdoing, but Fergus Shiel of the ICIJ said the leak documents show the reality of what offshore companies can offer to help people hide dodgy cash or avoid tax."



"They are using those offshore accounts, those offshore trusts, to buy hundreds of millions of dollars of property in other countries, and to enrich their own families, at the expense of their citizens," he added.



The publishing of the Pandora Papers comes five years after the explosive Panama Papers investigation in 2016.

State Department spokesman Ned Price told journalists at a regular briefing on October 4 that the United States is reviewing the Pandora Papers' findings, but is not in a position to comment on specifics.



The ICIJ obtained the trove of nearly 12 million confidential files from 14 financial services companies in countries such as the British Virgin Islands, Panama, Belize, Cyprus, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, and Switzerland that set up shell companies and other nooks for clients.



A team of more than 600 journalists from 150 news outlets spent two years sifting through them, tracking down sources, and digging into court files and other public records from dozens of countries.
When hostilities broke out along the Kyrgyz-Tajik border at the end of April, many countries and organizations were quick to call for an end to the fighting and a peaceful resolution to the long-running border conflict.

No one wanted to openly side with either Kyrgyzstan or Tajikistan, let alone comment on the violence that left more than 50 people dead.

But in the days following an agreement between Kyrgyz and Tajik officials that halted the fighting, there have been hints of the positions of some leaders through their statements and actions.

Tajik President Emomali Rahmon was fortunate to have accepted an invitation months ago to make an official visit to Moscow for the May 9 Victory Day celebrations. Rahmon was the only head of state to attend the Moscow ceremonies but the trip allowed him an opportunity to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on May 8 and again the next day during the parade on Red Square.

Reports on the meetings of the two presidents did not mention any discussion of the April 28-30 fighting on the border, though Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said days earlier it would be on the agenda, and Putin had offered on April 30 to act as a mediator in the conflict.

Where Moscow Stands

Putin's comments were interesting, as they seemed to indirectly address the problem between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

The topic of Russia's bases in Tajikistan, where Russia's 201st Division has been stationed since shortly after the end of World War II, is a perennial whenever Putin and Rahmon meet and with U.S. and other foreign forces withdrawing from Afghanistan. Putin said Russia would "work on strengthening [the bases] and on strengthening the armed forces of Tajikistan."

The part about strengthening Tajikistan's military was certainly noticed in Kyrgyzstan, even if Putin said the strengthening was needed because of increased fighting in Afghanistan. Though both sides in the border fighting took substantial losses, the casualty figures show that Kyrgyz took a worse beating in the fighting with the Tajiks.

The Kremlin has made many statements about the need for stability in Kyrgyzstan, where Russia also has a military base and where there have been three revolutions since 2005.

In July 2019, then-Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambaev met with Putin in Moscow. Atambaev was in the midst of a feud with his successor, President Sooronbai Jeenbekov, but despite technically being under house arrest, Atambaev left Kyrgyzstan on a plane that departed from the Russian military base in Kant.

At the end of the meeting with Atambaev, Putin referred to the 2005 and 2010 revolutions in Kyrgyzstan: "Kyrgyzstan has endured several serious internal political shocks...at least two," adding, "the country needs political stability."

Putin also said that as part of achieving stability, the people in Kyrgyzstan should "unite around the current president and help him in developing the state."

The feud between Atambaev and Jeenbekov did not end and barely two weeks later, elite troops of Kyrgyzstan's Interior Ministry raided Atambaev's compound outside Bishkek. After a deadly standoff, Atambaev surrendered and was eventually put in prison.

Then in October 2020, protests over the results of rigged parliamentary elections ousted Jeenbekov. But Moscow's relations with the new government of President Sadyr Japarov have been icy.

Rahmon, on the other hand, has been in power in Tajikistan for nearly 29 years and, for the Kremlin, he represents stability in a country that borders Afghanistan. Russia has put a lot of effort and money into making Tajikistan a country that could hold the line against spillover from Afghanistan.

However, in his meeting with Rahmon on May 8, Putin also spoke about Tajik migrant laborers in Russia. "I know this is a sensitive issue for Tajikistan," he said. "A significant volume of support for the families [of migrant laborers] is sent from Russia back home [to Tajikistan]."

That is true also for Kyrgyzstan. Hundreds of thousands of citizens of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan work in Russia and send money back to their families. Without these funds the economies of both countries would collapse, and the resulting economic decline would fuel social unrest.

By promising to lend further help to Tajikistan's military, Putin might be sending a message to Kyrgyz authorities to forget about any thoughts of renewing aggression along the border with Tajikistan, and by mentioning the billions of dollars migrant laborers send back, he sends a message to both countries about the potential leverage Russia can employ against Tajikistan -- or Kyrgyzstan -- if either side takes measures along their common border that destabilize the situation.

Offering Condolences, Aid

While the Kremlin needs to maintain some sort of balancing act, other countries do not. Again, no country or international organization has come out on the side of either Kyrgyzstan or Tajikistan. But some have sent messages of sympathy over losses from the fighting.

Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev phoned President Japarov on May 1 to express his condolences to the victims of the fighting in the southern Batken Province, and to say Kazakhstan was ready to render humanitarian aid to Kyrgyzstan.

Toqaev also spoke with Rahmon, who reportedly "informed [Toqaev] in detail" about the history of the border conflict and the current situation. Toqaev also offered to help mediate between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan and is scheduled to visit Dushanbe on May 19-20.

On May 4, Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov phoned Kyrgyz counterpart Ruslan Kazakbaev to offer Turkmenistan's condolences "to family and friends of the deceased citizens of Kyrgyzstan."

That same day, Armenian Foreign Minister Ara Ayvazyan phoned Kazakbekov with the same message. Ayvazyan also spoke with Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin on May 4, but reports did not mention if Ayvazyan expressed any condolences for Tajik losses.

Japarov spoke with Putin on May 10 and the two reportedly discussed the recent fighting.

Putin promised to provide humanitarian aid for Kyrgyzstan, but a phone call is not the same as two days of meetings in Moscow, even though many of the details of the Putin-Rahmon talks -- particularly their discussion of the fighting along the border -- remain unknown.
Even though the Russian authorities no longer allow the public to see the live video feeds from polling stations as the country votes, many videos from polling stations across the country have emerged that seem to show flagrant ballot-box stuffing.

A really shocking number of such videos appeared on the first day of voting in the September 17-19 parliamentary and local elections, U.S.-based political analyst Andras Toth-Czifra wrote on Twitter. Allegations made by those who posted the videos could not be independently verified.

Here is a partial rundown of the footage:

A video from Bryansk Oblast polling station 475 seemed to show a person whose head was covered with a jacket placing at least a dozen ballots into a ballot box. The person who posted the video to Twitter identified the perpetrator as a member of the polling station commission.

According to Mediazona, Communist Party observers at the polling station estimated that a total of 300 extra ballots were added to the total there.

Also in the Bryansk region, at polling station 131, the Communist Party posted a video appearing to show an election official putting a number of ballots into a ballot box.

An election monitor in St. Petersburg posted a video of a young man at polling station 1615 attempting to place eight ballots in a ballot box. After observers caught him red-handed, he was escorted away by a police officer.

On September 18, the same election monitor was met by several "provocateurs" outside polling station 1641. She said they began fighting among themselves, and police quickly detained both them and her.

Dozhd TV posted a video from St. Petersburg polling station 2189 in which police can be seen stopping a woman with a large number of ballot papers in her bag. The Dozhd correspondent reported earlier that he had seen the woman on the street talking to the head of the polling station and had seen them get into a car together.

A video from St. Petersburg polling station 1809 seemed to show a man placing a large number of ballots into a ballot box in full view of polling station workers. Their only reaction was to direct the man to the exit after he finished.

The account of jailed Yabloko party candidate Andrei Pivovarov posted a video from polling station 3667 in the Moscow Oblast town of Balashikha showing an election worker giving a large number of ballot papers to a young man before he entered the voting booth.

In another video, the same poll worker can be seen giving multiple ballot papers to a woman while another young man emerges from behind the curtain and feeds about seven ballots into the ballot box.

Pivovarov's account posted two more videos from the same polling station, all of them seeming to show people placing multiple ballot papers in the ballot boxes.

Mikhail Lobanov -- a candidate from Moscow for the State Duma, Russias lower parliament house -- posted a photograph of a full ballot box from Moscow polling station 3487, saying that he had observed ballot box stuffing and had summoned the police.

The next day he posted a video from a session of the regional election commission at which his complaint had been rejected. He promised to appeal the ruling.

A video apparently from polling station 1660 in the Bashkortostan region appeared to show two young women feeding dozens of ballots into ballot boxes one after another.

A video from polling station 550 in Saratov Oblast also seemed to show two women feeding dozens of ballots into two ballot boxes. The Communist Party in that region called the incident "another criminal act."

And a video from polling station 98 in the Russian-controlled Ukrainian city of Sevastopol also showed a group of people -- apparently polling station officials -- feeding large numbers of ballots into two ballot boxes while a woman sitting a meter away from them watches.

The elections come at a time when the ruling United Russia party, one of President Vladimir Putins main levers of power, is polling at historically low popularity and amid a massive state crackdown on opposition candidates, independent civic organizations, and independent media.

Analysts say the Kremlins main goal is for United Russia to maintain its constitutional two-thirds majority in the 450-seat Duma.

RFE/RL's Russian Service contributed to this report
Hundreds joined the annual LGBT Pride parade in Belgrade on September 18. Participants held banners with slogans such as "Love is a law," referring to their demand that Serbia allow the registration of same-sex unions. Unlike previous years, the march was not joined by Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, who is openly gay. And just like previous marches, the police cordoned off far-right protesters who were burning the rainbow flag.
Turkmenistan has begun moving heavy weaponry, helicopters, and other aircraft closer to its border with Afghanistan, and reservists are being put on alert in the capital, a further sign of the worry spreading across Central Asia as Taliban fighters continue major offensives.

A senior official at a Turkmen security agency told RFE/RL that more troops from an army garrison near the city of Mary are being sent to bolster border guard units. Mary is about 400 kilometers north of Serhetabad, a major border crossing with Afghanistan.

The official, who was not authorized to speak to the media, said additional forces sent to the border include officers as well as fighter jets and helicopters.

It is unclear exactly how many units are being sent to the border or the numbers of aircraft being dispatched there.

Another online news site, Turkmen.News, also reported heavy weaponry being moved to the Serhetabad region last week.

In the capital, Ashgabat, meanwhile, some reservists are being summoned to military recruiting posts and being told to stay on alert for possible quick deployment, the official said. The orders are so far not nationwide and are limited to just Ashgabat, he said.

The Turkmen government, which is tightly controlled and highly secretive, has made no announcement about increased security. Law enforcement officials, meanwhile, have increased warnings to average Turkmen against using virtual private networks, or VPNs, which are illegal but widely used to circumvent government restrictions on the Internet.

In Mary, whose population is believed to be around 100,000 people, local officials have begun organizing patriotic lectures for public service employees.

Municipal service workers in the citys Margush district were required to attend an hour-long meeting on July 8 after the end of the workday. One participant told RFE/RL that people were not happy about being forced to attend.

The people were so tired. Everyone wanted to go home faster. It would be better if they held their lectures during working hours, not after work, or even better if they raised their salaries. We cannot feed our children with empty talk, one worker told RFE/RL. He asked not to be identified for fear of losing his job.

Another worker also complained of being forced to attend the meeting after working since 7 a.m. that morning.

All day long, under the scorching sun, we clean the streets, plant flowers, level the ground, mow the grass. We are thrown into the hardest work. Finishing work at 7 p.m., we barely get home. And listening to these conversations and lectures is an unnecessary concern for us. After work, we barely make it home and fall asleep, not having time to eat a piece of bread with our children, said the worker, who also asked to remain anonymous.

The worker said the lecture included rhetoric about how prosperous the country was and how people should be loyal to the government.

Turkmenistan shares an 800-kilometer border with Afghanistan, where the security situation has deteriorated sharply as Taliban fighters advance on provincial centers and even some border crossings.

Hundreds of Afghans, including soldiers and local police, have reportedly fled into other neighboring Central Asia countries, like Tajikistan.

Tajik officials last week announced they were sending an additional 20,000 troops to its border in response to the Taliban offensive. On July 5, the border guard service reported that more than 1,000 Afghan troops had crossed into Tajikistan over the previous 24 hours.

U.S. President Joe Biden has pledged that the withdrawal of U.S. forces would be completed by August 31. Since then, the Taliban has unleashed a quick offensive and now controls about one-third of the countrys 421 districts and district centers.

Earlier this month, U.S. forces vacated their largest base in Afghanistan at Bagram, north of Kabul.

The rapid withdrawal of U.S. forces, and the Taliban's battlefield successes, are stoking concerns that the Western-backed government in Kabul may collapse.
Various media reports and independent sources indicate that Turkmenistan is being hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. Yet Turkmen officials continue to say there have not been any incidents of COVID-19 in the country.

But the cases of two diplomats assigned to Turkmenistan suggest the virus is indeed there -- though in both cases their governments remain quiet. Such silence helps allow Turkmen authorities to continue spouting the official line that the country is somehow unaffected by the global pandemic.

Guzide Uchkun is the widow of Kemal Uchkun, a Turkish diplomat who died in a hospital in Turkmenistan on July 7.

She recently filed a lawsuit against Turkeys ambassador to Turkmenistan, Togan Oral, and several other government officials for their failure to transport her husband from Turkmenistan to Turkey for proper medical treatment.

Starting in January 2018, Kemal Uchkun was stationed at the Turkish Embassy in Turkmenistan as an adviser on religious affairs.

On June 27, 2020, Uchkun was admitted to a hospital. His symptoms were breathing problems, heavy coughing, and a fever, signs associated with the coronavirus. Doctors treated him for pneumonia.

Guzide Uchkun says Turkmen doctors treated her husband with antibiotics, which don't work against viruses.

Turkish doctors said the X-rays they received of Uchkun from Turkmenistan indicated there was a better than 90 percent chance he had COVID-19.

Guzides lawyer, Ahmet Basci, told Azatlyk that the embalming of Uchkuns body was done in Turkmenistan, so a subsequent autopsy in Turkey was unable to determine if the diplomats death was due to the coronavirus.

But Basci said Uchkuns family showed the chest X-rays to other Turkish forensic experts after his death. Basci said those experts had no doubt that Uchkun had died of COVID-19 and that he probably would have survived if he had been brought back to Turkey.

I pleaded [with Turkish authorities] to send a medical transport plane or any kind of plane to bring my husband back to Turkey, Guzide told the Turkish newspaper Sozcu. I filled out applications and provided all the necessary documents every day until his death.

Turkmen officials did not give official permission for a Turkish plane to come to Ashgabat, which has not been accepting international flights since March, until after Uchkun died on July 7.

Publicly, Turkish authorities have still not criticized Turkmenistans reluctance to allow an ill diplomat to be evacuated home for treatment, although it seems cause for some outrage. Ankara has also not said anything that might question Turkmenistans claim of being free of the coronavirus.

Guzide Uchkun also plans to file a lawsuit against Turkmen authorities, charging them with negligence and obstruction.

Britains ambassador to Turkmenistan, Hugh Philpott, is known for promoting the culture of Central Asian countries where he has been stationed, sometimes through song.

Philpott performed a Tajik song when he was ambassador to Tajikistan and recently sang a Turkmen tune.

On December 16, Philpott tweeted that he was recuperating from a virus trending in the physical world.

Philpott did not say where he was recuperating, but he has been in Turkmenistan since returning from a trip abroad in late September.

RFE/RL's Coronavirus Crisis Archive Features and analysis, videos, and infographics explore how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the countries in our region.

The British government has not publicly commented on Philpotts condition or where he contracted the virus.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has also not confirmed that the coronavirus is in Turkmenistan, despite making an official visit.

The WHO sent a team to Turkmenistan in July after more than two months of delays caused, apparently, by Turkmen authorities procrastination in giving official permission.

The WHO team was guided around Turkmenistan and afterward could only say they had not seen any clear evidence of the coronavirus in Turkmenistan, though they did express concern at reports of increased cases of acute respiratory disease or pneumonia of unknown cause and advised activating the critical public-health measures in Turkmenistan, as if COVID-19 was circulating.

The team also recommended that surveillance and testing systems are scaled up, and that samples are sent to WHO reference laboratories for confirmed testing.

Eurasianet.org contacted the WHO about that and in December received a reply that "unfortunately, due to many travel restrictions currently in place, this has as yet not been possible."

Given the Turkmen governments penchant for exaggeration, if not outright lying, it is not surprising that officials there continue to cling to their narrative that the coronavirus has been prevented from entering Turkmenistan.

It is somewhat surprising that international organizations and individual governments are not challenging this claim by the Turkmen government, especially considering the heavy impact it is having on the citizens of Turkmenistan.

RFE/RL's Turkmen Service contributed to this report
ASHGABAT -- Turkmen regional authorities have banned lines outside state stores that sell food at subsidized prices after Deputy Prime Minister Serdar Berdymukhammedov, the president's son, publicly said that "crowds near stores discredit" his father.

RFE/RL correspondents said that in the eastern city of Turkmenabat, an order was issued saying that lines at state stores could be no longer than four people long. Those who break the order will be removed from the line immediately and face possible arrest.

Government critics and human rights groups say President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov has suppressed dissent and made few changes in the secretive country since he came to power after the death of autocrat Saparmurat Niyazov.

Like his late predecessor, Berdymukhammedov has relied on subsidized prices for basic goods and utilities to help maintain his grip on power.

The new ban was introduced amid an economic and food crisis and a dramatic increase in the number of people in need of subsidized food.

State grocery stores sell subsidized food from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. only. Each customer can buy a liter of cotton and sunflower oil, a kilogram of sugar, and a kilogram of rice per month in such shops. Sometimes the stores also sell eggs and chicken legs.

On April 13, in the southern city of Mary, about 1,000 people waited for hours to buy 2 kilograms of frozen meat each. One kilogram of the meat cost 36 manats, which is equal to $10 at the state-controlled rate and $1 on the black market.

Food shortages have been reported in the former Soviet republic for months. Customers are also forced to buy additional items at state stores, such as portraits of the president.

Turkmenistan has been caught up in an economic crisis over the past several years despite being home to the world's fourth-largest proven natural-gas resources.

The coronavirus pandemic has worsened the situation, though the government has denied both the economic crisis and the presence of COVID-19 in the country.

According to Human Rights Watch, Berdymukhammedov, "his relatives, and their associates control all aspects of public life, and the authorities encroach on private life."
ASHGABAT -- Turkmenistan is facing an unprecedented population decline, with only about 2.8 million people -- or less than a half of what the government says -- living in the country in 2021, three different officials told RFE/RL.

The government in Ashgabat put the country's population at 6.2 million early last year.

But a preliminary survey ahead of the planned census in 2022 found that the number of people living in Turkmenistan was between 2.7 million and 2.8 million earlier this year, the three sources said.

The officials, who are involved in the census preparations and data analysis, spoke on condition of anonymity over safety concerns in the secretive, tightly controlled state.

They said that an exodus of people from Turkmenistan, a falling birthrate, and rising mortality figures amid plummeting living standards are among the main reasons behind the shrinking population in the Central Asian state.

"We went door-to-door to count the population, and also used additional methods, such as getting the number of conscripts in the army, school graduates, university students, children registered in kindergartens, prison populations, data from migration agencies on arrivals and departures, and registry office records on birth and death figures," one of the officials said.

The sources said the results of the survey might differ slightly from the official census, but they say the difference would be insignificant.

The officials described the findings as "shocking," although the demographic crisis in Turkmenistan has been known for some time.

The last census in Turkmenistan took place in 2012, but the government didn't release the results.

In May 2019, multiple sources in Ashgabat told RFE/RL that nearly 1.9 million people left Turkmenistan between 2008 and 2018 either for permanent residency abroad or for permanent work outside the country. The figures didn't include Turkmen labor migrants working abroad.

At the time, the sources -- familiar with the situation -- put the country's population at slightly more than 3.3 million people.

A devastated economy, rampant unemployment, and a repressive authoritarian government are responsible for driving people to live in Russia, Turkey, and Uzbekistan -- the three main countries where people have emigrated seeking to resettle.

Trying To Stop The Stampede

Before the pandemic, RFE/RL correspondents in Ashgabat reported long lines of people applying for visas at the Russian and Uzbek embassies. The process slowed due to the border closures and travel restrictions necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic that began in early 2020.

Despite the pandemic, 2,451 Turkmen received Russian passports and 2,271 others obtained permanent residence in Russia in 2020.

During the same period, about 87,200 Turkmen citizens received residency permits in Turkey.

Hundreds of thousands of Turkmen traveled to Turkey every year before the pandemic, taking advantage of the visa-free travel agreement between the two countries. Most of them didn't return home.

The exact number of Turkmen living in Turkey is unknown. Many are thought to be there illegally with expired Turkmen passports.

To stop the exodus, Turkmen authorities have often removed up to 50 percent of the Turkmen passengers on Istanbul-bound flights.

Many Turkmen planning to move to Russia complained that they were unable to obtain documents required to leave the country. They said Turkmen officials would simply refuse to issue the documents in an apparent attempt to curb migration from the country.

"The rise in migration from Turkmenistan began in 2013-14, which coincided with the onset of the economic crisis in the country," one of the officials told RFE/RL.

The crisis has since deepened in Turkmenistan, with food shortages and price hikes.

Most of the population depends on state-owned grocery stores that offer affordable staple foods. Supplies at such stores are limited and people often wait for hours for the shops to receive new stocks.

The revenue from the country's abundant energy resources has only benefited a small circle of government elites and not trickled down to the common people. Widespread corruption only adds to the people's misery.

Many Turkmen don't have access to adequate health care, especially in rural areas where dilapidated hospitals lack modern medical equipment and even good sanitation.

At the same time, the government deprives people of their most basic rights and freedoms, restricting their access to the Internet, banning social media, and clamping down on free speech. The state also controls all media and does not allow opposition political parties.

Amid financial and social hardships, mortality figures began to go up and the traditionally high birthrates began to drop over the past decade, the sources said. "In 2019, the death count in Turkmenistan was between 5,000 and 6,000 a month. But in 2020, the monthly figures rose to 8,000 and 10,000 at its peak," one of the officials said.

The rise in mortality could also be attributed to COVID-19 cases in the country, despite the government's claim that Turkmenistan has remained coronavirus-free and has not had a single death from the coronavirus, despite evidence to the contrary.

The government doesn't publish mortality statistics. But even by official estimates, the birthrate in Turkmenistan has been steadily falling in recent years.

If the fertility rate drops below 2.1 children per woman, it means a country's population has begun to shrink. In Turkmenistan, it went into negative territory with -0.5 in 2014 and continued to fall, with -3.2 in 2020.

In comparison, the populations in the other four Central Asian countries have been rising. Tajikistan recorded the highest population growth rate in the region, with more than 2 percent between 2015 and 2020, according to United Nations figures. Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan came in second with 1.4 percent growth, followed by Kazakhstan with a 1.1 percent rise during the same period.

Written by Farangis Najibullah based on reporting by RFE/RL's Turkmen Service
OSH, Kyrgyzstan -- Hundreds of Uzbek migrant workers, including many women from the countrys densely populated Ferghana Valley, cross into neighboring Kyrgyzstan every day looking for jobs.

Large crowds of Uzbek migrants gather near the Dostuk border crossing in the southern Kara-Suu district of the Osh region early every morning.

Its where many of the migrants get hired for short-term, informal jobs. Others travel deeper into the country in search of employment.

Those who arrive early usually find work by midday, says Oibek, a laborer from the eastern Uzbek province of Andijon.

On average we make about $10 to $20 a day in Kyrgyzstan. Its quite good, Oibek says. In Uzbekistan the median salary is about $130 per month.

Of course, there are some days that we cant find any work and go back home empty-handed, he adds.

Oibek says most of the Uzbek migrants in Kyrgyzstan are those who were not able to go to Russia due to the pandemic-related travel restrictions and high ticket prices.

There is a reasonably good demand for Uzbek laborers in Kyrgyzstan, says one Kyrgyz employer. Sultan Aibashev, a Kara-Suu resident, was in Dostuk to hire a carpenter.

Migrants from Uzbekistan agree to do the work for much lower money than our local workers, Aibashev said. Besides, they do their work efficiently. There are many skilled workers among them.

But not everybody is happy.

Some Kyrgyz officials say the cheaper Uzbek workforce is putting increasing pressure on the local job market, squeezing out Kyrgyz workers.

Kyrgyzstan itself faces an unemployment crisis that has worsened during the pandemic.

A recent survey by the U.S.-based International Republican Institute showed that nearly 60 percent of the respondents in Kyrgyzstan consider unemployment the most serious problem facing the country.

We need to provide jobs for our own citizens first, says Oroz Sheripbaeva, the head of the Osh regional Employment and Social Development Department.

People from the most vulnerable segments of the population come to us saying they are unable for find work. Meanwhile, there are so many people from Uzbekistan who are working at our construction sites, Sheripbaeva told RFE/RL.

According to government statistics, nearly 157,000 people in Kyrgyzstan were registered as unemployed in 2020. The real number, however, is estimated to be about 500,000 in a country of some 6.5 million people.

Let Them Pay Taxes

Officials at the Dostuk checkpoint say some 300 Uzbek nationals, mostly residents of Andijon, cross into Kara-Suu every day.

Only a handful of them are thought to be entering Kyrgyzstan for a family visit or to go sightseeing. The majority come for black market work.

Its not known how many migrants from Uzbekistan currently work in Kyrgyzstan because most of them are hired informally by private employers to build or renovate houses, demolish old buildings, and do other manual jobs. Women are often hired for housework and both men and women work on farms.

The jobs are short-term, lasting from several hours, such as cutting down trees or spring cleaning, to a few weeks working in construction or agriculture.

The workers usually stay in accommodation provided by the employer. Those who come from the border villages return home in the evening.

The jobs are offered informally, with a verbal agreement between the worker and the employer. Salaries are only paid in cash.

Its highly uncommon for either the worker or the employer to register with authorities and pay taxes.

There are calls among some Kyrgyz officials and others to regulate the illegal labor sector, introducing a mandatory work permit and income tax for migrant workers.

Migrants from Uzbekistan began coming to Kyrgyzstan -- on a smaller scale -- in September 2017, when the two countries reopened checkpoints and simplified border-crossing procedures.

Just a year later, Kyrgyz lawmaker Kenjebek Bokoev said Uzbek migrants working informally bring no benefit to Kyrgyzstan.

Bokoev said the migrants, who force thousands of Kyrgyz out of jobs, must work legally and pay Kyrgyz taxes.

Until Russia Reopens

The number of Uzbek workers in Kyrgyzstan is not expected to drop until Russia removes pandemic-related travel restrictions.

Russia -- the top destination for Central Asian migrant workers -- reopened its doors to Uzbek citizens on April 1. But theyre only allowed to enter Russia by flying.

With just two flights a week scheduled for migrant workers, all of the plane tickets for the summer were quickly sold out.

Central Asias most-populous country, with some 35 million inhabitants, Uzbekistan depends heavily on remittances from migrant workers.

The official unemployment rate in 2020 was 13 percent. But even top government officials acknowledge that the jobless rate is actually much higher.

An estimated 6 million Uzbeks traveled abroad -- mostly to Russia -- for seasonal jobs every year before the COVID-19 pandemic struck early last year.

According to the Transport Ministry, Uzbekistan Airways made 87 flights per week from Uzbekistan to Russia before the pandemic.

There were also 97 flights a week operated by various Russian airlines at the height of the migrant labor season.

The most popular and affordable option for migrant workers was to travel by land, with 12 buses and 13 trains a week connecting Tashkent and Andijon to various Russian cities.

Talks are reportedly under way to reopen the train service, which was suspended in March 2020. But no exact date for a resumption of service has been announced.
Oceanside declared a shelter crisis this week, the second time this month the City Council has approved emergency action to address its persistent homeless population.

The unanimous decision makes the city eligible for a share of about $6 million available to San Diego County cities through the states Homeless Emergency Aid program.

Oceanside declared a similar temporary shelter crisis Oct. 3, an action several North County cities take annually to clear the paperwork for Interfaith Community Services to set up its temporary winter shelters at local churches.

Homeowners near the San Luis Rey River, where many of the Oceanside homeless are camped, opposed Wednesdays resolution, saying any additional aid or services will only attract more transients to the area.

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These are not homeless, but habitual vagrants who cant live in regular society, said homeowner Drew Andrioff, founder of the group Take Back Oceanside. The groups Facebook page says it formed in September to address the increasingly dangerous and violent transient population and that it has more than 500 members.

Andrioff urged the City Council at a meeting Wednesday to immediately clear all transients from the riverbed, where he said there are hundreds, and to cut off all assistance to the homeless. He said the city should cite all transients for any violations no matter how insignificant, and remove all vegetation along the river to discourage their return.

Several other residents had similar attitudes. They said the homeless are criminals, drug addicts and prostitutes, and that their presence discourages tourists and reduces property values. Some said they believe other cities send their homeless to Oceanside to take advantage of the tolerance and generosity.

The people that have invaded the San Luis Rey River  do not want help, said Joe Corbett, another member of Take Back Oceanside.

Get them out now, please, he said.

City officials have said they cant just order the homeless to leave when they have no place to go. Efforts to clear transients out of one area, such as a canyon along the freeway, generally send them somewhere else close by, like the riverbed.

Despite the pleas from angry homeowners, council members agreed Wednesday to proceed with the application for a state grant, which could be used for a variety of programs for people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

If we get more than $50,000 out of this, Ill be surprised, said Councilman Jerry Kern.

He said the citys Police Department created a Homeless Outreach Team a few years ago that has helped get people off the streets. Oceanside also encourages the construction of low-income housing and contributes to various social services programs.

Its working, Kern said. We cant just round them all up and send them home.

The city has services for those who want it, said Councilman Jack Feller. We definitely need to pray for a lot of people who dont want help.

Chris Megison, founder and CEO of Solutions for Change in Vista, opposed the citys decision to apply for a state grant, saying it would do more harm than good. His program provides transitional housing for families who have been homeless, but only on the condition that they remain sober and work to improve their living conditions.

The state program only provides grant money for shelter first programs, in which shelter is the top priority for people whether or not they have kicked their drug or alcohol addictions.

It requires you to house active drug users, Megison said. That will make the riverbed worse.

Oceanside Director of Housing and Neighborhood Services Margery Pierce said there are many philosophies about the best way to help people.

Shelter first is based on the idea that people are more likely to find jobs and seek other services, such as addiction treatment, once they get a roof over their heads, she said.

There is no one-size-fits-all, she said.

Oceanside needs to work with San Diego County and other cities in the area to find regional solutions, said council members Esther Sanchez and Chuck Lowery.

We dont want to be some sort of honey pot, Lowery said, but he added that we currently have zero housing in Oceanside and even minimal housing is better than sleeping under a bush.

Oceanside consistently has one of the countys highest homeless populations outside of downtown San Diego, according to the one-day, Point-in-Time Count done by the Regional Task Force on the Homeless.

This years count showed a total of 483 homeless in Oceanside, 490 in Vista, 411 in Escondido and 210 in Carlsbad. El Cajon had 679 and the city of San Diego had 4,912, more than half of the countywide total of 8,576.

San Diego Countys total this year was down slightly from 2017, when it was 9,116. Five years ago, in 2013, the county total was 8,879.

philip.diehl@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @phildiehl


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One foot encased in a protective boot and No uterus, no opinion spelled out across her torso in red paint, Isabella Percy ambled slowly but surely through downtown San Francisco to a raucous soundtrack of drumbeats and chants on Saturday.

And the 17-year-old was not happy.

Women should not be oppressed in the way that we are. Its not OK, and it has to change,  she said. Its 2021. Its a modern time, and we need that from our government.

One of hundreds of people to participate in a march from City Hall to Embarcadero, she was also among the tens of thousands of people to rally for reproductive rights across the country, one month after the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the strictest antiabortion law in the nation to take effect. The controversial ruling by the conservative-leaning court made obtaining an abortion virtually impossible in Texas, which banned the procedure six weeks after conception, before most women know theyre pregnant.

The Supreme Court is also scheduled to consider a restrictive Mississippi law that many legal scholars predict may lead to the overturning of Roe vs. Wade and the federal right to an abortion, allowing states to create a patchwork of abortion laws that will hit marginalized women the hardest.

Clara Mokri/Special to The Chronicle

We need to show up for our communities in Texas, the Black and brown people that are being impacted by this, and marginalized people that are being impacted by this, said Sophia Andary, co-founder of Womens March San Francisco and one of the lead organizers of Saturdays event.

At least 16 marches and rallies were planned throughout the Bay Area and the Sacramento region this weekend and more than 600 around the country. In San Francisco, the participants ranged in age, race and gender  and the mood was split between anxiousness over the future and solidarity in the present.

Its crazy that were still fighting for the rights of our own bodies, said Harmony Vonstockhausen, a third-year student at San Francisco State. Its crazy that government can still have this effect on women.

This was Vonstockhausens first march. She and a friend bore signs that read, Texas wont make a twelve year old wear a mask, but they will force her to have a baby, and Que ser madre sea una decision y no una obligacion, which translates to, Being a mother is a decision and not an obligation.

Oakland resident Lisa Zimmer-Chu said the march had her flashing back to January 2017, when more than 3 million people poured into the streets for womens marches across the country and to protest the inauguration of President Donald Trump. At the time, Zimmer-Chus daughter had just come out as trans, which motivated her to participate in what was then her first protest.

Theres definitely a parallel between how women are treated, how the Earth is treated and how other groups that havent had a voice have been treated, she said. Im mad as hell.

Its about bringing up young people to have hope, added her friend Louise Chegwidden. Im here for them.

Others, particularly younger participants, expressed anger and concern that the public outpouring wouldnt be enough to overcome a simple math: The nine-member Supreme Court has six conservative justices, including three appointed by Trump.

Clara Mokri/Special to The Chronicle

President Bidens administration is seeking an injunction against the Texas law in federal court, and California Attorney General Rob Bonta is among two dozen attorneys general petitioning the Supreme Court to uphold Roe, which is almost a half-century old.

Despite the continued push by conservative governors and legislatures to restrict abortion access, 59% of American adults say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, a recent survey by the Pew Research Center found.

According to the Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health program at UCSF, the vast majority of women who obtain abortions dont regret them. Instead the research shows that being denied an abortion can have negative consequences for womens health and economic situations, while having an abortion does not lead to negative mental or physical health outcomes in the future.

A survey the program released in December found that women with lower incomes and barriers to obtaining abortions are more likely to try ending unwanted pregnancies on their own.

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.

Clara Mokri/Special to The Chronicle

After Texas ban took effect, abortion providers in Oklahoma and Kansas reported an influx of inquiries from pregnant women in the state. Carole Joffe, a professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at UCSF, said California should be  and is  prepared to do the same, especially if more states follow Texas lead.

California will play a very, very important role in protecting reproductive rights moving forward, she told The Chronicle on Friday. California is really a template for how sane abortion care should be done.

But even in a state with some of the strongest reproductive rights in the country, abortion isnt equally accessible to all those who seek it.

Clara Mokri/Special to The Chronicle

Jessica Pinckney, executive director of Access Reproductive Justice, one of the organizers of Saturdays march, said it can be incredibly challenging for low-income and historically marginalized women to obtain the procedure here for several reasons, including the need for financial aid, child care, transportation and time off work.

If even some Californians struggle to access abortion care, how hard will it be for low-income women who must travel across state lines to obtain the procedure?

Its really harrowing to think about whats happening in Texas when you think about how difficult it can sometimes be even here, Pinckney said.

Danielle Echeverria is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: danielle.echeverria@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @DanielleEchev

Correction: This story has been updated to reflect that the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the Texas abortion law to take effect while legal challenges proceed. An earlier version of the story misstated the scope of the ruling.
Phebe Cox grew up in what might seem an unlikely mental health danger zone for a kid: tony Palo Alto, in the heart of Silicon Valley. But behind its facade of family success and wealth, she said, is an environment of crushing pressure on students to perform. By 2016, when Cox was in middle school, Palo Alto had a teen suicide rate four times the national average.

Coxs family lived by the railroad tracks where many of the suicides occurred. She got counseling. But that option, she said, is not always easily available to teens in crisis  and she and her peers regarded school mental health services as their last choice because of concerns about either confidentiality or anonymity.

A new program, designed largely by the people who use it, provides an alternative. Called Allcove, it offers stand-alone health and wellness sites to those ages 12 to 25, often on a walk-in basis, at minimal or no cost. Although Allcove is built to support a wide range of physical, emotional and social needs, its overarching goal is to deal with mental health challenges before they develop into deeper problems.

Allcove is yet in its infancy, with two sites just opened in the Bay Area and five more in the pipeline around California. Its modeled on a 15-year-old program in Australia, Headspace, which has 130 such clinics. Headspace has inspired programs in other countries as well, including Jigsaw in Ireland and Foundry in Canada. All of them, including Allcove, also offer online and phone services.

Allcoves core values resonate with Cox, now 19 and a student at Pitzer College in Claremont (Los Angeles County) and one of dozens of young people who have offered advice on the programs structure and services.

Right away, I knew it was going to be a big thing, Cox said. I felt pretty helpless as a young teenager, but Allcove is all about the students and the students needs.

About half of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14, and 75% before age 25, according to researchers. Yet access to mental health care in the U.S. is lacking. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, some 30 million adults and children with mental health conditions go without treatment, and 129 million people live in areas with shortages of mental health professionals. A 2017 survey found that Californians were five times more likely to go outside their private insurance network for mental health office visits than for medical or surgical needs.

Allcove meets some of that head-on by providing fully staffed safe spaces for teens and young adults to discuss and deal with their health, both mental and physical, along with substance misuse issues and educational support. California law allows those 12 and older to get outpatient mental health or counseling services without a guardians consent.

Allcoves sites in Palo Alto and San Jose are filled with vibrant colors and plenty of open space, the result of input by a youth advisory group that numbers a dozen or more members and changes out about once a year. Inside Allcove, clients can access group or individual care, ask a doctor about a problem, and even get help preparing for college.

Unlike the Australian program, Allcove has no ongoing funding source yet. Allcove is a really big lift, and we (at the state level) want to say, How can we help you? said Toby Ewing, executive director of the California Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission, which administers the fund that seeded the first two sites with $15 million.

Funding eventually may come from a combination of state, private and nonprofit sources, as well as Medi-Cal reimbursements, said Dr. Steven Adelsheim, a psychiatrist who directs Stanford Universitys Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing.

Adelsheim previously spent nearly 30 years in New Mexico, helping that state build a network of school-based health centers. His experience convinced him that many students were likely to avoid mental health services at school. They were reluctant, he said, to discuss such issues with their own counselors, who might be the same people writing the students letters of recommendation for college and might unwittingly breach privacy.

That realization led Adelsheim in 2014 to get exploratory funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to create Allcove. (Kaiser Health News also receives funding support from the foundation.) There is a crying need in the U.S. to reach kids with early intervention and help, Adelsheim said.

The idea struck a chord with Santa Clara County officials, whod seen Palo Alto lashed by teen suicide clusters during the 2009-10 and 2014-15 school years. The saddest part of the story is that a teen didnt reach out earlier, didnt have the opportunity to get help when and where they needed it, County Supervisor Joe Simitian said in announcing Allcoves opening in June. The appeal of the Allcove model is its designed to engage young people who are struggling, long before they hit a crisis point.

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.

When Cox moved from middle school to Palo Altos Henry M. Gunn High School, her therapist told her about Adelsheims project and suggested Cox apply to be part of Allcoves youth council. One of Coxs contributions was to suggest weekday hours extending at least to 7 p.m., because young adults are doing things and on the move all day. Its the evenings  and even the weekends  when were dealing with things or feeling more helpless. For a lot of my friends, at night is when things can get overwhelming.

Both Foundry, the Canadian program, and Allcove address physical health as well. Steve Mathias, CEO of Foundry, said his programs emphasis is on health and wellness, not just mental health, which is a part of wellness. Said Adelsheim, Sometimes a kid may come in with a physical complaint, and only after a few visits is the mental suffering brought out into the open. When that happens, Allcove can make a warm handoff to a mental health specialist on-site.

The most significant difference between Headspace and Allcove may be funding. Headspace is part of the Australian governments mental health initiative, and thus budgeted. Allcove is essentially building on the fly, and its long-term ability to grow will depend on money.

Californias Proposition 63. written in 2004 by then-Assembly Member Darrell Steinberg (now the mayor of Sacramento), levies a 1% tax on personal incomes over $1 million to fund community mental health services. This year, the tax may yield $2.4 billion, Ewing said. Most of that goes to existing programs, but about 5% each year  more than $100 million in 2021  feeds an innovation fund to encourage new approaches to mental health.

Santa Clara County got $15 million from that fund to launch Allcove. The state also has helped fund Allcove sites, in Sacramento, San Mateo and Orange counties, and two in Los Angeles County.

Weve made a $30 million-plus investment in this model, Ewing said. We are assuming that its going to be successful.

Success, say Adelsheim and Cox, would mean the establishment of hundreds of Allcove centers up and down the state, readily available to young people. The hope is that, if it catches on, Allcove could become a well-known brand for young Californians  and, eventually, others around the country.

Mark Kreidler writes for KHN (Kaiser Health News), a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues.
The Fawn Fire, the arson-sparked blaze that was started on Sept. 22, is now fully contained.

The fast-moving fire scorched 8,578 acres north of Redding in Shasta County, according to Cal Fire, which issued its final update on Saturday evening. A Palo Alto woman has been charged with starting the blaze. She told law enforcement that she was trying to start a fire to boil water from a puddle, but court records say that when the woman was arrested near the fires ignition point, she was carrying a lighter, multiple carbon dioxide cartridges and an incendiary device.

Firefighters were able to take advantage of cooler temperatures and increased humidity in completing and reinforcing containment lines the last few days, Cheryl Buliavac, a spokesperson for Cal Fire Shasta Trinity Unit, told The Chronicle. Firefighters will continue to patrol the area for the next few days.

While the fall season has begun, and temperatures are beginning to cool in some regions, Buliavac warned residents that the fire danger in the region remains. She urged residents to practice fire safety and do everything to prevent a new wildfire from starting.

With the drought conditions that we are under, that danger is significant until we get substantial rainfall, Buliavac said. Historically in California, and here in north state, some of our largest and most damaging fires have occurred in these months.

Firefighters continued battling blazes elsewhere in Northern California on Saturday, as smoke from the fires  along with the confluence of vehicle exhaust and high temperatures  created unhealthy air that prompted the Bay Areas Spare the Air alert to get extended through Sunday.

The lightning-sparked Windy Fire, which is burning in the Tule River Indian Reservation and the Sequoia National Forest, grew to 91,963 acres by Saturday evening  a 726-acre increase during the day, fire officials said. The blaze is 52% contained.

Fire Tracker Follow wildfires across the state Latest updates on wildfires burning across Northern and Southern California

The immense Dixie Fire, which has been burning since July 13th in three national parks in five Northern California counties, has now consumed more than 963,000 acres. It is 94% contained as of Saturday morning, Lassen National Forest officials said, and 1,617 firefighters and other personnel are still battling the blaze.

The Caldor Fire, which destroyed nearly two-thirds of the El Dorado County town of Grizzly Flats, has burned 221,775 acres and was 91% contained as of Saturday morning, fire officials said. During a Saturday morning incident update, officials said crews were expected to continue working the Interstate 50 corridor.

The KNP Complex, which is comprised of the Colony Fire and Paradise Fire, has burned 60,306 acres and was 20% contained as of Saturday evening, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks said. In a Saturday afternoon update, parks officials said that the fire crossed the North Fork Kaweah River and continued to spread to the north and west.

Lauren Hernandez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: lauren.hernandez@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ByLHernandez
Newark police have arrested two teenagers and are seeking a third suspect they say is connected to a recent strong-arm robbery and car chase.

According to the authorities, on Sept. 23 at about 2:15 p.m. the Alameda County Sheriffs Office aviation unit notified Newark police that a Toyota RAV4 stolen during an East Bay carjacking was involved in a strong-arm robbery under way near Newark Boulevard and Jarvis Avenue.

Officers responded immediately, a police news release said, locating the vehicle as it fled the scene. With the help of the sheriffs aviation unit, Newark police said they were able to pursue the vehicle along Highway 84 and Interstate 880 to Hayward, where the driver pulled into a cul-de-sac and stopped.

The driver was taken into custody, while two other suspects fled, running into nearby residential backyards, authorities said. Police said they were able to track down and arrest one suspect, but the other is still at large. Newark police said they are working to identify the person.

Police said they returned the stolen property to the 75-year-old robbery victim, who was not seriously injured in the incident.

The two suspects arrested were booked into Alameda County Juvenile Hall and were charged Sept. 28 with robbery and evading a peace officer, police said. Both are 15 years old  Newark police will not be identifying them as a result.

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.

The Newark Police Department tweeted a video of the incident from the Alameda County sheriffs aviation unit. Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Newark police Officer Matt Warren at matt.warren@newark.org or 510-578-4960. Information can also be left anonymously on the police hotline at 510-578-4965.

Ryan Kost is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rkost@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @RyanKost
Friends and fellow education activists on Sunday mourned Dirk Tillotson, an equity advocate for Black and Latino students in Oakland and across the United States, after the 52-year-old was identified as the victim of a fatal shooting Friday.

Iris M. Crawford and Jumoke Hinton, friends and colleagues of Tillotson, confirmed to The Chronicle on Sunday that he was the man who Oakland police said died in the attack, which occurred at his Maxwell Park home.

Hinton also confirmed that Tillotsons wife, Amina Assefa, 44, was the woman police said was injured in the attack. She is in stable condition, Hinton said.

The East Bay Times reported that authorities believe one intruder broke into the couples home in the 2600 block of Monticello Avenue and shot the couple after being confronted by Tillotson, who awoke to a noise. Officer Kim Armstead told The Chronicle in an email Sunday that no arrests had been made.

Great School Choices, the Oakland- and New York-based nonprofit organization co-founded by Tillotson, lauded him in a blog post as an educator, movement builder, and voice for making our school systems better, especially for Black students and other students of color.

The world lost one of its greats: a beloved husband and father; a smiling and laughing friend; and a fierce warrior for educational equity, the organization wrote in a GoFundMe page created to support the family.

Hinton, an education advocate who met Tillotson while serving on the Oakland Unified Board of Education, described him as a prolific writer who spoke truth to power. Together with other advocates, they created a collective called the State of Black Education  Oakland.

He lifted everybodys voice, Hinton said.

Tillotson wrote about equality in education in Oakland for Great School Voices, a blog that is part of the Great School Choices organization.

Born in New York, Tillotson developed a passion for education after his family moved to a high-performing school district and was the first Black family on the block, according to his biography on the Great School Voices blog.

He studied at SUNY Brockport and attended law school at UC Berkeley. After graduating, Tillotson worked as a lawyer and wrote that he sued Oakland Unified for not serving English learners and other agencies in the Bay Area.

I have been called the patron saint of lost causes, the guy who will help do things when others wont or think its too risky, Tillotson wrote.

While living in Qatar during the second Gulf War, Tillotson worked with officials to reform their education system and curriculum, according to his biography. He also worked with schools in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, and later founded a community charter school incubator in New York, where he helped open 19 charter schools.

We lost a loving friend, a tireless advocate, a brother, a light, a shoulder. A rock, Charter School Incubator officials wrote in a Facebook post.

Hinton said Tillotsons life and legacy are a tragic addition to Oaklands homicide toll.

This is a guy who worked to make sure people didnt have to be desperate  that they had opportunity. I think thats the gut wrenching part of it, Hinton said.

Crawford, a journalist who previously lived in Oakland and worked with Tillotson on the Great School Voices blog, described him as a mentor and his passion as a movement.

He wasnt in it for the ego, he wasnt in it for the praise, Crawford said. Hes one of the very few people that you could meet that is all about his work, all about Black students, students of color and just getting more quality education, and just school choice because thats a big issue in Oakland.

Tillotsons legacy and impact was felt across the country. People took to social media to mourn his death.

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.

Rashaun Kemp, executive director of the Freedom Coalition for Charter Schools, in a statement called Tillotson a warrior whose work has inspired people in the education reform community to keep fighting.

The work towards education freedom and self-determination for all families  particularly Black and Brown  is not easy. The collective mourning in the education community is because we all know just how much of a huge loss this is, Kemp said.

Romy Drucker, interim K-12 education program director at the Arkansas-based Walton Family Foundation, tweeted: We have lost a bright light in our lives and in our work.

Hinton said she and Paul Le, who is based in New York and co-founded Great School Choices with Tillotson, are planning a celebration of life for him.

On Sunday, Le was on his way form New York to Oakland to continue helping Tillotsons wife and son, Malcolm.

Its very hard, Le said about his friends death. He is a legend.

Le said they were preparing to launch a low-cost, school-based service to help students and teachers with professional development and other services. I mourn for the world and the kids in the U.S. more than for me, he said.

Homicide detectives are asking anyone with information about the shooting to call them at 510-238-3821.

Jessica Flores is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jessica.flores@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jesssmflores
San Francisco, which for more than a year had been relatively successful in curbing the pandemic compared to the rest of California and the U.S., struggled against the delta variant with case rates at one point in early August surpassing the U.S. average and some other Bay Area counties.

On the international stage, a similar story was playing out. Iceland, which had been a global pandemic standout and a popular destination for travelers from the U.S., also saw a spike from delta.

With the curve now declining again in both regions, experts see common threads in the way the delta variant took hold in San Francisco and Iceland  and say the comparison holds lessons for health officials, and indications of how the pandemic may be managed as more variants arise.

In particular, both San Francisco and Iceland reopened and relaxed restrictions as they saw vaccination rates increase. The delta variant, which is more than twice as contagious as previous variants, seems to have increased the risk of infection to vaccinated individuals, with similar amounts of viral load found in both unvaccinated and vaccinated people.

Experts say that while the increase was concerning at first, San Francisco and Iceland handled the response to the delta variant well by reinstating some mandates and continuing to stress the importance of vaccinations.

Sudden surges

Throughout the pandemic, Iceland has been recognized for its response to the coronavirus.

It has one of the highest rates of vaccination in the world, with 73% of the population fully vaccinated at a rate of 147 doses per 100 people, according to the New York Times world vaccine tracker.

But like many other countries across the world, the island nation couldnt escape the highly infectious delta variant. Cases started to rise sharply starting in late July, and by August reached their highest levels since the beginning of the pandemic.

San Francisco also has also been lauded for its COVID-19 response and has a high vaccination rate, with 72% of the population fully vaccinated. Similarly to Iceland, cases began rising in mid-July and peaked in early August.

According to the New York Times tracker, Iceland, which has a population of about 357,000, currently has a seven-day average of 12 new cases per 100,000 people and a seven-day average death rate of zero  not uncommon in a nation that has seen only a few dozen total COVID deaths. San Francisco, with a population of about 875,000, is seeing 20 cases per 100,000, with a death rate of 0.13 per 100,000 people.

Experts say there are multiple reasons why even highly vaccinated areas including San Francisco and Iceland have seen high case rates recently. For one, the delta variant is much more transmissible. Many Western countries relaxed pandemic restrictions as vaccination rates rose. And now, some are studies suggesting that vaccine effectiveness could be waning, but more research is needed.

Delta is almost like a new pandemic, said John Swartzberg, infectious disease expert at UC Berkeley, in an email. Despite vaccination and nonpharmaceutical interventions, delta spreads with tremendous alacrity.

UCSF infectious disease expert Monica Gandhi wrote in an email that the vaccines were designed to prevent symptomatic COVID, and against the less infectious alpha variant, they also offered protection against transmission.

However, with the delta variant, likely because of its high viral load with a contribution from temporal distance from vaccination resulting in waning antibodies, transmission is more likely, she said. Therefore, even highly vaccinated populations like Iceland and San Francisco saw a surge in cases with the delta variant, although the hospitalizations and deaths remained low.

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Taking a step back

On June 28, Iceland announced it would lift its COVID restrictions including social distancing and mask-wearing requirements, limits on gatherings and opening hours. At that point, 87% of the adult population had received at least one vaccine dose, and officials said the country maintained a policy of test, trace, quarantine and isolation throughout the pandemic and relied on the science to guide its response.

Less than a month later, the country reinstated social distancing rules, began requiring masks indoors where social distancing could not be maintained, and placed capacity limits for gatherings and certain businesses. In early August, Icelands residents were advised not travel outside the country, and in mid-August, Iceland began administering boosters for Johnson & Johnson vaccine recipients.

Cases began a noticeable descent by the second week of August, and have continued declining ever since. Most COVID restrictions remain in place, except for capacity limits on fitness centers and swimming pools, which have been lifted.

On June 15, California reopened its economy and lifted COVID restrictions including eliminating capacity limits and social distancing requirements, and after a month, aligned with the CDC in allowing fully vaccinated individuals to forgo masks in public. Bay Area counties including San Francisco followed the states lead and things began to resemble what they looked like before the pandemic.

San Francisco, in particular, was faring very well. The city had recorded very low case numbers since the early spring, and from about the end of May through the beginning of July, the seven-day average new case rate didnt exceed 2 cases per 100,000 people. But by the Fourth of July, the delta variant became the dominant strain in California, and San Francisco saw a sharp increase.

On Aug. 2, San Francisco, along with six other Bay Area counties, announced that masks would be required for everyone in indoor public settings, regardless of vaccination status. On Aug. 20, the city became the first major metropolitan area in the country to require proof of full vaccination to enter many businesses including bars, restaurants and gyms.

Lessons learned

Even though cases shot up quickly in highly vaccinated Iceland and San Francisco, experts say that actually proved how effective the vaccines actually are.

Iceland, which distributes vaccines made by Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca, has reported only 33 deaths throughout the course of the pandemic, with three occurring in the past month. Before that, the last death occurred in May.

I think the widespread vaccination in Iceland has for sure prevented serious consequence of the infection, said Dr. Thorolfur Gudnason, Icelands chief epidemiologist, in an interview with CNN.

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.

At the height of the surge in mid-August, the Washington Post reported that many infections in Iceland were occurring in vaccinated people, but most cases were very mild, and only 2% of all COVID cases involved hospitalization. Gandhi said the COVID-19 approach in Iceland was similar to that of San Francisco's.

Iceland leaders did not deviate from the message that vaccines are the best way to get through a pandemic, she said. Increasing cases but keeping severe disease low is a success story for the vaccines. That messaging is extremely important for the vaccinated to retain confidence in the vaccines and for the unvaccinated to be convinced to take the vaccines.

Nina Riggio/The Chronicle

In San Francisco, at the height of the delta surge in early August, the seven-day average rolling case rate among unvaccinated people hit a peak of 62.5 per 100,000, versus 25.4 per 100,000 in vaccinated people, according to data from the city health department. As of Aug. 30, the seven-day average rolling case rate among unvaccinated individuals was 28 per 100,000 compared to 10.2 per 100,000 in vaccinated residents.

As of Aug. 30, San Franciscos hospitalization rate was 76.6 per 1,000 cases in individuals who were unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated, more than five times the rate of 14.5 in fully vaccinated people. Preliminary data for August show 19 deaths were reported that month, versus the pandemic peak of 164 in January.

Gandhi said both Iceland and San Francisco are success stories for the vaccines, and both also restored mask mandates, which is important during high rates of circulating virus.

San Francisco did very well with the latest surge, including really strong messaging on the effectiveness of the vaccines by the citys health officer, Dr. Grant Colfax, she said.

Gandhi listed actions taken by the city that included opening new testing sites for vulnerable patients, setting up a system for vaccine passports in venues, and requiring vaccinations for many public-facing workers.

Our cases have declined as a result, she said. I think the only thing they can do better is to continue to set up mobile vaccination clinics all over the city.

Swartzberg called Iceland and San Francisco poster children for how to handle a pandemic. He pointed to Icelands COVID community pledge as something San Francisco should adopt, which includes action items such as washing hands, social distancing, protecting vulnerable communities and being understanding, mindful, and supportive of each other.

He anticipates the decline in cases in San Francisco will continue, but it wont be as steep as the drop that followed the winter surge.

This is because we will see more cases with schools now open, he said. I think things will be appreciably better in October.

This story was updated Sept. 9 to correct Icelands vaccination rate. It is 147 doses per 100 people.

Kellie Hwang is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kellie.hwang@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @KellieHwang
America, youve got the dates wrong.

Your intense debate over which year marks the real beginning of the United States  1619 (slaverys arrival) or 1776 (Declaration of Independence)  has become predictably polarizing. You might even say that your argument over how to understand our history, repeated ad nauseam in school board meetings and on cable TV, has come to resemble what this nation was like before California entered the Union:

Boring as hell.

If we want a compelling origin story for the giant country in which we actually live, then it makes little sense to center the early human horrors of the tiny, pre-industrial 17th century Virginia colony, or to elevate the propagandistic pretensions of 18th century white men starting a country with as many people as todays Riverside County.

For all the differences between partisans of 1619 (progressives who see America as entirely founded on slavery) and 1776 (conservatives touting the whitewashed nonsense that America was founded on freedom), they share a common and still socially acceptable prejudice: East Coast bias.

The New York Times 1619 Project, touted as a more inclusive account of American history when first published in 2019, gave California just three cursory mentions. The Trump administrations bonkers rejoinder to the 1619 Project, the 1776 report, supposedly devoted to American greatness, didnt mention Americas greatest state even once.

To close this culture war battle, the nation must look west toward reality. Much like a party that only truly starts when the coolest kid saunters in, todays United States  antically ambitious, deliriously diverse, violently war-mongering, maniacally money-grubbing and kaleidoscopically cruel did not really get rolling until California arrived.

If were going to have a new historical curriculum built around just 365 (or 366) days, 1848 is the obvious choice. Two 1848 events  Californias Gold Rush and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo  together constituted an undeclared revolution, essentially re-founding the United States with different peoples, different borders and far different aspirations.

James Marshalls discovery of gold at Sutters Mill brought people to California from every corner of the world, including an unprecedented influx from Asia. The Gold Rush arrivals were not drab and pious Puritans, seeking religious freedom. They were a motley and largely unrefined lot, fleeing bad debts and seeking fortunes, which they rarely found.

The Gold Rush, wrote the historian H.W. Brands, was one of those rare moments that divide human existence into before and after. Among the things it changed was the scale and speed of American ambition, lighting a fire in the belly of a slow and dull country.

California would help redefine the reality and perception of the American character  as impatient, intemperate, volatile.

Changes of public sentiment are sudden and violent, Lord James Bryce, the British political scientist, and student of the U.S., would write in his classic The American Commonwealth. The most active minds are too much absorbed in great business enterprises to tend to politics; the inferior men are frequently reckless and irresponsible; the masses are impatient, accustomed to blame everything and everybody but themselves for the slow approach of the millennium, ready to try instant, even if perilous, remedies for a present evil.

The Gold Rush also ushered in a bigger, more brutal economy. Gold mining, by requiring more capital and mechanization, hastened the arrival of the Industrial Age, and the rise of the large financial institutions that rule us to this day. It spurred entrepreneurial efforts in food and clothing (like blue jeans), created demand for new transportation networks, and established a working class of wage laborers.

The second great event of 1848  the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, between Mexico and the U.S.  reinforced the seismic shifts of the Gold Rush with a change in borders. California, New Mexico, Nevada, and parts of Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado entered the union.

The treaty, which ended the Mexican-American War, also made legal the 1845 annexation of Texas, which would become the only American state with credible pretensions as a California rival.

This land grab, one of historys largest, all but negated the countrys founding fairy tale of underdog colonists pursuing righteous revolution to overthrow the tyranny of big, bad Britain. The treaty also established a pattern of expansion by bullying and militarism. It was an unjust ending to what Ulysses S. Grant called the most unjust war ever waged against a weaker nation by a stronger.

That sin launched a new era of American horrors. Many of these undergird our society today, but we dont think nearly enough about this context. One irony of the 1619 Project is that, by focusing so extensively on slavery, it lets the nation off the hook for the full scope of its awfulness.

The conquest of the West, and the settler ambitions inspired by gold, accelerated the genocide of the continents indigenous population. Chinese migration to the West inspired a new American method of discrimination: exclusion.

This era also saw the U.S. turn Mexican Americans, whose citizenship was supposed to have been guaranteed by the treaty, into a lower caste. And 19th century California busily invented rationales as diverse as its people to justify their imprisonment, en masse.

Californias defenders have long pointed to its ban against slavery in its 1850 constitution, 15 years before the United States prohibited slavery in 1865. But many of the American horrors invented in 19th California have never gone away. Mass incarceration remains a fact of life.

The powerful police and sheriffs departments that originated in 19th century California still do violence with impunity to people of color. Violence and hatred against people of Asian heritage is on the rise again. The Southern border is still militarized, and remains an excuse to deny the rights of migrants and their loved ones. And wage slavery is as 21st century as an Amazon warehouse.

Contemporary politics, which has come to obsess the country, is also rooted in 1848. California and Texas are the two giants that determine much of what passes for governance in the U.S. these days. They also represent the giant industries  technology and energy  that both empower and threaten human civilization.

In 1619, this wasnt even a country. In 1776, we were inventing a myth, rather than a nation. 1848 was the year that the United States became an outsized monster  the land that we love, and love to hate.

Joe Mathews writes the Connecting California column for Zocalo Public Square.
Public protests may be vital to the health of democracy, but like many other things that have health benefits, they can also be messy, unpredictable and risky. That has always been true for protesters and has grown especially true since the George Floyd murder in 2020, which inspired demonstrations often directed at the same police that marchers face in the streets. But in recent years it has become dangerously true for the news media as well, with evidence mounting of instances where reporters and camera people are the hapless targets of police fury for doing nothing more than bearing witness when citizens raise their voices.

Its not hard to understand why police, who rarely welcome coverage unless its given a heroic Hollywood flourish, might be more thin-skinned than ever. Incidental violence that in pre-digital times would have gone unnoticed can now reach viral audiences in the millions, with ruinous consequences for careers, public image, and police appropriations.

But the news media have a job to do; its a constitutionally protected job that keeps us fully informed about significant political and social realities, including when people take to the streets in lawful protest. The duty of the police is to enforce the law, which means not to suppress, but to enable, that protest and to protect the medias efforts to tell the public about it.

It is not the duty of police to shoot a San Diego Union-Tribune reporter with pepper balls, or a public radio reporter in Santa Monica and a Los Angeles radio journalist with rubber bullets, to shove a Pulitzer Prize winning photojournalist into a fire hydrant, or to ignore press IDs and take reporters in Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles into custody. Those are among the incidents recounted in a letter earlier this year from the California News Publishers Association and five other media advocacy groups  among them the First Amendment Coalition, where Im a board member. The letter condemned a blatant disregard for the safety of journalists and urged support for a bill, now pending, whose lead author is state Sen. Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg.

McGuires bill, SB98, would prohibit police from keeping the press out of areas closed off as a way to control protesters and would forbid police to charge reporters who are doing their jobs with breaking curfew, failing to disperse or violating similar police orders. The bill also would make it illegal to intentionally assault, interfere with, or obstruct reporters who are gathering or processing information for the news.

Its astounding that such obviously improper conduct should even need new legislation to outlaw.

The bill is a strong and necessary corrective, but it errs by confining its coverage to duly authorized representatives of news organizations. That feels like a throwback. At a time when news information comes from a vast range of points, the bill narrows its safeguards needlessly. The iPhone user who gets the pictures of a demonstrator being clubbed should be protected, too, especially since the footage is a few clicks away from airing on CNN.

Some far-sighted police officials recognize this democratization of news flows. In the aftermath of rioting in 2020 after the Dodgers won the World Series, Dominic Choi, deputy chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, issued a memo reminding his officers: The inability to produce identification does not preclude an individual from acting as a member of the media.

Indeed, deciding who's a duly authorized journalist is beside the point; whats vital is to protect the reporting, not the reporter. That means safeguarding all efforts to witness and describe events to inform a larger public, regardless of the credentials of the people making those efforts.

Thats not a quibble, its a recognition of profound changes in our news environment, which we would do well to support. McGuires bill, which now needs Gov. Gavin Newsoms signature, is a valuable step toward a strengthened defense of news gathering.

Edward Wasserman is professor and former dean of the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.
It wasnt meant to be a race.

A few years ago, before COVID, my wife and I left for our destinations at same the time from two different locations; she was driving home from Sacramento, I was taking the Muni N-Judah light rail to Oracle Park for a Giants game from my house in the Outer Sunset.

A train was at the Ocean Beach turnaround when I arrived at my stop 10 blocks away, but I waited for what felt like forever for it to pull up and pick up passengers. I finally decided to walk and let the N catch up to me. I took a side trip to an ATM on Irving Street, took out my cash and still managed to catch my long-delayed train 20 blocks from where I started. About two hours after leaving my house, I was in my seat at the ballpark.

It took my wife less time to drive 100 miles back to San Francisco than it took me to get across the city.

Whatever the problem was on the N-Judah that morning, it was an outlier. But my story still probably doesnt sound surprising to Outer Sunset residents. According to a study of transit habits released in September by the San Francisco County Transportation Authority, unreliable or inconvenient Muni service was cited as the top reasons people in the neighborhood choose to drive much of the time.

The pandemic hasnt helped.

Many lines have been suspended since last year. The agency is battered financially. Muni Metro Rail service to downtown subways reopened in June, but rail service is replaced by buses after 9 p.m. rather than the pre-pandemic midnight (making it harder to get home from Giants games; it took two hours Thursday night).

Even more reason to drive if you live in the Outer Sunset. And we Outer Sunset residents do drive.

We make about 76% of weekday trips by car, and 35% of those are single drivers, among the highest neighborhood driving rates in the city.

As a regular bike and transit rider, these numbers dont thrill me. Ive almost been hit by cars several times while walking and biking. But just look at a Muni map and its apparent why more people in the Outer Sunset drive. The gaps between bus and rail lines are wider than in many other areas of the city.

Outer Sunset residents tend to stay close to home. The study found that most daily trips, more than 65,000, were within the neighborhood  but only 4% of those were on Muni. Counterintuitively, at least to me, the most common transit route outside the neighborhood was north-south rather than commuting downtown. San Mateo County and the Richmond District were the favorite destinations. Of the nearly 40,000 daily trips to San Mateo County, 96% were by car, and 83% of the more than 34,000 trips to the Richmond were drivers, according to the study.

Its not surprising then, that many people were angry when the Great Highway, a main north-south conduit, was closed to cars at the onset of the pandemic as part of the citys effort to create open space.

I loved riding my bicycle or jogging on a car-free Great Highway, which was recently reopened to vehicles on weekdays. And Im all for finding a way to close it to cars for good. I also understand why people who drive are upset. I drive, too, for the same reasons cited by people in the study. But I also ride Muni and want it to be better.

Improving Muni service in the Outer Sunset and other underserved neighborhoods is vital to any plans to further the citys transit first philosophy to get more people out of their cars.

The transit study made recommendations for making Muni more enticing to Outer Sunset riders, such as increasing frequency of north-south lines and adding express buses or creating a shuttle service between popular destinations.

This being San Francisco, these things take time. Muni is looking at three options to restore service in 2022 and taking public comments on how to proceed.

Lets hope any changes will make the ride from my house to Chase Center for a Warriors game faster than driving to Sacramento to watch the Kings play.

Harry Mok is The San Francisco Chronicles assistant opinion editor.
Andy Bozzo, a fire captain with Contra Costa Fire Protection District, was surrounded by flames as he and his unit battled the Caldor Fire from the small El Dorado County town of Meyers.

Spot fires were dropping in hourly as we were defending that area, he said. We needed to know where our units were, but we had (limited) cell service, even though this was a neighborhood 10 minutes away from a Raleys and Safeway, because the cell towers had burned down.

But thanks to iPad software that Bozzo and Will Pigeon, a Contra Costa assistant fire chief, had developed, they were able to see a birds-eye view of their engines overlaid on an updated fire incident map.

Tablet Command uses live vehicle GPS tracking to monitor where fire equipment is at all times. In Bozzos words, it shows real-time tactical placement of apparatus referenced against maps showing a fires latest progression, along with other data on hot spots and infrared views.

Or put more informally, its like seeing a game of Risk come to life.

Amid the chaos and confusion of a fire, especially a wildfire, its hard for firefighting leaders to keep track of where all their trucks and people are.

When all hell is breaking loose, that creates a communication fog and visualization fog, Bozzo said. Tablet Command helps to clear the fog and have a clear view of what youre approaching. You can see vital information to take action and make decisions.

The idea came to Bozzo in 2009 while he was playing Words With Friends on an iPhone 2 and realized that similar technology could track fire engines locations. He reached out to his friend and fellow firefighter Pigeon, who has a computer programming background, and the two launched the company Tablet Command, based in San Rafael.

To date, Tablet Command has raised $2.1 million, modest by Silicon Valley standards. It has annual sales of $1.6 million, projected to grow 60% annually. More than 125 fire departments across the U.S. and Canada use it, including multiple agencies in the counties of San Francisco, Marin, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Sonoma, the company said. CalFire units in San Diego County and San Bernardino County deploy it as well.

Customers generally have an iPad mounted in their fire engines shotgun seat where the captain sits, as well as an iPad for battalion chiefs and other leaders. The sofware also runs on a web browser and phones. Pricing comes to about $500 a year per iPad, so a small department might pay about $6,000 a year, while a large agency could have a six-figure annual subscription. Phone licenses are about $10 per user.

Bozzo is still an active-duty firefighter while Pigeon recently retired to devote himself to the company. Their extensive on-the-ground experience means they grok real-world problems fire captains encounter on a day-to-day basis, Pigeon said.

Wildfires have changed in recent years, becoming intense, long-lasting and far-reaching conflagrations fueled by extreme drought and climate change, but often the tools to fight them are often decades old. Experts say situational awareness  understanding whats going on around you  is a key weapon for firefighters. Thats where Tablet Command comes in.

It gets us out the door faster, giving the firefighters a heads up to what were going to, giving a visual overview of what that property or area looks like, Bozzo said. It enhances our safety: like going into battle and knowing how the enemy is dressed, how theyre armed and positioned ahead of time before engaging.

The 2018 Carr Fire near Redding spawned its own fire tornado  a terrifying and rare phenomenon in which a vortex of rising and spinning hot gases, smoke and flame reached some 17,000 feet above Earth, traveling at an estimated speed of about 143 mph.

As Pigeon tells it, a Marin County fire engine got separated from a multi-unit strike team, turned around and went down the wrong road just as the tornado started to kick in. As the sky went to almost complete black and visibility dropped, they radioed their battalion chief, saying they didnt know how theyd get out.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

As some of the Marin firefighters tell it on an online video, We were in an area that was non-survivable.

The battalion chief got a lump in his stomach, Pigeon said. He opened up Tablet Command and was able to see their location on a (fire) map  and could see there was a safety zone ahead of them (an area where the fire was not burning so they would not have to deploy their fire shelters). He said, Continue on down 1.5 miles down Keswick Dam Road, and you will make it to a parking lot where you will be safe. They made it down to the safety zone, a parking lot by a dam, and hiked down to the water.

If the battalion chief hadnt been able to recognize where they were and talk them to their safety zone, there could have been a huge difference in the outcome  possibly four funerals.

Jason Martin, battalion chief for the Menlo Park Fire Department, who had recently returned from fighting the Caldor Fire, said Tablet Command has proved invaluable.

I can give people assignments based on the incident command tracking system, as well as marking things like a dangerous tree or split in a dirt road and making notes about them, he said.

When multiple agencies battle a fire  as is the case with all of Californias large wildfires  Tablet Command lets him monitor where other companies are deploying equipment (if they are also using the software).

I can see every San Mateo County fire unit, even if its on the other side of the fire, Martin said. Its an amazing tool and is especially beneficial in wildland fires. Its been a game changer.

Carolyn Said is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: csaid@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @csaid
Authorities and family members are seeking tips in the mysterious case of a woman who walked away from her California Airbnb and hasn't been seen since.

Lauren "El" Cho, 30, reportedly walked away from an Airbnb on the 8600 block of Benmar Trail in Yucca Valley on June 28 around 5 p.m. The mountainous area is about a 30-minute drive north of Palm Springs and surrounded by desert hiking trails.

"Someone knows something. Maybe someone has seen something, and these pictures will jog their memory," Cho's sister wrote on the Find Lauren Cho Facebook page.

San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department spokesperson Mara Rodriguez told Inside Edition that Cho was staying at the rental with a group of friends and reportedly became "upset" over an unspecified issue. She then allegedly walked away from the rental without taking food, water or her phone and hasn't been heard from since. Cho was reported missing by her ex-boyfriend about three hours after she walked off. The ex-boyfriend indicated Cho may have been in "mental distress," according to police.

A friend told CNN the New Jersey woman was looking for a "fresh start" and took the opportunity to do some traveling as the pandemic eased.

A search warrant was executed on the Benmar Trail residence on July 31 and repeated aerial searches in the "remote mountain terrain near the scene," yielded no clues, the Morongo Basin Sheriff's Office said in a recent update on the case. Foul play is not suspected.

Cho is 5-foot-3, 110 pounds and has black hair. She was last seen wearing a yellow T-shirt and jeans and has multiple distinctive tattoos, including one of a mushroom, No-Face from the movie "Spirited Away" and a lamb.

The Morongo Basin Sheriff's Office and the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Specialized Investigations Division are leading the investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Edward Hernandez or Sergeant Justin Giles at 909-387-3589.

"Just a gentle reminder that El is an actual person who is fiercely loved by many, and we see the posts, comments, and speculations made about her situation, her family, her friends, her mental health... One day, El's [relatives are] bound to come across all of this because nothing on the internet truly goes away," Cho's sister wrote on Facebook. "So continue to be respectful, good people. Continue to remember her name and that she hasn't been found yet and we need her home."
In September, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced its guidelines for COVID-19 booster shots, stipulating that an extra dose of the Pfizer vaccine should be taken by those over age 65, people with underlying health conditions and those who live or work in high-risk settings, such as hospitals. The extra doses can be taken six months after the final vaccination.

But in August, President Joe Biden made a statement urging all Americans to get booster shots, a plan that the Food and Drug Administration rejected, saying it was still unsure of both the safety and value of the extra doses.

The conflicting messaging has many Americans wondering: Is it ethical to receive a COVID booster shot as a young, healthy person?

SFGATE spoke with two experts to glean their opinions: Dr. Monica Gandhi, a leading COVID expert and a professor of medicine at UCSF, and Govind Persad, a professor of ethics at Sturm College of Law in Denver.

Gandhi and Persad both agreed that global vaccine equity is an incredibly pressing issue. But they differed on their approaches to the ethics question.

Gandhi was adamant that there is something unethical about getting a booster shot, as a healthy person under age 65.

What I mean by that is that 11 billion doses are needed to vaccinate the world, she continued. There are currently  actively  vulnerable people dying because they dont have access to a vaccine.

She pointed out that the United States has hoarded five vaccine doses for every American, and its faltered on its promise to provide 500 million doses to countries with vaccine access issues.

Biden made that pledge at a G7 summit in June. Months later, his administration has thus far sent only 160 million doses to 100 countries, according to CNN.

I was so excited after the G7 meeting, thinking, we live in a good country, yay, yay, yay, Gandhi said. We've given out a [number of doses] so horrendously low I dont even want to say it.

Gandhi, however, said that those who fall under the CDCs guidelines should get a booster shot, as they are safe and effective.

Its the difference between tailored medicine, a conversation between a provider and patient, as opposed to blanket recommendations, she concluded.

Persad took a slightly different stance. He said the ethics of whether to decide to get a booster shot should not fall on the individual.

The onus should not be on them to be thinking about, will getting a booster affect access in developing countries? he said. I almost feel like the premise is not something I find that helpful.

The question he posed instead was: Is a policy of either recommending or permitting broad receipt of boosters by healthy people at a low medical risk ethical, if those doses could instead be used to protect people at high risk?

I think thats probably either not ethical, or its a hard case to make that it would be ethical, he added.

The bottom line in Persads opinion: If you personally dont think the policies around booster shots are ethical, try to work to change those policies by, say, calling your elected officials.

I dont think an individual getting a booster is doing something harmful, he said.

Buying spare doses, however, to sit in freezers and go unused is indefensible in his opinion.

I just think that having people personally not take boosters is not the right thing to do, he said. The way to do it is to try to advocate for policies that would reduce our waste here and also work on being able to get vaccines to places [in need].
"I'll Take Your Questions Now: What I Saw at the Trump White House"

By Stephanie Grisham

Harper. 329 pp. $28.99

- - -

One of the saddest and cringiest moments - out of many - in Stephanie Grisham's memoir of her years in the Trump White House occurs at Mar-a-Lago, in the middle of the Stormy Daniels scandal. Grisham, then communications director for first lady Melania Trump, felt sorry for her boss and proposed that the two take a walk along the beach. Grisham hoped to "comfort her as a friend," she writes, to "hang out woman to woman," to give Melania a chance to unburden herself.

"And there will be photographers?" the first lady asked. Melania, Grisham realized, assumed it was just another press event that her aide was setting up. She did not acknowledge, or even recognize, the overture of friendship. "I felt like such an ass to have offered," Grisham admits.

In that exchange, Grisham committed a mistake that so many Trump acolytes make, and one she would repeat in her years working for the first lady and the president. She thought she belonged. "Everyone just loves you," Donald Trump assured Grisham when he named her White House press secretary. She came to believe that she was "a trusted and valued member of Trump World." Right up until she wasn't.

It's not easy writing a White House tell-all when it feels like so much about this White House has already been told. The substantive revelations in Grisham's "I'll Take Your Questions Now" are matters of detail, coloring in a picture whose contours have long been clear. Yes, Trump had a volcanic temper, sucked up to Vladimir Putin and ogled young female staffers. Yes, Jared Kushner was in over his head and didn't seem to know it. Yes, Ivanka Trump was addicted to television cameras. Yes, Melania Trump was glamorous - "she even smelled incredible," Grisham gushes - and resentful of her media coverage, often telling Grisham "don't replay" (meaning "don't reply") to reporters' inquiries. So much of this book feels like a replay of familiar stories, even if told from a slightly different vantage point.

Grisham's most revelatory moments are not about the principals but about herself - and why she stuck around to witness so much she says she came to revile. "Let's face it, somebody had to work in the Donald Trump White House," she deadpans. But Grisham, who resigned on Jan. 6, with the assault on the Capitol underway, asks herself: "Why did I wait so long? I had stayed through Access Hollywood, impeachment, family separation, Charlottesville, accusations of rape and misconduct, and a million other things" - all moments that could have been the moment.

Her often self-serving answers can be at times oblivious and at times painfully self-aware. Grisham seems to imagine herself an adult in the room, saying she "lost count" of all the times she succeeded in getting the president to "dial back his rhetoric, to calm one situation or another." But based on this book, such moments were not terribly frequent or consequential. It shouldn't be hard to keep count.

Grisham had carved out a living in political communications - or "comms," in that grating Washington shorthand - including work with the 2012 Romney campaign and as press secretary for Arizona's attorney general before making her way to Trump's 2016 operation as a low-level press wrangler. Trump wasn't necessarily her first choice among the Republican candidates, "but once I was in it, I was in it." She found him refreshing and liked that he "challenged dumb rules." Besides, she'd always dreamed of being a White House press secretary, even putting up pictures of the executive mansion in her past workplaces to remind her of her goal.

But over time, working for Trump became a "classic abuse relationship," with the president as "the distant, erratic father we all wanted to please." She recalls a visit to an Ohio intensive care unit after a mass shooting in Dayton, when the president became angry because no press cameras had been there when the medical staff cheered for him. "What a waste," he grumbled. Upon seeing local Democratic politicians criticize the visit on television, Trump unleashed on Grisham aboard Air Force One, his face nearly purple with anger. "Why are you even on this plane? What do I have a whole team of people for if there is no one f---ing defending me?"

She was on the plane, in part, because she felt she had few other options. "I was a single mom with no trust fund. If I had quit earlier, where would I have gone?" The usual lucrative path of former White House press secretaries, lined with corporate boards and speaking gigs, would not necessarily be available to Trump White House alumni. Even during the impeachment saga - the first one - Grisham did not see the point of resigning. "Ask generals Mattis or Kelly, even Ambassador Bolton, if that had had any effect on how Donald Trump operated," she points out. So she stayed. "The Trumps were all I had," she writes. "At least that was what I believed for a long time."

The book is divided roughly equally between Grisham's work with the president and with Melania, including a rough patch when she tried to work for both at once. The experience left her "heady with power," she explains, another reason she struggled to let go. Yet she never functioned as a conventional press secretary, let alone a powerful one. Grisham did not deliver a briefing and often noted that Trump was "his own best spokesperson" - that is to say, his real one.

Instead, she wielded power in the service of petty schemes and resentments. Grisham's "sly little move" of surreptitiously rearranging seating cards so that Melania, not Ivanka, would have a better camera angle during a presidential speech in Saudi Arabia is what passes for high drama. And after the first lady visited an orphanage in Kenya and was photographed holding an African baby, Grisham was troubled to find that Ivanka had visited a hurricane recovery site in North Carolina around the same time - and was photographed holding an African American child. "Was that a coincidence?" Grisham grouses. (How dare Ivanka pre-empt Melania's Black baby photo op!) More consequentially, Grisham and Melania succeed in getting a National Security Council adviser fired for launching an investigation into some members of the first lady's staff, including Grisham. Looking back, Grisham congratulates herself a bit. "Bold? Definitely. Unprofessional? Perhaps."

She laments how the news media fixated on the first lady's attire, even as she devotes inordinate time to explaining the "look book," a collection of drawings and mock-ups of outfits that Melania might wear for different events, managed by her personal stylist. "The look book became a big part of my life," Grisham writes. She devotes a chapter to the infamous "I Really Don't Care, Do U?" jacket that the first lady wore on her way to visit a children's detention facility near the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas. "To be honest, I don't know what she was thinking," Grisham writes. But she blames the news media for the mess. "All the headlines focused, of course, on the jacket rather than on the purpose of her trip to the border," she complains, even though it was the obvious contrast between the jacket's message and the purpose of the visit that made the thing so bizarre.

There are some memorable descriptions in this book - I'll always remember Grisham's writing that the first lady "wore studied indifference as though it were armor" - as well as some real high-school-report-style clunkers. "The continent of Africa is vast, and as in North America, each country has its own set of problems and issues," Grisham informs readers. But she is often more noteworthy for what she does not say. Given her role as a press secretary, Grisham is surprisingly silent on the president's attacks on the press. "It is not my intention to use this book to trash the press, nor is it to defend some of our administration's behaviors and actions against them," she writes. "Truth be told, I think both parties were at fault for many things." Truth be told, that is incredibly weak.

Grisham was inclined to question the president's attitudes toward journalists mainly when she feared he would make her look bad in front of them - when he asked her to do a dramatic re-enactment of the Ukraine call in a news briefing, or when he insisted that a press staffer tell reporters that Stormy Daniels had "a horse face," or when he demanded that Grisham tweet a statement denigrating former White House chief of staff John Kelly. She declined the first order, ignored the second but carried out the third, and she apologizes to Kelly for it in this book.

Grisham says there was a "little voice" in her head during the Trump presidency, telling her "it was all so wrong." Yet, before Jan. 6, that voice spoke up only at particular moments - when Mitt Romney was humiliated in his quest to become Trump's secretary of state, and when a personal friend of Grisham's was fired from the White House, supposedly over an indiscreet Grindr account. That is, when people she liked or admired were personally affected. And her disenchantment with the White House really gained strength when she realized that new chief of staff Mark Meadows, whom she loathes, was seeking to demote her.

But then came Jan. 6, "a day of reckoning for me," Grisham writes. She texted the first lady and asked if she wanted to publicly condemn the violence. Melania responded "No," just that single word. "It broke me," Grisham recalls. She waited a minute, then sent an email to the first lady, officially resigning. After talking or texting nearly every day for years, she and Melania have not spoken since that day. That silence "took some getting used to," Grisham admits.

Even now, she remains conflicted over the Trump family. "I liked them and I disliked them and I miss them and I hope I never see them again," Grisham writes. It's an occupational hazard of Trump World exiles. Some part of them still hopes to belong.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP)  Two men were in critical condition after being shot in Providence on Sunday, according to police.

The 22- and 29-year-old men were in a vehicle on Glasgow Street around 12:40 a.m. when someone fired several shots at them, The Providence Journal reports.
Alessandra Tarantino/AP

VATICAN CITY (AP)  Three Vatican Swiss Guards who have refused to be vaccinated against COVID-19 upon Holy See orders have voluntarily left the storied corps to return to Switzerland, a Swiss Guard official said Sunday.

Lt. Urs Breitenmoser told The Associated Press that all Swiss Guards had been asked to be vaccinated to protect their health and that of the others they come into contact with as part of their service.
FREDERICK, Md. (AP)  Last year, during the first week of March, Kim Camelottos son, Anthony, joined a fifth-grade class at North Frederick Elementary School. It was his second time at a new school in less than a year.

Ten months earlier, his dad had died suddenly at their home in Pasadena. As his mom administered CPR, the 8-year-old stayed on the phone with a 911 operator, helping her count chest compressions. When the paramedics knocked on their door later that night, he was the one who answered.

A few months later, at his first new elementary school, Anthony was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Still, after he joined his little sister, Sofia, at North Frederick, he seemed to be adjusting well, Camelotto said. She had recently started teaching special education there, and he liked being able to watch her walk by the cafeteria during his lunch breaks. She had also just bought a house in Middletown, the town where she grew up. Her parents lived just six minutes away.

It was starting to feel like, Oh, weve got this figured out, she said. Were in a good school, weve got our own house. Lets see how this works.

The next week, all schools in the state shut down to quell the spread of a new, unfamiliar virus that was just starting to seep into Maryland communities. It felt like the latest blow in a laundry list of traumatic experiences her kids had already faced, Camelotto remembered. At the time, she was also in a dark stage of her own grief, she said, where she couldnt really think or do anything to help her children heal.

About one year later, following the advice of a therapist, she filled out an application for Anthony and Sofia to attend a day camp organized by Frederick Health Hospice for children who are grieving. She got it in a day before it was due, and her kids participated in Camp Jamies June session.

It changed everything.

They came in and swooped us up and healed our little family, when everything else, was just, you felt like it was like, Camelotto took a breath, dodgeball.

For 30 years, Camp Jamie  named for Frederick Health Hospices first child patient  has provided a community for kids grappling with the death of a loved one. Guided by their adult big buddies, participants learn tools to understand and express their grief while bonding with other children who have had similar experiences.

In a typical year, the camp, which is free to all who attend, is hosted in two sessions: a weekend stay at Skycroft Conference Center in the summertime and a day camp in the fall. During the pandemic, though, Frederick Health Hospice changed course, cancelling its usual summer camp last year and holding more targeted family grief workshops in the fall. It also decided to hold family workshops this fall instead of its planned day camp on Sept. 25.

Camp Jamie was back on over the summer, though, taking place between June 5 and 6 with some modifications. Kids didnt spend the night, for instance, and instead of taking a bus out to South Mountain, they were dropped off at Frederick Health Village. Volunteers also kept campers outdoors as much as possible and made sure they were washing and sanitizing their hands frequently. When they went inside, everyone wore a mask.

Despite the changes, Kaili Van Waveren  the traumatic grief specialist for Frederick Health Hospice and Camp Jamies coordinator  called the day camp a vibrant, dynamic experience for its participants. For some kids, coming to Camp Jamie is their first time meeting someone their age who has also lost a loved one. Its always a powerful experience for them, Van Waveren said, but this summers camp was especially remarkable because some children had been out of school for a year and a half. In some ways, the bonding between campers went even deeper.

The pandemic loomed over this summers camp in other ways, too. A few children had lost people to the virus. Others were grieving losses to other epidemics that COVID-19 had exacerbated  10 of the sessions 26 participants had lost people to suicide. There has also been a steady increase in children grieving overdose deaths over the years, Van Waveren said. And not having the peer support that school usually offers children made some even more isolated in their mourning.

When someone you love dies, especially when youre a child or an adolescent, it feels like the whole world has turned upside down. And I think that the experience of most of us in the pandemic has been that, as well  that the whole worlds turned upside down, she said. So, to have a loss during this time, I think, is hugely destabilizing and just really speaks to why were trying to be really creative in finding ways to provide grief support to our community at this time.

Theyve changed us

Camelotto felt nervous about sending Anthony and Sofia away to camp. She especially worried about Anthony, who has sensory processing disorder and is autistic. He has a hard time being away from her, and she didnt think hed enjoy the traditional camping games and activities.

But the Camp Jamie volunteers assured her that he would be OK. So on June 5, she dropped him and his little sister off at Frederick Health Village.

For the first few hours of the day, she didnt hear from any camp staffers about Anthony. OK, she figured, no news is good news. But as the day came to an end, a volunteer gave her a call, asking for guidance  Anthony was having a meltdown. He was doing better half an hour later, though, and by the time Camelotto came to pick him and his sister up, he was smiling.

The next day, Anthony announced he wasnt going back. After some prodding from his mom, however, he returned and wound up bonding with his big buddy and even participating in some of the activities. Hes been talking about what he learned at the camp ever since, Camelotto said.

He and his sister made memory boxes with items that reminded them of their father and filled a jar with questions they could ask his friends and others who knew him. They decorated a walking stick, too, and made a drum that they later played in a drum circle.

They also wrote messages for their dad and burned them in a campfire.

This one gets me emotional, Camelotto said through tears. And it would go up to heaven.

Anthony used to blame his mom for what he went through. Sofia was struggling, too. She would talk about wanting to die, so she could be with her dad in heaven.

She stopped doing that after going to Camp Jamie, Camelotto said. And Anthony no longer says he has childhood trauma. Now, both kids know they can talk to their father anytime they want. Sofia writes him letters and sometimes draws him as an angel or as a butterfly. Camelotto occasionally hears her singing to him when shes alone.

The support Frederick Health Hospice offered the Camelotto family didnt end after Camp Jamie. Staff members connected the mother with a support group for grieving spouses, something she said has been enormously helpful. Before starting the group, she was doubtful shed meet someone like her  a widow in her 30s with two young children. But she did.

Its kind of like they wanted to cushion our whole family. Nobody has known how to do that, Camelotto said. So, its been like  theyve changed us. So much.

Its all for the kids

Mike Folio was 12 when his mom died of breast cancer.

The next year, his science teacher asked him if he could speak with another student who had recently lost his father. It was the first time someone had talked to him about his mothers death at school.

I didnt have anyone really to talk to, he said. None of my friends had lost a parent. Youre kind of out on an island.

Folios own experiences with grief have made his involvement with Camp Jamie all the more meaningful. This year marked his 14th volunteering with the program  he was Anthonys big buddy during the June session.

With every iteration of the camp, Folio watches kids transform overnight. By the time they go home, he said, they understand they have a support system behind them. They know things will get better.

When youre around a group of kids that have something in common as far as a loss, you see youre not alone, he said. Just that in itself helps with the healing, I think.

Vicki Gates, another longtime Camp Jamie volunteer, agreed. It also helps that many of the big buddies participating in the program have their own experiences with loss, she said. When Gates was 20, she lost her big sister to a car crash. She can share that story with her little buddy to help them open up.

You can tell them, OK, I promise you. I can promise you youre not the only one. Its gonna get better, she said. Youre gonna grow up and youre gonna be OK.

Often, Gates said, it feels like she gets more out of Camp Jamie than the kids do. Shes met the most incredible, resilient families and children over the years and has made lifelong friends.

Tom Delaney, another big buddy for Camp Jamie, said volunteering with the program has helped him process his own grief about the death of his father. He started working at the camp around 15 years ago, three years after his mom got involved in the program. She died in 2013.

Delaney said his father was of the belief that the past is in the past  you forget and you move on. But hes never quite agreed with that. He thinks people should acknowledge what has happened and grow from it. He doesnt want to forget the time he spent with his parents.

I always feel you cant really enjoy life if you dont also acknowledge some of the sadder aspects of life sometimes, Delaney said. You need to have the give and the take, the yin and the yang. Both sides of it.

This year, some volunteers noticed ways in which the pandemic had jolted the grieving process of their little buddies. After Folios little sister died, people flooded his house for three weeks, bringing food and cards. But when his brother died at the end of March of last year, only six people were allowed to come to the funeral home. Only 10 were there when he was buried next to his mom and sister.

Ill be honest with you, Folio said. I dont know if I have completely dealt with the loss of my brother because of the way the world was. I catch myself sometimes feeling that way, and Im an adult whos lost a lot. So for these kids  I would say it was much more difficult for them losing a loved one in COVID.

Volunteering at Camp Jamie this June was a different experience than it usually is for Folio because the loss of his brother was so fresh. But it gave him all the more reason to be there for the campers. He remembers how he felt after his mom died, and he doesnt want children to have to navigate grief without guidance.

Were there for them. This is their weekend, he said. Its not about us, it really is about the kids. That makes me happy  that all of us, together, collectively, are there for the kids.
ALGIERS, Algeria (AP)  Algeria has refused permission for France to fly military planes in its airspace and announced the recall of its ambassador from Paris in the wake of what it said were inadmissible comments attributed to French President Emmanuel Macron.

This weekend's sharp escalation in tensions also follows a French decision to slash the number of visas issued to people in North Africa  including Algeria  because governments there are refusing to take back migrants expelled from France.

A French request that two military planes be allowed to fly Sunday over Algerian territory was rejected, French military spokesman Col. Pascal Ianni said. One plane was meant to depart from France, the other from Chad, he said.

Ianni said it isn't clear whether Algeria is closing its airspace completely to the French military or whether Sunday's flights will be the only ones affected.

We haven't had official notification, so we will see, he said. The planners are thinking about how we will adapt.

Algeria had approved previous French flights in recent months, he said.

The flight ban followed the immediate recall of Algeria's ambassador from France for consultations  announced Saturday evening by the Algerian presidency.

The statement said the diplomat's recall was motivated by recent comments about Algeria that were attributed to Macron. The comments amounted to inadmissible interference in Algeria's affairs and were "an intolerable affront to Algerians who died fighting French colonialism, the Algerian presidency said.

The crimes of colonial France in Algeria are innumerable and fit the strictest definitions of genocide, its statement alleged.

French media reported that Macron spoke recently about Algeria's post-colonial system of government and its attitudes to France. The newspaper Le Monde said Macron made the comments Thursday in a meeting at the presidential palace with French and Algerian grandchildren of former combatants in Algeria's 1954-62 war of independence from France and people affected by the conflict's aftermath.

In its report from the meeting, Le Monde said that Macron accused Algerian authorities of stoking hatred for France. The French leader also spoke about his government's tightening of visas for North Africans, saying the visa reduction would target people in the area of governance, who had a habit of asking for visas easily," the newspaper reported.

French officials announced the number of visas given to Algerians and Moroccans would be cut by half, and to Tunisians by 30%. The government said the decision responded to refusals from Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia to provide consular documents for their citizens who were being deported from France after arriving illegally. The three countries were part of Frances colonial empire, and many Europe-bound migrants and other visitors coming from those North African nations have family or other ties in France.

The Algerian presidency said in its statement that Macron's remarks were an intolerable affront to the memory of the 5,630,000 valiant martyrs who sacrificed their lives in their heroic resistance of the French colonial invasion. There was no explanation of how Algerian authorities came up with such a large number.

It added that nothing and nobody can absolve the colonial powers of their crimes.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP)  Mississippi is the only state without a law requiring equal pay for equal work by women and men, after Alabama enacted one in 2019.

Efforts have fallen short in Mississippi in recent years, but Senate Labor Committee Chairman John Hohrn, a Democrat from Jackson, promises to make another push for equal pay legislation in 2022.

Opponents have said there's no need for a Mississippi law because of two federal laws  the Equal Pay Act of 1963 signed by President John F. Kennedy and the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 signed by President Barack Obama. Some also say they don't want the state to put new regulations on businesses.

A 2017 report by the Mississippi University Research Center showed women earned 27% less than men for fulltime work in Mississippi, compared to a 19% wage gap nationwide. The study said some of the gap could be explained by factors such as types of jobs women and men were working, but the unexplained wage gap remained about 18% in Mississippi and about 15% nationwide.

The report said a portion of the unexplained gap in Mississippi may be due to discrimination," but other factors such as the choice of college majors or decisions about work-life balance may be in play.

If women are willing to take lower pay so that they can work hours more suitable to their familys needs, then discrimination is not at play, the report said. "However, if employers assume all women are willing to take lower pay for more flexible hours and therefore do not offer women other options, discrimination could exist.

Cassandra Welchlin, executive director of the Mississippi Black Women's Roundtable, told the Senate Labor Committee on Wednesday that women comprise 49% of the Mississippi workforce but 67% of the minimum-wage workers. She said that over a 40-year career, a Black woman in Mississippi stands to lose more than $849,000 because of the wage gap.

It's time for Mississippi women to share in the protection that women in other states experience, Welchlin said.

Welchlin said Mississippi needs an equal pay law that does not require people applying for jobs to disclose their salary history because such disclosure often ensures that women remain on track for lower earnings.

Senators on Wednesday also heard from Ledbetter, whose legal battle over equal pay went to the U.S. Supreme Court. Ledbetter worked 19 years at a Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. in Gadsden, Alabama, and sued in 1998 after learning she had been paid significantly less than male colleagues in the same job. A jury awarded her $3.8 million, but the Supreme Court reversed the decision in 2007. Justices said she waited too long to sue, and did not rule on whether discrimination occurred.

Speaking to Mississippi lawmakers by videoconference, Ledbetter said earning less money for equal work affects the type of houses people live in, the kind of food they eat and the kind of retirement they will have.

I know what its like to dig and scratch out a living, Ledbetter said, noting that many in Alabama and Mississippi are in the same position. "And its time that women can stand up with dignity for their education and their training and earn a good living.

Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch, the first woman elected to that job, is among supporters of equal pay legislation. A deputy attorney general, Whitney Lipscomb, spoke to the Labor Committee on behalf of Republican Fitch, saying it's a bipartisan issue that affects everyone.

Equal pay is an opportunity for the state to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty and strengthen our economy, Lipscomb said.

She said a law should require equal pay for equal work in the same job that requires equal skills, effort, education, experience, responsibilities and performance under similar working conditions. She also said it should provide exceptions based on seniority systems or merit systems that are based on quantity or quality of production or differentials based on factors other than sex.

Passing a state equal pay law will not impose any new obligations on employers, Lipscomb said.

____

Emily Wagster Pettus has covered Mississippi government and politics since 1994. Follow her on Twitter: http://twitter.com/EWagsterPettus.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP)  Hundreds of thousands of Louisiana homeowners, many of them still digging out of Hurricane Ida's destruction, will soon see rising flood insurance bills. But the federal government is providing few details about how much its recalculation of rates will boost premiums beyond the first year.

Insurers, homeowners and politicians getting their first glimpses at cost increases people around south Louisiana and other coastal regions might see from the National Flood Insurance Program are starting to sound alarms. They say people could end up being billed thousands more annually after the full phase-in, and they suggest the Federal Emergency Management Agency deliberately won't share information about how expensive premiums will get.

They say such increases add insult to injury for Louisiana residents still trying to recover from last year's Hurricanes Laura, Delta and Zeta and Ida's new blow in August.

These are working families who are trying to make ends meet, and suddenly theyre no longer able to protect themselves, said Republican U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy.

Cassidy, other members of Louisiana's congressional delegation and lawmakers from additional coastal states urged President Joe Biden's administration to delay the changes, to no avail.

The flood insurance rate recalculation  which has been proposed for years  began Friday for people seeking new policies and starts April 1 for policies being renewed.

In Louisiana, up to 80% of the 496,000 National Flood Insurance Program policies are expected to see price hikes in the first year. Most face an initial yearly increase of no more than $120, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

But details get vague on how many people will see additional price hikes in later years and how large they'll be.

The Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of Louisiana asked federal officials for rate charts that show the long-term pricing changes.

They said, We dont have that put together yet,'" said organization CEO Jeff Albright. "How do you make that decision without having the full information?

Republican U.S. Reps. Steve Scalise and Garret Graves, in a letter urging delay, wrote that a Larose homeowner seeking a new flood insurance policy was quoted a $572 annual premium to take effect Sept. 30. When the policy shifted to an Oct. 8 start date, the yearly premium was quoted at $5,531.

FEMA says the new pricing plan  called Risk Rating 2.0  will more accurately reflect flood risks of individual properties, respond to climate change and end longstanding program inequities. The agency said the updated calculations reflect the first rating methodology changes since the 1970s.

We can no longer ignore the fact that some of our policyholders have been unjustly subsidizing other policyholders, David Maurstad, FEMAs senior executive for the National Flood Insurance Program, told reporters Sept. 24, according to a call transcript.

Homes and businesses located in areas considered at high flooding risk are required to have flood insurance if they have government-backed mortgages. Some lenders require flood insurance in other areas as well. Most of that coverage is provided through the federal program.

FEMA said the program collected $60 billion in premiums over the last 50 years but paid out $96 billion in claims.

Louisiana officials caution the new rate calculations could drive people in lower risk areas out of the flood insurance program, damaging its solvency. They worry rate hikes could make it harder for some people to stay in their homes or sell them to others, harming the housing market. And they say chasing people out of the program will drive up other federal disaster aid costs.

Maurstad said Congress capped most annual flood insurance rate increases at 18% so existing policyholders cannot receive price hikes beyond that.

It becomes very unmanageable after those 18% increases continuously compound for years to come. In four short years, 18% compounding increases cause a premium to nearly double, said U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat who joined Cassidy in criticizing the changes.

Maurstad said half of all policyholders will reach the full increased price after five years of premium hikes. Another 40% will see cost increases for a decade before reaching the new rate, he said. Others will take even longer. Properties that were grandfathered in at prior flood insurance rates if the risk calculation changed for the area will lose that premium discount.

The only way this gets stopped is if Congress stops it, and right now Im not sure if Congress can agree on anything, said Albright.

___

EDITORS NOTE: Melinda Deslatte has covered Louisiana politics for The Associated Press since 2000. Follow her at http://twitter.com/melindadeslatte.
ROME (AP)  A blaze, possibly sparked by a gas canister explosion, destroyed part of an historic bridge spanning the Tiber River in Rome before firefighters extinguished the flames early Sunday.

Firefighters said the fire erupted before midnight Saturday near the Ostiense neighborhood and by 4 a.m. Sunday they had completed their work.

No one was injured in the fire that involved the Industry Bridge, but three nightclubs near the riverside neighborhood popular with young people were evacuated as a precaution, Italian state TV said.

The blaze appeared to have started in an area of shacks occupied by homeless people on the river banks near Industry Bridge before spreading to the span itself. State radio said authorities believe the fire might have been started by an explosion of a cooking gas canister by one of the homeless people.

A section of the bridges outer pedestrian walkway and stretch under the roadbed carrying utility lines broke off and fell into the Tiber. State radio noted that another fire several years ago had also involved the shacks.

Firefighters said in a tweet that the bridge is currently too dangerous to be used. They also banned any navigation under it until the span can be repaired.

Pope Pius IX attended the 1863 inauguration of the bridge, one of the last major construction works in Rome in the waning years of the papal state controlling the city, which would soon become the capital of unified Italy.

Dubbed by Romans the Iron Bridge, the span originally served as a railway bridge. Later it was outfitted to instead serve cars and foot traffic.

A plaque near one of the span's ends pays tribute to 10 women who were executed on it in 1944 by German SS troops occupying Rome during the latter years of World War II. The women were punished for having occupied a bakery to feed their families in the city where war made food scarce.
BEIJING (AP)  The ruling Communist Party is tightening political control over Chinas internet giants and tapping their wealth to pay for its ambitions to reduce reliance on U.S. and European technology.

Anti-monopoly and data security crackdowns starting in late 2020 have shaken the industry, which flourished for two decades with little regulation. Investor jitters have knocked more than $1.3 trillion off the total market value of e-commerce platform Alibaba, games and social media operator Tencent and other tech giants.

The party says anti-monopoly enforcement will be a priority through 2025. It says competition will help create jobs and raise living standards.

President Xi Jinpings government seems likely to stay the course even if economic growth suffers, say businesspeople, lawyers and economists. These companies are world leaders in their sectors in innovation, and yet the leadership is willing to squash them all, said Mark Williams, chief Asia economist for Capital Economics.

The crackdown reflects Xis public emphasis on reviving the partys original mission of leading economic and social development, said Steve Tsang, a Chinese politics specialist at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. He said it could also help Xi politically if, as expected, he pursues a third five-year term as party leader.

Chinese leaders don't want to reimpose direct control of the economy but want private sector companies to align with ruling party plans, said Lester Ross, head of the Beijing office of law firm WilmerHale.

What they are worried about is companies getting too big and too independent of the party," said Ross.

Chinese internet companies and their billionaire founders, including Alibaba Groups Jack Ma and Tencent Holdings' Pony Ma, are among the biggest global success stories of the past two decades. Alibaba is the biggest e-commerce company, while Tencent operates the popular WeChat messaging service.

But party plans emphasize robots, chips and other hardware, so these companies are rushing to show their loyalty by shifting billions of dollars into those.

The ruling party's campaign is prompting warnings the world might decouple, or split into separate markets with incompatible technology. Products from China wouldn't function in the United States or Europe, and vice versa. Innovation and efficiency would suffer.

U.S. curbs on Chinese access to telecom and other technology haven't helped.

Alibaba said it will invest $28 billion to develop operating system software, processor chips and network technology. The company has pledged $1 billion to nurture 100,000 developers and tech startups over the next three years.

Last year, Tencent promised to invest $70 billion in digital infrastructure. Meituan, an e-commerce, delivery and service platform, raised $10 billion to develop self-driving vehicles and robots.

Chinese officials recognize the campaign imposes an economic cost but are unwilling to speak up, said Tsang. Who is going to stand up and say to Xi Jinping, your policy is going to be harmful to China?

Investors, many burned by the drop in technology shares, are keeping their money on the sidelines. Tencent's market capitalization of $575 billion is down $350 billion from its February peak, a decline equal to more than the total value of Nike Inc. or Pfizer Inc.

CEO Masayoshi Son of Japans Softbank Group  an early investor in Alibaba  said on Aug. 11 he will put off new China deals. Softbank invested $11 billion in ride-hailing service Didi Global, whose share price has fallen by one-third since its U.S. stock market debut on July 30.

The crackdown began in November when Beijing ordered Ant Group, which grew out of Alibabas Alipay online payments service, to postpone its stock market debut in Hong Kong and Shanghai. The company, which offers online savings and investment services, was told to scale back its plans and to install bank-style systems to vet borrowers and manage lending risks. Industry analysts cut forecasts of Ants expected stock market value.

Meanwhile, Xis government is tightening control over data gathered by private companies about the public  especially at Alibaba and Tencent, which have hundreds of millions of users. Chinas leaders see information about its 1.4 billion people as a tool for gaining insight into the public and economy  and a potential security risk in private hands.

A law that takes effect Nov. 1 establishes security standards, prohibits companies from disclosing information without customer permission and tells them to limit how much they collect. Unlike data protection laws in Western countries, the Chinese rules say nothing about limiting government or ruling party access to personal information.

Beijing also is accused of using its stockpile of data about the public in a campaign of repression against Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim minorities in China's northwestern region of Xinjiang.

"Very lax until a few months ago, China has become one of the most active and forceful jurisdictions in regulating the digital economy, wrote Angela Zhang, an anti-monopoly expert at the University of Hong Kong law school, in a paper this month.

In April, Alibaba was fined 18.3 billion yuan ($2.8 billion) for offenses that included prohibiting vendors that wanted to use its platforms from dealing with Alibabas competitors.

Units of Alibaba, Tencent, live-streaming site Kuaishou, microblogging platform Sina Weibo and social media site Xiaohongshu also have been fined for distributing sexually suggestive stickers or short videos of children. Tencents music service was ordered to end exclusive contracts with providers.

Beijing is also using the crackdown to narrow Chinas politically sensitive wealth gap by pushing tech giants to share their wealth with employees and consumers.

Didi, Meituan and other delivery and ride-hailing businesses were ordered in May to cut fees charged to drivers and improve their benefits and security. Meituan CEO Wang Xing promised to donate $2.3 billion to environmental and social initiatives. Tencents Ma pledged $2 billion to charity.

Alibaba has promised to spend 100 billion yuan ($15.5 billion) on job creation, rural development and other initiatives to support Xi's common prosperity campaign.

Such income redistribution plans are reminiscent of the mass mobilization and populist strategies of the 1950s and '60s under then-leader Mao Zedong, Zhang wrote.

___

Soo reported from Singapore.
DENVER (AP)  On a frigid January night in 1984, Kim Rice woke to a flash of pain and sat up in bed to see a strangers silhouette, his arm raised to strike another blow with a hammer.

She screamed, and the stranger threw the hammer at her and fled. Rices then-husband, in bed beside her, had been attacked, too. Despite suffering a skull fracture, he chased after the intruder, racing out into the snow to try to follow the strangers footsteps.

Inside their Aurora home, there was blood on the walls, the mirror, the curtains, the ceiling. It was wet on Rices face as she called 911.

The home invasion was the first of four attacks during a 12-day spree by the so-called Hammer Killer in January 1984 that ended with the slaughter of three members of the Bennett family in Aurora.

Police believed one attacker was responsible, but they didnt identify a suspect for nearly four decades. By the time DNA tied 61-year-old Alex Ewing to the spree, it was too late for authorities to prosecute him for the assault on Rice and her now ex-husband.

The statute of limitations, which sets the deadline by which a crime must be prosecuted, had passed. Rices case would never go to court.

But theres no statute of limitations on murder, and when Ewing stood trial this summer for killing the Bennett family, Rice was there. She sought some sort of closure, some vicarious justice.

She stared at Ewing as he sat shackled to the floor. Prosecutors believed he was the man whod smashed a hammer into her head, the man whod given her a concussion in her own bed, but she harbored some doubt.

I wanted to go because I was still looking for some truth to the fact that this was tied in, said Rice, who still lives in Colorado.

 Long road to justice

Five days after Rice was attacked, someone bludgeoned and raped a 28-year-old woman in Aurora after she pulled into her garage. The day after that, 50-year-old Patricia Smith was killed with a hammer at her home in Lakewood.

Then five days later, 27-year-old Bruce Bennett, 26-year-old Debra Bennett and their daughter, 7-year-old Melissa Bennett, were killed by an attacker wielding a hammer. Melissas 3-year-old sister was brutally attacked but survived.

It wasnt until the Bennetts that they started to tie all this together, Rice said.

Police realized the attacks followed a similar pattern. For both Rice and the Bennetts, investigators believed the suspect entered through an open garage door.

As authorities realized the connections, the media descended, Rice said. Reporters came to her house, reported on Rice and her then-husbands trip to a gun store. The case riveted the region.

What was scary is they showed our address and our house and everything on the TV, and we had two copycat, two attempted break-ins, she said.

But after a rush of initial activity and significant investigation, the case went quiet. There were no more attacks, no suspects.

After her assault, Rice was shaky and frightened. She tried to avoid her garage. Shed park in it and race into the house. She easily became afraid, sometimes just by driving home alone at night. She suffered migraines that started at the site of the hammers blow, at the scar on the top of her head.

Years would pass where I wouldnt think about it, and then something would happen to remind me of it, she said. I would get pretty shaky, I would lose sleep over it.

She became consumed with ensuring her garage door was locked. If she spotted any home with an open garage door, shed go knock on the front door and tell the residents to close it.

She still does that today.

It was just one of those things where, if my door had been closed, he wouldnt have chosen us, she said.

Over time, Rice convinced herself that the attacker was dead. So it was a shock when, in 2018, investigators called her into a meeting and told her that they believed the man who attacked her was alive, and in prison. That hed be charged with murder.

I didnt expect it to come to anything after all these years, she said.

And in some ways, for Rice, it didnt  the statute of limitations had expired, so there was nothing prosecutors could do about her case, which Rice said she understood.

The current statute of limitations on most felony cases in Colorado is three years, although the time allowed for prosecution is much longer for some charges, like sexual assault, which has a 20-year window. The statute of limitations on sex assault charges was doubled in 2016 amid the claims against Bill Cosby, after women spoke up about why it took them years to report the alleged assaults.

Ray Harlan, chairman of the nonprofit Colorado Victims for Justice, said lawmakers should consider revisiting the statute of limitations on other charges, too, pointing out that its easier today to preserve evidence than in the past.

The rules about statutes of limitations were written in an era with totally different technology, he said.  Historically, evidence rooms and evidence lockers would only hold so much stuff, and eventually you had to get rid of the things least likely to ever be used. So you get rid of plaster casts of tire tracks and footprints  but what if you scan those plaster casts and put them in a server? Then they last forever.

 Judgment day

Rice attended the murder trial for the Bennett family in July with some trepidation. She wasnt sure she belonged there. It wasnt her case.

But she soon found she shared a connection with the Bennett familys relatives, who welcomed her, even insisting she join them for lunch at times during the lengthy trial.

Its a camaraderie, you know, that you dont want to have, she said. But at least it gives you some warm feeling, because the people in my life, you know, they didnt know what was going on there.

As the trial wore on, Rice became certain that Ewing was responsible for her own attack as well as the Bennetts killings. After Ewing was convicted of their murders, she wrote the judge a victim impact statement. At sentencing, Ewings defense attorney objected  she was not a victim in this case, he said, and so should not be allowed to submit a statement.

District Judge Darren Vahle dismissed the concern.

I saw the judge smile and he looked right at me, and I just felt this inclusiveness, Rice said.

When Vahle went on to sentence Ewing to three life sentences, calling Ewing an abomination who inflicted an unspeakable orgy of violence on the community, Rice found her closure. The judge said everything she wanted to say. She left the courtroom in tears.

I couldnt stop crying, she said. I wasnt thinking good, bad or indifferent, I was just trying to get control.

A weight had been lifted, she said. And although Ewing is set to stand trial in Jefferson County in the killing of Patricia Smith in October, Rice has no intention of attending that trial. Shes ready to be done, to put it all to rest.

I can honestly say, she said, Ive never slept quite as good.
MAPLETON, Iowa (AP)  Chances are, future tenants in a soon-to-be-renovated downtown Mapleton building wont need to take up arms and be on the lookout for bandits.

Its not the 1920s, when a rash of Monona County bank robberies led to the formation of a vigilante group that used the second floor of the building at 322 Main St. Taking advantage of a unique architectural feature that juts out from the corner of the building and gives whomevers inside a commanding view of downtown Mapleton, the vigilantes would sit with rifles and Colt revolvers at the ready, keeping watch over the towns three banks.

Whether word got around about the vigilantes or Mapletons bankers just got lucky, no one ever attempted to rob one of the towns banks, and the vigilante group disbanded sometime around 1930.

Its a fun story from Mapletons past, but the Sioux City Journal reports the new owners of the historic building at the corner of Fourth and Main streets are focused on its future.

Were hoping the building is there and in good shape for a long time, said Matthew Kelm, who bought the building with wife, Samantha, nearly two years ago.

Thanks to a $100,000 state Community Catalyst Building Remediation grant that the city will administer, the two natives of nearby Ute who now live in Mapleton plan to renovate the second floor, which has been vacant for some 40 years, into apartments and gut and fix up the ground floor to lease for business use. They hope to begin renovations later this year on the building, which, according to local historian Keith Robinson, was opened in 1893 as a dry goods store and was commonly known as Freedman and Goldbergs. Since then, its housed an appliance store, cafe, grocery store and, most recently, a consignment store.

The Kelms, Samantha in particular, looked at the attractive exterior and envisioned some much-needed housing and new business space.

It was my wifes idea. She likes the way it looks, Kelm said. We have had a few different people ask about it.

A similar transformation is ongoing at another historic building on the corner across the street.

Built in 1893, the two-story building at 321 Main St. was at various times a law office, hardware store, restaurant and five and dime store, among other things, but had been vacant for 10 years before the city acquired it in 2013.

The city received a total of $88,000 in state grants to remove asbestos, stabilize the building and replace the roof. In 2019, it received a $100,000 Catalyst grant to renovate the building into an upstairs apartment and a ground-floor business space.

Tally the grants the city and the Kelms have received, and it adds up to more than a quarter million dollars being spent to rehabilitate the two buildings at the citys main intersection.

Critics may ask if its worth that much to fix up a couple old buildings.

Mayor Brent Streck said its a better use of the space than demolishing them and putting in a parking lot, one of the ideas floated for the city-owned building.

The two buildings being worked on are really cornerstones of the business district, Streck said. This is maintaining their character and making it valid for the next 40-50 years. The worst thing you could do is knock it down and put up a steel building.

As renovations continue on the city-owned building, the city hopes to sell it to someone who will open a new business on the ground floor, putting the property back on the tax rolls and continuing a trend of building restorations completed elsewhere in town.

Theres a lot of growth in the community right now, Streck said.

City clerk Karla Uhl said shed hate to see an empty lot or two at the citys main intersection, plus shared walls and other surprises often make tearing down century-old buildings a challenge. Grant programs make it easier -- and more affordable -- to renovate them.

Its almost easier now to get money to restore buildings than to tear them down, Uhl said. Without grants, it really would have been a financial stress for the city.

It would be sad to see two buildings that have witnessed so much history go away, Uhl said.

Theyre just kind of a mainstay in town, she said.

Thanks to all that grant money, they will continue to be so for years to come.
LAKE CHARLES, La. (AP)  Southwest Louisiana leaders say the disaster assistance approved by Congress will be too little to solve the lingering housing crisis and other needs caused by Hurricane Laura, which struck the region more than a year ago.

Billions of dollars in federal disaster aid were included in legislation passed by Congress on Thursday that also helped avoid a government shutdown.

Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter told The American Press that the package has $1.6 billion in disaster block grant aid to split among states for all the 2020 disasters, with southwest Louisiana anticipated to get $600 million for Laura and the follow-up blow of Hurricane Delta.

When you look at other singular hurricanes over the last 20 years and the billions of dollars that have flowed down to those communities, $600 million is crumbs, he said.

Gov. John Bel Edwards' administration has estimated the unmet needs for Hurricanes Laura, Delta and Zeta is around $3 billion.

Calcasieu Parish Police Jury President Brian Abshire said in a statement that while the parish has waited patiently for federal aid, Washington politics has diluted the relief bill.

This feel-good bill makes no one but the federal politicians actually feel good, and it will do very little for Calcasieu Parish, he said. We will continue to fight for what our residents need, and, frankly, what our residents deserved a year ago.

Housing needs alone for the 2020 hurricanes are estimated to reach $900 million.

That ($600 million) will put a small dent in housing, Hunter told the newspaper. Im thankful its something, but its just really like a punch in the gut. It makes you feel like were less American.

Hunter said there wont be any money left for economic revitalization and infrastructure, two major components needed to recover from a major natural disaster.

Since Laura roared ashore as a Category 4 storm in August 2020, Hunter and other local elected leaders have sought federal aid for months.

Im pretty exasperated and worn out from this whole process, Hunter said. I thought we would be so much further along than we are.
Officials warned of an "environmental catastrophe" on Sunday after more than 120,000 gallons of oil leaked from a rig and washed up on beaches south of Los Angeles, threatening wildlife and closing popular shores.

Authorities said Sunday afternoon that the heavy crude oil did not appear to be leaking anymore but that the cause and timeline remained under investigation. The spill, a few miles offshore from Newport Beach and Huntington Beach, was first reported Saturday and leaked about 126,000 gallons spanning 13 square miles, officials said. The emergency sent people scrambling to contain the fallout and protect sensitive habitats.

"This oil spill constitutes one of the most devastating situations that our community has dealt with in decades," Huntington Beach Mayor Pro Tem Kim Carr said during a news conference on Sunday. She said authorities are looking at how to hold accountable the responsible parties and warned there will be "a lot more hitting our shores over the next few days."

Huntington Beach said it has deployed more than 2,000 feet of floating barriers called "booms" at seven wetland spots in an effort to contain the spill. But oil still "infiltrated" and caused damage in a wetlands area called Talbert Marsh that is home to many bird species, according to Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley. The county is building a sand berm to keep the oil from intruding further, Foley said on Sunday.

The damage to wildlife is still emerging. While Foley said dead birds and fish started to wash ashore, other officials said they could only confirm that one duck was "oiled" and is getting veterinary care. "We're hoping we have minimal impact, but we're preparing for the worst," said Christian Corbo, a lieutenant at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Authorities said the oil came from Platform Elly, a pipeline operated by Beta Offshore, a Long Beach unit of Houston's Amplify Energy. Speaking Sunday alongside officials from the responding agencies, Amplify Energy chief executive Martyn Willsher said that the company is investigating the spill and that divers are at a potential source site of the leak.

He said the pipeline has been "meticulously maintained" throughout Amplify's ownership and was "suctioned at both ends" to prevent more leaking. "Everything is shut down," he said.

"Our employees live and work in these communities, and we're all deeply impacted and concerned about the impact," Willsher said, adding, "We will do everything in our power to ensure that this is recovered as quickly as possible."

Huntington State Beach was closed, while the final day of a popular air show that drew 1.5 million visitors to area shores Saturday was canceled. Meanwhile, the city of Huntington Beach also closed much of its ocean and shoreline, officials said. Orange County Health Officer Clayton Chau urged people against swimming or even gathering on the affected beaches and warned that vapors from the oil spill could spread on the wind.

Rep. Michelle Steel, R-Calif., sent a letter to President Joe Biden seeking major disaster declaration for Orange County, and local leaders said the booms aimed at containment could stay in place for weeks or months.

"It is imperative that the Federal Government assist in recovery efforts. Constituents who live along the shoreline are already reporting oil on the beach and strong odors," Steel wrote. "I have serious concerns about the environmental impacts of the spill and applaud the workers who are doing their best to prevent the oil from hitting sensitive wetlands."

On Sunday evening, officials said more than 3,000 gallons of oily water had been recovered and nine boats dispatched.

Sean Anderson, a coastal ecotoxicologist who leads an environmental science and resource management program at California State University at Channel Islands, said the biggest immediate concern will be the oil's impact on beaches, wetlands and animals. "The animals most affected, that we can't do anything about, are the critters just offshore. Those are going to be seabirds, marine mammals, things of that nature," Anderson explained. Some animals, like dolphins, can swim out of the way if they see oil.

But Anderson said seabirds are vulnerable. If they land on water in the area of the leak, the oil could splash on them. The birds maintain their warmth by having clean feathers, so their instinct is to preen or clean the oil off, "as if it's a piece of dirt," he said. "Then they ingest the oil and if it's a little, it might be okay, but it's usually a pretty toxic exposure, and they die."

He said sand crabs that live right where the waves break on the face of the beach will also be heavily harmed. "Everybody eats those things. Fish eat them, birds eat them. They are really super important for the sandy beach ecosystem," Anderson said. While the environmental impact may still be problematic, he said "in the grand scheme of things, it's a relatively small amount of oil in terms of many of our offshore oil spills."

"Certainly nobody should be eating fish from this immediate area right now, nobody should be swimming in it," Anderson said. He said the toxicity will fade "fairly quickly," but the "biggest concerns are in the immediate hours and days right after the oil gets released."

The largest oil spill recorded in the waters off California was near Santa Barbara in 1969. An estimated 80,000 to 100,000 barrels of crude oil over 10 days and killed some 3,500 seabirds, as well as marine animals such as dolphins and sea lions. It evidently provided the inspiration for Earth Day. The oil spill this weekend amounts to about 3,000 barrels.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife said it sent surveillance and cleanup crews to the area, and the Oiled Wildlife Care Network at the University of California at Davis said it had deployed a number of staff members to support response efforts in the Newport Beach area.

Newport Beach officials advised residents to avoid contact with ocean water and parts of the beach where oil could be seen. The city said its beaches would remain open to the public but urged caution. Residents were urged to call a hotline if they spotted wildlife affected by the oil.

Krysta Higuchi, a spokesperson for the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach, said the group is prepared to treat marine mammals but had not yet received reports of any affected by the spill. "It's all hands on deck, but it's still a waiting game as we don't know the full extent of the issue," she said, adding it may take weeks before harmed wildlife washes ashore. "We're just preparing for the worst but hoping for the best."
Despite having the highest vaccination rates in the country, there are constant reminders for most New England states of just how vicious the delta variant of COVID-19 is.

Hospitals across the region are seeing full intensive care units and staff shortages are starting to affect care. Public officials are pleading with the unvaccinated to get the shots. Health care workers are coping with pent-up demand for other kinds of care that had been delayed by the pandemic.

I think its clearly frustrating for all of us, said Michael Pieciak, the commissioner of the Vermont Department of Financial Regulation who monitors COVID-19 statistics for the state. We want kids to be safe in school, we want parents not to have to worry about their childs education and health.

Even though parts of New England are seeing record case counts, hospitalizations and deaths that rival pre-vaccine peaks, largely among the unvaccinated, the region hasnt seen the impact the delta variant wave has wrought on other parts of the country.

According to statistics from The Associated Press, the five states with the highest percentage of a fully vaccinated population are all in New England, with Vermont leading, followed by Connecticut, Maine, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. New Hampshire is 10th.

According to the AP data, full vaccination rates across the six New England states range from a high of 69.4% in Vermont to 61.5% in New Hampshire.

Despite the relatively high vaccination rates  the U.S. as a whole is averaging 55.5%  there are still hundreds of thousands of people across the region who, for one reason or another, remain unvaccinated and vulnerable to infection.

Now, a Rhode Island official said he didn't think the 70% vaccination goal, once touted as the level that would help end the pandemic in the state, is enough.

What we've learned with delta and looking beyond delta, is because that's where our focus is as well, to really reach those levels of vaccination, to give you that true population level protection, you need to be in excess of 90%, said Tom McCarthy, the executive director of the Rhode Island Department of Health COVID Response Unit.

Officials throughout New England continue to push the unvaccinated to get the shots as well as bolster vaccine mandates.

We have it in our power to end this needless suffering and heartbreak; a way to protect our health and that of the people we love; a way to give our heroic doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals a much-needed break; a way to protect our children  please get vaccinated today, Maine's Democratic Gov. Janet Mills said recently.

Yet the head of UMass Memorial Health, the largest health system in central Massachusetts, said recently that regional hospitals were seeing nearly 20 times more COVID-19 patients than in June and there isnt an ICU bed to spare.

In Connecticut, the Legislature just extended the governors emergency powers to make it easier to cope with the latest wave of the pandemic.

Case counts in Vermont, which has continually boasted about high vaccination and low hospitalization and death rates, are the highest during the pandemic. Hospitalizations are approaching the pandemic peak from last winter and September was Vermont's second-deadliest month during the pandemic.

On Sept. 22, Maine had nearly 90 people in intensive care units, a pandemic peak for the state. Maine also recently passed 1,000 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

Dr. Gretchen Volpe, an infectious disease specialist at the 48-bed York Hospital in Maine, said the delta surge has made it harder to find care for patients who need more assistance.

"The physicians who are transferring people have commented to me that they keep having to go farther and call more places to achieve that goal, Volpe said.

On Friday, the United States crossed the threshold of 700,000 deaths from COVID-19. The deaths during the delta surge have been unrelenting in hotspots in the South. New England has been at the other end of the spectrum, but the region is still coping with the same surge that has ravaged other parts of the country.

Vermont's Republican governor, Phil Scott drew near-universal praise for his early handling of the pandemic, when his calm demeanor and reliance on the science kept his state among the safest.

But recently, he's faced criticism by some, including Democratic leaders of the state Legislature and more than 90 employees of the Vermont Health Department who in August signed a letter urging him to do more to combat the delta wave.

Scott lifted Vermont's state of emergency in June, when the state became the first to see 80% of its eligible population get at least the first shot.

He is now recommending that schools require masks and he's urging people to wear masks in crowded indoor locations. But he won't reinstitute required mitigation measures that were in place during the state of emergency.

We can't be in a perpetual state of emergency, Scott said this week.

Dr. Tim Lahey, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington, said he felt it was important to look at the situation more optimistically.

Unlike some others in the region his Vermont hospital is busy, not overwhelmed. People still need to be cautious, but they are not locked down and outside life has a semblance of normality.

We all hate the word delta now, but has vaccination made it so we can withstand the brunt of delta with losing fewer of our neighbors while still having the quality of life that we enjoy in Vermont?" he said. Yeah."

___

AP reporter Jennifer McDermott in Providence, Rhode Island, contributed to this report as did Patrick Whittle and David Sharp in Portland, Maine, and Philip Marcelo in Boston.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  As activists mobilized this summer to ask Minneapolis voters to replace their police department, one of the first prominent Democrats to slam the plan was a moderate congresswoman who doesnt even live in the city.

Angie Craig declared it shortsighted, misguided and likely to harm the very communities that it seeks to protect." She warned that it could push out the city's popular Black police chief.

Craig's district covers a suburban-to-rural and politically divided region south of the city, but her willingness to jump into the fight next door highlights the political threat that Democrats like Craig see in the proposal.

As a city that has become synonymous with police abuse wrestles with police reform, the effort is sharply dividing Democrats along ideological lines. The state's best known progressives  U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar and Attorney General Keith Ellison  support the plan, which would replace the police department with a new Department of Public Safety. Other top Democrats, including Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Gov. Tim Walz, oppose it.

The debate is dominating the city's mayoral and City Council races, the first since a Minneapolis police officer killed George Floyd in May 2020 and sparked a global racial reckoning. Passing the amendment would be a major win for the reform movement  both in substance and symbolism. But many in the Democratic establishment believe calls to dismantle or defund police cost the party seats in statehouses and Congress last year. They're determined not to let that happen again next year. Defeating the Minneapolis measure has become a critical, high-profile test.

If we talk about reforming the police, people are overwhelmingly in favor of it. When we say defund, we lose the argument, said Colin Strother, a Texas-based Democratic strategist. Democrats that keep using defund the police are only hurting themselves and the cause, quite frankly.

The ballot proposal slated for the Nov. 2 election asks voters whether they want to replace the Minneapolis Police Department with a new Department of Public Safety that would take a comprehensive public health approach that could include police officers if necessary. It doesnt use the word defund, and critics say that was a deliberate attempt by a majority of City Council members to conceal their aims.

Ellison, a strong supporter of the proposal, said in an interview that amendment supporters simply want more tools to guarantee public safety, more than just a police-only model. They want other people who have expertise in mental health, housing, violence reduction and intervention who are better trained to handle situations that armed police now face alone.

But he's wary of the phrase defund the police, which he called a cry for reform that comes from young people who were absolutely outraged by what happened to George Floyd.

Ellison said he avoids using it, calling it hot rhetoric, not a policy, not a program that doesnt accurately describe what the amendment would do. And he downplayed the idea that Democrats should be afraid of supporting the amendment, saying Republicans will attack them no matter how the issue is framed.

Minister JaNae Bates, a spokeswoman for the pro-amendment Yes 4 Minneapolis coalition, said shes frustrated by the divisions among Democrats. Those who depict the proposal as defunding the police are using fear-based rhetoric and a right-wing dog whistle as a distraction, she said. Police most certainly will be part of the proposed new agency along with professionals trained to handle situations for which armed officers are not suited, she said.

The fact of the matter is Democrats, progressives, liberals all across the board want people to be safe and that is what this charter change does, Bates said.

Omar, who represents Minneapolis, contends there's nothing radical in the amendment. Whats radical, she said in an opinion piece published in the Star Tribune, was how opponents fought to keep it off the ballot and, in her view, misrepresent what it will do.

The ballot question has attracted plenty of money, with glossy mailers showing up around the city and ads filling social media feeds since shortly before early voting began in early September.

The Yes 4 Minneapolis campaign has raised over $1 million in cash and nearly $500,000 of in-kind donations from across the country, according to campaign finance reports filed in August. Its money included $500,000 in seed money from the Open Society Policy Center, which has ties to billionaire George Soros.

The group has stressed the need for change and sought to reassure voters that the new structure will make everyone safer. It has also disputed suggestions from opponents that passage would mean the departure of Medaria Arradondo, the city's popular Black chief, even though Arradondo said passage would put any law enforcement leader in a wholly unbearable position.

The much newer All of Mpls, which opposes the amendment, raised more than $100,000 in its first few weeks, mostly locally. It has been playing up the uncertainty over how the proposed new department would work, since the amendment leaves it up to the City Council and the mayor to figure out the details within a short timeframe after the election.

University of Minnesota political scientist Larry Jacobs credited the defund issue with helping Republicans hold their own in Minnesotas legislative races in 2020 despite Joe Biden winning statewide. He said its clear to Democrats that defunding the police was effective for Republicans then  and could be again.

U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, of New York, flipped a Staten Island seat in 2020 by running against defunding police. Moderate Democrat Eric Adams, a former New York Police Department captain, won New York's mayoral primary in July on a platform of rejecting activists calls to defund police.

U.S. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, of New York, who chairs the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, has pushed back against the defund rhetoric, highlighting that the American Rescue Plan stimulus bill signed in March contains $350 billion to help support police departments.

If this thing does pass, which a lot of people think and assume that it will, theres going to be massive national blowback, not just in Minnesota, said Republican strategist Billy Grant, whose clients include Craigs likely opponent, former Marine Tyler Kistner.

People are going to say they showed they can do this. Thats going to have a domino effect.
AP

HOUSTON (AP)  A former student at a Houston public charter school has been charged after confessing to shooting and wounding the campus principal, authorities said.

Dexter Harold Kelsey, 25, confessed to the shooting Friday at YES Prep Southwest Secondary and was charged with aggravated assault against a public servant and deadly conduct in the shooting, Houston police said Saturday.
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP)  Flood insurance premiums figure to increase for thousands of Connecticut residents when the federal government implements a new rate system, some by as much as $100 per month  but most by up to $10 monthly.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency estimates that more than 22,000 state residents will see their premiums rise, though preliminary data show that rise will be small, the New Haven Register reported.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) 

Former University of South Carolina President Bob Caslen who resigned after less than two years in the wake of a plagiarism and misidentification controversy during a commencement speech called taking the job the biggest regret of his life in a newspaper interview.

As his problems grew in May, Caslen wrote in an email to a university vice president that he admired his perseverance staying at the university and in the state so long, according to emails obtained by the Post and Courier newspaper through a public records request.

I cant help but comment on this community and its hostility. By far the most hostile and destructive community Ive ever been a part of. Not sure how anyone can stand being here," Caslen wrote.

The newspaper reviewed nearly 3,800 pages of Caslen's email and in an interview Thursday, the retired Army general who was superintendent of West Point and served nearly 43 years in the military told the paper he still felt that way nearly five months later.

You have a good description of what I felt and what my wife felt, Caslen said. If I were a member of the South Carolina community, I would ask myself, Why does a guy like him whos been in all these different communities throughout his entire life, feel this way about our community?

Trustees hired Caslen in July 2019 after a contentious search that initially saw him rejected with three other finalists and the board unanimously vote to reopen the president search, Critics said Caslen was inexperienced in running a large public university and knew nothing about the school.

Gov. Henry McMaster, an ex officio trustee, stepped in and asked board members to hire Caslen, even as the school's top two living donors asked for a no vote because the process had become too political.

The Democrats hate us. We took their castle, McMaster's Chief of Staff Trey Walked texted to a trustee after they hired Caslen on an 11-8 vote.

Caslen's resignation came after a May 7 commencement speech where he used two paragraphs without attribution on being resilient from a Navy SEAL's speech.

In that same address, Caslen called the school The University of California.

Caslen blamed the misidentification on being tired and distracted after a long speech in the heat. He told the newspaper he took responsibility for the plagiarism because he is a man of integrity and what he says ultimately is his responsibility.

Im not going to throw my speechwriter under the bus, but, having said that, speechwriters normal responsibility is to ensure that whatever is said by the boss is legitimate," Caslen said.

As criticism grew after the speech, he wrote to then-South Carolina State University President James Clark, who was fired two months later by his trustees after five years on the job.

This place sucks so bad, Caslen wrote. I dont know how anyone can stand it. At some point you have to ask why do you put up with this stuff. It is insane. I dont know how you can stand living here.

Caslen offered his resignation several times after the speech and it was accepted five days later. When that happened, his emails showed he made plans to move two hours later.

I want to get out of here as quickly as possible, he wrote to a staffer.

Former University of South Carolina President Harris Pastides is leading the schoo l temporarily during the search for a new president. Caslen said the next person offered the job should review his experiences carefully.

Of course, they will say, Well, youre not a Bob Caslen and youre the right fit and he was the wrong fit,  Caslen told The Post and Courier. My advice is make sure you come with your eyes open because I regret coming to the University of South Carolina.
CUMMING, Ga. (AP)  Students at Brookwood Elementary take part in all kinds of activities in their Physical Education classes in the spring. From playing kickball and jumping rope to juggling and dancing, these students seem to constantly be moving at school.

Many in the Forsyth County community dont realize, however, that these same students and their families are saving lives in the process.

Last year, Brookwoods families raised nearly $35,000 for the American Heart Association simply by participating in these activities and giving money where they could.

But these fundraising efforts dont end at Brookwood. Midway Elementary School raised more than $28,000 last year, and Sawnee Elementary raised another $25,000.

Every school in Forsyth County participates in these fundraisers, making sure to support the AHA as much as possible. Overall, the district raised nearly $300,000 during the pandemic, and in a normal year, the schools usually raise close to $360,000.

Each year, this puts the district in the Top 10 in the nation and the second in the state for AHA donations.

Mariel Hicks, the youth market director for the organization, said they are nothing but incredibly grateful for the district and its families.

This is a big deal, Hicks said. It may not seem like it when youre at your individual schools just doing another program or participating in another fundraiser, but what Forsyth comes together and does for the American Heart Association is outstanding.

FUNDRAISING EFFORTS

The fundraisers that take place each spring are called the Kids Heart Challenge in elementary schools and the American Heart Challenge in middle and high schools, and each school takes part in the challenges in its own way.

The schools get all into it, Hicks said. Theyll put up signs, theyll put up brain posters and heart posters, there will be challenges like drink more water and move more.

Many schools plan educational weeks where lessons focus on heart-healthy tips, and then in the following weeks, they hold pay-to-play activities. This means that students may enter a jump rope competition or can participate in a kickball game if they donate $5.

Other schools also give away prizes for different donation levels.

Although most families give a small amount, Hicks said the donations add up  and they have a huge impact.

HOW FCS IS HELPING TO SAVE LIVES

Hicks explained that the funds raised by the schools each year go mainly to community initiatives and hospital research grants.

Community initiatives include activities and items that promote heart and brain health. For example, one recent initiative allowed the AHA to put water fountains in schools that would not be able to otherwise afford them.

Research grants, on the other hand, provide funding to universities and research that benefit patients and hospitals both locally and nationally.

Those grants can go toward cardiovascular research, materials, equipment and more, and researchers can apply for a grant directly through the AHA instead of having to rely solely on government grants. The organization is the second supporter in the nation of heart and heart disease research grants.

Hicks said these grants cost, on average, around $25,000.

So when you see a county raising $360,000, thats multiple hospital grants, Hicks said. If you want to look at it from a birds-eye view, we would be able to give multiple hospital grants out just from this one community. And then you have your schools like Brookwood or Sawnee that raise over $25,000 a year, so were making sure to let these schools know  you all raised enough money for a hospital.

Thats a big deal because that research is how lives get saved, she continued. Youre a part of this thing thats bigger than yourself.

HEART-HEALTHY MISSION

Heart and cardiovascular disease are the two largest causes of death in the U.S.

Before the pandemic, Hicks said AHA hosted assemblies at the schools each year, and when she asked students in the room if they knew someone who had experienced heart disease, nearly every hand would shoot up.

Unfortunately, heart disease is common in communities across the world. According to the AHA, 785,000 Americans have their first heart attack each year, and someone experiences a stroke every 40 seconds.

Hicks also tries to remind students that heart disease is not only common in adults.

Each year, the AHA features a student as their heart hero to share their own story of struggling with a heart ailment. This could be an older student who deals with a chronic disease or a younger child who recently had heart surgery.

Were able to highlight that on the students level so that they can understand its not just for mom and uncle who had strokes and who may have had heart disease, but its also your friend who sits behind you in second grade, Hicks said.

In making the issue more relatable to students, Hicks said she hopes it encourages them to be more conscious of heart health.

HEART-CONSCIOUS INDIVIDUALS

Overall, Hicks said the AHAs main goal through the Kids Heart Challenge is normalizing talking about heart health and making sure kids and families know how to stay mindful of their hearts and brains.

Only about 7% of the schools population will participate in the fundraising piece, but 100% of the students get to benefit from all of the materials, everything that the teacher is doing in class, all of the little take-home recipes and videos, Hicks said. All of the students get access to that.

During the fundraiser, teachers and school leaders also ask students to register on an AHA through their school and take the Heart Healthy Pledge.

By taking this pledge, students agree to check back on the app and website to go over educational resources available to them and their families at any time. These resources include everything from education and exercise videos to healthy recipes.

Registration each spring is free for all students and families. Last year, Hicks said 7,000 students registered online and took the pledge, and not all those families made donations.

Its amazing that, even if theyre not participating in the fundraising piece, theyre still engaged, Hicks said. For me, thats the groundwork for producing heart-conscious individuals as they grow up.

Each school has its own Kids Heart Challenge website where families can register and find out more about the challenge. Those interested can be on the lookout each spring for more information from their school.

As a member of the AHA Board of Directors, Superintendent Dr. Jeff Bearden said he is proud each year of the districts participation in the organizations fundraisers and initiatives, helping to spread its mission through the community.

One of the attributes of our FCS Learner Profile is that we want all students to Exhibit Strong Personal Qualities, Bearden said. Maintaining wellness and balance in life is an important tenet of our Learner Profile . Our students are learning to be heart healthy while also learning to give back to others in need.
SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (AP)  Researchers at the University of Rhode Island and their colleagues at Penn State have been awarded a four-year, $1.5 million grant to study the effects of sea level rise and how it may worsen the impact of extreme weather, URI said in a statement.

The goal is to help communities, the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service adapt and improve their resilience as the climate continues to change and hurricanes and noreasters continue to increase in frequency and severity, the statement said.
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP)  Local history groups have placed new headstones in a Traverse City cemetery to honor eight people from the Civil War era.

But who was Nancy Taylor?
JERUSALEM (AP)  The Israeli government on Sunday said it was enlisting the military and the Shin Bet internal security agency as it tries to rein in a wave of violence in the country's Arab sector.

The Arab minority, which makes up around 20% of Israels population, has been convulsed by violent crime in recent years, with a murder rate that far exceeds its share of the population. The wave is driven by criminal gangs and family disputes.

Israeli officials have touted a number of initiatives in recent years, including larger budgets for law enforcement in Arab communities.

The Arab sector has traditionally suffered from poverty, neglect and discrimination, and residents have shown little trust in the national Jewish-majority government. But Arab residents recently have called on the government to do more for their communities.

Israel's new coalition government is the first to include an Arab party as a member. Under the coalition deal, the government promised to devote considerable attention and resources to the Arab sector.

Addressing the first meeting of a special ministerial committee on Sunday, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said the violence has reached a red line and said his government was taking the issue seriously.

The state is now mobilizing to protect Arab citizens from the blight of crime and illegal weapons, and from murder and protection rackets, he said. This will take considerable time, effort and resources. And while the state is mobilizing, the Arab public must understand that the security forces are not the enemy  they are the solution.

The committee placed Deputy Public Security Minister Yoav Segalovitz, a former senior police official, in charge of the new effort.

In one of its first decisions, it said the army and the Shin Bet  which typically focus their efforts on Palestinian militants and enemies abroad  would be used to help confiscate illegal weapons.

Our government is taking the issue very seriously, Bennett said, adding that it was providing Segalovitz the tools and the backing to succeed in the mission.
KEARNEY, Neb. (AP)  Its not government programs that help people in prison, its relationships.

That belief is the foundation for an organization thats taking shape in the Kearney area. The Master Trauma Foundation aims to enlist passionate members of churches to help men and women in prison or rehabilitation to get their lives back together.

The issue of prison overcrowding has been in the press. What were looking at is a way to help people transition out of prison in a successful way. So this is a way of taking the overcrowding problem and bringing some unique solutions to it, said Suzanne Geist, a state senator from Lincoln who spoke to a group of about 50 individuals gathered in Kearney to learn about forming the Master Trauma Foundation program in Kearney.

Geist serves on the Legislatures justice system oversight committee that monitors the Department of Corrections and the role of state agencies and their involvement in the justice system. As part of her work, Geist became acquainted with numerous people in the corrections system: administrators, guards and inmates.

The Kearney Hub reports that the people who gathered are looking for ways to undo the harm that befalls Nebraskans in the states overcrowded and understaffed prisons.

Its a big idea, Geist said. What were talking about is getting local churches and people who are really passionate about walking with the people involved. Since were charged biblically to care for those who are hurting, we think the most common sense place to come around those who are hurting is in the church.

Minden native Scott Carlson founded the Master Trauma Foundation. He is a certified trauma specialist who believes most people sent to prison suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder because theyre exposed to danger and encounter life-threatening situations.

Carlson introduced three men, all from Dawson County, who had been imprisoned or had opportunities to stay out of jail if they agreed to drug court. Each had personal problems that haunted their lives  abusive parents, addictions, etc.  before they ran afoul of the law. Each of the men referred to themselves only with their first names.

Crisis mode is surviving a 900-man riot in prison, said Matt. He said PTSD makes him leery of being around large groups. He prefers sitting close to doors in case he panics and needs to leave.

Prison made me a worse person than when I went it, he said.

Its not the guards who run the prison, its the prisoners, he said, and theyll make anyone suffer who doesnt go along with their ways. As a result, programs geared to rehabilitate prisoners are ineffective because inmates are afraid to give even the slightest indication theyre cooperating with the authorities because theyll suffer for it.

Fake it until you make it, is the mantra for inmates trying to make it through their sentence, said Cory. You will receive a lot of punishment if you dont go along with them.

Each of the three men said that after being in such serious trouble, doing their time and being released, they felt shunned.

Give us an opportunity to see how we should be, said Cory. The general community sees us as throwaways.

Carlson said the Master Trauma Foundation has $50,000 in seed money to establish a presence in the Kearney area. The money is from donations and a grant from the Ron and Carol Cope Foundation of Kearney.

Carlson said Nebraska is attempting to solve its prison problems by building a $230 million prison and offering $15,000 hiring bonuses to attract new guards, but prisons are such a toxic places that many guards leave before theyre eligible for the bonuses.

Carlson said individuals and churches who want to learn more about his foundations goal to help prisoners transition into more normal lives can contact him at mastertrauma.org.

Helping someone in a correctional facility is long-term, Geist said. It requires passion, it requires patience, and its not for everybody.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP)  Investigators said a man found dead inside a burning home in Alabama last month was killed in a stabbing.

An autopsy on Christopher Diltz found several stab wounds and that he was not killed by the Sept. 16 fire in a Birmingham home, police said Sunday.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP)  A Tennessee police officer investigating a crash on Interstate 40 was hit and killed by a tractor-trailer, officials said.

Memphis Police Officer Darrell Adams, 34, was struck Saturday while investigating the two-car crash, Memphis Police tweeted. He had worked for the department since April 2016.

Today, my heart aches again for the loss of another dedicated servant of our city. I am in deep prayer for our officers family and the men and women of the Memphis Police Department, Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis said.

The driver of the 18-wheeler was detained, but no charges have been filed, police said. The Tennessee Highway Patrol was investigating.
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP)  About 3,000 Connecticut state employees remained noncompliant Sunday with the governor's order requiring a vaccine or weekly testing, according to the state.

That's down from the roughly 8,000 employees who were not complying as of Friday.

Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont's executive order requires employees to get vaccinated, or begin weekly testing, by the end of the day Monday.

State employee union leaders have called on Lamont to extend the deadline, saying they had zero confidence Lamont's administration will have accurate numbers by the deadline.

Lamont on Thursday asked the Connecticut National Guard to be ready if necessary to help provide critical state services until replacement employees can be hired or employees comply.

About 32,000 employees who work in executive branch agencies are impacted by the order, which does not apply to the legislative or judicial branches.

Workers who dont comply will be placed on unpaid leave as soon as Tuesday. But Lamont's office said in a statement Sunday that the administration continues to expect that most of the remaining noncompliant employees will submit the requirement documentation and that there "should be minimal impact to operations as a result."

As of 4 p.m. Sunday, about 23,000 of the state's employees or 74% were fully vaccinated; about 5,000 or 15% will receive weekly testing; and about 3,000 or 11% were noncompliant.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  North Korea has warned the U.N. Security Council against criticizing the isolated country's missile program, in a statement Sunday that included unspecified threats against the international body.

During an emergency closed-door meeting of the top U.N. body Friday, France circulated a proposed statement that expresses concern over North Korea's missile launches and calls on it to fully implement council resolutions that ban its ballistic missile firings.

On Sunday, Jo Chol Su, a senior North Korean Foreign Ministry official, warned the U.N. council it had better think what consequences it will bring in the future in case it tries to encroach upon the sovereignty of North Korea.

Jo also accused the U.N. body of a double-dealing standard" because it doesn't equally take issue with similar weapons tests by the United States and its allies, according to the statement circulated by state media.

After a six-month hiatus, North Korea resumed missile tests in September, launching newly developed missiles including nuclear-capable weapons that place South Korea and Japan, both key U.S. allies, within their striking distances. The country still offered conditional talks with South Korea, in what some experts call an attempt to pressure Seoul to persuade Washington to relax crippling economic sanctions on it.

Under multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions, North Korea is banned from engaging in any ballistic missile activities as the country aims to mount nuclear weapons on its ballistic missiles. North Korea has argued its nuclear program is meant to cope with U.S. military threats, though Washington has said it has no hostile intent toward Pyongyang.

Despite its recent launches, North Korea maintains a 2018 self-imposed moratorium on a long-range missile directly threatening the American homeland, a sign that it still wants to keep alive chances for future diplomacy with the U.S.

U.S. officials have urged North Korea to return to talks without preconditions, but the North has argued it wont do so unless the Americans drop their "hostile policy, in an apparent reference to the sanctions and regular military drills between Washington and Seoul.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP)  The owner of the gun that authorities say a 14-year-old boy allegedly used to kill a 13-year-old girl has been charged with a misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that Richard M. Pierce appeared in the Henrico County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court on Thursday.
WARSAW, Poland (AP)  Police confiscated the computer equipment of a journalist working for a leading newspaper in Poland which has carried out investigations of the country's right-wing government.

The seizure of the equipment of Piotr Bakselerowicz, a reporter for the liberal Gazeta Wyborcza newspaper, took place on Saturday in Zielona Gora, a city in western Poland 450 kilometers (280 miles) from Warsaw. The raid and seizure of the equipment was done on orders from police in Warsaw.

Roman Imielski, the paper's deputy editor, said the police incursion took place without a warrant and strikes against the fundamental right to journalistic secrecy in a democracy.

He said in an article published on the paper's website Saturday that the editors have no doubts that the police raid is to intimidate the journalists of the newspaper, citing other moves by the ruling authorities against independent media.

Warsaw police said the reporter wasn't specifically targeted. It said that offensive messages containing threats had been sent to Polish lawmakers, who reported the threats to the police. The messages were then traced to an IP address that led to that of a little-known local journalist.

Bakselerowicz denied having sent any threatening emails.

I have never threatened anyone. To me, it is a provocation or an attempt at revenge for writing inconvenient articles, Bakselerowicz said.

Meanwhile, the editors of the newspaper vowed to use all legal means to protect its journalists from harassment by the authoritarian authorities.

"We declare that we will not bow to repression and will not allow ourselves to be intimidated. Criticizing all power and exposing its abuses is our civic and democratic duty. Even when the abuse of power affects our journalists and ourselves," they said.

The ruling party has also sought recently to pass a law that would strip the U.S. company Discovery Inc. of its ownership of TVN, a Polish television network.

TVN believes that the main aim is its evening news program Fakty, which offers critical coverage of the authorities and is watched by millions daily.
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP)  The secretary of the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources is hosting a public meeting to discuss a variety of environmental topics, including the agency's plan to invest about $100 million in COVID-19 relief funding on water infrastructure projects.

The meeting takes place Thursday from 4 to 5 p.m. online on Microsoft Teams and in-person at the Agency of Natural Resources main office in Montpelier.
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP)  Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren is scheduled to go on trial this week along with two associates on charges they broke campaign finance rules during her 2017 reelection campaign.

Warren, campaign treasurer Albert Jones Jr. and Rosiland Brooks-Harris, the city's finance director and treasurer of a pro-Warren political action committee, are charged with exceeding campaign finance limits by illegally moving money between her campaign committee and the now-defunct PAC.

Warren lost her reelection campaign when she was defeated in the Democratic primary by City Councilmember Malik Evans and is scheduled to leave office in January. A conviction on one of the two felony counts she faces would require that she be removed from office, with Deputy Mayor James Smith taking over for the remainder of her term. The trial is expected to last four to six weeks.

Defense lawyers have said any lapses were inadvertent and not part of a coordinated scheme, and that Warren's campaign committee rectified the errors.

There was no intent to defraud, Joseph Damelio, Warren's attorney, told the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Attorney John DeMarco, representing Jones, told the newspaper the conduct "was arguably negligent, but I dont see it as criminal.

In a statement, the Monroe County district attorney's office said it is looking forward to bringing the case to trial and that the evidence will show the importance of enforcing the election law and related charges.

In July, Warren and husband Timothy Granison pleaded not guilty to unrelated charges stemming from a police raid that allegedly turned up a rifle and pistol, and her 10-year-old daughter alone, in the home they share.

The May search was part of an investigation into cocaine trafficking, investigators said at the time, and Granison was later charged with drug and weapons counts and pleaded not guilty. Warren has not been charged in the drug case.
MOSCOW (AP)  Russia on Sunday reported a record daily death toll from COVID-19, the fifth time in a week that deaths have hit a new high.

The national coronavirus task force said 890 deaths were recorded over the past day, exceeding the 887 reported on Friday. The task force also said the number of new infections in the past day was the second-highest of the year at 25,769.

Overall, Russia, a nation of 146 million people, has Europe's highest death toll from the pandemic, nearly 210,000 people.

Yet despite the country's persistent rise in daily deaths and new cases, Russian officials say there are no plans to impose a lockdown. Mask-wearing regulations are in place but are loosely enforced.

Moscow briefly tried during the summer to require proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test for indoor customers at restaurants and bars, but abandoned the program after business owners complained of reduced revenues.

Even though Russia boasted of creating the worlds first coronavirus vaccine, Sputnik V, only 32.5% of its people have gotten at least one vaccine shot and only 28% are fully vaccinated. Critics have principally blamed a botched vaccine rollout and mixed messages the authorities have been sending about the outbreak.

In addition, coronavirus antibody tests are popular in Russia and some observers suggest this contributes to the low vaccination numbers.

Western health experts say the antibody tests are unreliable either for diagnosing COVID-19 or assessing immunity to it. The antibodies that these tests look for can only serve as evidence of a past infection. Scientists say its still unclear what level of antibodies indicates that a person has protection from the virus and for how long.

President Vladimir Putin has observed periods of self-isolation since mid-September after dozens of people in the Kremlin were found to be infected. Putin met with Turkey's leader last week after coming out of his latest isolation period.

___

Follow all AP stories on the coronavirus pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic.
PARIS (AP)  An independent commission examining sex abuse within the Roman Catholic Church in France believes 3,000 child abusers  two-thirds of them priests  have worked in the church over the past 70 years.

The estimate was given by the commission president, Jean-Marc Sauve, in an interview published Sunday in the newspaper Journal du Dimanche. The commission has been investigating for 2 1/2 years. Its full findings are scheduled to be released on Tuesday.
SONOMA, Calif. (AP)  A surfer was bitten on the leg by a shark off the Northern California coast and airlifted to a hospital, authorities said.

The man was with a group of surfers off Sonoma County's Salmon Creek Beach when the shark bit him on the thigh, according to the Bodega Bay Fire Protection District.
AMMAN, Jordan (AP)  Jordans King Abdullah II received a call on Sunday from Syrian President Bashar Assad, the first conversation between the two leaders after a decade of strain over Syria's civil war.

The call comes amid efforts aimed at boosting cooperation between the two countries, which are facing challenging economic conditions.

The Jordanian royal court said the leaders discussed relations between the "brotherly countries and ways to enhance cooperation between them.

Abdullah affirmed his countrys support for efforts to preserve Syrias sovereignty, stability, territorial integrity and people.

Syrias state news agency SANA said Assad called Abdullah to discuss bilateral relations and reinforcing cooperation in the interests of the two countries and people.

The call is part of a new thaw in relations between the two neighbors after the Syrian civil war. Syria is facing sanctions imposed by the United States and many western nations.

Jordan has reduced diplomatic relations with Syria, like most Arab countries, following the start of the civil war there in 2011. Jordan hosted western-backed opposition groups and took in hundreds of thousands of refugees.

Arab and western countries generally blamed Assad for the deadly crackdown on the protests that erupted in 2011, and supported the opposition in early days of the conflict, which displaced and killed millions of people.

The tide of the war changed since late 2015 as Russia threw its military weight behind Assad.

The phone conversation also comes days after Jordan fully reopened its main border crossing with Syria, a commercial lifeline for the two nations. The crossing had reopened in 2018 but was shut again amid coronavirus restrictions and as the security situation deteriorated on Syrias southern borders.

Syrias defense minister visited Jordan late last month. A 10-year old deal to transport Egyptian natural gas through Jordan, Syria and Lebanon was also revived in September.
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP)  When a teenager came into his restaurant looking for a job, Nick Roussas didnt realize his fortunes were about to turn around.

The longtime Bridgeport diner owner discovered the teen was a student at Bridgeport Military Academy, and he proved so reliable that Roussas hired three of his classmates to fulfill takeout and delivery orders. He told The Connecticut Post he's also hired other high school students who work around their school schedules.
STOCKHOLM (AP)  The Swedish artist Lars Vilks, who had lived under police protection since his 2007 sketch of the Prophet Muhammad with a dogs body brought death threats, died from a traffic accident Sunday, Swedish news media reported.

The accident reportedly involved a truck colliding with a civilian police car in which Lars Vilks and his police protection were traveling, news media said.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)  Police are investigating a Saturday afternoon shooting that killed three people in Kansas City, Missouri.

The shooting was reported shortly before 4 p.m. Saturday. Police spokesman Sgt. Jake Becchina said that when officers arrived, they found two men and a woman who were unresponsive. Authorities declared the three victims dead at the scene.

The shooting took place in a residential neighborhood near 27th Street and Spruce Avenue in southeast Kansas City. Becchina said the suspect fled the area, but it wasn't clear if the suspect fled on foot or in a vehicle.

We dont have a lot of information of what led up to this, Becchina said. We are really going to need the publics help in this case.

On Sunday, police identified the three victims as Kanen Wheaton, 24, Devon Key, 24 and Johnnai Owens, 23.
UNITED NATIONS (AP)  A U.N. convoy in Malis northern Kidal region was attacked by improvised explosive devices, killing one peacekeeper from Egypt and seriously injuring four others, the United Nations said Saturday.

The attack on the convoy from the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Mali took place near Tessalit, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Malian authorities to spare no effort in identifying the perpetrators of these attacks so that they can be brought to justice swiftly, reiterating that attacks against peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law, Dujarric said.

Guterres reaffirmed the U.N.s support for the government and people of Mali and expressed deep condolences to the family of the Egyptian soldier who was killed and to the government and people of Egypt, and wishes for a speedy recovery to the injured.

Mali has been trying to contain an Islamic extremist insurgency since 2012. Extremist rebels were forced from power in Malis northern cities with the help of a 2013 French-led military operation. However, the insurgents quickly regrouped in the desert and began launching frequent attacks on the Malian army and its allies fighting the insurgency.

The extremists have expanded their reach well into central Mali, where their presence has inflamed tensions between ethnic groups in the area.

The U.N. peacekeeping mission has been in Mali since 2013, after Islamic extremists took control of major towns in the north. It is the deadliest for peacekeepers.
SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)

The city has acquired two buildings that will house people with mental health and substance abuse disorders.

The buildings -- at 1140-1142 Florida Street in the Mission and at 139-145 Dore Street in the South of Market neighborhood -- will be transformed into cooperative housing for 26 adults under the city's Cooperative Living for Mental Health Program.

The Florida Street building will house 8 adults in separate bedrooms, with access to shared kitchens, bathrooms, and a large backyard.

The building at Dore Street will consist of six 3-bedroom apartments that will accommodate 18 adults. City officials said Conard House will provide services and case management to residents to ensure success living in their new homes.

Mayor London Breed announced the acquisition in a news release Friday.

"These buildings are part of our long-term strategy to transform how we deliver support for those living with mental health and substance use challenges," Breed said. "We are focusing on a whole range of solutions that cover everything from improving street outreach to providing safe, supportive housing for our most vulnerable residents. This is all part of our commitment to create a safer, healthier San Francisco for all."

No timeline was provided for when the buildings would be available for new residents. City officials plan to have added a total of 140 beds before the end of 2021.

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.
The inland valleys of Alameda and Contra Costa counties -- including the Tri-Valley and the Diablo Valley -- will be under a Spare the Air Day alert Sunday due to forecasted unhealthy air quality, according to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.

The remainder of the San Francisco Bay Area is expected to have moderate air quality.

The region's air quality is expected to improve beginning Monday as fall-like conditions which include cooler temperatures will prevail over most of the Bay Area through next weekend.

A new city ordinance on sideshow spectators takes effect Wednesday in the city of Fairfield.

Sideshows have posed a problem for cities all around the Bay Area, and that includes Fairfield.

The city has experienced several sideshows in recent years, with some of them resulting in serious injuries to spectators.

The Fairfield City Council approved, on Sept. 7, a new misdemeanor ordinance prohibiting spectators at sideshow events and sets a violation of the ordinance ss a misdemeanor punishable by six months in jail or a $1,000 fine.

The new ordinance prohibits knowingly being a spectator at a sideshow, speed contest or exhibition of speed, or, at a place where preparations are being made for sideshows, speed contests or exhibitions of speed, a police spokesperson said.

A woman has died after sustaining injuries in a domestic disturbance incident in Bay Point early Saturday morning, according to the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Department.

At approximately 12:03 a.m. Saturday, deputies were dispatched to a domestic disturbance on Island View Drive in Bay Point.

The woman sustained injuries and was transported to a local hospital. She died Saturday afternoon.

The suspect has been identified as Richard Ortiz, 47, of Bay Point. Ortiz is currently booked at the Martinez Detention Facility on charges of murder, domestic violence and resisting an executive officer.

A fire damaged an apartment and three vehicles early Sunday on Hays Street in San Leandro, according to the Alameda County Fire Department.

Crews responded to a 2:07 a.m. report of an outside fire and found flames coming from a first-floor window, according to a 3:21 am. tweet from the department.

Firefighters also found two vehicles on fire in an extension to the structure and quickly knocked down the fire, limiting damage to the single building and three vehicles.

Friday was not business as usual at Los Altos High School after classes were disrupted for most of the day after the school received a morning phone call with a report of explosive devices on campus.

A spokesperson for the Los Altos Police Department said that the phone call came in at 8:55 a.m. Friday, just as classes were beginning. School staff immediately called 911 and began evacuating students.

Once officers arrived on scene, they closed all streets surrounding the campus, also evacuating as many as 12 homes along Alicia Way.

School administration coordinated the release of students to their parents or guardians.

Law enforcement and firefighters remained on scene for four hours to ensure a safe, thorough search.

Police in Santa Rosa arrested a suspect in an identity theft case last week.

Daniel McRae, 27, of Santa Rosa, was arrested in connection with 27 different felony counts including burglary, grand theft of a vehicle, forgery and unauthorized possession of personal information of 10 or more victims.

Investigators also served search warrants at three locations and found an unregistered loaded firearm, evidence of fraudulent credit and identification cards, stolen mail and other stolen person identifying information of more than 100 victims.

The California Highway Patrol is on the scene of a fatal traffic collision early Sunday involving multiple vehicles on southbound Interstate Highway 80 in Hercules.

The CHP reports that all lanes have reopened after being closed briefly, but that the on-ramp just north of the collision from State Route 4 remains closed.

Officers responded to a 1:25 a.m. report of a collision. Upon arrival, they found multiple vehicles involved, two of them overturned and all lanes blocked. The CHP reported at 1:42 a.m. that all lanes had been reopened.

One person was killed and three others were injured after their cars collided on San Pablo Dam Road near El Sobrante late Saturday morning.

A spokesperson for the California Highway Patrol said the accident occurred at about 11:15 a.m. on San Pablo Dam Road north of Bear Creek Road.

The CHP spokesperson said that a red Toyota Tacoma, with one occupant, was traveling northbound and a white Honda Civic, with three occupants, was traveling southbound.

Sheriff's deputies arrested a 35-year-old man on suspicion of attempted robbery in San Carlos Friday night, police said.

The suspect tried to buy a cart full of items with a fraudulent credit card at the Lucky supermarket on Old Country Road around 7:30 p.m., police said. He threatened to come back and shoot a store employee who confronted him about the card, according to police.

Sheriff's deputies tracked down the suspect at the 1400 block of El Camino Real in San Carlos. The deputies detained the suspect, and the store employee positively identified him, according to police.

The suspect was arrested and booked into the Maguire Correctional Facility on suspicion of attempted strong-arm robbery, criminal threats, identity theft and possession of drug paraphernalia, police said.

Police arrested a San Jose man in connection with a Sept. 24 robbery in which he took a woman's mobile phone and then ran her over with his vehicle, according to Palo Alto police.

An investigation led to the arrest Monday of Juan Carlos Valdivia in South San Francisco.

Police said Valdivia was involved in a dispute with a massage therapist at about 11:33 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 24, in the 3400 block of El Camino Real in Palo Alto. The suspect took the mobile phone of the victim, a woman in her 40s, and as he drove away the rear wheel of his vehicle ran over her, according to police.

Police in San Mateo are seeking the public's assistance in locating and identifying three suspects involved in a shooting Thursday that wounded a 27-year-old man.

A San Mateo police spokesperson said the shooting occurred Thursday afternoon. At 3:04 p.m., officers responded to the 1000 block of College Avenue to a report of a person requesting medical assistance.

Upon arrival, officers located the man, who was suffering from a gunshot wound.

The National Weather Service forecast for Sunday for the San Francisco Bay Area calls for another warm day around most of the region. Highs Sunday will range from the 60s and 70s along the coast to the 80s around the Bay and the 90s in the inland valleys. Overnight lows will range in the 50s throughout most of the region.

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.
If you've always desired a residence on your own exclusive private island, the opportunity is here.

On the market in Maine for $339,000, Duck Ledges Island offers the ultimate getaway, with just a single 540-square-foot cottage on the secluded isle.

About three hours north of Portland, ME, the tiny speck of land is located just off the coast of Addison, ME, in Washington County.

And with no trees on the 1.5-acre island, the inside of this cozy home offers unobstructed water views of the surrounding Wohoa Bay.

Duck Ledges is an island on a little over an acre, with lovely views of the ocean dotted with islands on the south and protected on the north, said the listing agent, Billy Milliken of Bold Coast Properties.

Your only neighbors at this residence are the abundant wildlifeincluding seals, bald eagles, and wading birds.

As for the accommodations?

It is a very small cottage, with an open concept with a loft sleeping areaand is beautifully appointed. It's located just a short boat ride from the Jonesport Municipal Marina, he says.

Aerial view Realtor.com

Built in 2009, the well-maintained and furnished cottage is surrounded by beautiful sandy beaches.

As Milliken told us, "The cottage has a setback of 75 feet and is a well-built, solid structure. Water has never been in the homeas the building is on stilts.

Inside, the wood-clad interior features oversized windows that let in an abundance of light and offer 360-degree ocean views. The azure waters can also be enjoyed from the front porch hammock.

With just two rooms, the rustic cottage features a wooden ladder in the main living area to access a loft space with twin beds. On the main level, there's a kitchenette, a dining table for four, and a living room with comfortable seating.

Kitchen Realtor.com

Milliken is familiar with the island and knows what a new owner can expect to hear.

When you are on the island, it is really a treat to experience all the sounds, he said. There are seals everywhere. I'm the original owner of the property. When the island was [previously] listed for sale, there was an old home on the island at the time that was in disrepair. A friend and I decided to buy it and tore it down."

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Watch: The Ultimate Getaway: Buy Your Own Private Island in the Florida Keys

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After owning Duck Ledges Island for a few years, the agent sold it to a local resident, before purchasing it back from him last year. He owns another island in the area that he wants to focus on.

"I havent been using this property as much as I should, and I also own an 11-acre island. We're looking to sell this house to raise money to build a property on that island," he says.

Loft Realtor.com

Buyers must be prepared to rough it a bit. The island comes with a bit of a sacrificethe wood-frame home doesn't have heat, running water, or a bathroom. It's currently in use as a seasonal getaway, but modifications could be made to extend the property's appeal.

Right now, there's a 2,500-watt generator that holds a gallon of gas, to provide about eight hours of electricity. For more private business, there's a nearby outhouse building.

There is no running water on the island, but you could rig up a solar shower to sustain yourself for an extended stay in the summertime, Milliken added. The property is wired though, and has good cell and internet service. But I wouldnt recommend staying here in the winter, as it would be too cold.

House and outhouse Realtor.com

Milliken doesn't think he'll have to look too far afield to find a new owner.

He expects that the buyer is likely to be someone who probably has a property nearby and is looking for a real getaway.

However, even if you don't live along Maine's northern coastline, the thought of setting a course to this tiny isle might prove intensely appealing.

The post An Affordable Private Island? Set a Course for $339K Duck Ledges Island appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com.
San Franciscos iconic Sir Francis Drake Hotel, which has watched over Powell and Sutter streets since 1928, was quietly sold in April. The hotel  a Gothic Revival and Renaissance icon in the city  is famous not only for its historic place on Union Square, but for being the second hotel that Kimpton, a well-known Bay Area brand, bought in its earliest days. The Sir Francis Drake was a staple of San Franciscos civic life for nearly a century, but the 21-story, 416-room hotel has not reopened since March 2020, during the onslaught of the pandemic.

Why does the historic hotel remain closed, even as the pandemic has eased in San Francisco? SFGATE, in an attempt to uncover answers, found the hotel was actually sold by its owners, Pebblebrook Hotel Trust, in April of this year.

Pebblebrook  a publicly traded real estate investment trust that owns 10 hotels in San Francisco  acquired Sir Francis Drake from Chartres Lodging Group in 2010 for $90 million, with Kimpton continuing to manage the hotel after the acquisition. But in April 2021, Pebblebrook sold the storied (and some say haunted) hotel to Northview Hotel Group, according to spokespeople for the group as well as Pebblebrook. The sale, which stands as Northviews first San Francisco hotel, closed for $156.7 million, according to the San Francisco Business Times.

Alan Reay, the president of Atlas Hospitality Group, a hotel brokerage firm, said in an interview that he estimates Northview scored a roughly 30% discount from the $225 million the hotel would have fetched in 2019.

Spokespeople for Sir Francis Drakes new owner, Northview, would not reveal the plans for the historic hotel, but told SFGATE they would release further details in the next month or so. The Connecticut-based company declined to provide more information.

For now, the future of the hotel remains uncertain.

What is certain is the significant cultural role the Sir Francis Drake Hotel has played in San Francisco. Opened nearly a century ago to fanfare and celebration, the hotel has hosted some of the nations greatest starlets and luminaries, such as Barbara Stanwyck and myriad vaudeville players.

San Franciscos ability adequately to accommodate the growing throngs which annually wend their way to the Pacific Coast, together with those of the citys inhabitants who enjoy the quiet luxury of hotel life, was immeasurably strengthened yesterday with the opening ... of the new Hotel Sir Francis Drake, reads an article in the San Francisco Chronicle from 1928.

The story celebrated the hotels lavish furnishings, as well as its commodious guest rooms and health-giving window panes made of Vitaglass. It was built for a whopping $5 million, or about $72 million in todays dollars. More than 10,000 people attended its grand opening.

Each room in the hotel Sir Francis Drake is equipped with both tub and shower baths, running ice water, private radio, bedside telephones, reading lamps, etc., the article reads, citing what would have been luxuries at the time.

The hotel also famously has a 1920s-era Prohibition Room above an elevator where staff would hide alcohol and could look out through peepholes in case the cops showed up.

Guests staying at the hotel had bottles of alcohol hidden in laundry baskets brought up to their room, and drinks could be delivered via a small door hidden in each room, Curbed SF wrote of the Prohibition-era sneakery.

The stories dont stop there. Given the hotels storied history and even more storied guests, many believe the building to be haunted. The rumor likely begins with a tragic accident that happened at the hotel in 1965, when a 26-year-old up-and-coming actor fell to his death from eight stories above after a night of drinking.

The women screamed  the men just stood there with their mouths open, a policeman told the Associated Press after the accident.

These days, blogs abound with rumors of the hotels hauntings. Guests have said theyve seen windows open untouched, curtains bustle and strange shadows and disembodied voices, according to one ghost blog.

Sir Francis Drake Hotel, once a party palace for the citys elite, continues to serve as a destination for alcohol imbibers. On the 21st floor perches Lizzies Starlight, formerly known as the Starlight Room, which draws partygoers and drinkers with its fine cocktails and famous Sunday drag brunch. Lizzies Starlight remains closed, along with the hotel. In August, San Francisco nightlife character Harry Denton, who created the Starlight Room, died at the age of 77.

The hotel is also recognizable for its famous Beefeater doormen, who dress in bright red uniforms and greet guests and passersby on the sidewalk. Longtime Beefeater Tom Sweeney, a recognizable face on Union Square for more than 40 years, retired in January 2020, just before the onset of the COVID-19 lockdown.

The hotel has changed hands multiple times since its 1928 opening. Conrad Hilton purchased the hotel in 1938  reportedly his first hotel outside of Texas. In 1941, Westin (then Western Hotels) acquired the property, before it was sold once more to Princess Hotels in 1970. Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants bought the hotel in the late 1980s. It was then sold a few more times to various trusts and firms that most travelers have likely never heard of  SFD Partners, Chartres Lodging Group and Pebblebrook in 2010.

Talks of rebranding, and perhaps renaming, the Sir Francis Drake Hotel began in 2020, according to SFGATEs Chris McGinnis. The hotels namesake, Sir Francis Drake, once celebrated around the world for his feats of seafaring and discovery, also has a dark side. The explorer reportedly enslaved at least 1,300 Africans on three different voyages to the continent in the 1500s.

A spokesperson for former manager Kimpton Hotels said, Kimpton has been working with property ownership to evaluate a name change and potential rebranding of the property.

That was in July 2020, when the hotel remained closed, as it remains more than a year later.

What will become of this famed San Francisco institution? Only time will tell.
"Algeria recalls its ambassador in Paris, Mohamed Antar-Daoud, for consultations, and a press release will be announced on the issue," Xinhua news agency quoted a statement from the President's Office as saying.

Algiers, Oct 3 (IANS) Algeria has decided to recall its Ambassador to France for consultations over controversial statements of French President Emmanuel Macron.

It further noted that "recalling Algerian ambassador to Paris comes in response to irresponsible statements attributed to French President Macron over Algeria".

Algeria categorically rejects the statements of the French President which "constitute interference in its domestic affairs", it added.

French media said earlier on Saturday that Macron made some remarks during a short dialogue with a group of young people whose parents or grandparents fought with the French army against Algerian revolutionists during the Algerian War (1954-1962).

Macron reportedly said the country was ruled by a "political-military system" and described Algeria as having an "official history" which had been "totally re-written", according to the French newspaper Le Monde.

--IANS

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New Delhi, Oct 3 (IANS) 6Ace Games, a gaming startup that offers multiplayer card games loved by millions of players all around world including in India, has alleged that Google has "destroyed" them by terminating their Play developer account "for either prior violations in this account or any other associated accounts".

In a Medium post, the gaming startup said that it does not know why Google suddenly thinks that we're associated with multiple banned accounts.

"Our entire startup is at stake. We invested eight years of our lives to learn this platform of Google, to develop something unique and fun. Everything is gone," read the post that came out on Saturday.

Google is yet to react to the Medium post by 6Ace Games.

6Ace Games has developed card games of various regions like the US, the UK, Europe, India and other countries. It introduced online multiplayer versions of many natively played card games at various locality.

"We invested three years of hard work, blood, and sweat to produce 10 games and four of them are multiplayer games. Two of our multiplayer games were very popular in the US and European locations. We made investments of our hard-earned money for marketing purposes to make our games reach the right audiences," the Medium post said.

"After a continuous struggle of 2.5 years, two of our multiplayer games have received tremendous amounts of love from users. Almost all of our games were rated 4.5+ stars. And downloaded a million times combined," it added.

The startup says it has possibly identified three reasons why Google "thought that we have multiple banned accounts".

These may be "unhealthy competition practices", series of suspicious login activities happened in its Google Account several times last month, and shifting office to a new location because "we were affected by covid situations".

"After our analysis, we came to know that there are some malicious practices used to get competitor developer accounts banned. One reason for wrongly found association can be any competitor/unauthorised user decoded our games or used our publisher code In their app-ads.txt or putting our ad ids in their policy in-compliant apps knowingly," the startup elaborated.

"Because of serious violations, Google blocks/terminates their account and it misleads to our account as well. This can be a case as well," it added.

--IANS

na/ksk/
Jo Chol-su, director of the international organization department at the North's foreign ministry, made the remark in a statement carried by Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), stressing that the missile tests were for "self-defense" purposes.

Seoul, Oct 3 (IANS) North Korea blasted the UN Security Council (UNSC) on Sunday for convening a meeting on its recent missile launches, calling it "a manifestation of double-dealing standard".

The statement came two days after the Security Council convened a meeting to discuss Pyongyang's latest weapons tests, including the test-firings of what the North claimed was "an advanced anti-aircraft missile" and a "hypersonic missile", reports Yonhap News Agency.

Last month, the North also fired two short-range ballistic missiles from a train and launched a long-range cruise missile.

"The UNSC put on the table the issue pertaining to the DPRK's exercise of sovereignty. This means an open ignorance of and wanton encroachment on the sovereignty of the DPRK and a serious intolerable provocation against it," Jo said, referring to the North by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Jo accused the Security Council of "keeping mum" about the joint military exercises between the US and South Korea while finding fault with the North for its "normal and planned self-defensive measures".

"This is a denial of impartiality, objectivity and equilibrium, lifelines of the UN activities, and an evident manifestation of double-dealing standard," he said.

The official added that Pyongyang has "never acknowledged the partial and illegal UN 'resolution' that seriously encroaches upon the right to existence and development of sovereign states".

"I express strong concerns over the fact that the UNSC amused itself with the dangerous 'time-bomb' this time," he said, adding that the weapons tests have never posed any threats or harm to the security of the neighbouring countries.

On Friday, the UNSC convened a closed-door meeting at the request of the US, the UK and France but reportedly did not reach an agreement for a joint statement due to the opposition from China and Russia.

--IANS

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"Prime Minister Imran Khan held telephonic conversation with President Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan today," the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement on Saturday.

New Delhi, Oct 3 (IANS) With tensions mounting between the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and Tajikistan, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has stepped in to defuse tensions, Dawn reported.

The call took place as Taliban officials and Tajik government exchanged barbs and reports emerged that Tajik forces held parades in regions bordering Afghanistan last week in a show of power and Taliban sent thousands of fighters to the border with Afghanistan's northeastern neighbour, the Dawn news report said.

Tajikistan has taken a tough line on Taliban regime and has been critical of human rights violations committed by it, particularly in Panjshir province.

Khan had on his return from Shanghai Cooperation Organization's summit in Tajikistan on September 18 announced that he was persuading Taliban to form an inclusive government by including people from other ethnicities.

He had on this occasion specially referred to his conversation with President Emomali on this issue.

"After mtgs in Dushanbe with leaders of Afghanistan's neighbours and especially a lengthy discussion with Tajikistan's President Emomali Rahmon, I have initiated a dialogue with the Taliban for an inclusive Afghan government to include Tajiks, Hazaras and Uzbeks," Khan had then tweeted.

Taliban, however, see Tajikistan's criticism of them and the composition of their government as meddling in Afghanistan's internal affairs, the report said.

In an interview last week, Afghan Dputy Prime Mnister Abdul Salaam Hanafi said: "We will not allow any neighbouring nation to interfere in the internal matters of Afghanistan."

Ethnic Tajiks make up the second biggest ethnicity in Afghanistan.

They are nearly 27 per cent of Afghanistan's population.

Most of the groups opposing Taliban have, meanwhile, taken up refuge in Tajikistan.

--IANS

san/ksk/
Mohibullah, a high-profile figurehead for the nearly one million Rohingya refugees and chair of the Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights (ARSPH), was killed by unknown gunmen late on Wednesday in his room at Kutupalong camp in Cox's Bazar district.

The killers' links to militant outfit Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), as his family suspected, are being probed, a police officer told IANS.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, said: "Mohib Ullah was vocal about Rohingya repatriation. Investigation is underway to find out the main cause of Mohib Ullah's murder and his killers will be brought to book soon."

The United Nations and the US have condemned the killing of Rohingya refugee leader and called on Bangladeshi authorities to investigate

Mohib Ullah, who was in his late 40s, led one of the largest of several community groups to emerge since more than 730,000 Rohingya Muslims fled Myanmar after a military crackdown in August 2017.

"The UN urges the Bangladeshi authorities to undertake an investigation and to hold those responsible to account," UN spokesperson Stephanie Tremblay told a press briefing in New York on Thursday.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he was "saddened and disturbed" by Mohib Ullah's murder, calling him "a brave and fierce advocate for the human rights of Rohingya Muslims around the world."

"We urge a full and transparent investigation into his death with the goal of holding the perpetrators of this heinous crime accountable," Blinken said in a statement.

After a meeting on Sharadiyo Durgo Utsab security arrangements at the Home Ministry's conference room on Sunday, Kamal said: "Construction work is underway to erect a barbed wire fence around the Rohingya camps, which will be completed in a few days. The government has also been setting up watchtowers at Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar aimed at ensuring security."

"The law and order situation of the Rohingya camps is still good as our law enforcement forces are doing a good job in coordination with the army."

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister, Dr A.K. Abdul Momen suspected that some vested quarters killed the Rohingya leader as Mohib Ullah wanted them to return to Myanmar, their land of origin. Bangladesh would take stern action against those who were related to this Rohingya leader's murder, he said.

Police also told IANS that militant wings of Jamaat-e-Islam and radical Islamists are active in arms trade and drug trade in Rohingya camps of Cox's Bazar, which cause regular gunfights between rival groups in the camps.

Eight Rohingya were killed in a week on first week of October last year, while two Rohingyas were killed in a reported gunfight between two rival groups in a camp in Ukhia of Cox's Bazar on October 4, 2020. The gunfight erupted between two groups of Rohingya drug dealers and arms traders over establishing supremacy in the area, said Samsuddoza Nayan, additional repatriation, rehabilitation, and relief officer of the government after the incident.

--IANS

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Christmas alarm bells are jangling about a brewing vaccination battle between mall owners and retailers as pandemic-weary shopping centres prepare for the arrival of Santa Claus.

With malls nationwide likely to open by Christmas, just in time for a revenge spending shopping spree, retailers and landlords are on a collision course over who is responsible for managing the proof of vaccination process.

A standoff is brewing between retailers and landlords over who is responsible for managing the proof of vaccination process when malls reopen. Credit:Steven Saphore

On one side there are the retailers, spearheaded by billionaire Premier Investments chairman Solomon Lew, who has called for precincts to reject unvaccinated shoppers and mall owners to install health checks at entrances.

People will stop visiting malls unless there is safety, he said last week.
Online health directory HealthEngine has spent the past year connecting thousands of Australians to COVID-19 vaccines, but the business, which launched with the goal of competing with Google in the healthcare space, now has prescription medicine delivery in its sights.

HealthEngine, which was founded in 2006 by Marcus Tan, Adam Yap and Darius Wey, has had an eventful 18 months. In August 2020, it was ordered by the Federal Court to pay $2.9 million for misleading and deceptive conduct for sharing patient information with insurance brokers and publishing misleading ratings of practices on its platforms.

By March 2021, the Telstra Ventures and Seven West Media-backed company had convinced the department of health it had overhauled its systems and was awarded a $4 million federal government contract to build a national COVID-19 vaccine booking platform.

HealthEngines Marcus Tan says the company wants to be much more than a bookings directory.

Dr Tan said the court action against the company was painful, but the situation came about because of outdated business systems rather than any malicious behaviour. Confronting the errors and overhauling its processes put HealthEngine in a better position to win contracts like for vaccine bookings.
With much focus on faith, what about earthly issues? Depressing that Gladys Berejiklian never thought about leaving NSW with not a single woman in sight to be in the running as a result of her personal and professional choices (Perrottet and Stokes: running mates, factional rivals, smh.com.au, October 3). Just unremarkable men, with the consistency between the two main running mates as factional rivals being their proud religiosity. Depressing also that young politicians are so driven by their conservative faith and not primarily by the contemporary and urgent, real earthly issues. The only young NSW politician who seems to have some contemporary authenticity and relevance as Environment Minister is Matt Kean. That he upsets Scott Morrison is a bonus. Robyn Dalziell, Kellyville I was horrified to read that both Liberal candidates for premier voted against the 2019 decriminalisation of abortion bill. This alone should disqualify them from the job of representing the best interests of the majority of people of NSW. To plagiarise the Gospel, He who is without ovaries shall not make laws for those who do (Fallopians 5:12). Tony Heathwood, Kiama Downs Im already worried by the heading that two men of faith will be vying for the position of premier. Including our current Prime Minister, we would then have two top positions filled by mythicists whose lives are dominated by faith, not reality. I wont be holding my breath waiting for climate action from those who would seriously accept a Biblical text with a science content level of the best that was on offer in Babylon around 650 BC. Trevor Somerville, Illawong Whether either Dominic Perrottet or Robert Stokes becomes the next premier of NSW, we will get a premier who is an ardent religionist. Perrottet is a Catholic and Stokes is an Anglican. It is interesting to reflect that in Australia, being religious can be a liability in politics. Nevertheless, at least both men are the real deal, unlike Americas Donald Trump, who hypocritically used religion to win votes. But voters should feel uneasy about any political leader who is firstly beholden to his God, and then to his worldly constituents. Geoff Black, Caves Beach

I am no fan of Gladys Berejiklian but have grave concerns over who may follow. Thelma Frost, Mudgee Let us hope that NSW does not have to wait too long before there is another female premier. Lorna Denham, New Lambton Heights Time to read up on planet, PM Peter Hartchers opinion piece (PM out of excuses on climate, October 2-3) clearly debunks Barnaby Joyces $100 leg of lamb and Tony Abbott claiming Whyalla being wiped off the map when out to stop any action on climate change. Hartcher clearly states how South Australia has taken on renewable energy and, after solving grid problems, has cheap efficient electricity and is now moving into green steel. It is also attracting a great deal of new investment. It would seem that we need to move to kick out the federal politicians who are still resisting action on climate and take on the South Australian model with lessons they have learned to deliver renewable energy across our nation. Ken Pares, Forster The PM is considering forgoing his trip to Glasgow in November to meet other leaders to formulate world policy to arrest the potentially catastrophic effects of climate change. His reasons include the time he would have to spend in quarantine on return, at a time of domestic transition in the pandemic. He says he is needed at home at such a critical time. The PM is presently in quarantine after his US and UK trip. I suggest he uses the remaining time to read the entire Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, to inform himself of the issues at stake, before making his final decision. The stakes could not be higher. For the whole world. And on his return from Glasgow, he could use the quarantine period to catch up on other vital reading, such as Greg Mullins new book Firestorm, on bushfires and climate change. Then he could start implementing policies agreed in Glasgow. Before announcing the date of the next election. Janet Simpson, Paddington

Successive Coalition governments have refused to take climate change seriously. Morrison has brazenly delayed action on global warming, purely for political gain. He consistently fails to provide responsible leadership when needed most. Instead, he remains firmly focused on staying in power at all costs. We should all hang our heads in shame for failing to hold him to account. Graham Lum, North Rocks Having spent some of my early adult years in Glasgow, I find it amazing (and amusing) that a major international conference has been arranged there in November. The only advantage may be that the weather will keep everyone indoors and discussing the climate. Alastair Wilson, Balmain ICAC of the round table? Grant-giving has become very much a thing of political tribalism (Dramatic day but ICAC had to do what it did, October 2-3). Perhaps, as in the days of yore at Camelot, now we need a gathering of wise of mind and pure of heart, who, despite their origins and allegiances, place their fealty to the good of the common folk above all else when it comes to allocating the public purse. The DNA of ICAC is made up of independent persons of the highest integrity. So, it could be a judiciary of notables whose task is to see money best spent on community needs. The terms could be set at variable lengths so that, in the long run, there will always be a combination of new and seasoned adjudicators at the table. None ensconced for too long, and always fresh eyes being appointed to overview the process. Steve Dillon, Thirroul Simple swipe dreams

I carry a hard copy of my vaccination record and a signed note from my doctor (App to scan QR vax code to aid travel, September 29). I check in without a mobile phone. I dont have a MyGov account. I dont use the Medicare Express Plus app. Im far from the only one. I dont consent to share my medical information or my vaccination status electronically. I know dozens with similar views. Putting this burden on each traveller to manipulate multiple apps and adding more tasks for workers  this is supposed to work? Will vaccine validity be verified by front-of-house staff? How will they be supported when the bullies show up, as they do already? To quote Darryl Kerrigan in The Castle: Tell him hes dreamin. Provide a single, uniform swipe card  electronic or manual with an appropriate valid until indication. Simple. Or am I dreaming? Judy Bamberger, OConnor (ACT) Policy for majority Just as a small number of anti-vaxxers are taking the rest of us hostage in lockdowns with their opposition to the life-saving vaccines, the hard-right faction of the Coalition is holding the nation to ransom with their rejection of climate science (Joyce striving to lead dysfunctional Nats, October 2-3). The professed concern from Barnaby Joyce and Bridget McKenzie about the economic cost of climate actions is simply a fig leaf to cover their no-longer-tenable climate denialism. Neither of them uttered a single word questioning the astronomical budget of the Inland Rail project or the nuclear submarine deal. The name Nationals means they should look after the national interest, not just the resources sector. Polls show the overwhelming majority of Australian voters want strong actions on climate change. We cant let a party that represents less than 10 per cent of the electorate dictate the fate of our future generations. Its time for Labor, the Greens and the moderate Liberals to form a grand climate coalition and steer our country onto the path towards net zero. Han Yang, North Turramurra Step up, Australia How pompous we Australians must seem to the rest of the world when the whole world needs 16 billion jabs to be administered in the next month for the pandemic to cease. Speak up if you dont want it so it can be sent to India or Africa. As Greta would say: How dare you steal my future? Peter Kamenyitzky, Castle Hill

And the beat goes on Can you hear the drums, Fernando/Scott Morrison? People want honesty and transparency from politicians. The drums are louder and constant; we want a Federal ICAC as promised. Bea Hodgson, Gerringong Face reality Those sceptics who respond to the misinformation about the value of wearing masks (Jabs done, nation embraces post-dose era, October 2-3): would they feel OK if the surgeon and nurse operated on them without masks? Les Reedman, Cooranbong Departure plan
An unprecedented interest in camping has prompted a small business that saw post-lockdown bookings boom to return its JobKeeper payment to the federal government.

James Woodford, the director of Hipcamp Australia, said the company had decided to voluntarily return $51,000 in payments after bookings took off for the organisations 2000 listings across Australia after lockdown last year. And this summer is on track to be even better.

James Woodford runs HipCamp, a company that plans to return its $51,000 in JobKeeper to the Australian Tax Office. Credit:Wolter Peeters

Once I realised that our forward bookings were looking so strong, it seemed unconscionable for us to keep that money, Mr Woodford said.

The decision was taken in consultation with the companys 10 staff located in Moruya on the NSW South Coast. We have done so well, he said.
In a high-rise building on the outskirts of the CBD, Mohammad sits on a plastic chair holding his young daughter in his arms amid a sea of neatly lined up Afghan refugees waiting to receive their first coronavirus vaccine.

He is more than 11,000 kilometres from home after fleeing Kabul with his family in August when the Taliban began going door to door searching for anyone who had worked with foreign forces.

Co-health nurse Amelia Tauoqooqo says some evacuees lost family members in the rush to get on a plane out of Afghanistan. Credit:Simon Schluter

The family slept for two days on the cold, dusty ground outside Kabul airport, before finally boarding a rescue flight bound for Australia.

We are so grateful to be here, Mohammad told The Age during a visit to the assisted settlement accommodation for Afghanistan evacuees late last month. All I wanted was to save my childrens future.
It was an unexpected moment of raw emotion that cut through the mundanity of another daily coronavirus press conference and encapsulated the tragedy of the pandemic better than any politician ever could.

As she spoke to journalists at the Treasury Theatre late on Sunday morning, Royal Melbourne Hospital nursing manager Michelle Spences voice wavered, her eyes filled with tears.

Dressed in navy-blue scrubs, the senior nurse paused to compose herself and apologised to reporters after being overcome by emotion as she recalled the lonely deaths of those succumbing to coronavirus.

We have had people die in our [intensive care units] by themselves, and we held their hands while their families have to be at home, Ms Spence said. That is absolutely not what this should be about. Loved ones deserve to have their families with them when they die.
Michal Morris, chief executive of multicultural domestic violence service inTouch, said the Indian community was one of Australias largest migration populations, and that family violence occurs across all cultures and communities. We know that migration status can be used as abuse  often what we refer to as coercive control, she said. There is a lot of power in being able to sponsor someone, or to control a persons knowledge of Australias migration program. Ms Smith said 93 per cent of clients in the legal centres project experienced physical violence, 56 per cent sexual violence and 50 per cent forced servitude. There was a case study of a woman who was literally taken from the airport, put into a house in a room and wasnt allowed to leave. The husband would visit every night and have forced sex. Thats one of the extreme cases. That wasnt unusual in terms of sexual violence, she said. With Australian borders closed, many women on temporary visas cannot return home and some may not want to, while others have Australian children.

Ms Morris said anyone could obtain a family violence risk assessment, safety plan and relocation, but a womans visa status will determine if she has working rights and access to government support through Medicare and Centrelink. Loading These women can be case-managed, but as mentioned, their rights are linked to their visa type, she said. So while inTouch can provide some support, we will not be able to support them to become independent. Ms Smith said the horrific death of an Indian woman in 2016 prompted a coronial inquest and investigation into whether there was a need for support for women in violent relationships in the Indian community, as many werent seen in the courts or with caseworkers.

This was a real gap, she said. The legal centre works with grassroots organisations such as the Oorja Foundation to connect with migrant women. Nayana Bhandari is a co-founder of the foundation, which works in Hume and Whittlesea. She said outreach and training for doctors and support workers was particularly important, as she found it could take up to six months for women to disclose they had been sexually or physically abused. Domestic slavery is quite common, and in a few cases Ive seen girls  I cant say they were locked up but very closely watched, werent allowed to join in community groups, she said. Survivors who are partner visa applicants can get permanent residency if they have suffered family violence from their sponsor. However, for women who arrive on temporary visas, such as student or work visas, and dont meet the family violence provisions, while their visas wont be cancelled, they need to make arrangements to return to their country or apply for another visa, which can take some time.

But Ms Smith says the federal government needs to broaden the eligibility criteria, including to women who have lodged offshore partner visas and have arrived in Australia on other temporary visas but otherwise meet the criteria. Loading Victorias Minister for Women and Prevention of Family Violence Gabrielle Williams is also advocating for the federal government to increase protections for migrant victims of family violence, including women on temporary visas. The Commonwealth needs to provide access to legal services, specialist police services and income support for a broader range of temporary visa-holders who are survivors of family violence, and consider revisions to migration regulations to offer legal protection to survivors on temporary visas, Ms Williams said. More than $3.5 billion has been invested in services in Victoria  including the Orange Door network  since the royal commission on family violence, including forms of violence disproportionately experienced by migrants and refugees such as forced marriage and dowry-related abuse.

A Department of Home Affairs spokesperson said in the 2021-22 budget, $10.3 million was invested over two years to extend a Department of Social Services pilot program supporting temporary visa-holders experiencing family violence. This includes a one-off payment of up to $3000 for a woman and her children  processed by the Red Cross  to cover food, accommodation and medical care. Funds are also going to nine community and womens legal centres to assist in accessing migration and legal advice. Ms Smith said the funding was a step in the right direction, but once that $3000 was gone, women were still in the same situation  unable to work, sometimes with dependent Australian children and in need of legal support. The Federal Government was specifically asked about increasing eligibility for permanent residency or government support for women on temporary visas experiencing family violence but did not respond before deadline. *Name changed to protect survivors identity
The rules mean that everybody forced to appear here must make a decision: stay silent or spill your guts. If you talk, you go free, but you take the risk of being exposed as a snitch, a label with potentially dangerous implications in Victoria where suspected informers have a tendency to end up dead. Those who remain staunch, who refuse to answer questions, face up to five years in jail.

Unlike courts, these proceedings are conducted in secret and disclosing any information from a hearing, or even that a particular person has appeared at one, is punishable by up to five years in prison. On legal advice, The Age cannot reveal the identity of any person or the details of any crime that has been investigated by the chief examiner.

The current Chief Examiner, lawyer Joanne Smith, wields these enormous powers but is virtually unknown to the public. She declined to be interviewed by The Age. Victoria Police has also refused to comment.

Here, before the Chief Examiner, in a nondescript three-storey office building near the Queen Victoria Market in North Melbourne, civil rights are temporarily suspended. The right to silence, the right against self-incrimination  the cornerstones of the legal system for more than 200 years  do not apply.

This was not how it was supposed to go. Police had been chasing the Comancheros president for years and had never got more than a no comment about the clubs involvement in a string of unsolved shootings, bashings and arson attacks. Now they finally had him in front of a secret tribunal where a refusal to cooperate would see him sent to jail.

Mate, this is very, very simple, bikie boss Mick Murray snarled to his questioners. This is set up for people to lag. Im not a dog. Im not answering questions. Im not lagging anyone. So its pointless going on.

For Murray, the infamous bikie, the choice was clear. Mate, Im not gunna waste anyones time. If youre gunna charge me, give me my charges this morning and thats it. Im not answering anything, he told the chief examiner in 2017.

Failing to show up is also punishable by up to five years jail, as is providing false or misleading information. Disrupting the proceedings can get a difficult subject 12 months in prison.

One witness with no prior criminal history from a law-abiding background was sent to jail for six months for failing to answer questions in 2006, according to redacted court records of one prosecution.

But its not just criminals and their associates who are summoned to appear before the chief examiner. This office can call anyone who might have information about a target  family members, business associates, lawyers, journalists, accountants, friends and acquaintances.

The goal is to break the underworld code of silence, a wall of deceit and defiance that protects murderers, drug traffickers and standover men from law enforcement.

Im not opposed to publicity because people need to know the powers are being used and safeguards are in place, Maguire told The Age. Its important to remember how out of control the gangland wars were. People being murdered in front of their kids at a footy field. The act was just horrific.

Veteran barrister Damien Maguire is one of the few who will. He held the position of chief examiner from the inception of the role in the midst of Melbournes brutal underworld war in 2005 until 2015.

I wanted coercive powers  that is, the authority to compel witnesses, usually in secret, to answer questions and tell no one.

The power the chief examiner holds is clear, but telling the story of its impact is not so simple because nobody can talk about it  not the police officers who operate within the system, nor the lawyers or criminal targets who appear before it.

There is hardly a significant underworld-related murder in the last two decades that hasnt been the subject of a coercive hearing. Most organised crime groups  bikie clubs, ethnic-based crime gangs such as the Italian mafia and major drug trafficking networks  have been targeted at one time or another.

Mick Murrays defiance was a rarity. Of the more than 700 people who have been called to appear before the secretive agency since it was created in 2005, he is one of just a handful who have refused to talk.

With the Moran execution  in front of children in the back seat of a minivan  everything changed, according to then chief commissioner of police Christine Nixon in her 2012 autobiography, Fair Cop.

The so-called underworld code of silence remained solid. After each murder, suspects would refuse to speak, giving a no comment interview and demand a lawyer. As long as everyone kept their mouths shut, police were hamstrung.

Wed lost control. We didnt even really understand what was happening on the streets, said a confidential law enforcement source, who held a senior position at Victoria Police during that time. There was a complete mismatch between police and the environment we were policing.

More than a dozen people had already been killed in the fight for control of the citys drug trade and nearly all these murders were unsolved. Gangsters like Carl Williams, Tony Mokbel and the Moran family had built sophisticated organised crime networks that made them wealthy and seemingly invulnerable.

Melbournes underworld war had been raging for five years when drug trafficker Jason Moran and his associate Pasquale Barbaro were gunned down in broad daylight at a childrens footy clinic in Essendon in June 2003.

(The chief examiner) would have never been brought in except for those exceptional circumstances.

The target of the examination sits in a box seat  its referred to as the dock, like in a normal courtroom  and their lawyer takes position at a table facing the bench. Unlike a court, though, a defence lawyer cannot object to a line of questioning or provide advice. The rules of evidence do not apply.

The hearing room of the chief examiner has many of the trappings of a traditional courtroom but operates not like a court so much as an inquisition. The bench the chief examiner occupies looks a bit like a judges bench, but he or she is not a judge  the role must be filled by a lawyer of at least five years experience.

Under intense public pressure to stop the violence, Victoria Police and the then Bracks Labor government decided to take those traditional rights away.

These rights allow organised crime to flourish, said one police detective, who cannot be identified talking about confidential operations. Theyre able to shield themselves with those rights.

The right to silence and the right against self-incrimination have been bedrock legal principles for more than 200 years. What was being proposed was akin to a modern star chamber like the English kings used hundreds of years ago to force subjects to answer questions without the right of refusal, an unfettered use of power that was eventually rejected in most western liberal democracies as an abuse of individual rights and freedoms.

I saw this moment as pivotal, a rare opportunity to gain more financial resources and to boost our armoury of powers, she wrote. I wanted coercive powers  that is, the authority to compel witnesses, usually in secret, to answer questions and tell no one.

Getting called before the chief examiner is a carefully choreographed and gruelling experience. Questions are delivered rapid fire, with the chief examiner briefed by police not just on a subjects criminal activities but their personal background, marital relationship and children, associations and finances. Any subject is fair game.

The stress can be intense.

Inside the chief examiners formal examination room.

One witness had a panic attack and collapsed. Paramedics were sworn to secrecy about the emergency callout. Another witness fled the building during a break, forcing police to hunt them down, according to incident reports filed with the Victorian Inspectorate, which oversees the chief examiner.

Many people fruitlessly plead to be left alone out of fear what might happen if word gets out they cooperated in any way. But hundreds of people have been called into this room and few have been convicted of contempt for refusing to cooperate, suggesting many hardened criminals have been broken, betraying alliances and friendships in return for their freedom.

Just how successful the chief examiner has been at cracking the underworld code of silence  gathering valuable intelligence and underwriting criminal prosecutions  is a closely guarded secret. Its wins are never marked on the public record.

Even when evidence obtained from a coercive hearing is used in criminal trials its origin is obscured in euphemisms. In the trial of one major underworld figure, nearly every witness for the prosecution and the defence had already been grilled before the chief examiner. In a delicate, sometimes absurd dance, the court was told the credibility of some witnesses was questionable because of evidence previously gleaned in another place, or a secret place.

Quite often people would see people going into the building ... I know it sounds ridiculous but it was laughable really. Former underworld lawyer and informer Nicola Gobbo

Information from hearings have been used as the evidence in underworld prosecutions. How critical they were in making the cases is unknown.

There have been victories. Quite dramatic ones  half a dozen successes in major cases involving serious organised crime, former chief examiner Maguire said. There are also the small, incremental successes. People shouldnt focus just on the dramatic results. Every hearing obtains info the police would not otherwise have had.

This is what proponents of the system, most often the police, point to as the offices greatest success. It gathers intelligence and answers basic questions of who, what, where, when and how that would normally be met with a no comment.

David Jones was the Special Investigations Monitor from 2004-2009 and his job was independent oversight of the chief examiner. He said the offices value was difficult to quantify in any specific moment or case but there was no doubt it worked as intended.

As part of his oversight, Jones reviewed recordings of the coercive hearings and he estimates that at least 95 per cent of those who appeared before the chief examiner ultimately talked.

David Jones, then Special Investigations Monitor, in 2010. Credit:Craig Abraham

The worst kept secret in Melbourne

The only legitimate reason for refusing to answer questions at the office of the chief examiner is if a target can demonstrate that doing so would put them at reasonable risk of harm to their reputation or safety.

But because the chief examiner defines its work as inherently secret, and binds all participants in layers of confidentiality orders, its a get-out-of-jail-free card that is very hard to get. Witnesses must prove the existence of a direct, substantiated threat against them at the time they are called to testify. A vague fear that the underworld might find out they were called is simply not enough.

According to some, though, little of what the chief examiner does remains secret  or not for long.

Barrister-turned-informer Nicola Gobbo was queried about the chief examiners operations at the Royal Commission into the Management of Police Informants in 2019 and said its attempts at secrecy were laughable.

Gobbo had represented some of Melbournes most well-known criminal figures at the chief examiner during the gangland wars and, as an accepted underworld confidant, she also knew how much was known on the street about its operations.

Nicola Gobbo and her former client Tony Mokbel. Credit:Nine

The system, she told the royal commission, wasnt working because police officers would deliver the confidential summonses in front of other people, effectively outing them as targets. Also, the chief examiners North Melbourne office was located near a restaurant that was a popular haunt for Melbournes wise-guys and stickybeaks were able to see almost into the front door.

Quite often people would see people going into the building or they would see some crooks car parked out the front of the building for the day and in order to avoid getting a parking ticket the police would stick the Victoria Police laminated card on the front of your car, Gobbo testified. I know it sounds ridiculous but it was laughable really.

Underworld figures often out themselves to associates in a kind of preemptive defence  risking a jail sentence  claiming they were grilled but that they gave up nothing or told lies.

There have also been serious lapses in security, including an incident where the governor of a prison openly discussed a target being taken to the chief examiner in front of 20 other inmates.

(I am afraid of) the whole jail population, cause I just got dragged out of me cell. Ive come on a special escort and now Im gunna be taken back.and thrown back in, according to the court records of one man convicted of contempt for refusing to answer questions.

The chief examiner also holds the power to make evidence given under coercion public for the purposes of criminal prosecutions (just not against the person who gave evidence). This has led to cases where targets have found the transcripts of their hearings released in prosecutions of their associates and enemies.

A senior member of one of the most notorious crime clans in Melbourne was left begging their underworld contemporaries for forgiveness after their transcripts were passed around, according to confidential sources.

In one case, it was argued that there would be no threat to the safety of a witness because members of the underworld would understand that someone had been compelled to give evidence.

The chief examiner and Victoria Police have been clear when pushing to release this kind of nominally confidential information that the benefit from solving crimes and securing convictions outweighs any threat to the safety of the informer. The Supreme Court has largely agreed.

The reality that little of what the chief examiner does remains secret was not lost on Mick Murray when the chief examiner lectured the bikie boss in 2017 about his refusal to cooperate.

Mate, this place is the worst-kept secret in Melbourne. Everyone knows whos been to the [chief examiner]. You guys can try and keep it a secret. Its not, Murray said.

Cracks in the system

The chief examiner has been running for more than 15 years and in all that time has attracted very little public attention or criticism  partly because of its secrecy provisions, partly because nobody cares much for its targets.

These are hardcore criminals like hitmen, drug dealers and standover men, one source involved in the process said.

When the chief examiner was created in 2005, it was met with sharp protests from civil libertarians and the wider legal fraternity. Liberty Victoria called it a standing royal commission without the checks and balances.

Just three years later, in 2008, Jones was commissioned to conduct a review, and the lack of protest about the offices powers surprised him.

The chief examiners office is non-descript but infamous in the underworld. Credit:Jason South

I sent copies of our notices seeking submissions to all bodies that had previously shown interest. I got nothing. I gave every opportunity to people who had expressed serious concerns about this, he said.

Jones stresses that the chief examiner does not act in a vacuum. Investigations begin with the approval of a Supreme Court judge, the chief examiner is a statutorily independent agency despite its close working relationship with the police and its operations are closely reviewed by the Victorian Inspectorate (formerly the Special Investigations Monitor).

Its reasonable to draw the conclusion that it was working alright. The fact that it has continued and theres been no controversy about it would suggest its been appropriate legislation, Jones said.

But one lawyer familiar with the chief examiner said the lack of transparency made it impossible to understand whether the system was delivering legitimate wins against organised crime.

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Does it actually assist in successful prosecutions? What is the value of the intelligence it obtains? Or is this just about getting heads on stakes out the front in North Melbourne?

The only real pushback on the system appears to be coming from the targets themselves. Court records show a small but growing number of the offices targets have refused to break, choosing jail time over cooperating.

At least seven people, including two under the age of 18, have been convicted of contempt in the past five years  nearly double the number who refused to cooperate in the entire decade before.

Whether this is a trend or just some kind of anomaly is impossible to tell  the chief examiner and Victoria Police have declined repeated requests for data on its operations.

This intransigence both annoys and delights authorities, depending on their perspective. The Supreme Court judges who are convicting the holdouts have little regard for their defiance, using prison sentences as a way to send a message that the law must be obeyed.

This is one of the key reasons the court chose to break with long-standing tradition and publicly identify Mick Murray as a target of the chief examiner when he was convicted and sentenced.

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Its very important that contempt power is utilised and publicised, that there are repercussions for refusing to cooperate. If they are half-hearted about the consequences, then word gets out, Maguire said.

The downside is that publicity cuts both ways. In the underworld, refusing to cooperate is regarded as a badge of honour.

For police, every time a hardcore organised crime figure is jailed for contempt, it has the benefit of taking them off the streets relatively easily.

Mick Murray was jailed for eight months. Another major underworld figure had his prison stint extended for six months, potentially disrupting the activities of a major drug trafficking network.

Meanwhile, not even the lockdown has disrupted the work of the chief examiner. Witnesses continue to be grilled, reputations made and broken. Only now, its done at a social distance and COVID-safe.

Even in the secret place there are some laws that cant be suspended.
Thousands of Afghans married to Australians are in limbo after the federal government said they would still require health checks to finalise visa applications to exit the Taliban-controlled country.

One of those is Said Mosavis wife Parisa, who he hasnt seen for three years.

They married in Afghanistan in July 2018 and lodged a partner visa application that December, with the paperwork including evidence of Parisas health. But she needs a new medical examination because the one lodged nearly three years ago had expired.

Australian forces evacuated more than 4000 people from Afghanistan last month but thousands are still waiting for visas to be processed. Credit:ADF

Home Affairs data shows that at the end of June, it had 7706 provisional partner visa applications on hand lodged by people in Afghanistan. Nearly three-quarters of these were lodged in 2018-19 or earlier.
As soon as the next premier, likely to be Dominic Perrottet, finishes formalities at Government House this week, they will walk straight into one of the most critical junctures in NSWs COVID-19 journey.

The Liberal Party room will formally confirm Gladys Berejiklians replacement on Tuesday, with Wednesday shaping up to be the day that NSW hits the magic 70 per cent double vaccination target.

Dominic Perrottet is the frontrunner to replace Gladys Berejiklian. Credit:Jessica Hromas

That will trigger the states reopening from its 100-plus days of lockdown, which will bring freedoms but also an expected spike in COVID-19 case numbers that will inevitably put more pressure on the states health system.

Fallen leader Berejiklian described the reopening as the most challenging weeks of the most challenging times in the history of NSW in her resignation speech on Friday. Those challenges will now fall to the new premier.
The departure of Andrew Constance from state Parliament poses a challenging question for the new Premier. Will the byelection in his Bega electorate be more Upper Hunter or Wagga Wagga?

When voters in the marginal electorate of Upper Hunter went to the polls in May, the Coalition defied the conventional anti-government byelection swing. The National Party not only managed to hold the seat, its margin improved a little.

Andrew Constance will resign from NSW Parliament, triggering a by-election in the electorate of Bega. Credit:James Alcock

It was a different story in the Wagga byelection just two-and-half years earlier - the incumbent Liberals were trounced by a popular independent.

Those two results underscore how unpredictable byelections can be.
We do have some concern about the future but not yet to the level of panic, he said. The power shortage, which has gripped the country for the past week, had been caused by a mix of state intervention, surging coal prices, supply shortages, a lack of renewable dispatchable power and, at the margins, Chinas pursuit of a net-zero emissions policy. Chinas Electricity Council has called it a perfect storm of factors. Loading Chinese state media has been eager to paint the crisis as a result of the energy regulator punishing provinces that had failed to meet their power consumption and power production efficiency targets. This suits Chinas global narrative as it heads into the UN climate change conference in Glasgow in November, a year after President Xi Jinping committed China to net zero by 2060. But the data reveals it is not emissions reduction that is driving the shutdowns, but emissions intensity.

Chinas economy is gobbling up record levels of energy, and it does not have enough coal to power it. The price of thermal coal futures contracts have grown by more than 135 per cent since the middle of last year. Spot prices at Chinese ports in Guangzhou and Qinhuangdao have reached highs that were unthinkable outside of the extreme cold snaps in the middle of the winter. A Chinese official at the Bureau of Economic Operations Adjustment told the newsletter Pekinology last week: Coal is still the main energy source in China at present, and plays an important and foundational role in the guarantee of national energy supply. In an attempt at putting a lid on prices, Chinese authorities approved 16 open cut coal mines in July and another 20 in August in the coal regions of Inner Mongolia, Shanxi and Shaanxi. National Bureau of Statistics figures show coal production was up 4 per cent in the first half of 2021, while electricity generations jumped 7.4 per cent. The Huatai Futures Research Institute said the scramble to find more coal had meant higher-quality and more expensive coking coal, usually reserved for making steel, had been diverted to power plants. Bloomberg reported on Friday that China was now also snapping up huge volumes from Indonesia of dirty lignite coal, one of the worlds most polluting and energy-inefficient fuels.

Chinese domestic coal production has failed to keep up with demand, and global shipping has been hit by COVID-19 and weather disruptions, all at the same time as Beijing has cut off its largest source of imports, Australia, over diplomatic and trade disputes. Said Capital Economics China economist Julian Evans Pritchard: Last years ban on coal imports from Australia has made matters worse. It has forced power plants to pay a premium for domestic coal. In a reversal of the usual relationship, domestic prices have since been higher than those in Australia despite domestic coal generally being lower quality. The shortage has helped send the price of Australian thermal coal flying from $70 a tonne in August 2020 to $220 a tonne in the other markets it exports to such as Japan and South Korea. Chinas trade sanctions have harmed its own importers while delivering a $2 billion windfall to Australian coal exporters this financial year.

Xungpeng Shi and Muyi Yang from the University of Technology in Sydney said at current coal prices, Chinese power generators would not recover their variable costs. Accordingly, the economically rational decision is to stop producing [power], they said. In Liaoning province, where the factory workers were taken to hospital after a blackout caused carbon monoxide poisoning, the soaring prices have meant coal generators are running at just 50 per cent capacity. The grid companies have responded to complaints from customers by saying that they have no power to dispatch because demand is high and supply is tight, said Ms Zhang and her colleague David Fishman at the Lantau Group in a research note. Supply is tight because coal generators all over the country are refusing to operate their plants at a loss. But this time, parts of the country have also started doing something different.

For the first time, some industrial users, particularly in the high-tech hubs of Guangdong and Hunan on Chinas east coast, were asked to pay a 10 per cent tariff to keep power flowing to their factories. In the past, these higher costs would have been assumed by the generator or grid company, never by the power consumers, said Ms Zhang, who called it a watershed moment. This is the first case we know of where power consumers in China were asked to accept higher power costs to keep their lights on. It is a blunt formula: Inefficient, high emissions companies are being squeezed out by power cuts, while high-growth companies such as Huawei that can afford to run 24/7 are being asked to pay for it.

Ms Zhang said as hard as the restrictions were for some companies and workers, the measures were the first signs of a structural energy transformation in the Chinese economy. If the Chinese government can see it through, businesses and the public will have to wear short-term pain for long-term gain. Loading In a long-term strategic sense, requiring end-users to pay more for power, particularly coal power, is a positive step for Chinas decarbonisation goals, said Ms Zhang. More expensive coal-fired power motivates end-users to invest in energy efficiency, reduce energy intensity, and build onsite generation and storage. Mr Shi said: The PRCs recent power crisis is likely to provide strong incentives for the country to further expedite the uptake of stable-cost clean energies, in order to reduce its exposure to coal price fluctuations as well reduce emissions. To get to the other side, China will have to rapidly escalate its investment in renewable energy. At the moment, it does not have enough renewable baseload dispatchable power to keep factories operating. The shortcomings in Chinas renewable network were also exposed this year by poor weather conditions.

There was not enough rain this year to drive hydro in Yunnan or wind to turn turbines in Liaoning. In normal conditions, the wind fleet should be able to generate about 10 gigawatts of energy but last week, when it was most needed, it produced but a tiny fraction of that. Chinas super mirror power plant uses 12,000 mirrors to reflect solar power into a central column. Credit:Sanghee Liu In Dunhuang, Chinas first super mirror power plant is up and running. It uses 12,000 mirrors to concentrate sunlight on to a receiver at the top of a solar tower, which then heats molten salt. The $700 million plant is designed to generate 390 million kWh of power annually. It is reducing carbon emissions by 350,000 metric tonnes per year, but that is barely a dent in Chinas annual output of more than 10 billion tonnes. Mr Shi, president of the International Society for Energy Transition Studies, in March said newly added renewable generation in China had failed to meet the additional power demand.

More aggressive renewable development plans and energy efficiency policy are required, he said. Chinas annual emissions output is more than 10 billion tonnes. Credit:Sanghee Liu Rather than building new coal capacity, existing coal capacity should also be better utilised to facilitate large-scale renewable uptake before its phase-out in the coming years. For example, with proper renovations, some of the existing coal-fired power plants can provide fast-responsive capacity to the power system. This is critical for maintaining system reliability while enabling large outputs from variable renewable sources. Those bearing the biggest burden of this transition are those in Chinas north-eastern provinces. They are home to dozens of coal-fired power plants, but they have also been hardest hit by power restrictions. This is the only region where residential power consumption is also being curbed. They are saving their coal for heating in the winter, where average temperatures hit minus 15 degrees. In the north-east, the weather is cold, the heating season is long, the Chinese official told Pekinology. Residents have a high demand for heating, and concerns from society are high.
Singapore: Whats in a name? When it comes to Taiwan and China, a lot.

Australias links with the disputed island under its One China policy are so delicate that Taiwans de facto embassy in Canberra is carefully titled the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Australia.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen speaks with military personnel on Wednesday as part of Taiwans five-day Han Guang military exercise designed to prepare the islands forces for an attack by China. Credit:Taiwan Presidential Office

But with Australia and the United States on Friday proclaiming an intention to deepen ties with Taiwan, while neither country officially recognises it as a nation, a leading Taiwanese official would like to put a name change on the agenda.

How to name our friends offices in Taiwan and our representative offices in other countries, it does matter. It is important to us, Wang Ting-yu, the co-chair of Taiwans parliamentary Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee, told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
On the whole, once the under-12 set is taken into account, 85 per cent of the countys total population is fully vaccinated. But in the summer, the population nearly doubles as seasonal residents roost in second homes and caravan parks, some vacationing while others take up seasonal jobs. Then, theres what Gallegos described as the tsunami of tourism  the daily influx of people arriving on the historical railroad from Durango and the dusty jeep trails through the mountains. Many of those visitors are of unknown vaccination status. The countys two-week incidence shot up in August to the highest rate in the state, and stayed there for most of the month. Even though that spike amounted to a grand total of about 40 known cases, it was nearly as many as the county had logged during the entire pandemic  and cases spilt into the vaccinated as well. Any number of cases would be a big deal in a small place without a hospital. We are all one-man bands just trying to make it happen, Gallegos said. The countys public health director, Becky Joyce, for example, does everything from contact tracing and COVID-19 testing to putting shots in arms. And when the county restarted its mask mandate, it was Gallegos who designed the signs and spent her weekend zip-tying them around town. The biggest concentration of COVID-19 cases happened at a caravan, or recreational vehicle (RV), park and a music festival driven indoors by rain.

It makes sense that coming out of three or four weeks of just jamming tourism, people were starting to get sick who work in the restaurants, at the RV parks, Gallegos said. And then you bring all the locals condensed together for a couple of nights of concerts and it was just the trifecta. Dana Chambers, who runs the hardware store in Silverton, was vaccinated as soon as possible. She said returning to a mask mandate felt in some ways like a step back. But, she said, businesses like hers need the summer tourism rush to survive the quiet winter, when just a few hundred tourists come, largely to jump out of helicopters onto ski terrain. If we have to wear the mask, thats what well do. Julia Raifman, a Boston University School of Public Health epidemiologist who is following state pandemic policies, isnt surprised COVID-19 can attack a place like San Juan County despite high vaccination rates. Data shows the vaccines protect against death and hospitalisation due to COVID-19. But even effective vaccines are no match for the transmissibility of delta. Even in the best-case scenario  if vaccines reduce transmission by 80 per cent  youre actually twice as likely to get COVID-19 now than you were in July, Raifman said, due to the viruss recent proliferation. Its impossible statistically to achieve herd immunity with the delta variant.

Meanwhile, many local and national leaders, including in Colorado, continue to focus on the vaccines almost exclusively as the path forward. Talia Quandelacy, an epidemiologist with the University of Colorado-Denver and the Colorado School of Public Health, said the concept of herd immunity in this pandemic has been oversimplified and over-relied-on. Its a useful guide to have some sort of target to aim for, she said. But usually, if we hit a certain metric, that doesnt mean that transmission or the pandemic is just going to disappear. Loading Many scientists agree that, especially with most of the world still unvaccinated, COVID-19 is likely here to stay, eventually morphing into something more like the common cold. Its probably going to be a matter of a couple of years, Quandelacy said. But that seems to be the trajectory that we are on. For that reason, the finish line language used by many politicians has frustrated Anne Sosin, a policy fellow at the Nelson A Rockefeller Centre for Public Policy at Dartmouth College studying COVID-19 and rural health. The vaccines are doing what theyre supposed to do  keeping people from getting really sick, not keeping them from ever getting infected  but that hasnt been communicated well. The messaging around this has not been very nuanced, she said.

She pointed to the experience of an epidemiologist who wrote in August in The Baltimore Sun that hed caught COVID-19 at a house party where all 14 guests and the host were vaccinated. The host had infected him and nine others. As miraculous as they are in keeping people out of the hospital and alive, we cant rely on them alone to prevent infection, Sosin said of the vaccines. The state of Colorado gave away five $US1million cheques in a vaccine lottery to motivate people to get vaccinated. Credit:AP And public health experts said San Juan County shows that measures such as masks, ventilation and distancing are also needed. They are circulating the Swiss cheese model of COVID-19 defence, in which each prevention measure (or layer of cheese) has holes in it, but when stacked together they create an effective defence. Sosin said rural places, in particular, may need those layers of defence because residents are often tightly connected, and disease travels quickly within social networks. Loading Joyce, the public health director, who declined an interview request, wrote on Facebook in August that the countys recent experience proved the vaccine creates a line of defence but does not make us invincible to this disease or the variants.

Raifman views that realisation  paired with San Juans ensuing indoor mask requirement  as a success at a pivotal moment. The month-long mandate was then lifted September 10, as the county had dropped back to a low COVID-19 transmission rate. At the time, it was the only county in Colorado with such low transmission. This is the moment where we kind of define: How are we managing the virus over the longer term? Raifman said. So far, were defining that we dont manage it; we let it manage us. Students wear face coverings as they head into the building for the first day of in-class learning since the start of the pandemic in Denver, Colorado. Credit:AP Even after lifting its mask mandate, the Facebook page of the countys public health department urges residents to wear masks and pay attention to the COVID-19 situation just as you pay attention to the weather. McClatchy
Vietnam has freed a key political dissident less than two weeks before the first US visit by a post-war Vietnamese head of state, a prison official and state media said Sunday.

Nguyen Vu Binh, a 39-year-old journalist and so-called "cyber dissident," was released Saturday afternoon and allowed to return to his Hanoi home, the state-run Vietnam News Agency (VNA) said.

It said President Nguyen Minh Triet had on Friday "granted amnesty to a man who was serving a jail term for spying."

It named him as Binh, who was arrested in September 2002, jailed for seven years and given three years' house arrest.

An official on duty at Nam Ha prison, about 50 kilometres (35 miles) south of the capital Hanoi, who declined to give his name, confirmed to AFP that Binh was released on Saturday.
PHILIPSBURG:--- The Police Force of Sint Maarten KPSM is continuously working to halt the increase in vehicle thefts on both sides of the island. Over the last few weeks, several people were arrested for the possession of a stolen vehicle.

In the subsequent investigation of the stolen vehicles, it has become apparent that these suspects had damaged the VIN number and/or engine number of the vehicle in such a manner that it was almost impossible to trace the original owners. The detective department requests the community to assists them with locating the possible owners of the confiscated vehicles.

Police also request people whose vehicle has been impounded to visit the station in Philipsburg Police Station and to collect their property as soon as possible. Impounded vehicles may be retrieved, with ownership paperwork, until October 21.

Its imperative that residents avoid buying possible stolen vehicles. Some buyers have no idea that these vehicles were stolen until it is too late. At that point, they are at a double disadvantage, because the vehicle will be confiscated, they will be arrested and their monies lost.

Police continue to work tirelessly to prevent vehicle theft, but only with the help of the community can the circulation of stolen vehicles to halt.

If you or anyone you know may have information as to whom these vehicles belong, they can also contact the personnel of the Detective Department at +1 721 54 22222 or the anonymous tip line on 9300. You can also visit the website at www.policesxm.sx to report crime anonymously via the tip contact form, or you can leave a Private Message via our Facebook

Please find attached a series of photographs of impounded vehicles whose owners cannot be identified.

KPSM Press Release.
is finally here. But is it worth the wait? We open in Italy. Bond has retired, after the events of Spectre, living an idealistic life with Dr. Madeline Swann. Its an idealistic fairy-tale set against picturesque locations thats almost too good to be true. And then the unthinkable happens  Bond believes hes been betrayed.Its a fantastic opening series of events, mostly featured in the trailer  that holds nothing back from showing the best Bond can be - rare has a movie started stronger. Unfortunately the movie never recaptures that high of the first forty minutes or so, falling into the trap of a meandering, plodding affair that hinges on whether or not you buy the central romance between the leads  and as I found that both Craig and Lea Seydoux had zero chemistry in, none of that is replicated here  Ana de Armas Paloma and Lashanna Lynch are both excellent however, and Lynch makes for a very much clear-cut case that theres actually no point in looking for the next 007  shes right there, with both actors stealing every scene that theyre in  even if de Armas can feel rightly underutilised its a joy for thereunion ahead of the sequel, even if she won't feature in that as it will have, save for Craig, an all new cast.The first thing thats noticeable about Cary Joji Fukunagas film is its length  its 163 minutes long, and unfortunately No Time To Die feels that long. It could have afforded to cut about 30 minutes and still carry much of the same impact, the plot is overly convoluted in its attempt to get started  save for a wonderfully brief Hugh Dennis cameo that earned audible gasps of surprise from my audience  the film feels like it is carrying the weight of a distinctive emotional arc that the franchise had lacked on its shoulders.Its mighty ambitious  Phoebe Waller-Bridge was brought in to touch up the script, and Billie Eilishs memorable theme-song is a much-needed improvement on Sam Smiths, that was about as forgettable as the movie itself, even if weve heard it for a year now  cemented around one central, core motif  you must burn the past to the ground to let it die, telegraphed in the aforementioned opening act.is not your typical Bond movie, even if Rami Maleks villain does his usual typical Bond things, he doesnt show up until deep into the movie and feels like he barely made an impact at all  arguably the weakest Craig-era Bond villain, full stop. Its broader themes are cut from the same cloth as, sure to be divisive - and given how much I liked that film I just wish this one worked for me on a same level.Its a film that lacks the rawness ofor the blunt-edged heavy sword ofthat had Bond pointed at the enemy like an unstoppable cannon with no off-switch. Theres a clear arc of his character that runs through the entire series  much of this film feels too heavily invested in being a sequel to everything that has come before; so, if youre looking for a standalone Bond you very much wont find it here, or at least  if you do watch it on its own  it wont have the same impact  gone are the days of the standalone Bond film and I really appreciate the need to inject some continuity.I almost wish I had liked it more as I do appreciate its emotional touches and the care thats clearly been put into. I expect it will probably grow on me on a rewatch, as the best Bond films tend to do. But for now  on a first viewing, it left me cold. If you buy into the core central romance between Bond and Swann, then this movie will absolutely work for you  but I just didnt care about them, and the general plot gave me no reason to stick around  as half-baked as most of the Craig era plots have been.The dynamics of the central cast are familiar and well developed by this point with the actors fitting back into their roles. Craig gets plenty of humour in this one in a way that suits the character without taking you out of the story, and Ben Whishaws Q gets some excellent lines. Although Naomie Harris is underutilised  her interactions with Lashanna Lynch were great, and everything in Cuba with Jeffrey Wright and Ana de Armas is spectacular, even better than the first set-piece on the bridge that saw Bond throw himself off it to escape from the enemy.This is the kind of Bond where you can tell Fukunaga is having fun behind the camera  the passion he brings to the directors chair is evident, and the film looks appropriately stunning on a visual level throughout  the cinematography has always been exceptional andandcinematographer Linus Sandgren brings his a-game to the table here. Given most 2021 films have had rather underwhelming final acts on terms of a pure visual level  its a relief to see thatlooks spectacular consistently throughout its runtime. But looking good has never been a problem with the Daniel Craig era.Much ofspends its time repeating the same ideas that were fresh in(which would have been a better send off for Craig), and even Rami Maleks villain feels like a half-developed attempt at a another go at capturing what made Javier Bardem Silva work so well. This is very much a movie that feels like it best sums up everything about Craigs era  both the strengths and the weaknesses of it  in one film. Good action scenes in stunning locations, and mostly great character work with A-Listers bringing them to life. But theres also the bad that comes with it  as mentioned the villains are the weak link about most of Craigs era (save for maybe Mads Mikkelsens Le Chiffre and Silva)  the usually weak middle act problem rears its ugly head again, and the plot never fully feels convincing, requiring the utmost of coincidences to work out fully as intended.As a farewell to Daniel Craigs eraultimately ends in a whimper rather than a bang, at least for now, but its a well-intentioned whimper with some bold decisions that I hope are carried through into the next iteration of the character  whoever that person may be.
Mann Hunt, the fifth episode of Y: The Last Man, goes outside of the Pentagon and explores the reality of Boston. The reports of riots around the country spread and arrive at the ear of the President, who is still struggling with anxiety about the kids and about the millions of people she has to care for. Oh, last but not least, Regina Oliver shows up expecting to fill her rightful place as President. The scene between her and Jennifer was brief, but it established the power struggle that will eventually come in the upcoming episodes. And Regina can obviously count on Kimberly's support.

Yorick and Agent 355/Sarah get to Boston to talk to Dr. Mann, who doesn't particularly like the idea of helping the govermnent with bringing back men. Her 15-year work has been completely destroyed, because Boston has basically become a war zone, with fights between the US Army and protesters outside the perimeters. The only place that has the tools to replicate her entire research is in San Francisco. I have to give a special shout-out to the scene where Allison explains androgen insensitivity syndrome to Yorick, as to clarify that a lot of women died on the infamous day because they had no idea they had a Y chromosome. The way in which this show tries to dismantle the patriarcal idea of gender is really intriguing to me. The concept of man and woman is being surpassed now, gender is a much more complicated structural idea than we think.We also go back to the 72 Warren Street, Winthrop, Massachusetts, address left for Agent 355 by Culper Ring. It ends up being a safehouse, where Sarah finds Agent 525, who has been there waiting for weeks. They talk and they find out that they were both recruited by a woman named Fran and that 525 was newly assigned to the State Department and 355 was assigned to the Pentagon the day of the event. Agent 355 then decides to take Fran's tracker and maybe find her in San Francisco or along the journey from Boston. She then lies to Yorick, telling him she got permission from his mother to travel and that Dr. Mann will travel along with them. Yorick doesn't seem to particulatly listen to anyone, being not putting his mask on (which leads him inside a group of protesters. One of them thinks he is a trans man and shows him support and kindness) or not listening to Agent 355, like, ever.I feel like the episode might be summarized in one line, by Dr. Mann: "You won't have much of a life from now on, will you". Damn, that was harsh. But very, very true. Yorick's life as he knows it is over; he'll just have to wait and see how it will look like from now on.What did you guys think about this episode? And what about Christine who's pregnant and the person only person who knows about this is Kimberly? I'm pretty sure she might use it against her and maybe against Jennifer. Let me know in the comments below! Y:The Last Man is now streaming on Disney+ in the UK
New York (United Nations), 2 October 2021 (SPS) The new Special Representative for Western Sahara and head of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), Alexander Ivanko of Russia, will hold this month his first briefing on the future of the UN mission whose mandate expires on 31 October.



According to Kenyan Foreign Minister Raychelle Omamo, whose country holds the presidency of the Security Council for the month of October, "discussions on the future of MINURSO will be on the agenda of the Security Council this month".



The Security Council members are expected to be briefed during consultations on MINURSO, probably by Alexander Ivanko, who are also expected to vote on a draft resolution to renew MINURSO's mandate, the Council's website said.



The UN Secretary General's report on the situation regarding Western Sahara is expected to be released before this briefing. A meeting of the troop-contributing countries with the members of the Council is also planned before the renewal of MINURSO's mandate, which expires on 31 October, the same source said.



On 24 August, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres informed the members of the Security Council of the appointment of the Russian Alexande Ivanko, who had been Chief of Staff of MINURSO since 2009. He succeeds Colin Stewart, who completed his mission on 26 August.



As for the post of Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Western Sahara, it is expected that the UN will validate the nomination of the Italian-Swedish diplomat and former special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura.



062/T
Two Connecticut men have been indicted on charges of food stamp fraud offenses, according to federal authorities.

A federal grand jury in Hartford returned the indictment charging Javed Saeed, 52, and Dastgir Saeed, 68, both of South Windsor, each with one count of conspiracy to commit food stamp fraud, and one count of food stamp fraud, federal authorities said in a statement.

If convicted, each charge carries a prison term of up to five years, authorities said in the statement.

Authorities said the indictment was returned on Sept.14 and the defendants were arrested on Sept. 29. They are both free on bonds pending trial, according to federal authorities.

Javed Saeed is the owner of Manchester Quick Mart, a convenience store and Mobil gas station located in Manchester, and Dastgir Saeed helped operate the store, federal authorities said in the statement, citing the indictment.

Federal authorities said in the statement that, between November 2016 and January 2020, Javeed Saeed, Dastgir Saeed and others allegedly illegally allowed customers to redeem their food stamp benefits for cash and other ineligible items, including gasoline and male enhancement pills, and charged the customers food stamp cards a premium of nearly 50 percent for these transactions.

The federal Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program, know as SNAP, and administered by the USDAs Food and Nutrition Service, uses federal money to subsidize low-income households, federal officials noted in the statement. Neither Saeed could be reached for comment.

The program works in a way that the total amount of each purchase is electronically transferred to the retailers designated bank account, according to federal authorities. But SNAP benefits may not lawfully be exchanged for cash under any circumstances.

Further, ...It is a violation of the rules and regulations governing the food stamp program to allow benefits to be used to purchase ineligible items, federal officials said in the statement.

The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General; it is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anastasia E. King.
As a smattering of vaccine mandates begin to take effect in Connecticut, it remains unclear just how many police officers across the state have been vaccinated against COVID-19.

Many of Connecticuts law enforcement agencies are keeping a lid on their rates, or arent keeping tabs on the information at all, a Hearst Connecticut Media Group review shows.

Vaccination rates for many other kinds of front-line essential workers  those in state government, at hospitals, nursing homes and schools  are crystallizing as a statewide mandate takes effect Monday. But Gov. Ned Lamonts order to get vaccinated or take weekly tests doesnt apply to local law enforcement.

Some of the largest departments in Connecticut, including Bridgeport, Hartford and Waterbury either said the information was not available or didnt provide the police data after repeated requests. Not all departments appear to keep track, and two, the Fairfield and Bethel police agencies, declined to disclose the information to the public.

Nationwide, reports indicate police officers have been less likely to seek out COVID-19 vaccines than their surrounding communities, though the law enforcement personnel were among the first to become eligible for a vaccine this year. Some police unions, including the one in Stamford, have come out against vaccine requirements, and in Massachusetts dozens of state police resigned last week over that states mandate.

All-told, 10 departments responded with their vaccination rates, reporting a high of 95% in the town of Redding and a low of 56% in New Haven.

Whether Connecticuts law enforcement personnel is protected against the virus matters not only to the well-being of the officers  COVID-19 is currently the leading cause of death among officers nationwide  but also to the public they interact with.

Information is missing too for the State Police, which employs roughly 1,000 troopers, even as a mandate for state employees to either take the vaccine or submit weekly tests goes into effect Monday. Lora Rae Anderson, director of communications for the states chief operating officer, said the information is in flux as people continue to submit their vaccination status ahead of the deadline. State troopers patrol the states highways and are stationed in towns that lack their own police services.

In Stamford, the states third-largest town, 59% of the citys 268 police officers reported being vaccinated. A policy requiring all city employees, including police department personnel, to be fully vaccinated or submit a negative COVID-19 test result each week took effect Sept. 13.

The rate for police is considerably lower than the percent of the towns population, 12 years old and older, who are fully vaccinated: 82%, the highest overall rate among the states largest towns.

Data supplied to Hearst CT Media by the town of New Haven shows the 56% of police employees fully vaccinated is the lowest rate of all of the towns bargaining units. Seventy-four percent of all town employees are fully vaccinated. Its also lower than the portion of eligible residents of the states second-largest town who are fully vaccinated  65%.

New Haven was just one of the many towns, hospitals, school districts and state government officers working to collect vaccine data about various employees as local and state mandates take effect. Gov. Ned Lamonts executive order set a deadline of Sept. 27 for all state employees, teachers and most health care workers to get vaccinated or agree to regular testing. Last week, with thousands more vaccination cards being submitted each day, Lamont extended the deadline to Monday. The mandate doesnt apply to police officers employed by local departments.

Some departments without any kind of vaccine requirement in place said it wouldnt be possible to share COVID-19 vaccination information.

Police Chief Chris Ciuci of the Berlin Police Department said the office isnt keeping official tallies of those vaccinated. But he said staff were offered the vaccine through work, and he believes the majority of his force has taken a shot.

At the Naugatuck Police Department, no vaccine mandate is in effect, but a spokesman estimated between 60% and 70% of employees had taken a shot, based on voluntary reporting. That rate, while lower than Connecticuts average, lines up with that of Naugatucks population.

Other departments cited privacy concerns.

Unfortunately, we do not share medical data about our officers and other personnel, said Bethel Capt. Heather Burnes in a statement.

Lt. Eddie Weihe of the Fairfield Police Department gave a similar stance for his office, stating we are not releasing this type of employee health data at this time.

In Guilford, Mitch Goldblatt, the towns director of human resources, said a policy requiring either COVID-19 vaccines or tests for all employees will take effect Monday. According to his information current to Thursday, 84 percent of town police officers were vaccinated. Goldblatt said stakeholders including the local police union were on board with the new rule. But tracking down the health information for every employee has been an undertaking.

Everyone pretty much bought in, Goldblatt said. It's just a matter of now putting the rubber to the road and making it happen.

Close calls among colleagues who fell severely ill with COVID-19 jolted some hesitant law enforcement employees to get vaccinated in Danbury, said Lt. Matthew McNally, who has been leading an effort to get officers inoculated. Eighty percent of police department staff are vaccinated.

We didnt deal with the politics. We deal with the science, McNally said.

The police departments rate is better than the citys, which is 75% among eligible residents. McNally noted a portion of those who hadnt been vaccinated have also already been sick with COVID-19.

In both 2020 and 2021, COVID-19 was the leading cause of officer fatalities nationwide, ahead of firearm-related and traffic-related deaths, according to a tally by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Across the country, at least 133 active-duty officers have died of COVID-19 between the beginning of this year through last Monday. The figure is on track to at least match last years total of 182 coronavirus-related deaths. The memorial recorded no deaths from COVID-19 among Connecticut law enforcement in 2020.

Pat Montuone, executive director of the memorial, said the organization doesnt take a stance on vaccines or the personal health decisions of Americas officers. Montuone said every law enforcement officer who has passed away due to COVID-19 will be memorialized in the same way as those who died by any other cause.

I pray for them every day, for those who choose not to get inoculated, that they are safe and that they use every precaution, said Montuone, a retired police chief who is vaccinated himself.
HARTFORD  More than 10 percent of executive branch state employees were not complaint with a mandate they get vaccinated by Monday night, Gov. Ned Lamonts office said Sunday.

As of 4 p.m. Sunday, about 23,000 or 74 percent of executive branch state employees are fully vaccinated; about 5,000 or 15 percent will receive weekly testing; and about 3,000 or 11 percent are not in compliance, according to Lamonts office.

Non-compliant status means the employees have not provided proof of vaccination or have started weekly testing.

Last week, Lamont asked the Connecticut National Guard to prepare to be activated as the state anticipates staff shortages from workers unwilling to comply with the COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Those who are not compliant as of the deadline could be placed on unpaid leave as early as Tuesday, but no later than Oct. 11, officials said

On Sunday, Lamont said the state has made significant progress in compliance with the executive orders requiring either COVID-19 vaccination or weekly testing among executive branch state employees.

The administration continues to expect that most of the remaining non-compliant employees will submit the required documentation to the state by Monday evening, Oct. 4, and that there should be minimal impact to operations as a result, Lamont said in the release.

The state employee vaccination and testing requirement only covers the executive branch and does not apply to the legislative or judicial branches, the release said.

Editors Note: This story has been updated to reflect there are 11 percent of executive branch employees who were non-complaint with the COVID vaccination mandate as of Sunday.
HAZLETON  The Hazleton LaunchBox supported by Pasco L. Schiavo Esq. opened its doors to members of the Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday.

Dr. Gary Lawler, chancellor of Penn State Hazleton, welcomed everyone and provided an update on the campus, which now offers 13 four-year degrees.

The latest bachelor degree programs include health policy and administration and computer science, he said. Coming in 2023 will be another four-year program in biology, Lawler said.

The school welcomed some 550 students to the campus this year, which is similar to last year, he said. Campus officials continue to work on recruitment and retention, focusing on how to help students complete their degree in Hazleton or another Penn State campus, Lawler said.

He also noted that the campus will be able to help first-year students from the Hazleton area pursuing a bachelors degree through the Pasco L. Schiavo Scholar Program. The $105,000 gift from the estate will provide scholarships for up to 10 students, Lawler said.

The chancellor also took a moment to talk about the $7.6 million renovation at the Mary M. and Bertil E. Lofstrom Library, which included new windows to bring in natural light and collaborative workspaces for students, while maintaining the librarys collection of books.

Downtown, Penn States LaunchBox marked two years at its West Broad Street location, survived the pandemic and is beginning to gain speed, said Bill Andahazy, entrepreneurship educator.

This is a fantastic place to come to work every morning. We love the vibe. We love the energy in this place, he said, welcoming everyone to LaunchBox, one of 21 innovation hubs across the commonwealth.

The LaunchBox, while still in its youth, has created programs to help would-be entrepreneurs and those needing a little guidance to push their businesses forward, Andahazy said.

Weve launched several businesses and we are building steam, he said.

Andahazy pointed to the launch of Sweets Melendez, which came to the LaunchBox in November 2019, took advantage of the resources, secured licenses and celebrated the opening of its Seybert Street location in Hazleton in July.

These business openings are exciting, and small celebrations  the kind that he looks forward to seeing more of in the community, he said.

Entrepreneurs are out there, Andahazy said. We are doing great things in the area.

The services are free to the would-be business people, he said, and tap into the resources of the college as well to take an idea and transform it into viable business.

The LaunchBox has helped between 10 and 12 businesses launch in the area, and Andahazy hopes this hub will become a fixture in the downtown and a well-known resource for entrepreneurs in the future.
Co-chairman of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) Claudiu Tarziu declared on Saturday, at the protest that took place in the University Square against the restrictions established by the authorities in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, that the Citu Government must go home.

"The Citu government must go home. It must stop the policy of discriminating against some Romanians, it must stop the policy of pitting some categories of Romanians against others, it must stop the attacks on our national church (...). Klaus Iohannis has half-heartedly acknowledged that this state has failed, but it has not only failed to defend its citizens from disease, it has failed on all fronts, it has failed internationally, it has failed economically, it has failed medically, it failed to govern normally. They wanted to propose a new normalcy, to lock us in houses, to put muzzles on us (...), to vaccinate us," said Claudiu Tarziu.

He voiced his conviction that the Government will leave after the no confidence motion.

"Let's see whom President Iohannis will put in Citu's place. Will he reinstate Citu? If he does put Citu, he will have to go hand in hand with him this time. Iohannis, we have put up to you too much, now you are one step away from being suspended and dismissed. (...) We want a Government for Romanians, not one against Romanians. (...) They gave restrictions against Romanians, then they violated them (...), they organized a giganctic Congress in a closed hall at Romexpo," added Claudiu Tarziu, Agerpres.ro informs.

For his part, AUR co-chair George Simion said the protest was for freedom, for generations to come.

"If we do not overthrow the Government today, tomorrow they will ban any rally, tomorrow they will take away our right to life, so we all gathered here for our freedom. Romanians came from all over the country, police officers came with us, because they don't want to fine the Romanians anymore, medical staff came with us, because they are tired of being given orders by others (...), all social categories are in the street, Romanians from all over who are tired of Florin Citu, Klaus Iohannis, their whole system, we want them down (...), there are by our side farmers who have nowhere to sell their products, there are with us small producers, peasants," said George Simion.

He added that the protest was not just because of the restrictions, but against the entire system that has destroyed Romania for 30 years.

The event in the University Square was initiated by AUR. After protesting in the University Square, the demonstrators marched to Victoriei Square, where other people were already expressing their dissatisfaction with the restrictions imposed by the authorities.
Dan Barna, vice-chair of USR PLUS, welcomed the fact that, following the congress, Catalin Drula and Vlad Voiculescu gathered the most votes for the National Bureau, adding that he is proud of the fact that leaders have risen within the party "who will be the generation of policy makers" in the next period.

It is very good that Catalin Drula and Vlad Voiculescu are at the top of the list. They are the most liked and the most supported in the party, at the moment, because it is one of the things from the mandate I have ended, on which I pride myself very much: the fact that in USR PLUS leaders have risen who will be the generation of Romanian political decision-makers in the next period. And we are not talking about ten years, we are talking about people - former colleagues, ministers in Parliament - are people who have grown in this organization and this is the most important thing, because we said that USR PLUS will bring valuable people in politics, competent people. Here they show up, they have grown in this period," Barna told a press conference at the USR PLUS headquarters.

He mentioned that, following the congress, USR PLUS is "well" and that it is a party that will "count a lot" on the Romanian political scene, Agerpres.ro informs.

"I want to say one thing for the former Liberal coalition colleagues and for the other parties. The USR PLUS Congress is over. Today we have the decisions on the statute and we will end this congress. We are well, we are really well and we are a party that will matter a lot in everything that will happen in Romania in the future, no matter how much they try to diminish this thing," specified Barna.

Catalin Drula, Vlad Voiculescu, Dan Barna, Ionut Mosteanu, Anca Dragu, Allen Coliban and Claudiu Nasui are the new vice-chairs of USR PLUS, following the internal elections to establish the composition of the National Bureau.
Most new cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to the last report were registered in Bucharest - 2,443 and the counties of Iasi - 616, Timis - 578, Dolj - 526, Ilfov - 479, informed, on Sunday, the Strategic Communication Group (GCS).

The fewest new cases of COVID-19 were in the counties of Covasna - 16, Harghita - 39, Vrancea - 44.

The capital has an incidence of 8.98 cases per thousand inhabitants.

Ilfov County ranks first in terms of the 14-day cumulative incidence rate, with 9.38 cases per thousand inhabitants, followed by the counties of Timis - 7.81, Cluj - 5.73 and Dolj - 5.50, Agerpres.ro informs.

Along with these, there are 23 other counties in the red zone (over 3 cases per thousand inhabitants).

In the yellow zone there are 12 counties, and in the green zone - two counties - Covasna and Harghita.
A new tranche of vaccine from Pfizer BioNTech, consisting of 303,030 doses, will arrive in the country on Monday, informs the National COVID-19 Vaccination Coordination Committee (CNCAV), Agerpres informs.

According to the quoted source, the vaccines will arrive by air, at the Otopeni airport.

Transport to the storage centres is ensured by the producing company, including on land. The vaccines are transported in optimal safety conditions, in special containers, with dry ice and sealed foil."The doses will be stored at the National Storage Center, and in the next period they will be distributed in the existing regional centers at national level. The National Storage Center for vaccines against COVID-19 within the "Cantacuzino" Institute is fully authorized and approved by the the National Authority for Medicines and Medical Devices (ANMDMR), the national authority that has competence in the field of medicine for human use," says CNCAV.To date, Romania has received 12,556,889 doses of vaccine produced by Pfizer, and 7,936,721 have already been used to immunize the population.
Military ATVs (all-terrain vehicles) have completed the evolution from civilian sport vehicles to military vehicles with the introduction of MRZR ATVs equipped with high performance diesel engines that use military fuel (JP8). The U.S. military began adopting JP8 as a standard fuel for vehicles, aircraft boats, generators in the 1980s. By 1990 the U.S. military adopted a form of aviation fuel, JP-8, as its standard fuel and all new engines had to be built or adapted to use it. This was cheaper than building multi-fuel engines, which could adapt to a wide variety of fuels.

Some exceptions were allowed, as was the case with ATVs, which SOCOM (Special Operations Command) was able to acquire over a decade ago because SOCOM was allowed to try new equipment of all sorts to accomplish their missions. The MRZR vehicles were military versions of civilian ATVs an American firm (Polaris) began introducing in the 1980s. Those were often called dune buggies, because they were able to operate effectively on beaches and sand dunes. When these vehicles were first adopted by special operations troops in the 1980s and 90s, they were heavier than later ATVs and less mobile than later Polaris ATVs, but became enormously popular with civilian and military users because they were designed for use in the most remote and undeveloped (no roads) areas. While this had obvious appeal for SOCOM, there were many civilians that worked in areas where there were few roads, including construction sites in remote areas and staff in large rural parks. Active duty and reserve military are often called on to assist during natural disasters, as well as operate in combat zones that lack roads or even trails. Noting SOCOMs success with ATVs, these regular troops and their commanders began requesting ATVs when surveyed about equipment that would increase mobility in combat zones. The hummer vehicles, adopted in the 1980s to replace the military jeep and light truck, were more mobile but could not match ATVs in the worst terrain. Once SOCOM got their JP8 ATVs the rest of the military could easily get them as well.

The latest version of the military favorite MRZR ATVs are equipped with a more powerful turbo-diesel engine that uses JP8. These vehicles are updates of MRZR4 that weigh 1.5 tons when loaded with nearly 700 kg of fuel, passengers, and cargo. MRZR4 has no doors, four seats, and a steel framework on top of which is usually left open for maximum visibility and acts as a roll-bar to protect passengers if there is an accident. The vehicle is optimized for cross country operations with four-wheel drive, a suspension built for safe travel over broken terrain and an 88-horsepower engine providing a top speed of 96 kilometers an hour on flat terrain. Fuel capacity is 27.4 liters (7.25 gallons) and range depends on what sort of terrain is being crossed. Using simple tools, the seating and cargo carrying configuration of the MRZR4 can be quickly changed to seat up to six or just two with two litters in the back for badly injured people. The cargo configuration can carry over 400 kg (a thousand pounds) of anything in the flatbed behind the driver. MRZR4 tires are optimized for off-road use and later models tires were even more resistant to damage. MRZR4 is 3.59 meters (140 inches) long, 1.52 meters wide and 1.87 meters-high. Collapsing the roll-bar cage reduces height to 1.52 meters (six feet). Empty weight is 853 kg (1,876 pounds) and it can carry a maximum payload of 680kg (1,496 pounds).

The latest update of MRZR4 is called MRZR Alpha and includes a turbo-diesel engine plus several changes to the chassis that made it easier to reconfigure and provide a more stable ride. The new engine increased max payload by 33 percent, and has more torque for getting through deep sand or other terrain other vehicles would get stuck in. Another user request included the ability to produce more electric power for recharging or powering the growing number of portable electronic devices used by the military.

Military forces in over twenty nations have been buying more than a dozen different models of MRZR vehicles for military, paramilitary and police force operations. The MRZR4 and slightly smaller MRZR2 have been around since 2008 and receive periodic upgrades based on user feedback. The smaller MRZR2 is a 1.1-ton (loaded with nearly 450 kg of fuel, passengers, and cargo) 4x4 vehicle. It is 3 meters (9.1 feet) long. These ATVs have proved ideal for operations in remote areas, especially because ATVs could be brought in via helicopter, dangling from the cargo sling most military helicopters are equipped with or carried inside larger helicopters as well as the new tilt-wing aircraft.

The MRZR manufacturer always paid attention to user civilian feedback and reacted quickly to the needs of military users. This was especially useful for special operations troops and often a matter of life and death. ATVs have proved useful and popular in Afghanistan, especially for special operations forces. There are many models in use, all of them militarized civilian ATVs. These vehicles are innovative both in original concept and how they are constantly modified and upgraded. For example, an important innovation was the use of non-pneumatic tires. The non-pneumatic tires are not solid like traditional tires, are built with a web of plastic honeycomb and surrounded by a thick band of rubber that is very similar to the tread found on pneumatic tires. These tires can survive a hit by a 12.7mm (.50 caliber) bullet and keep going. They feel about the same as pneumatic tires, although some users report they are not as effective in mud or watery surfaces.

British special operations troops were the first to develop unique vehicles for commando missions in rough country and SOCOM formed close ties with their British and (since 2001) NATO counterparts. That led other NATO special operations troops to quickly adopt new items developed and validated by the British and American forces. Moslem nations that worked with NATO special operations forces after 2001 did the same. Some of these troops were from Middle Eastern nations and had been using civilian ATVs or the early British vehicles adapted for long range desert missions.

The ATVs have been so popular that many troops bought them when they got back home and used them for cross-country trips, camping, hunting, or just sightseeing. The U.S. Army bought some of these ATVs for use by troops just returned from Iraq or Afghanistan because it was found that high-excitement recreation, initially video games, helped the troops decompress after returning from a combat tour.

As Polaris expanded its line of ATVs, commercial car manufacturers were taking note and borrowing new ATV technologies and concepts for their cars and trucks. When Polaris went head-to-head with an automobile firm in 2019 the outcome was unexpected. MRZR manufacturer Polaris also makes the DAGOR, a two-ton light truck that can carry 1.4 tons or nine troops. It can be carried inside a CH-47 or slung under a UH-60 helicopter. DAGOR can also be dropped by parachute and be ready to roll within two minutes of reaching the ground. Some called DAGOR a 21st century jeep. Polaris entered a version of DAGOR in the 2019 U.S. Army competition to select who would build over 2,000 ISVs (Infantry Squad Vehicle). There were three finalists in the competition and Polaris lost out to a militarized version of the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Bison light truck. This vehicle was introduced in 2016 and is the culmination of two decades of vehicle modification by individual entrepreneurs as well as companies like GM. All this largely unnoticed work was recognized and merged by GM into their new 21st century off-road pickup trucks to give them many ATV features. Individuals and small firms modifying commercial vehicles for special uses is something that has been around for decades. Think of them as vehicle hackers and you have an accurate view of what was happening. The Chevrolet Bison was very much the right hack showing up at the right time for the ISV competition. Vehicle designers in GM saw the army ISV contract, looked at the Bison and it didnt take long, at least on the computer design software, to turn the Bison into the GM ISV. Removing the commercial shell and the Bison became the ISV, with a modified diesel engine and a few tweaks to the suspension and other mechanical components.

The ZR2 Bison is a four-wheel drive 2.52-ton vehicle built to carry five passengers and 590 kg in the cargo bed behind the four-door passenger cab. To become the ISV, the Bison lost its passenger cab and cargo area along with air-conditioning, doors and so on. There is no conventional vehicle body on the ISV, it is an open configuration like a dune buggy with seats for an infantry squad (nine troops). The seats are minimalist compared to civilian vehicles and can be folded down to allow a two-man crew to transport over half a ton of cargo or stretcher casualties. Most Bisons have a 308 HP gasoline engine but an option is a 181 HP diesel. The ISV has a 186 HP turbo-diesel. The cross-country wheels and suspension of the Bison are largely intact. The existing Bison cross-country capability is one asset that was largely unchanged and allowed Bison to win the ISV competition. Polaris still has most of the military and commercial ATV market and there are now several foreign firms, especially in China, producing similar vehicles.
Designed to Meet the Fitwel Certification Status, Geo is Paving the Way for Low Carbon, Healthy Buildings in Kingston

KINGSTON, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- A cornerstone laying ceremony was held this week for Kingstons first large scale geothermal residential building, the Geo. The stone was laid by City of Kingston Mayor, Bryan Paterson. The residential building is also the first in Kingston designed to Fitwel Certification status, promoting best-in-class occupant health and wellness.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210930005316/en/

Podium Developments recently held a cornerstone ceremony for Geo, Kingstons first large scale geothermal residential building. The stone was laid by (L-R) City of Kingston Mayor, Bryan Paterson and Podium Developments' Managing Directors, Bernard Luttmer and Oskar Johansson. (Photo: Billy-Jack Kimmerly)

Kingston became the first municipality in Ontario to declare climate change as an emergency in 2019, and the Geo was inspired by the Citys declaration. Working to improve energy efficiency and reduce reliance on fossil fuel, the Geo will utilize geothermal energy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions produced by the building by over 70 per cent, which also lowers the utilities cost for all of its future residents.

As a City, were committed to demonstrating leadership on climate action, but we need everyone in the community involved to make an impact. The Geo is a big step forward towards a low-carbon future for Kingston and Im excited to see this project be completed, said City of Kingston Mayor, Bryan Paterson. Podium is leading the way with this development and has set the bar for new, environmentally conscious construction in Kingston, he added.

The Geo is the result of a partnership between Podium Development Corp., Secure Capital Partners Inc., and Blue Vista Capital Management LLC, together with OPTrust, one of Canadas largest defined benefit pension plans.

Our team is focused on leading positive change for lower carbon buildings. This is Kingston's first large-scale geothermal building, but it will not be the last, said Podium Developments Managing Director, Bernard Luttmer. Our portfolio of new multi-family projects planned in Kingston and throughout Ontario are all being designed with innovative technologies to help us reach a net-zero carbon future. We were able to celebrate this ongoing work at the Geo this week.

The Geo will add 344 units of much needed rental supply to the City. Twenty per cent of car parking will be provisioned with EV charging capabilities and the building amenities include private outdoor terraces, a rooftop terrace, a two-storey gym with a squash court, and 344 dedicated bicycle parking spaces.

From the earliest stages of planning, we wanted the Geo to be the first Fitwel certified building in Kingston. Resident well-being has always been a high priority for us, but this pandemic has truly magnified the importance of health and wellness in our buildings, added Luttmer.

A redeveloped Brownfield infill site, the Geo is centrally located at 575 Princess Street, just a short walk to both Queens University and downtown Kingston. Once complete, it will rise to 10-storeys and feature ground-floor retail as well as a corner parkette at Princess St. and Frontenac St.

The Cornerstone Ceremony at the Geo was followed by the Official Grand Opening of Unity Point, the Project Partnerships first purpose-built rental community in Kingston, which is currently fully leased and occupied.

For additional project information and future leasing opportunities at Geo, contact the following:

Residential Leasing Opportunities: www.TheGeo.ca

Retail Leasing Opportunities: 1-866-792-5553

Project Information: info@podiumdevelopments.com

ABOUT PODIUM DEVELOPMENTS (podiumdevelopments.com)

Founded in 2004 and registered with Tarion for over a decade, Podium Developments is a respected developer and builder with a successful track record in rezoning and developing sensitive urban infill locations. With 18 successful projects completed in Toronto, Oshawa, Barrie, Kingston, and Guelph, and nine more currently in development in both the United States and Canada, Podium Developments has demonstrated tremendous expertise in bringing new residential developments to fruition.

ABOUT BLUE VISTA CAPITAL MANAGEMENT (bluevistallc.com)

Blue Vista is a leading investment management firm focused on helping investors maximize returns through best-in-class real estate strategies in student housing, middle market equity and middle market lending. Since 2003, Blue Vista has acquired and/or developed over $3.0 billion in student housing properties, representing over 37,800 beds at 56 college campuses across the United States. Across its three platforms, the firm has invested over $11.2 billion in total capitalization since its inception in 2002, with the goal of challenging the status quo, setting high standards and bringing a relationship-based, client-focused approach to real estate investing.

ABOUT OPTRUST (optrust.com)

With net assets of almost $22 billion, OPTrust invests and manages one of Canadas largest pension funds and administers the OPSEU Pension Plan (including OPTrust Select), a defined benefit plan with over 96,000 members and retirees. OPTrust was established to give plan members and the Government of Ontario an equal voice in the administration of the Plan and the investment of its assets through joint trusteeship. OPTrust is governed by a 10-member Board of Trustees, five of whom are appointed by OPSEU and five by the Government.

ABOUT SECURE CAPITAL (securecapital.ca)

Secure Capital is a Toronto based boutique real estate investment manager and advisor founded in 2001. The cycle-tested management team has extensive experience in a wide range of asset classes across North America. The principals have transacted and managed over $10 billion of industrial, retail, office and residential assets. Secure Capital launched the Canadian Residential Investment Fund (CRIF) to accommodate investors in the Kingston residential development.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210930005316/en/

Media:

Gea Koleva

Marketing & Strategic Communications Specialist

McOuat Partnership

Cell: 416-702-1223

T: 905-472-2000 ext 247

gea@partnership.ca

Rachel Rogers

Public Relations Specialist

McOuat Partnership

Cell: 416-984-5524

rachel@partnership.ca

Source: Podium Developments
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, Oct. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Dionisio Gutierrez, president of Fundacion Libertad y Desarrollo participated at the Regional Meeting of Economic and Geopolitical Challenges in Latin America and the Caribbean, endorsed by the Center for Analysis for Public Policies (CAPP); the International Foundation for Freedom (FIL) and the Liberal Network of Latin America (Relial), where the perspectives on democracy, growth and development for Latin America were addressed.

The event brought together the most distinguished personalities of the classical-liberal Latin American world, with businessmen, intellectuals and statesmen such as: president of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader; president of Ecuador, Guillermo Lasso; former president of Uruguay, Luis Alberto Lacalle Herrera; former president of Bolivia, Jorge Tuto Quiroga; former president of Argentina, Mauricio Macri; former mayor of Madrid, Ana Botella; writer and intellectual, Alvaro Vargas Llosa; Cuban activist, Rosa Maria Paya; Argentine writer, Antonella Marty, among others.

In the panel "Economic perspectives for Latin America and the Caribbean", the president of Fundacion Libertad y Desarrollo analyzed the future of the region, with specialists in the economic field and the tourism area.

Regarding the downturn of Latin American economy aggravated by the Covid-19 crisis, Gutierrez pointed out that: "The burden of a negative economic balance prior to the pandemic has been dragging us down. It will take until 2026 to return to the levels that the region's economy had in 2013. In 2014, Latin America achieved the highest GDP per capita in its history, and between 2014 and 2019, Latin America had one of the worst performances since 1901. In that sense, by 2019, GDP per capita had already fallen 14.2%. With Covid-19 the consequences were even more serious. If we add the reduction in the GDP of Latin America, with 2020 included, the decline is of 30%".

He highlighted the importance on the defense of classical-liberal and democratic values in order to achieve development: "These numbers represent a challenge on the defense of the values of democracy and freedom. If we do not join forces, the future could be even more complicated".

Finally, he explained three ways in which the region can add strategies to face the current crisis: "Finding a way to make a strategic defense of classical-liberal values, create an economic growth agenda, and accompany this agenda with a good policy and improve public services".

To watch the full panel, click here.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dionisio-gutierrez-analyzes-the-challenges-of-latin-america-in-the-dominican-republic-301390020.html

SOURCE Fundacion Libertad y Desarrollo
Buy Photo (Norm Zeisloft/Stars and Stripes)

Frankfurt, West Germany, February, 1963: Jesse Owens is pictured during during an interview with Stars and Stripes. A previous visit to Germany, in 1936, was a high point in the career of the track and field legend, who publicly shredded Adolf Hitlers claims of Aryan superiority by breaking two world records, tying another and teaming up for a gold in the 400-meter relay at the Berlin Olympics.
French President Emmanuel Macron meets residents in Algiers in December 2017. Algeria has announced the immediate recall of its ambassador from Paris in a burst of fury over what it said were "inadmissible" comments attributed to Macron. (Anis Belghoul/AP)

ALGIERS, Algeria  Algeria has refused permission for France to fly military planes in its airspace and announced the recall of its ambassador from Paris in the wake of what it said were "inadmissible" comments attributed to French President Emmanuel Macron.

This weekend's sharp escalation in tensions also follows a French decision to slash the number of visas issued to people in North Africa  including Algeria  because governments there are refusing to take back migrants expelled from France.

A French request that two military planes be allowed to fly Sunday over Algerian territory was rejected, French military spokesman Col. Pascal Ianni said. One plane was meant to depart from France, the other from Chad, he said.

Ianni said it isn't clear whether Algeria is closing its airspace completely to the French military or whether Sunday's flights will be the only ones affected.

"We haven't had official notification, so we will see," he said. "The planners are thinking about how we will adapt."

Algeria had approved previous French flights in recent months, he said.

The flight ban followed the immediate recall of Algeria's ambassador from France for "consultations"  announced Saturday evening by the Algerian presidency.

The statement said the diplomat's recall was motivated by recent comments about Algeria that were attributed to Macron. The comments amounted to "inadmissible interference" in Algeria's affairs and were "an intolerable affront" to Algerians who died fighting French colonialism, the Algerian presidency said.

"The crimes of colonial France in Algeria are innumerable and fit the strictest definitions of genocide," its statement alleged.

French media reported that Macron spoke recently about Algeria's post-colonial system of government and its attitudes to France. The newspaper Le Monde said Macron made the comments Thursday in a meeting at the presidential palace with French and Algerian grandchildren of former combatants in Algeria's 1954-62 war of independence from France and people affected by the conflict's aftermath.

In its report from the meeting, Le Monde said that Macron accused Algerian authorities of stoking hatred for France. The French leader also spoke about his government's tightening of visas for North Africans, saying the visa reduction would target "people in the area of governance, who had a habit of asking for visas easily," the newspaper reported.

French officials announced the number of visas given to Algerians and Moroccans would be cut by half, and to Tunisians by 30%. The government said the decision responded to refusals from Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia to provide consular documents for their citizens who were being deported from France after arriving illegally. The three countries were part of France's colonial empire, and many Europe-bound migrants and other visitors coming from those North African nations have family or other ties in France.

The Algerian presidency said in its statement that Macron's remarks were "an intolerable affront to the memory of the 5,630,000 valiant martyrs who sacrificed their lives in their heroic resistance of the French colonial invasion." There was no explanation of how Algerian authorities came up with such a large number.

It added that "nothing and nobody can absolve the colonial powers of their crimes."
This Sept. 28, 2021, file photo provided by the North Korean government shows what North Korea claims to be a new hypersonic missile launched from Toyang-ri, Ryongrim County, Jagang Province, North Korea. (Korean Central News Agency, Korea News Service/AP)

North Korea threatens top UN body after emergency meeting

SEOUL, South Korea  North Korea has warned the U.N. Security Council against criticizing the isolated country's missile program, in a statement Sunday that included unspecified threats against the international body.

During an emergency closed-door meeting of the top U.N. body Friday, France circulated a proposed statement that expresses concern over North Korea's missile launches and calls on it to fully implement council resolutions that ban its ballistic missile firings.

On Sunday, Jo Chol Su, a senior North Korean Foreign Ministry official, warned the U.N. council it "had better think what consequences it will bring in the future in case it tries to encroach upon the sovereignty" of North Korea.

Jo also accused the U.N. body of a "double-dealing standard" because it doesn't equally take issue with similar weapons tests by the United States and its allies, according to the statement circulated by state media.

After a six-month hiatus, North Korea resumed missile tests in September, launching newly developed missiles including nuclear-capable weapons that place South Korea and Japan, both key U.S. allies, within their striking distances. The country still offered conditional talks with South Korea, in what some experts call an attempt to pressure Seoul to persuade Washington to relax crippling economic sanctions on it.

Under multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions, North Korea is banned from engaging in any ballistic missile activities as the country aims to mount nuclear weapons on its ballistic missiles. North Korea has argued its nuclear program is meant to cope with U.S. military threats, though Washington has said it has no hostile intent toward Pyongyang.

Despite its recent launches, North Korea maintains a 2018 self-imposed moratorium on a long-range missile directly threatening the American homeland, a sign that it still wants to keep alive chances for future diplomacy with the U.S.

U.S. officials have urged North Korea to return to talks without preconditions, but the North has argued it won't do so unless the Americans drop their "hostile policy," in an apparent reference to the sanctions and regular military drills between Washington and Seoul.
This photo taken on May 14, 2019, a Philippine coast guard ship (right) sails past a Chinese coast guard ship during a joint search and rescue exercise between Philippine and US coast guards near Scarborough shoal, in the South China Sea, on May 14, 2019. (Ted Aljibe, AFP via Getty Images/TNS)

MANILA, Philippines (Tribune News Service)  The foreign fishing boats were deep in Philippine waters near a speck of coral reef known as Sabina Shoal. They bore no official markings, but their blue hulls of reinforced steel  used to ram other vessels  were the telltale signs of Chinese maritime militia. They had not come to fish, but to stake a claim to the sea.

A white patrol ship approached. A womans voice lifted through the crackle of a radio: This is Philippine Coast Guard. You are within Philippine exclusive economic zone. You are requested to provide the following: name of vessel, intention, last and next port of call.

The standoff quietly ended as all seven Chinese boats pulled up anchor and sailed to other waters. The radio operator, Ensign Gretch Mary Acuario, was hailed a hero on social media and lauded in local news reports as the woman who made the Chinese ships go away.

Shes got more balls than the Philippine President! wrote a reader responding to an interview with Acuario in the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

The April 27 incident, which was captured on video, made public the Philippines newest ploy: dispatching an all-female unit of coast guard radio operators to counter Chinese aggression in the hotly contested South China Sea. Chinas actions in the region, including violating the territorial waters of other nations and building military installations on man-made islands, have become a dangerous tinderbox for Beijing and Washington.

Dubbed the Angels of the Sea, the group of 81 women will soon patrol the countrys so-called exclusive economic zone, which extends 200 nautical miles off the Philippine shoreline in an area speckled with rocks and reefs claimed by China. The women were recruited under the belief theyd be better suited at repelling unwelcome foreign vessels and de-escalating a potential geopolitical crisis because their voices would remind opposing crews of their wives or mothers, officials have said.

The Angels of the Sea will become the voice of [a] peaceful and rules-based order at sea, especially in our countrys sensitive maritime frontiers, said Vice Adm. Leopoldo Laroya, the coast guards recently appointed chief.

The program has been criticized as sexist and for reinforcing gender stereotypes in a country whose president has a history of misogynistic remarks. It trivializes the long-running sea dispute with China, according to the womens advocacy political organization Gabriela.

The coast guard defends the task force, citing Acuarios encounter in Sabina Shoal  as well as another incident two months later when she peacefully drove away a pair of Vietnamese fishing vessels from Philippine waters  as proof of its success.

This is not sexist, said Rear Adm. Ronnie Gil Gavan, who came up with the idea for the unit in 2018 after leading anti-piracy operations in the Celebes Sea. This is optimal utilization of their strength. There are things that only women can do. Crisis management is one of them.

Anadale Dela Cruz, who was recruited for the Angels unit, agrees. The daughter of a policewoman, Dela Cruz said: Women have more patience. We can send a strong message in a calm tone.

Whether gender makes a difference when it comes to enforcing maritime sovereignty is debatable. But the Angels program, which has drawn skepticism from scholars of international relations and gender studies alike, highlights the Philippines sudden willingness to stand up to Chinese provocations after years of inaction.

The 1.4 million square miles of water in the heart of Southeast Asia is one of the most disputed regions in the world  with overlapping claims from seven countries, all vying for greater access to vast offshore energy resources and control of a waterway responsible for one-third of annual global shipping.

No country has behaved more stridently than China, claiming historical rights over virtually the entire sea. It has built dozens of outposts on disputed reefs and tiny sand banks, some that now boast airstrips. A maritime Chinese militia serves as an irregular naval force, using civilian vessels to menace boats from other countries. China has also given its coast guard the authority to fire weapons, and demands that foreign vessels, including submarines and oil tankers, report their presence to Chinese authorities.

Few countries have taken the brunt of Chinese encroachment harder than the Philippines. For years, the dispute has festered as a source of national shame with the loss of territory to the Chinese, such as the Manhattan-sized coral reef known as Scarborough Shoal, in 2012. Meanwhile, Filipino fishermen have seen their livelihoods slip away as Chinese vessels block them from venturing farther out to sea.

Since taking office five years ago, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has refused to challenge Beijing, hoping that a friendlier relationship would attract billions in Chinese loans and investments. He argued that confronting the militarily superior Chinese was foolhardy. He dismissed as just a piece of paper a 2016 landmark ruling at The Hague that rejected Chinese claims to waters in the Philippine exclusive economic zone.

But when the financial largesse never materialized and criticism mounted that Duterte was grovelling before China, his administration started to change tack, fearing political repercussions with an election looming in 2022, experts said.

The arrival in March of a massive flotilla of Chinese militia vessels near a streak of land shaped like a boomerang called Whitsun Reef offered an opportunity to fight back. The incursion prompted a surge in Philippine coast guard and naval patrols and a flurry of diplomatic protests. Duterte threatened to send warships to stake the Philippines claim to natural resources.

Then in early May, only days after Acuario repelled the Chinese boats in Sabina Shoal, Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. lashed out in a tweet telling China to GET THE F--- OUT of the South China Sea. The famously provocative diplomat, who likened China to an ugly oaf, later apologized and deleted the post.

The uncharacteristic show of defiance against Beijing set the tone for different branches of the Philippine government to take the initiative in what Filipinos call the West Philippine Sea. The media-savvy coast guard posted video of Acuarios radio challenge on the services Facebook page, which has hundreds of thousands of followers and serves as a recruitment tool.

The coast guard has modernized and grown rapidly under the Duterte administration, more than tripling its personnel to 20,000 in the last five years. Its favored by Duterte as a way to resolve confrontation diplomatically instead of deploying the countrys chronically weak navy armed with World War II- and Vietnam War-era ships.

Theres no reason to militarize the situation, said Gavan of the coast guard. The military comes in when diplomacy breaks down. And the coast guard is diplomacy-centric.

With China rapidly building-up its maritime forces and the United States reestablishing its commitment to the area, tensions are high. The USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier strike group was deployed in the South China Sea on Sept. 24 at a time when Beijing is riled about a deal in which the U.S. and Britain would sell nuclear-powered submarine technology to Australia.

This [Angels] program is meant to show the Filipino people that this administration is finally doing something, said Jay Batongbacal, director of the University of the Philippines Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea. Public opinion has been very clear that this administrations policy of accommodating China is increasingly unpopular.

Dela Cruz, 30, said she had long wanted to serve her country in uniform. As a young girl, shed salute her police officer mother each morning as she went to work. She couldnt afford to attend military school or the police academy. Her older sister, who was a nurse, gave Dela Cruz her old textbooks and uniforms.

But after graduating from nursing school, Dela Cruz was approached by a coast guard recruiter. She ignored suggestions by her father that it was a mans job.

Shes completed her Angels training and is learning Mandarin so she can decipher Chinese communications. Its well known, she said, that Chinese crews can interpret Tagalog, the main language in the Philippines. She now studies whenever shes off duty, muttering Mandarin phrases under her breath.

There are nights, though, that her heart races thinking about when shell have her first encounter with a foreign vessel. Then she remembers her mother and the challenges she stared down as a female officer. It fills her with pride.

Only men were allowed to do these jobs until we came, she said.

Los Angeles Times staff writer Pierson reported from Singapore and special correspondent Balagtas See from Manila.

2021 Los Angeles Times.

Visit at latimes.com .

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
SANAA, Yemen  Yemen's rebels fired three ballistic missiles Sunday at a government-held central city, killing two children and wounding more than 30 people, officials said.

The attack was the latest by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels on Marib, as they have for months been trying to retake the energy-rich city from the internationally recognized government of exiled President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.

The missiles landed in the residential Rawdha neighborhood, according to Ali al-Ghulisi, the provincial governor's press secretary.

He said dead include Ghozlan Feisal, 4, and her Radad, 2. At least 32 others were wounded, including five children and four women, he said. Among the wounded were a mother and her seven-month-old child, both were in serious condition, al-Ghulisi said.

There was no immediate comment from the Houthis on the attack.

The missiles destroyed two houses, damaged 10 others in the neighborhood and burned eight vehicles, he said.

Qasem Buhaibeh, the health minister of the internationally recognized government, said in a tweet that the attack was part of Houthi's "continuous war crimes with silent world."

Iran-backed Houthi rebels have been attempting since February to capture Marib from the internationally recognized government, which would complete their control over the northern part of Yemen.

However, they have not made substantial progress and have suffered heavy losses amid stiff resistance from government forces aided by the Saudi-led coalition supporting them. Fighting has escalated in recent weeks, killing more than 130 fighters, mostly Houthis.

The rebels have fired ballistic missiles and sent drones into Marib, often hitting civilian areas and camps for displaced people. In June, they hit a gas station in the same Rawdha neighborhood a missile and explosive-laden drones, killing at least 21 people, including a father and his 2-year-old daughter.

At the time of June attack, the rebels said they targeted military camps in the city, though they did not provide evidence to support their claim.
Taliban fighters walk at the entrance of the Eid Gah Mosque after an explosion in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021. A bomb exploded in the entrance of the mosque in the Afghan capital on Sunday leaving a number of civilians dead, a Taliban spokesman said. (Felipe Dana/AP)

KABUL, Afghanistan  At least five civilians were killed in a bomb blast outside a Kabul mosque Sunday, a Taliban official said. It was the deadliest attack in the Afghan capital since U.S. forces left at the end of August.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but suspicion fell on Islamic State extremists who have stepped up attacks on the Taliban in recent weeks, particularly in an IS stronghold in eastern Afghanistan.

An apparent roadside bomb went off at the gate of the sprawling Eid Gah Mosque in Kabul at a time when a memorial service was being held for the mother of chief Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. Five people were killed, said Qari Saeed Khosti, the spokesman of the Interior Ministry.

The explosion underscored the growing challenges the Taliban face just weeks after they took control of Afghanistan in a blitz campaign, culminating in their takeover of Kabul on Aug. 15.

During their 20-year insurgency, the Taliban themselves had frequently carried out bombing and shooting attacks, but are now faced with trying to contain rival militants using the same methods. The growing security challenges come at a time of an economic meltdown, as the Taliban struggle to run the country without the massive foreign aid given to U.S.-backed government they toppled.

Three suspects were arrested in Sundays explosion in Kabul, said Bilal Karimi, a Taliban spokesman. He said Taliban fighters were not harmed.

Mohammad Israil, a Kabul resident, said he heard a loud sound and saw people running away.

An Italian-funded emergency hospital in Kabul tweeted it had received four people wounded in the blast.

The area around the mosque was cordoned off by the Taliban, who maintained a heavy security presence. Later in the afternoon the site was cleaned. The only signs of the blast was slight damage to the ornamental arch by the entrance gate.

ISIS militants have stepped up attacks against the Taliban since their mid-August takeover, signaling a widening conflict between them.

IS maintains a strong presence in the eastern province of Nangarhar, where it has claimed responsibility for several killings in the provincial capital of Jalalabad.

In late August, an ISIS suicide bomber targeted American evacuation efforts at Kabuls international airport. The blast killed 169 Afghans and 13 U.S. service members and was one of the deadliest attacks in the country in years.

Attacks in Kabul have so far been rare, but in recent weeks ISIS has shown signs it is expanding its footprint beyond the east and closer toward the capital.

On Friday, Taliban fighters raided an ISIS hideout just north of Kabul in Parwan province. The raid came after an ISIS roadside bomb wounded four Taliban fighters in the area.
Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a Security Council meeting via video conference at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow in this Sept. 27, 2021, file photo. Hundreds of world leaders, powerful politicians, billionaires, celebrities, religious leaders and drug dealers have been stashing away their investments in mansions, exclusive beachfront property, yachts and other assets for the past quarter century, according to a review of nearly 12 million files obtained from 14 different firms located around the world. Putin is one of 330 current and former politicians identified as beneficiaries of the secret accounts. (Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin pool photo/AP)

Hundreds of world leaders, powerful politicians, billionaires, celebrities, religious leaders and drug dealers have been hiding their investments in mansions, exclusive beachfront property, yachts and other assets for the past quarter-century, according to a review of nearly 12 million files obtained from 14 firms located around the world.

The report released Sunday by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists involved 600 journalists from 150 media outlets in117 countries. It's being dubbed the "Pandora Papers" because the findings shed light on the previously hidden dealings of the elite and the corrupt, and how they have used offshore accounts to shield assets collectively worth trillions of dollars.

The more than 330 current and former politicians identified as beneficiaries of the secret accounts include Jordan's King Abdullah II, former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair, Czech Republic Prime Minister Andrej Babis, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, Ecuador's President Guillermo Lasso, and former associates of both Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The billionaires called out in the report include Turkish construction mogul Erman Ilicak and Robert T. Brockman, the former CEO of software maker Reynolds & Reynolds.

Many of the accounts were designed to evade taxes and conceal assets for other shady reasons, according to the report.

"The new data leak must be a wake-up call," said Sven Giegold, a Green party lawmaker in the European Parliament. "Global tax evasion fuels global inequality. We need to expand and sharpen the countermeasures now."

Oxfam International, a British consortium of charities, applauded the Pandora Papers for exposing brazen examples of greed that deprived countries of tax revenue that could be used to finance programs and projects for the greater good.

"This is where our missing hospitals are," Oxfam said in a statement. "This is where the pay-packets sit of all the extra teachers and firefighters and public servants we need. Whenever a politician or business leader claims there is 'no money' to pay for climate damage and innovation, for more and better jobs, for a fair post-COVID recovery, for more overseas aid, they know where to look."

The Pandora Papers are a follow to a similar project released in 2016 called the "Panama Papers" compiled by the same journalistic group.

The latest bombshell is even more expansive, porting through nearly 3 terabytes of data  the equivalent of roughly 750,000 photos on a smartphone  leaked from 14 different service providers doing business in 38 different jurisdictions in the world. The records date back to the 1970s, but most of the files span from 1996 to 2020.

In contrast, the Panama Papers culled through 2.6 terabytes of data leaked by one now-defunct law firm called Mossack Fonseca that was located in the country that inspired that project's nickname.

The latest investigation dug into accounts registered in familiar offshore havens, including the British Virgin Islands, Seychelles, Hong Kong, and Belize. But some of the secret accounts were also scattered around in trusts set up in the U.S., including 81 in South Dakota and 37 in Florida.

Some of the initial findings released Sunday painted a sordid picture of the prominent people involved.

For instance, the investigation found advisers helped King Abdullah II of Jordan set up at least three dozen shell companies from 1995 to 2017, helping the monarch buy 14 homes worth more than $106 million in the U.S. and the U.K. One was a $23 million California ocean-view property bought in 2017 through a British Virgin Islands company. The advisers were identified as an English accountant in Switzerland and lawyers in the British Virgin Islands.

There was no immediate comment from Jordan's Royal Palace.

The details are an embarrassing blow to Abdullah, whose government was engulfed in scandal this year when his half brother, former Crown Prince Hamzah, accused the "ruling system" of corruption and incompetence. The king claimed he was the victim of a "malicious plot," placed his half brother under house arrest and put two former close aides on trial.

Abdullah took power in 1999 after the death of his father, King Hussein.

U.K attorneys for Abdullah said he isn't required to pay taxes under his country's law and hasn't misused public funds, adding that there are security and privacy reasons for him to have holdings through offshore companies, according to the report. The attorneys also said most of the companies and properties are not connected to the king or no longer exist, though they declined to provide details.

Blair, U.K prime minister from 1997 to 2007, became the owner of an $8.8 million Victorian building in 2017 by buying a British Virgin Islands company that held the property, and the building now hosts the law firm of his wife, Cherie Blair, according to the the investigation. The two bought the company from the family of Bahrain's industry and tourism minister, Zayed bin Rashid al-Zayani. Buying the company shares instead of the building saved the Blairs more than $400,000 in property taxes, the investigation found.

The Blairs and the al-Zayanis both said they didn't initially know the other party was involved in the deal, the probe found. Cherie Blair said her husband wasn't involved in the purchase, which she said was meant to bring "the company and the building back into the U.K. tax and regulatory regime." A lawyer for the al-Zayanis said they complied with U.K. laws.

In 2009, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis put $22 million into shell companies to buy a chateau property in a hilltop village in Mougins, France, near Cannes, the investigation found. The shell companies and the chateau were not disclosed in Babis' required asset declarations, according to documents obtained by the journalism group's Czech partner, Investigace.cz.

A real estate group owned indirectly by Babis bought the Monaco company that owned the chateau in 2018, the probe found.

"I was waiting for them to bring something right before the election to harm me and influence the Czech election," Babis tweeted in his first reaction to the report.

The Czech Republic parliamentary election is being held on Friday and Saturday.

"I've never done anything illegal or wrong," Babis added.

Liedtke reported from San Ramon, Calif., and Mattise reported from Nashville, Tenn.
The Smith & Wesson corporate headquarters and manufacturing in Springfield, Mass. (Patrick Johnson, The Republican/TNS)

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (Tribune News Service)  Smith & Wesson president and CEO Mark Smith says the company doesnt want to make an enemy of the state of Massachusetts.

But he feels at least some lawmakers have made an enemy of Smith & Wesson with legislation that would ban the manufacture in Massachusetts of firearms that are unlawful to sell here.

The legislation is a response to mass shootings involving semiautomatic rifles made by Smith & Wesson and other companies. Advocates say high-capacity magazines and high rates of fire make the guns too dangerous for civilian hands.

We are under attack by the state of Massachusetts, Smith said Friday.

CEO for two years and operations director for a decade before that, Smith gave a tour of the bustling, half-million-square-foot factory a day after announcing the company would move its headquarters and 550 jobs in production and management to gun-friendly Maryville, Tenn. Its not a move the company wanted to make, he said.

It will cost $125 million that I didnt want to spend, Smith said.

Riding a wave of brisk gun sales, mostly to first time-buyers, Smith & Wesson said revenue hit $1.1 billion in the most recent fiscal year, up from $529.6 million a year earlier.

Why would I disrupt that? he said.

Workers at the plant at 2100 Roosevelt Ave. joked and laughed Friday but also spoke in hushed tones about their own futures and whether they will move.

A team from Tennessee will be in Springfield next week recruiting Smith & Wesson employees, selling them on the idea of relocating. About two-thirds of the Springfield jobs being moved, some 400, are blue collar.

Smith & Wesson said it is relocating a total of 750 jobs to Tennessee from Springfield and its other sites. The company is also closing a plastics factory in Connecticut and a Missouri distribution center it opened in 2019.

Construction in Maryville is expected to begin later in 2021 and be substantially complete by the summer of 2023. No employees will move for two years.

A substantial operation will stay in Springfield, including the forge, machine shop and revolver assembly. There will still be 1,000 jobs here, many of them highly skilled and high-paying, the company said.

In just more than three years when the transition is complete, Smith & Wessons revolvers will still be manufactured here and stamped  Springfield, Massachusetts. But the companys semiautomatic rifles  the industry calls them modern sporting rifles while opponents say assault rifles  and semiautomatic pistols will be made in Tennessee.

News reports from Tennessee said Smith & Wesson may buy the land for only $1. It is part of a larger incentive package that includes seven-year tax abatement that could result in about $8 million in company savings, according to sources The Daily Times granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the deal.

Smith & Wesson said its move was prompted by legislation proposed earlier this year by Springfield state Rep. Bud L. Williams and others that would outlaw part of its manufacturing business. That includes feeding devices capable of containing 10 or more rounds, trigger pulls requiring pressure less than 10 pounds, threaded barrels that accept silencers and other military-looking hardware.

They are moving their headquarters. Thats what corporate does. We are trying to save lives, Williams said this week.

John Rosenthal, a co-founder of Stop Handgun Violence, which backs the bill, said Thursdays announcement came the same day as the fourth-anniversary of the Las Vegas shooting where a gunman fired on a concert crowd. Fifty-eight people were killed that night, and two others died later. More than 850 were injured.

The shooter in the 2018 mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida, used a Smith & Wesson semiautomatic rifle to kill 17 people and injure 17 others.

My friend lost his son at Parkland, said Rosenthal, a businessman who describes himself as a recreational gun owner.

As far as reacting to Smith & Wessons decision and the loss of jobs: Three cheers for democracy, Rosenthal said.

He said Smith & Wesson had been moving jobs out of the state for years and that it was just seeking a lower cost of doing business.

The news release Smith & Wesson sent out would lead people to believe that the cost of doing business was a factor. It made reference to Tennessees cost of living and business friendly environment, usually code words for low taxes and less regulation.

It also made general statements about respect for the Second Amendment. Blount County, Tennessee, declared itself a Second Amendment sanctuary last year.

A gun industry lobbying group called Smith & Wessons move part of a migration of gunmakers to states that respect firearm industry contributions. Gun parts manufacturer Troy Industries of West Springfield announced earlier this year it will move to Tennessee also.

But Smith said Friday that it was the proposed law that prompted the move. The products the legislation singles out are what consumers want, and they make up 60% percent of Smith & Wessons sales, he said. Limiting those products for sale to the military or law enforcement isnt feasible because Smith & Wessons share of those markets is too small.

Smith  no relation to the company co-founder  said it doesnt matter that the proposal is just a bill, one of dozens filed each year that often dont get a hearing, much less a vote on Beacon Hill.

Honestly, we know we could have defeated it this session, Smith said. But it will be back the next session and the session after that.

It will take years to move the operation, he said. So if the company waited for the bill to pass, itd be too late.

I just cant operate with that big a risk hanging over the company, he said. We only started this process once the bill was filed. Then and only then.

Once Smith and his executives decided they had to move, they found it made sense to close the Missouri and Connecticut plants as well and consolidate some operations in Tennessee.

The plastic parts from Deep River, Connecticut, go into the rifles and pistols, so that needs to be near the assembly lines. The distribution system needed to move from Missouri.

But it was the need to move from this law that triggered all the other discussions, Smith said. We didnt want to do this.

The forges, giant steel hammers that shape aluminum or carbon steel, pounding parts out of metal blocks, are hard to move. So are hundreds of computer numerical control milling machines used to shape the metal. Thats why theyll stay in Springfield.

Revolvers dont have attributes targeted by the proposed law, so work assembling them will also stay here. Its painstaking work that takes a great deal of training and experience. Assemblers dry-fire the weapons and adjust them based on the sound of the metallic click until they get it just right. Its why the jobs that are staying are so highly paid.

If I was doing this to save a dime, why would I leave the highest-paid jobs behind? Smith said. We love Springfield. We love Mayor (Domenic J.) Sarno. We didnt want to leave.

But Smith also said Smith & Wesson had been running out of space in Springfield for years. Moving some assembly work out frees up space so it no longer has to rent storage space. Moving offices around means more space for more CNC machines, possibly, in the future.

Smith & Wesson had been hiring in Springfield, but all the jobs that are moving are currently filled. Smith said the company will need to keep hiring for Springfield in the future to keep the 1,000 jobs filled as well.

Some workers whose jobs are not moving have asked to relocate anyway. Thatll open up a Springfield position for someone on the relocation list who wants to stay.

We want to take as many of our workers with us as we can, he said.

Smith & Wesson is offering relocation incentives, Smith said, including a wage freeze. Wage scales are different in Tennessee, he said. The cost of living is 15% less than the national average. In Massachusetts its 35% higher.

The proposition is to hold a relocating workers current rate of pay even if they earn more than workers hired in Tennessee. The workers hired from Tennessee will get raises until they are making what the cohort that relocated are earning, and then everyone will get raises.

Jeff Muir, communications director for Blount Partnership, a chamber of commerce and development organization in Maryville, said the team headed north next month will include economic development specialists, a workforce expert and probably the regions tourism promotion person.

The message is to highlight the area, he said. We are going to be talking about what its like to raise your family here. We are going to talk about residential prospects, what housing is like.

Muir said the region sells itself as an outdoor recreation hub close to Knoxville, with the University of Tennessee, and to Nashville.

Our pitch, at least in Blount County, is that we are the peaceful side of the Smokies, he said. Get a cabin and enjoy the mountains peacefully. Its just a way to get away and relax in a calm area.

Local employers are already reaching out with job opportunities for Smith & Wesson workers who cannot or dont want to relocate.

David Cruise, president and CEO of the MassHire regional employment board of Hampden County, said manufacturers, especially smaller companies, are looking for help right now.

(c)2021 The Republican, Springfield, Mass.

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Many took the time during the latest alert level 4 lockdown to have a spring clear out and cut down on the clutter.

Some who did were perhaps surprised to find out the cost of a trip to the Rotorua dump is now as much as 16 per cent more.

The council says the price rise is down to government regulations and its an opportunity for the public to look at ways to minimise the waste they produce and to reduce their need for landfill visits.

Council infrastructure and environment deputy chief executive Stavros Michael says the changes to the fees at the Rotorua Landfill Refuse Transfer Station took effect on July 1 this year.

Central government regulations increased the waste disposal levy and cost of carbon emissions which impacted local landfill and refuse transfer station fees around the country.

He said the national waste disposal had increased by $10 per tonne, and the cost of carbon credits under the Emissions Trading Scheme had increased by $11.20 per tonne of waste.

However, there are also local pressures, as Waste Management, which operated the councils landfill, has changed waste disposal fees to cover an increase in operational costs.

Michael says the operational costs are linked to inflation and the rising costs of staff and transport. As a result, the gate fee at the dump increased by $4.12 a tonne to cover this.

The council was asked how much it considered the issue of fly-tipping and how prices at the dump might impact that behaviour.

Michael says the changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme and national waste disposal levy impacted councils all over the country.

"If it were free to dispose rubbish at the landfill refuse transfer station or if the gate rates were not increased to include the new taxes or increase in operating costs, [the] council would still need to cover the increase in costs.

Rotorua Lakes Council infrastructure and environmental solutions deputy chief executive Stavros Michael. Photo / Andrew Warner / Rotorua Daily Post.

He says a free landfill will fall on all ratepayers to pay for, which will cost more than $2.5 million a year.

"This would be significantly more than the actual cost of cleaning up illegal dumping each year which is estimated to be around $100,000.

He says there will always be people who chose not to do the right thing regardless of price.

The council does not yet have data on whether collections at the dump rose at the beginning of Alert Level 3 on August 31.

"However, we expect that a higher tonnage of waste was disposed of at the Rotorua Landfill during Alert Level 3 as many households used Alert Level 4 as a chance to clear out their properties.

Items that are taken to the dump travel 121km to the Tirohia landfill, south of Paeroa.
A talk this afternoon about the new developments taking place at two Tauranga battle sites is sparking high interest amongst those who want to see local history become more widely known.

In June 2021, Tauranga City Council announced the injection of funds into projects that seek to develop cultural and heritage centres, each designed to enable the local community to engage with the stories of Tauranga Moana and connect with taonga that tell the rich cultural history of our city.

Ngai Tamarawaho, in partnership with the Pukehinahina Charitable Trust, received $125,000 funding towards the establishment of a cultural centre at Gate Pa/Pukehinahina reserve which will focus on the New Zealand Land Wars.

In recent years there has been a steady growth amongst Tauranga residents interested in the history of the city  the story of Pukehinahina or Gate Pa in particular which was fought on April 29, 1864. That story also received a major boost with the series of events organised around the 2014 150th commemoration of the Battle of Pukehinahina.

Matewai Karaka of Waitaha at the Battle of Te Ranga memorial which sits over the trench site. Photo: Cameron Scott.

The Battle of Te Ranga took place on June 21, 1864, and is commemorated each year at the site in Pyes Pa. This little known battle from Taurangas history has probably done more to shape the destiny of this city than any other engagement of the New Zealand Wars.

Following the battles, the little-known Tauranga Bush Campaign was a six-month-long armed conflict in the Bay of Plenty resulting from the surveying of land that was confiscated from Tauranga Maori after the Battles of Gate Pa and Te Ranga in 1864. It was part of the New Zealand Wars that were fought over issues of land ownership and sovereignty. Some Maori responded to the surveying by interfering with the process, and with threatening the surveyors. The government responded in 1867 by sending in troops to burn villages and destroy crops.

The Waitangi Tribunal regards the response as unjustifiable.

"The actions of Crown forces in burning villages and destroying cultivations were excessive in relation to the declared aim of the campaign, which was to apprehend individuals who had interfered with surveys and threatened surveyors working on the confiscated blocks."

The Pou at Pyes Pa commemorates the Tauranga Bush Campaign - Te Weranga ki Taumata. Photo: Colin Lunt.

In 2017, 150 years following the Tauranga Bush Campaign, pou carved by Damian Kohu were erected at sites around the outskirts of Tauranga, such as Whakamarama and Te Ranga. The pou stand about five metres high, and while little is known about the bush war now, it is hugely significant for local Maori.

The commemorations at each of the two main battle sites often includes the singing of the hymn Whakaaria Mai and Abide with Me which was also the hymn sung by British officers with Rev. Brown at the Mission House the night before the Battle of Gate Pa.

The commemorations provide for reflection, and have had an air of deeper reconciliation in spite of the fact there has been much hurt and anger arising from the tragic events at Te Ranga.

At the 2020 Te Ranga commemoration, Western Bay Council mayor Garry Webber spoke about the site, which is presently a large paddock, being a regionally significant commemorative place in the history of the district.

I know the trust that looks after the property has plans for improving it, says Webber. I think thats appropriate given its history to our region. We should make this site as prestigious as we can but make sure its simple and elegant while reflecting the magnitude of the event that took place.

The 2020 Te Ranga commemoration. Photo: Cameron Scott.

The battle that occurred at Te Ranga has been described as among the bloodiest of the New Zealand campaigns. In desperate hand-to-hand fighting, British troops exacted terrible vengeance for Gate Pa.

The Maori garrison was unable to hold the incomplete defences and slowly withdrew. When Puhirake, the hero of Gate Pa himself was killed, the retreat became a rout. British cavalry gave chase, but could not penetrate the nearby bush.

More than 100 Maori, including the chivalrous Henare Taratoa, were killed or mortally wounded at Te Ranga, as were 13 British troops. The visiting iwi also suffered heavy casualties, which contributed to their subsequent enthusiasm for the Pai Marire insurgency.

Twenty-seven severely wounded Maori were taken to hospital at Te Papa camp. Fourteen did not long survive the battle and were buried at Mission Cemetery. Among the mortally wounded was Te Tera of Ngai Te Rangi, the only one to be identified in official reports.

About 70 Maori defenders including Puhirake were buried in the trenches at Te Ranga, which is now the large grass paddock.

Its like the Elms cemetery - incredibly sacred land, says Webber. I think its right to lift the profile of Te Ranga, in keeping with its original character. It was a battle field.

Students from Aquinas College laying a wreath at the Te Ranga battle site. Photo: Fiona Sullivan.

Funding has been allocated this year from Tauranga City Council towards those improvements.

While some restorative work was done on the Pukehinahina site and its accompanying site at Te Ranga these were introductory in nature and plans are now afoot to build on this preparatory work and bring these two sites right up to must-see visitor status.

During a recent ground penetrating radar survey at the Te Ranga site, a trench was identified that extends along the southern end of the site. Now filled in, it is believed to have once extended across the valley. The memorial sits directly over the trench.

Tamati Tata from Ngai Tamarawaho and Clinton Bowyer, landscape architect at Tauranga City Council look at a painting of the 1864 battle site. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

Buddy Mikaere as project director for the Pukehinahina Charitable Trust has been intimately involved with both the Pukehinahina and Te Ranga site upgrades.

Buddy says the plan at Te Ranga may involve a replacement for the memorial as well as a structure built to house information about what happened there in June 1864.

There will also be some landscaping work, says Buddy, but the major part of the work here will be the clearing and replanting of the very steep scarp thats on the eastern side of the reserve.

All of the noxious weeds down the hill will be taken out and replaced with planting.

The idea is to try and recreate the native bush that once upon a time was here, and to create a recreational space that people can come and walk through.

The project may take up to two years to complete and will include removing the hedge on the Pyes Pa side of the site, with a bund formed to mute traffic noise that travels across the ground.

Buddys talk at 2pm on Sunday October 3 at the Tauranga Historical Society meetings at Brain Watkins House in Cameron Road is designed to bring the community right up to date with what is proposed and where the projects are at.

"Tauranga has a great history that we need to celebrate," says Buddy,

Tauranga Historical Society talks are held monthly and are open to all. The $2 door charge includes afternoon tea and a chance to network with others that share the same passion for history.

Tauranga Historical Society monthly meeting, 2pm  3.30pm Sunday October 3 at Brain Watkins House, Cameron Road, Tauranga. Guest speaker Buddy Mikaere. $2 door charge. All welcome.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and the DirectorGeneral of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield will be speaking at a live press conference at 1pm today following the announcement of new community cases of COVID-19.

An Auckland truck driver who travelled to Palmerston North for work has tested positive for Covid-19 and there are two new positive COVID-19 community cases in Waikato.

A number of fast food restaurants, petrol stations and truck stops have been added as locations of interest after the truck drivers trip during the week.

The Ministry of Health spokesperson says the case was detected as part of routine surveillance testing.

The Ministry of Health has been notified of two new positive COVID-19 community cases in Waikato. One case is in Raglan and the other is in Hamilton East.



The case in Raglan is self-isolating at this stage and will be moved to a quarantine facility. The Waikato District Health Board is today carrying out further interviews with this person.

There are fears Brian Tamaki's anti-lockdown protest in Auckland, which attracted thousands to Auckland Domain on Saturday, could spread the virus.

The protest, organised by the Freedoms and Rights Coalition of which Tamaki is a member, began at 11am and was attended by motorcyclists and families with children, who set up picnic blankets on the grass.

Meanwhile, after seven weeks of restrictions and the country's longest lockdown, Auckland is struggling.

Businesses say they are buckling under Covid restrictions, and may not survive another lockdown extension.

Epidemiologists warn dropping to alert level 2 while there are still unlinked cases emerging in the community could have dire consequences.

Unfortunately, despite vaccines being touted as the way out of future necessity for lockdowns, rates of uptake are slowing.

More people had first doses in the first two days of September than its last seven days and forward bookings for first doses are essentially stalled, growing by just 5000 people a day.

As of midnight on Friday, 76 per cent of those aged 12 or over had received a first jab, while 45 per cent had received both doses.

Global toll

The number of confirmed Covid cases worldwide has passed 234.4 million, according to Johns Hopkins University. The number of deaths attributed to Covid is just shy of 4.8m.

The US has more than 43.6m cases and over 700,000 deaths. India has more than 33.79m cases and more than 448,500 deaths, while Brazil shows more than 21.4m cases and nearly 597,225 deaths.

Nearly 6.28 billion vaccine doses have been delivered.

New Covid-19 modelling suggested New Zealand could see up to 7000 Covid-19 deaths a year, even with a high proportion of the population jabbed. That number is based on UK data from this year.

More boaties are putting their hands up to help ferry Kiwis back from Australia, avoiding the long waits for managed isolation and quarantine.

After sailor David Mason floated his plan to assemble a crew of stranded Kiwis to sail his boat across the Tasman, other skippers and crew members are being married up for similar voyages.

What should I do?

Anyone who wants to get tested can find their local testing centres by visiting the Ministry of Health website.

People should use the Covid-19 tracer app.

If you are sick, call your GP before you visit, or Healthline on 0800 358 5453.

To avoid contracting and spreading the virus, wash your hands properly, cough and sneeze into the crook of your elbow and throw tissues away immediately.

Reach out, find support from people who care, connect with your community or help a neighbour in need.
Parts of the Waikato region entered Alert Level 3 on Sunday night in response to two recently confirmed cases in Raglan and Hamilton.

The two cases are known contacts of each other, but they have not yet been linked to the ongoing outbreak in Auckland.

The areas of Raglan, Te Kauwhata, Ngaruawahia, Hamilton City and Huntly are covered under the bespoke lockdown settings, which will be reviewed again in five days' time.

On Saturday night, an Auckland-based truck driver who travelled to Palmerston North also tested positive for Covid-19.

Some of NZs top medical and science experts have commented on the Governments announcement of parts of the Waikato region entered Alert Level 3.

"The new Alert Level 3 areas in the Waikato region seem to have been created with a slightly different purpose, and with somewhat different rules and expectations, compared with the Auckland AL3 region, says University of Auckland Physics Department Lecturer and Te Punaha Matatini Principal Investigator Dr Dion ONeale.

"The Auckland region Alert Level 3 area serves two purposes: it requires behaviour changes of people in the region --- supressing local spread --- in addition to limiting movements in and out of the region through a relatively hard boundary with enforced checkpoints --- reducing opportunities for transmission to other parts of the country.

"The use of small areas at Alert Level 3 within the broader Waikato region seem more geared towards the behaviour change aspects of AL3 than on limiting inter-regional movement and reducing wider transmission risk, says Dr ONeale.

"The density of interconnecting links within Auckland make it necessary to include all of the supercity, and some of the surrounding areas, within the Alert Level Boundary. Within the wider Waikato region there is a similar pattern of interconnecting links, but in the case of Waikato these links are spread over an area that is much larger than just Hamilton City.

"Hamilton City itself is relatively geographically small, with large numbers of people moving in and out of the area each day.

This makes it infeasible to define only a small area around Hamilton (and nearby areas such as Huntly and Ngaruawahia). Part of the reason for this is the large number of road connections through the Waikato, but another factor is making sure that people can still access essential services such as shops food and healthcare and can get to work, where appropriate, says Dr ONeale.

"In such a situation, one possibility is to ask people within an area of concern, like Hamilton city or Raglan, to change their behaviour locally and to limit their movements where possible, but without imposing harder restrictions on travel. In such a case, one has to hope that there is limited community transmission and that contact tracing can be used to rapidly ring-fence any infection before it can spread to other regions.

Dr O'Neale co-authored a paper on the regions most vulnerable to Covid spread from Auckland during the early stages of this delta outbreak.

"The alternative to a geographically limited area around the currently known Waikato cases would be to define a much wider regional boundary with the goal of also preventing spread to other regions. In this case, data on peoples regular movement patterns suggests that the region would likely need to include almost all of the Waikato district, and maybe even part of the Ruapehu region, says Dr ONeale.

"One important factor in preventing spread, is that people when people are moving between regions, they need to 'take their Alert Level with them' and always act as if they are at the highest alert level for any area they have visited in the last two weeks. A person moving between AL2 and AL3 still has an AL3 risk profile, even when they move into an AL2 area. This means they need to be limiting their contacts to their bubble, wearing a mask, and not going to cafes or bars, even when such things would otherwise be acceptable at the lower alert level.

"People who have been in any of the Waikato AL3 areas in the previous week will need to be acting like they are at AL3, wherever they happen to be now. This includes people who might have travelled recently, with the start of school holidays, where we typically see a surge of people travelling from Hamilton and surrounds, to other locations, says Dr ONeale.

"I havent seen any details added to the map on the MoH website for the new AL3 areas yet, but given the proposed 'soft' boundaries they seem like they might be more relevant to helping guide people when they should be acting like they are at AL3 --- even if they arent currently within those areas --- than to preventing inter-regional spread."



Sunrise in Huntly. Photo: Darin Campbell.

University of Auckland Te Kupenga Hauora Maori Associate Professor Donna Cormack says that Sundays new of positive cases in the Waikato region is concerning.

As always our aroha is with those whanau who are impacted by Covid-19, and with all of those in the broader community who are working hard to keep us safe, says Prof Cormack.

"Te Ropu Whakakaupapa Uruta supports parts of Waikato moving to at least Level 3 for a period of time, until we know more about the situation. We need time for communities to be able to access vaccination and to acheive an equitable vaccination rate as a result of the inequity that was built into the initial rollout.

"As the numbers of people in our communities that are testing positive for COVID-19 increases, it is also important that whanau are vigilant  kia mataara. There are important things we can each do to play our part to slow the spread of this virus to our whanau, and to the wider hapori. These are things that we can do, irrespective of the governments decision about levels, to protect and support our communities, says Professor Cormack.

Professor Cormack advises that:

If you are sick, have been to any location of interest, or are living in a suburb with cases - get tested. This is how we about where COVID is in our communities, slow the spread and individuals and whanau impacted by the virus

Keep your bubble as safe and as tight as you can and avoid social events with others outside of your bubble

If you are able to, stay at home or work at home  especially if you have health conditions that could be more of a problem with COVID

If you do go out, wear a mask, physical distance from others, and remember to regularly wash hands or sanitise to reduce the risk of spreading the virus

If you do need healthcare, it is important to know that this is still available  hospitals are open for emergencies, and primary care is still operating

"Vaccination remains an important tool in our response. If you can, get vaccinated. If you have been taking a wait and see response, it is okay to change your mind. Times like this are a reminder that it is important that we support all our whanau, check in on how whanau outside your bubble are doing, show care and manaaki for those who test positive and to all those who have not been vaccinated, says Professor Cormack.

Raglan beach. Photo: Marty Wells.

Dr Dianne Sika-Paotonu, who is an immunologist, and Associate Dean (Pacific), Head of University of Otago Wellington Pacific Office, and Senior Lecturer, Pathology & Molecular Medicine, University of Otago Wellington says that Delta is still transmitting and continues to move beyond borders in New Zealand.

Although vaccination rates have improved, focus and momentum must continue, with work underway to increase accessibility and reduce barriers for those needing the Covid-19 vaccine still needed  this also applies for Covid-19 testing and prevention efforts, says Dr Sika-Paotonu.

"The recently identified positive Covid-19 cases prompting the shift of Raglan, Te Kauwhata, Ngaruawahia, Hamilton city and Huntly into Level 3 restrictions, indicates how easily the Delta variant can still spread across regional borders and into other areas at this time, and that without higher vaccination rates, the risk of further outbreaks remains.

"As it stands, unlinked mystery cases of unknown origin have continued to appear throughout the current Alert Level restrictions, which is also of further concern and highlights the need for all to remain vigilant, get vaccinated, get tested, follow the alert level rules and importantly, to reach out and help and support others do the same, says Dr Sika-Paotonu.

"Any Alert Level shift planning moving forward for the Auckland Region will require careful scrutiny as a high degree of risk remains for all  especially for our most vulnerable communities in Aotearoa New Zealand.

"Moving forward, the adverse health outcomes in Aotearoa NZ already seen with Covid-19 and that are impacting our most vulnerable groups in particular, will require ongoing careful consideration and appropriate responses, so as to prevent any further exacerbation of these inequities.

"Pacific-targeted and -tailored vaccination events and activities recently held that have been Pacific-led and community driven, together with Pacific health providers, have helped improve vaccine accessibility, and vaccination rates and are examples of Pacific-led solutions for Pacific peoples and communities."
Covid-19 vaccination uptake among Maori is only about two-thirds that of the general population.

The government has consistently defended its approach to the vaccine rollout, saying Maori are younger and will therefore lag in vaccination rates.

But critics have repeatedly said Maori should have been prioritised for vaccination and the roll out was too Anglo-centric.

It has been a month since all New Zealanders over 12 became eligible for the vaccine and only 55 percent of Maori have had their first dose.

Te Ropu Whakakaupapa Uruta co-leader Rawiri Jansen said he had seen some improvement, but there was more to be done.

"There is some improvement for Maori in terms of accessing vaccine and it does show up quite good in Auckland, where it's predictable with the Delta outbreak there's been a huge surge in accessing vaccine. But it's right to notice that other parts of the country haven't been able to reach Maori communities in ways that we would have hoped for and, I think, we're going to need."

There had been an increase in some of the features of the rollout Maori leaders had been calling for, such as education campaigns and events which resonated with Maori, but there needed to be more of it, Dr Jansen said.

"It's an enduring pity that wasn't the feature that we saw right at the start of the campaign, but I'm confident that if we keep doing enough of that we'll end up with a really great result."

The pandemic had exposed features of the health system which benefited the majority rather than bending towards equity, he said.

Addressing those historic policies and inequities would be key to not only protecting Maori and Pasifika from the worst effects of the pandemic, but ensuring equity in the health system in future, Dr Jansen said.

"I'm concerned that an outbreak in under-vaccinated Maori could be catastrophic," he said.

"So I really endorse mainstream New Zealand accepting that it will take three or four or five extra weeks to get the Maori population into the right place with respect to protection from Covid by being vaccinated. That's in all our interests to do that - having mass outbreaks of Covid will affect the health system for everybody. So it's in our interest to make sure that we have a vaccination programme that reaches 95 percent of Maori."

Based on current vaccination rates when 90 percent of the general population was fully vaccinated, only 62 percent of Maori would be- potentially 200,000-plus eligible Maori without a vaccine, which did not include the population under 12.

"That's a huge number of unvaccinated Maori and that's a huge reservoir for an outbreak that will swamp our hospital system, now nobody should be calling for that to happen. We've got to get this job done," Jansen said.

Modelling suggested a Covid outbreak among an under-vaccinated population https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/452127/covid-19-modelling-90-percent-vaccination-needed-to-avoid-lockdowns could be devastating], and Maori are more vulnerable to the virus.

Research from Te Punaha Matatini showed a 44-year-old Maori person was at the same risk from Covid-19 as a 65-year-old Pakeha.

Jansen said the longer people were unvaccinated the more time antivax conspiracy had to reach them.

"One of the things is because Maori weren't prioritised early in the vaccination rollout they've actually been exposed to much more antivax or vax hesitant messaging for a much longer period of time - that shouldn't have happened. We could've done this differently but it has happened, now we've got to do extra work to get to the right place."

Bringing the vaccine rollout into workplaces, religious spaces, marae and schools would provide an opportunity for that kind of antivax messaging to be overcome as people saw their peers and community receiving the vaccine safely around them, he said.

Medsafe was expected to assess evidence this month on whether the vaccine could be rolled out to 5-12-year-olds.

"The government should be preparing a programme for school vaccinations at the earliest opportunity because that's the best way of getting Maori vaccinations up to the levels that will protect our community.

"In saying the government - it's really the Ministry of Health, it's the Covid division within the ministry and it's all of the DHBs and all of the services that wrap around schools. So that's a big piece of work, but that's really worthy of our attention because it will get a good outcome for the country and it will get a good outcome for the Maori community."

-RNZ/Tim Brown
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Rumor mill: The Surface Pro X hasn't seen any substantial SoC upgrades since its initial release in 2019, bar a minor clock speed bump with the SQ2 chip in 2020. However, it's now looking like Microsoft and AMD are working on something with RDNA graphics to power a next-generation Surface Pro X -- and maybe other devices, too.

If a thread on Korean tech forum Clien is to be believed, Microsoft and AMD are working together to design an upcoming laptop-class processor, following Samsung's Exynos 2200 in using mRDNA graphics paired with an Arm CPU.

While it's expected to only use Cortex X1 cores compared to the Exynos' X2s, it's also likely to be running them at significantly higher clock speeds if the 3+ GHz clocks of the SQ processors are anything to go by. That should be a sizable advantage over the Samsung chip, more than enough to negate the 16% difference in IPC that Arm claims between the two designs.

Plus, it should be able to tote more of those cores -- whereas the Exynos only has a single X2 as its "Super" core -- and sustain that performance far better with the thermal and power headroom of a laptop chassis.

AMD is collaborating with Microsoft to equip powerful ARM laptop processor in Surface.

Target perf: lower than GTX1050 class but much better than Qualcomm chip that uses the old arch. and in the overall lightweight ARM laptops.

GPU: 4WGP, 8CU

(1/2)



Sourcehttps://t.co/ktt0SfgWjV https://t.co/vqkzQEwEjx  Tron  (@FrontTron) October 1, 2021

On the GPU side of things, the processor will apparently use an mRDNA2 GPU like that of the Exynos design, with 8 CUs, a setup that puts it on the same footing as the Steam Deck. The forum posts clarify that performance is comparable to (but weaker than) than the GTX 1050. That's below where the Valve handheld is thought to be, the Deck is also using full RDNA 2 graphics being fed with high-speed LP-DDR5 RAM. In any case, the Microsoft-AMD chip should still firmly beat the graphics solutions in existing Qualcomm products.

An Exynos modem should bring 5G connectivity, but that seems to be the extent of Samsung's involvement with this project. It was apparently going to be produced on the Korean titan's 5nm process originally, but low yields forced a shift to TSMC's 5nm node instead; the resulting delay would be responsible for the lack of an updated Surface Pro X for 2021.

However, there's also a substantial difference in process technology between the two foundries, with previous Anandtech testing finding Samsung's 5LPE to only just match TSMC's previous node, moving it to the latter's N5 process should bring tangible efficiency benefits. Given the fiery competition in laptop processors right now, between AMD's Ryzen offerings, Apple's M1, and upcoming Intel Alder Lake heterogeneous parts, any further gains for a device still weighed down by the mess of Windows-on-Arm would be more than welcome.
Renewable energy is the future of the United States, at least according to the current administration.

Current US president Joe Biden has called for a major change in the American energy sector, all in an attempt to help with the climate crisis.

The White House has recently announced their plans for the country to heavily invest in renewable energy sources, specifically solar, with their main goal being to generate almost half of the entire nation's energy demand from it by 2050.

However, these plans have been slammed by Carbon Infrastructure Partners (CIP) managing partner Craig Golinowski.

According to him, the White House's plan to produce 1,050 to 1,570 gigawatts purely by solar power is not "financially feasible," reported The Express.

Golinowski claimed that even if renewable energy is the future, it still can't compete with the total energy output of fossil fuels right now. He then further said that if the US does decide to push through with this plan, they will be facing a massive energy crisis.

This green energy plan is an extremely massive undertaking.

Estimates by the US Department of Energy say that over 3.1 million solar panels produce just one gigawatt of power. That's equivalent to 346 wind turbines.

Still, it hasn't slowed down the increase in the popularity of renewable energy sources there. Right now, Americans are actually buying more and more into them, with solar leading the race.

According to CNBC, there was a record-high number of solar installations across the United States last year. This could mainly be attributed to decreased costs and policies such as tax incentives.

But should the POTUS Joe Biden administration's plan succeed, it will provide something way more than just clean energy. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm claimed that the deployment of these solar panels would create over 1.5 million jobs.

Read also: Apple Achieves 100% Renewable Energy in Retail Stores, Offices, Data Centers, and Co-located Facilities in 43 Countries

Renewable Energy Critics: What's Their Gripe About It?

Golinowski is just one of many critics of renewable energy sources, and they often cite similar reasons as to why current targets for the implementation of renewables aren't feasible.

Perhaps their biggest concern is the alleged intermittent quality of green energy generation.

Solar panels, for one, obviously cannot collect sunlight at night. Wind turbines, on the other hand, require excellent weather conditions to produce enough power.

Still, they can't really deny that solar and wind have become cheaper than coal, and that the harmful environmental effects of hundreds of years' worth of fossil fuel use have started to rear their ugly heads.

The World Is Adopting Renewables At A Rapid Pace

America needs to hurry up with their green energy revolution, because much of the developed world has now adopted renewables.

Europe, for instance, now generates 38% of its electricity from solar, wind, hydroelectric, and bioenergy sources.

If the Europeans managed to do it (and keep doing it), then there's no reason for the US to not do it themselves.

Related: Heimdal Uses Renewable Energy to Get CO2, Cement from Seawater; Startup to Debut Carbon-Free Materials

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(Photo : Pixabay/PhotoMIX-Company) Packages UPS

USPS began its slowdown on Oct. 1, which means the prices are up and the wait time is longer. Luckily, there are alternatives that you can turn to that are both cheap and fast.

There are a lot of shipping discounts available, and if you are running an e-commerce business, you should not be charged with retail shipping rates.

Through incentive programs, shipping software, and carrier negotiations, there are several ways that you can get discounts with carriers.

USPS Alternatives with Cheap Shipping

Different carriers ensure delivery within a specific time period. Below is a list of preferred services for some of the most common delivery timeframes, according to ShipStation.

Bear in mind that these services are for packages that are 10lbs and lighter. It is better for heavier packages to check the carriers individually or through a shipping rate calculator.

For 2 to 3 day shipping, you can go with FedEx and UPS Ground Services. Normally, USPS Priority Mail offers the best rate, but since the slowdown plan is already in effect, chances are, the prices have increased.

UPS and FedEx both offer competitive rates for packages that are 7 lbs. and above.

Also Read: USPS Designates Oshkosh Defense for Electric Mail Truck Production that Would be Available in 2 Years!

Keep in mind that a residential surcharge is applicable to residential addresses when you ship packages through UPS or FedEx. This will add $3 to $4 to every shipment.

Sometimes, these addresses are not listed as residential in the carrier's platform, and you won't even know that you are paying extra until you receive an invoice.

USPS does not have a residential surcharge because the postal service already anticipates delivering to each and every address. This is why heavier packages start becoming more expensive, according to ShipEasy.

USPS first-class mail and packages have increased its prices on Oct.1, which means the prices of the other services have doubled.

USPS also has changed its time frame for its service, which is now longer than usual, with first-class mail arriving in five days than the usual three days.

Options for 2-Day Shipping

It is important to note that USPS does not offer a 2-day shipping service. According to The Washington Post, any package that needs to be delivered within two days needs to be sent through UPS 2nd Day service or FedEx 2 Day service.

Options for Next Day Shipping

Overnight delivery or next-day delivery is where FedEx and UPS begin offering competitive rates. With hubs located worldwide, both UPS and FedEx are the carrier of choice for overnight Shipping. You can go with the UPS Next Day Air Service or the FedEx Standard Overnight.

Options for Next Day AM Shipping

Similar to the Next Day Shipping options, FedEx and UPS offer delivery by noon the next day. Rates between the two carriers do not vary too differently.

For FedEx, the services you can choose from are FedEx Priority Overnight, which will be delivered by noon, and FedEx First Overnight, which will be delivered by 10:00 A.M. Eastern Standard Time.

As for UPS, you can go with the UPS Next Day Air, which will be delivered by noon, and UPS Next Day Air Early, which will be delivered by 10:00 A.M. Eastern Standard Time.

International Shipping Options

For packages that weigh 4lbs and under, you can choose the First Class Mail International services offered by both FedEx and UPS. It falls under standard delivery, so it may take weeks before it arrives at its destination.

If you want fast delivery, you can go with FedEx because it offers better rates compared to UPS as it has an Economy International service available.

If you need your delivery to be expedited, you can go with the FedEx International Priority service. It is a lot cheaper compared to the UPS Worldwide Express service.

Related Article: U.S Postal Service Confirms 'No Import Ban' on Chinese Products Amid Coronavirus Spread

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(Photo : GettlyImages/ Justin Sullivan) Donald Trump rally

Donald Trump, the former president of the United States, has filed a lawsuit in Florida to force Twitter to give him back his account. He argued that the ban violates the First Amendment and the new social media law in Florida.

Donald Trump Wants His Twitter Back

Trump now wants a preliminary injunction of Twitter's ban. The lawsuit was filed in the Southern District of Florida on Oct. 1. according to The Verge.

The former president said that Twitter is deliberately censoring him, and the members of Congress are coercing it. He also described the platform as a "major avenue of public discourse." Trump seeks to be reinstated on the platform.

The complaint also states that Twitter has a degree of power and control over the country's political discourse and that it is "dangerous to open democratic debate."

Trump used his Twitter account to announce his personal decisions and policy when he was the country's president. He was also open with his criticism of his political enemies and his opinion regarding the election results.

Also Read: Twitter Employee Deactivated Donald Trump's Account On His Last Day: We Have A New Internet Hero

Twitter banned Trump permanently in January after the deadly riot at the Capitol building on Jan. 6. Trump supporters did the riot in an attempt to prevent the certification of President Joe Biden's victory in last year's presidential election.

At first, the platform banned Trump's account for 12 hours due to "repeated and severe violations of their integrity policy" after posting tweets about how the election was stolen from him.

The platform eventually made the ban permanent on Jan. 8. Other social media platforms, such as YouTube, Facebook, and Snapchat, banned Trump after the Capitol riots, according to PCMag.

Earlier this year, it was reported that Donald Trump resorted to using a WordPress blog as a substitute to social media accounts.

However, Facebook and Trump deleted posts that featured Donald Trump's blog due to his ban on the platform.

Florida's New Social Media Law

In the lawsuit, Trump argues that his Twitter account, which had 88 million followers, had become the source of news and information about government issues and affairs. It also became a virtual town hall where he openly posted his opinions and views.

Twitter also censored Trump during his presidency by labeling some of the tweets he posted as "misleading information." Twitter claimed the former president violated the platform's rules against "glorifying violence."

According to Engadget, Trump's lawsuit also cited the new social media law in Florida, which prohibits any social media platform from deplatforming politicians.

The social media law requires the companies to apply censorship, shadow banning standards, and deplatforming in a consistent manner.

Trump argues that Twitter was not consistent with its standards. In May, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed the law, but a federal judge blocked it in July before it could even take effect.

The former president also stated that Twitter was not consistent with its rules regarding COVID-19 posts and that the platform had no problem when it came to the posts about the protests after George Floyd's death yet disapproved of the Jan. 6 event.

Trump also argued that the media claims that the Capitol riot was a source of COVID-19 infection, but the protest in the summer of 2020 was not.

Twitter has not commented about the lawsuit.

Related Article: Donald Trump vs. Mark Zuckerberg, Jack Dorsey, & Sundar Pichai: Former US President Is Suing Facebook, Youtube, and Twitter Over Alleged Censorship

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Android Auto's update will pay for the user's gas via voice command and will be rolling out its support to more than 32,000 fuel stations in the United States.

Google has been releasing new noteworthy features for Auto, which shows that the tech giant's increasing commitment to the operating system for car owners, as per T3.

The news outlet further noted that Android Auto started seemingly as a side project of the search engine giant, but it has already improved into a full-blown ecosystem, just like its mobile operating system.

Now, Android Auto has been integrated with the Android mobile ecosystem for the most part.

Android Auto Update and Gas Payment

For instance, the gas payment feature of Android Auto will be working alongside Google Pay and Google Assistant.

On top of that, users could also use their Android smartphones to pay for their gas, similar to Android Auto.

According to 9to5Google, the gas payment feature came along with additional connectivity and media features in the Android Auto-update.

The new payment feature will allow its users to pay for their gas without going out of their vehicle. All they need to have is an Android Auto on their car or an Android mobile phone.

Not to mention that using the feature is pretty simple and convenient. Android Auto will start the payment process by merely saying the phrase "Hey, Google pay for gas."

After which, it will ask the car owner to provide the pump number from the gas station, and the payment process will be finished. That is if Google Pay is already encoded to your phone.

That said, the new feature that Google is rolling out to Android Auto will lessen the physical contact of both the customers and employees.

However, of course, drivers are still required to pump the gas to the vehicle. But as far as Google is concerned, the payment process could now be contactless, at least for the pilot locations of the tech giant.

Android Auto Gas Payment Update Roll Out

The new feature will initially roll out to select gas stations in the United States, namely Mobil, Exxon, Phillips 66 and 76, and Conoco.

What's more, a total of 32,500 locations in the US will get support for the new Android Auto payment feature.

Read Also: Android Auto Now Supports ChargePoint EV Charger App: Features, and Driver User Guide-Can Tesla Owners Use It?

Android Auto Update

Not just that, Google is also introducing other improvements from the latest Android Auto update, namely the Dual SIM Support and the Work Profile.

For the first one, Google is now allowing its users to choose between two SIM cards when using their auto OS as the name suggests.

Meanwhile, the Work Profile feature enables car owners to check out both calendar events and even messages from both their personal and work smartphones.

Related Article: Google Android 12.1 Leak: A Foldable Phone Might Arrive This Year Together With an Upcoming Software Update

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Blue Origin bagged multiple Guinness World Record titles for its first-ever crewed mission, which includes Jeff Bezos, the founder of the space exploration firm, and Wally Funk, the oldest person to fly to space.

Guinness World Records announced that the first passenger-carrying spaceflight of Amazon founder Bezos' Blue Origin broke four titles for the said mission, as per AutoEvolution.

Blue Origin First Crewed Mission

The first crewed mission of Blue Origin included its CEO, Jeff Bezos, aviation pioneer Wally Funk, Mark Bezos, and even the first person to buy a spaceflight ticket from the firm, Oliver Daemen.

The spaceflight of Blue Origin launched last July 2021 to space via the rocket of the firm known as the New Shepard from the Launch Site One in Texas.

The four passengers traveled to space inside a capsule that was atop the New Shepard, which flaunted the largest windows for a spacecraft to showcase the views outside Earth, according to BBC.

Although the journey in space only lasted for 10 minutes and 10 seconds, the first crew mission of the company already smashed four Guinness World Record titles at the same time.

Aside from the world records, Bezos also said that his space flight was the "Best day ever!"

The rocket that was used for the spaceflight of Bezos and company is supposed to travel people to the outside of the Earth to kick off the space tourism industry.

Blue Origin Breaks Four Guinness World Records

Oldest Person in Space

One of the records that Blue Origin broke during its first crewed flight is the "Oldest person in space" title due to one of its passengers, 82 year-old Wally Funk.

The pioneering American aviator, Funk, was part of the "Mercury 13" program, wherein she was joined with 12 other females. The privately-funded project physically and mentally tested women pilots similar to what the male astronauts experienced.

After the grueling tests, Funk prevailed and passed them. Not to mention that she even beat the scores of the other male candidates in multiple areas of the tests.

However, her lifelong dream of going to space only came to life during the first crewed mission of Blue Origin.

First Suborbital Spacecraft to Carry Paying Customers

Not just that, the crewed mission was also the first flight to include a paying passenger.

Daemen is the first customer of the firm to buy a ticket for a trip to space. However, AP News noted that the passenger did not reveal the ticket price to the monumental spaceflight.

Nevertheless, the family of Baemen claimed that its price was less than $28 million.

Youngest Person to go to Space

On top of that, the first paying passenger of Blue Origin, Daemen, also got his own Guinness World Record title.

The 18-year old spaceflight passenger is now dubbed as the youngest person to go to space.

The Physics and Innovation student of the University of Utrecht admitted that he has been fond of both spaceflight and aviation even during his younger days.

Read Also: Blue Origin Whistleblower Says Space Firm Has Safety Issues, FAA to Review the Claims

First Siblings in Space at the Same Time

What's more, the Blue Origin space flight carried both its founder Jeff Bezos and his younger brother, Mark.

As such, Guinness World Records also gave the crewed mission a "first siblings in space at the same time" title.

Related Article: Elon Musk: Blue Origin and Jeff Bezos Legal Fight with NASA Does Not Guarantee a Moon Contract

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Hubble just made another monumental discovery, despite its recent history of technical issues.

This one is of a particular galaxy called NGC 5728 having an unusually active core by cosmic standards.

According to a report by Space.com, the core of NGC 5728 is emitting a lot of visible and infrared light.

With this core, the galaxy that Hubble spotted is classified as a Seyfert galaxy. This class of galaxies are characterized by many things, but the main one is the active nucleus, which shines brighter than usual due to all of the dust and gas being hurled around its black hole.

At times, the nucleus of a Seyfert galaxy has also been observed to shine way brighter than the rest of it in both visible and infrared wavelengths.

The Hubble Space Telescope managed to capture the image of NGC 5728 using its Wide Field Camera 3 (WCF3).

Furthermore, the ESA also stated that NGC 5728 is also emitting massive amounts of light that the WCF3 isn't even sensitive enough to detect.

Basically, there's way more to the Hubble image of NGC 5728 than meets the eye.

This discovery is one of the most recent that Hubble was able to make a while after its series of malfunctions from June to July of this year. Eventually, NASA was able to fix the telescope after switching to its backup computer.

Read also: NASA Hubble Helps in Finding Dead Galaxies, Running Out of Hydrogen to Make Stars-What Are They?

Is Hubble Due To Retire Soon?

In the 31 years since its first launch, the Hubble Space Telescope has provided a still-unrivalled window to the cosmos for astronomers on Earth.

Using its array of instruments, humans can see into the farthest reaches of the universe, but the tech that has powered the telescope has certainly seen better days.

According to the MIT Technology Review, Hubble had its last hardware servicing way back in 2009.

A team of space shuttle astronauts and engineers worked on the maintenance run, eventually assessing that the iconic space telescope will only last until 2016.

But that was an assessment that they made twelve years ago.

More recent estimates have put the Hubble Space Telescope's chances of surviving the decade a bit longer.

According to Tom Brown, who serves as the head of the Hubble mission office at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, there's a chance that the telescope would maintain its ability to do science until 2026.

Hubble's Planned Successor

The James Webb Telescope, which is being groomed to eventually replace Hubble when it finally retires, has really big shoes to fill.

Webb is currently considered the most powerful space telescope ever made. With all of the tech that went into making it, experts at NASA, the ESA, and other space agencies across the world believe it can produce way better images compared to its predecessors.

Only time will tell if it would live up to lofty expectations.

It is scheduled to launch on Dec. 18 according to EarthSky.org, barring any further delays.

Related: IN PHOTOS: Hubble Space Telescope's Images of Irregular Galaxies

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Intel ARC Alchemist is one of the most awaited GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) models. However, some experts explained one reason that could disappoint its consumers.

Also Read: Computex 2021: AMD, Nvidia, and Intel to Announce Keynotes for the Annual Event--Don't Miss Important Announcements Here

They explained that the new computer component could be delayed than recently expected. Speculations claimed that the new GPU model could be released in the second quarter of 2022.

Intel, together with AMD, is one of the top brands when it comes to developing CPU and GPU models. Its upcoming ARC Alchemist is expected to bring some exciting features that would make your PC gaming experience smoother and better.

These enhancements include a 16 GB GDDR6 memory capacity, eight raster engines, as well as 32 RT Cores and 16 MB Smart Cache. But, you still need to wait a little longer before you can enjoy these GPU innovations.

Why Could Intel ARC Alchemist GPU Be Delayed?

According to Tech Radar's latest report, the new Intel ARC Alchemist could be delayed since it might be released together with the new Alder Lake mobile SoC.

Some rumors claimed that another reason could be the current supply chain and production issues faced by the giant chipmaker. As of the moment, these are only the main reasons provided for the launch date delay of ARC Alchemist GPU.

The new ARC Alchemist GPU model is not the only innovation that Intel is working on. Recently, Intel partnered with MSI to produce laptops powered by Tiger Lake chipsets.

On the other hand, the giant SoC developer also collaborated with QuTech to develop the new Intel Horse Ridge Cryogenic Control chipset.

Unofficial ARC Alchemist Renders Show Possible External Design

Moore's Law Is Dead's YouTube channel provided some unofficial renders of the new Intel SoC, which show the possible external design of the upcoming computer component.

"I have pictures of the Intel Arc reference cooler. Want to see them?" captioned the YT tech vlogger.

As of the moment, the latest footage of Moore's Law Is Dead was able to generate more than 27,000 views. Based on the images leaked by the YouTube influencer, the new SoC would sport a 9-blade fan, with RGB embedded around its blades, offering a great blue lighting output.

On the other hand, circular patterns around the edges also appeared on the unofficial images. If you want to see the exact renders, you can watch the YT video below.

For more news updates about Intel and its upcoming GPUs, as well as other PC or smartphone components, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: Intel Releases Four New Tiger Lake CPUs, But Should You Care?

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When Louisiana lawmakers passed legislation back in June barring schools and universities from enforcing COVID vaccine requirements, they agreed that the protections would only be needed for a limited period of time.

By that point, more than 3 million vaccine doses had been administered in Louisiana and data proved the jabs both safe and effective against COVID-19.

But vaccine skeptics in the statehouse didnt trust the nations scientists. They claimed that because the vaccines had been approved under emergency-use authorization, they hadnt been fully vetted, ignoring the rigorous clinical trials that had demonstrated their effectiveness.

Republican state lawmakers decided legislation banning certain COVID vaccine requirements was necessary  at least until the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted the vaccines full approval.

So, when federal regulators fully authorized the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for people aged 16 and up at the end of August, those doubts should have been settled.

+4 Governor extends mask mandate to Oct. 27, 'Numbers are still far too high' Despite improvements in recent weeks Gov. John Bel Edwards said Tuesday he is extending his indoor mask mandate until Oct. 27 and said COVID-1

Not so.

Instead, some lawmakers latched on to a farfetched conspiracy theory thats become increasingly popular among anti-vaccine activists: that the FDA didnt really fully authorize the Pfizer vaccine.

In a meandering letter sent to Gov. John Bel Edwards on Wednesday, published on Louisiana House of Representatives letterhead, ten GOP legislators demanded the state Health Department buck the FDA and declare that no vaccines with full approval are available in Louisiana.

Much of their argument is incomprehensible. But it boils down to the incorrect notion that doses of the Pfizer vaccine manufactured prior to the full FDA approval arent fully authorized.

The letter is complete nonsense and misunderstands the FDA approval process, said Nathan Cortez, a law professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

When the FDA granted full approval for the two-dose Pfizer regiment, the product received a new trade name, Comirnaty  but its formulation remained the same and the FDA said it could be used interchangeably with existing stock of the Pfizer vaccine.

No serious person would argue that the decision renders the vaccine to be a completely different vaccine, Cortez said. This letter deserves all the mockery and derision it gets.

A spokesperson for the governor, Christina Stephens, said Edwards hasnt read the letter and doesnt intend to.

This letter is ridiculous, Stephens said. It's rife with disinformation, which is particularly dangerous to share during a pandemic and could result in immense and irreparable harm to families across this state."

+4 As state flips student COVID exposure rules, education official calls it abrupt, inconsistent State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumleys plan to let students exposed to the coronavirus remain in the classroom sparked pushback Thur

The letter is the latest effort by a vocal cohort of state lawmakers to sow doubts about the COVID vaccines and comes as Louisiana recovers from its fourth surge of the deadly virus, which pushed hospital capacity to the brink and killed thousands of Louisiana residents.

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More than 12,300 people across Louisiana have died of the coronavirus disease, and another 1,600 deaths are considered likely from COVID-19, according to Health Department data. The vast majority of those deaths were among people unvaccinated against COVID.

Lawmakers who signed the letter figured that if they could prove the vaccines available werent fully authorized, the sort of mandates that have been put in place for students and employees at universities and hospitals would be deemed illegal.

But that, too, is wrong, according to Edward Richards, a professor at LSUs School of Law. Though most employers and some universities waited for full FDA approval before issuing vaccine requirements, nothing barred them from enacting those mandates while the product was under emergency-use authorization.

State Rep. Kathy Edmonston, a Gonzales Republican who authored the legislation in the last legislative session targeting vaccine mandates, said she and her colleagues worked together to research the arguments presented in the letter, going so far as to include footnotes citing their sources.

But much of their arguments dont pan out under scrutiny.

At one point, they cherry-pick a quote from an FDA document saying: There is no data available on the interchangeability of Comirnaty with other COVID-19 vaccines to complete the vaccine series.

The lawmakers present the excerpt as a proof that the brand name version of the Pfizer vaccine cant be used interchangeably with doses previously approved under emergency-use. But Cortez, the SMU law professor, said they completely misunderstand the quotation.

FDA is warning that there is no data whether someone who received a first shot of the Pfizer vaccine would benefit from a second shot of the Moderna vaccine, for example, Cortez said.

None of the lawmakers behind the letter have a background in science or medicine, and in interviews, some of the signatories demonstrated clear misunderstandings of the FDAs regulatory process.

State Rep. Valerie Hodges, a Denham Springs Republican, claimed the vaccines had just recently been approved for clinical trials. Thats not true. Tens of thousands of people have participated in clinical trials for the COVID vaccines stretching back to 2020, and the FDA didnt grant its emergency-use authorizations until reviewing that data.

It's not the first time lawmakers, backed by anti-vaccine activists, have gotten their facts mixed up. House Bill 498, passed by the Legislature in June, would have temporarily barred certain government vaccine requirements until the FDA secretary approved its full use.

But the FDA doesn't have a secretary. It has a commissioner. And approval is granted by the FDA, not a singular commissioner. Edwards vetoed the bill, citing its flawed language.

Mark Ballard: In defiance of medical realities, vaccinations fall along partisan lines Throughout my life, our family gatherings were basically cops and pastors of all political stripes and religious philosophies sitting together

The lawmakers printed their latest note on generic Louisiana House of Representatives letterhead, causing some readers to believe its contents represented the views and beliefs of the entire lower chamber.

Its the third time in recent months that vaccine skeptics in the House have used the generic letterhead to promote opinions that challenged the scientific consensus around COVID.

After the latest letter was published, House Speaker Clay Schexnayder, a Gonzales Republican, emailed members saying that going forward, no members would be allowed to use the Louisiana House of Representatives letterhead.

The lawmakers that signed their name to the letter include: Reps Beryl Amedee, R-Houma; Raymond Crews, R-Bossier City; Kathy Edmonston, R-Gonzales; Larry Frieman, R-Abita Springs; Valerie Hodges, R-Denham Springs; Dodie Horton, R-Haughton; Sherman Mack, R-Albany; Danny McCormick, R-Oil City; Chuck Owen, R-Rosepine; and Rodney Schamerhorn, R-Hornbeck.
See the promotions at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana, additions to oncology team at Our Lady of the Lake
Friday was the first day of school for Karen Cashios grandson Riley.

Everyone else in Baton Rouge public schools, though, had been in school since early-to-mid August.

He was stoked, the grandmother said. He was really happy.

Riley is one of the more than 1,300 children who transferred this year to the EBR Virtual Academy, the lone home for online instruction this year for the East Baton Rouge Parish school system. Its a school that grew dramatically in size right before the school year started on Aug. 11.

It has yet to catch up.

Getting someone, anyone, on the phone at EBR Virtual Academy has been an ongoing aggravation for Cashio.

If theyd answer the phone and said, We dont know, that would be something, Cashio said.

Finally on Thursday, unable to obtain the correct information to log in to classes, Cashio emailed Superintendent Sito Narcisse and three other top administrators. She threatened to go public with her story. One administrator called her back and quickly got her son set up.

It was solved within two hours of me sending that email, Cashio said. That is ridiculous. He has not been in school until now.

Behind schedule

While it appears that Riley took longer to get into virtual school than his peers, they, in many cases, have not been in school that much longer.

Hundreds of children at EBR Virtual Academy, especially in the upper grades, received little to no instruction during the 13 days school was in session in August before Hurricane Ida shut everything down.Since school reopened on Sept. 8, post-Ida, the situation has improved, but problems persist.

Parents still complain about difficulty logging in to classes, obtaining Chromebooks, getting someone on phone or email. Meanwhile, several classes still lack a permanent teacher.

Diyaneka Scotts daughter MaKayla transferred this year to the EBR Virtual Academy from a school in St. Charles Parish, and its still not going well.

We don't even follow her schedule anymore as far as waking up early in the morning since she hasn't had a working Zoom class link in weeks, Scott said.

Scott said has a newborn child who is unvaccinated for COVID-19, which prompted her decision to have MaKayla learn virtually this year. But the mother has been disappointed so far with EBR Virtual Academy.

I am frustrated that there seems to be no order and little to no preparation. It gives off a feeling like the academy is winging it, and theres no plan in place, Scott said I've reached out for an update, no response. I am in the blind and I'm afraid for my daughters learning and that she won't be able to catch up by the time this madness is sorted out.

Sharon Williams, chief of schools for the East Baton Rouge Parish school system, said that communications and staffing continue to pose problems for the virtual school.

As far as the communication shortfalls, she said the schools location is partially to blame. The school is housed at 802 Mayflower St., formerly South Boulevard elementary school, located on the edge of downtown Baton Rouge.

Williams said the old school had not been able to handle the flood of incoming phone calls until recently. She said the school now has a phone tree, so calls roll over to other lines, as well as additional phone numbers people can call. Also certain staff are receiving additional phones to field calls, and more staff is being added.

For families with tech issues, the virtual school is planning to start an after-hours phone line on Oct. 11 if it can get enough employees to staff it, she said.

As far as staffing problems, Williams said that the district as a whole is understaffed and that the virtual school is feeling that most acutely given the steep rise in enrollment there sparked by the concern over the delta variant.

It definitely took us by surprise, Williams said. We thought our environment with COVID would be in a better space going into the school year.

'They are struggling'

The EBR Virtual Academy is actually two schools in one.

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The elementary grades are staffed by district teachers, while the secondary grades are dominated by instructors provided by Austin, Texas-based Proximity Learning. Problems in the secondary grades have sparked the bulk of the complaints

Proximity Learning works with schools around the country. The school system started using Proximity in late 2017 at middle and high schools that had a hard time finding teachers for certain courses. This year, nine high schools are using Proximity.

In July, the school system added EBR Virtual Academy to Proximitys caseload, and it is the only school where the company is covering the vast majority of classes.

Williams would not blame Proximity for the problems at the virtual school, saying the company has been a very open and a very communicative partner.

They are struggling with the same things we are struggling with, which is the (teacher) recruiting part and the dynamics of a rapidly increasing enrollment, Williams said.

Enrollment soars as quality suffers in Baton Rouge virtual academy: 'it has been a learning curve' The lone virtual option offered this year by the East Baton Rouge Parish school system has seen dramatically higher enrollment in the past mon

At a Sept. 16 School Board meeting, district officials acknowledged many problems at EBR Virtual Academy and said they were hopeful to fill vacancies by the following Friday, Sept. 24. Some jobs  its unclear how many  remain unfilled.

On Sept. 22, Proximity reported still having 36 vacancies out of 83 teaching positions at the virtual school. On Friday, the school system had nine vacancies posted.

Were both looking, Williams said, were both recruiting and hiring as we find qualified candidates.

That cant happen soon enough for Jennifer Harding. Her son, Atticus, who is in sixth grade, didnt start receiving live instruction until about two weeks ago.

In the classes where he is getting instruction, they are doing a pretty good job, especially given the disruption of new students rolling onto the rolls, Harding said.

Those newly arriving students, though, have slowed down classes, she said, and forced the teachers to spend time orienting those students and teaching items again and again.

Another sore spot is math, which she said is Atticus weakest subject. The boy has not had a math teacher all year, and many days not even a substitute teacher. Instead, students are supposed to work math problems on their own without the help of an instructor.

She said she plans to send her son back to Glasgow Middle, but worries about how far behind hell be.

Hes at a significant disadvantage at this point, Harding said.

'I hope it helps'

Karen Cashio said Riley learns best virtually.

For years, the boy has had difficulty reading and writing and has long struggled in school. But he thrived last year when he learned remotely while still at Woodlawn Middle.

In particular, he eagerly adopted talk-to-text technology, greatly improving his communication.

He was excited about school for the first time ever, she said. He improved in his schoolwork and as a person.

She said in some ways she wishes Woodlawn Middle would have continued what it did last year.

He knows his teachers, and (the school) is right around the corner, she said. Its not something I have to go downtown to get to.

At the same time, Cashio remains hopeful that the virtual academy will right itself.

She said that after Riley was able to get into virtual class on Friday, he pumped his fist in the air in excitement.

She said shes speaking out so other families wont have to lose as much time in school as Riley did: I hope it helps whoever is out there and lost and cant get through to someone.
Hurricane Ida clogged streams, rivers and bayous with tree branches and other debris, which local leaders worry could make those waterways more dangerous and more likely to flood.

In Tangipahoa Parish alone, officials are counting on $40 million in federal money to clean out waterways. But even with that money, it could could take up to 18 months to do the work, local officials say.

When I talk to constituents, they say theyve never seen this much damage, said Kiley Bates, administrator for the parishs Consolidated Gravity Drainage District No. 1. The 20-person agency maintains 390 miles of waterways from just north of Hammond down to the shores of lakes Maurepas and Pontchartrain.

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Idas 100-plus mile-per-hour winds shredded acres of pine forest that blankets this rural area east of Baton Rouge. When the storm died down, thousands of splintered trees lay in Tangipahoas 500 miles of rivers, streams and bayous, local officials said.

Those heaps of sodden debris illustrate a dilemma local governments face: They could pay contractors tens of millions of dollars to clean the waterways right away, but that puts them at risk of the feds denying a reimbursement. Or they could get federal approval for funding first  but that requires wading through arduous, slow-moving federal bureaucracy, even as hurricane season continues.

It's a tension leaders in bayou-crossed Southeast Louisiana could be confronting more frequently as storms grow more powerful.

'It's a catch-22'

After Hurricane Gustav in 2008, a debris-removal contractor sued Livingston Parish for $52 million that the federal government hadnt agreed to cover up front. It's that sort of situation that makes local leaders hesitant to start paying for cleanup before the feds commit to paying for it.

It's a Catch-22, said Bruno Carlo, a 32-year veteran of the Tangipahoa Parish Council and the drainage board. "Do you want to be on the hook for $50 million, or do you want to risk flooding imminently?"

+14 After Ida, commercial fishers in Louisiana's coastal villages anticipate six-figure losses Darrell Domangue remembers the hurricane that ripped apart his home and his livelihood in vivid scenes as if watching a movie.

Just getting approval can be time-consuming. In Tangipahoa and Ascension Parishes, officials are flying aerial drones over hundreds of miles of waterways, gathering footage to prove that Hurricane Ida felled trees clogging those waterways in order to validate federal disaster payments.

Meanwhile, residents like Melissa Bourgeois fear theyll flood again.

Bourgeois lives on the South end of Tangipahoa Parish. Built some 100 yards from the banks of Ponchatoula Creek, her house flooded in Ida  and three other times before, beginning with Hurricane Isaac in 2012.

A lifelong resident of the area that in recent years has seen increased commercial and residential development, which can hinder natural drainage patterns, Bourgeois knows that clogged streams are one of many factors that determine whether waterways overtop their banks or not.

Still, the sight of debris piled high in the creek fills her with worry.

Lets say my section of Ponchatoula Creek gets cleared today, Bourgeois said. What happens if a tree falls across it tomorrow?

The speed at which waterways return to normal after a storm hinges on factors like a project's scope, and the choice of agencies through which local governments get funding.

Paul Sawyer, a top aide to Congressman Garret Graves, R-Baton Rouge, explained that the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Natural Resources Conservation Service work together to dole out funding for waterways debris removal. It's a process akin to how FEMA and the Small Business Administration team up for homeowner recovery efforts.

While FEMA is the lead agency for clearing waterways, local governments are referred first to NRCS and must wait on a more involved application and task-based authorization process before they can start on debris removal cleared for federal reimbursement.

Chad Kacir, Louisiana state conservationist for NRCS, said the process through the Emergency Watershed Protection program involves more detailed documentation and verification of waterway debris and includes the need for an economic justification for the work.

"We have a longer process to go through than just reimbursement," Kacir said.

So far, NRCS has received $130 million in funding requests for post-Ida debris removal, Kacir said.

But if local governments are denied or NRCS doesn't have funding immediately available  which was the case until lawmakers approved stopgap congressional funding last week  NRCS sends local governments back to FEMA for emergency debris removal assistance.

"Whereas with FEMA, through the Public Assistance program, you can do the work and then request reimbursement," said Ben Malbrough, director of Bayou Lafourche Fresh Water District.

Varied timelines

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Located south of Tangipahoa and west of the Mississippi River, Bayou Lafourche is a key drainage route and source of drinking water for Ascension, Assumption and the lower bayou parishes that took the brunt of Ida, officials said.

The district operates pumps in Donaldsonville that siphon Mississippi River water into the bayou, and does maintenance along the more than 100-mile waterway to the Gulf of Mexico.

Ida's winds sent an estimated 60,000 cubic yards of trees down into the bayou.

Sawyer, Graves' aide, said some parishes and other entities, like the fresh water district, had been hustling shortly after Ida to have NRCS turn them down and send them back to FEMA so they could start work and take advantage of a full reimbursement through Oct. 10. It drops to 90% afterward.

By mid-September, after NRCS told it there wasn't yet funding for debris removal, the fresh water district went back to FEMA and got a tree removal contract to DRC Emergency Services, Malbrough said.

A firm that holds a lot of land debris contracts in south Louisiana, DRC has been working for about two weeks to remove some of the estimated 500 trees downed between Lockport and Donaldsonville.

"We think we can get probably half of the work done before the 10th, hopefully," Malbrough said.

The estimated cost is around $3 million.

Up north in Tangipahoa, Gravity Drainage District #1s hundreds of miles of channels render that Oct. 10 target end-date out of the question, said Bruno, the parish councilman and drainage board member.

The smaller the scope of the project, the easier it is to get the contracts, he said. The scope and the magnitude of what we got usually takes a little longer.

+4 Ascension president terminated from drainage panel after months of negotiations Since the East Ascension drainage panel voted to remove the parish president as head of drainage this summer, a clutch of council members and 

The board plans to apply for funding through both NRCS and FEMA. Once acquired, the money will pay to clear districts 400 miles of waterways in three chunks.

Under a contract the drainage board awarded before Ida, workers from a Gonzales-based company called Chem Spray South are already at work unclogging 56 miles of waterways. The process usually involves chipping broken trees where theyve fallen or using machinery to yank them from the water and dump the limbs at publicly-accessible drop-off piles, said Bates, the drainage administrator.

The second series of waterways  135 miles of main channels, including Ponchatoula Creek, where Melissa Bourgeois lives  is under drone surveillance now and will be first up for assistance contracts from one of the two federal sources. Last will come 200 miles of tributaries, according to Bates.

An estimated 37 felled trees per mile lie in the drainage districts waterways after Hurricane Ida. That almost doubles FEMAs severe damage standard of 20 trees per mile, outpacing anything local officials can remember.

After Katrina, the amount of trees we had down in our drainage laterals was probably a third of what we had in this storm, Bruno said.

And not everyone near a waterway can rely on a public body to clear it after a storm, Bruno emphasized. For instance, areas east of the Tangipahoa River  itself a scenic waterway that often floods, where residents need Department of Wildlife and Fisheries permits to remove felled trees  have no drainage district to direct post-storm projects.

Different clocks

In Ascension, the Parish Council agreed in mid-September to spend $444,500 on engineering consultants to fly drones over more than 300 miles of waterways.

Officials with All South Consulting hoped to have that work done in three weeks, while in-house parish crews have since started working in parallel with the assessment to remove trees.

What makes a home 'uninhabitable' after Hurricane Ida? Louisiana's insurance companies won't say After Hurricane Laura tore through Lake Charles, John Ieyoub knew his home wasnt livable. Rain had poured in through holes in the roof, satur

By Sept. 20, parish workers had removed about 140 trees from waterways.

"That's what most of the drainage staff is doing, is getting everything open to flow, as much as we can," Ron Savoy, Ascension director of public works, told parish council members sitting on a key drainage panel. "And paralleling the efforts of the assessment at the same time."

The mechanics of government, however, often operate on a different clock than do residents worried about the next storm.

As the Parish Council had worked on the nearly $445,000 contract with All South Consulting and ELOS Environmental just to identify debris, Teri Casso, the council chairwoman, underlined that point, asking the consulting firms for timelines laying out when trees would be removed.

"So we can tell our constituents, who call regularly (about downed trees)  'It's still there. It's still there'  when it's going to be gone," she said.
An aged care facility on Victorias Mornington Peninsula, a cafe in Woodend and a truck stop in Barnawartha North are the latest tier-1 exposure site in the state, along with a number of regional gyms.

A person infectious with COVID-19 was present at the Bays Aged Care centre in Hastings, 77 kilometres south-east of Melbournes CBD, on Wednesday, September 29 for the full duration of the day.

Staff, residents and visitors to the centre on that day will need to isolate for 14 days and get tested as soon as possible.

The Hanging Rock Cafe in Woodend was listed as a tier-1 close contact site on October 1 from 10.30am to 1.30pm and the Barnawartha North BP, truckstop toilets and showers were also listed as a tier-1 venue on September 28 from 8.30pm to 11. 59am and September 29 from midnight to 6.15am.

Three gyms in the regional Victorian city of Shepparton and one in New Gisborne have been listed as tier-1 exposure sites.

Functional Fitness Plus in New Gisborne, north-west of Melbournes CBD, has been identified as an exposure site on Wednesday, September 29 between 8pm and 9.45pm, on Thursday, September 30 between 7.30am and 9am, and again on Friday, October 1 between 7.30am and 9am.

Origin Athletics Gym was listed late Monday afternoon as an exposure site, with a positive case visiting the venue on Monday, September 27 between 2.45pm and 3.30pm, and again on Tuesday, September 28 between 3.45pm and 5pm.

Sheppartons MFS 24/7 Gym is as a tier-1 site between 4.30pm and 5.45pm from Monday, September 27 through to Wednesday, September 29.

The site was also listed as tier-1 on Sunday, September 26 between 3.30pm and 4.45pm, Tuesday, September 28 between 4pm and 5.15pm, Wednesday, September 29 between 11.40am and 1.15pm and Thursday, September 30 between 11.30am and 1.15pm.

Sheppartons F45 Training gym was added as a tier-1 exposure site for a three-hour exposure (5am to 8.15am) last Monday.

The full list of exposure sites can be accessed here.
NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance will resign from state politics and says he will nominate for preselection for the federal seat of Gilmore with Prime Minister Scott Morrisons backing.

The veteran Bega MP had been considering a tilt to replace Gladys Berejiklian after she resigned as NSW premier on Friday, but will instead attempt to move to federal politics ahead of the 2022 election.

NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance. Credit:Louise Kennerley

Mr Constance, who entered NSW Parliament in 2003, said he would resign as Transport Minister this week, and as the member for Bega by the end of the year.

After almost 20 years serving in the NSW Parliament, today I have made the decision to nominate for local preselection for the federal seat of Gilmore, he said on Sunday.
The NRL Grand Final will be played at Brisbanes Suncorp Stadium tonight, with south-east Queensland recording zero new local COVID-19 cases on Sunday.

One new overseas-acquired case was detected in hotel quarantine after more than 18,000 tests across Queensland in the past 24 hours. More than 19,000 vaccine doses were administered during the same period.

Rival grand final coaches Ivan Cleary (left) and Wayne Bennett in Brisbanes King George Square on Friday. Credit:Bradley Kanaris - Getty

At last count, 66 per cent of Queenslands eligible population had received one vaccine dose and almost 48 per cent were fully vaccinated.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk confirmed she would attend the match and support South Sydney Rabbitohs over Penrith Panthers, due to coach Wayne Bennetts Queensland connections.
Queensland students head back to school this week, and while they held their breath towards the end of last week and over the long weekend, no lockdown announcement means no learning from home.

The state recorded four local COVID-19 cases from almost 60,000 tests over the past three days, with a further four overseas-acquired cases, meaning lockdown remained on hold all weekend.

Ironside State School in St Lucia in Brisbanes south-west became a close contact site in August thanks to normal student movements. Credit:Jono Searle - Getty Images

Staff and students return to classrooms for Term 4 on Tuesday after a break of more than two weeks, including the long weekend created by the Queens Birthday public holiday on Monday.

I know there are thousands of families enjoying the school holidays  with the long weekend, people are out and enjoying the fresh air and sunshine, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said on Sunday.
There can be few more promising signs that a degree of normalcy is set to return to Australia than the Prime Ministers surprise announcement on Friday that the staged re-opening of international borders will begin around November. It is a welcome, necessary and appropriately cautious decision that reflects Australia is on track to reach its pivotal 80 per cent vaccination target, even if key aspects of the plans implementation remain unclear. Qantas says there is big pent-up demand for international travel. Credit:Louise Kennerley When the Morrison government shut the nations borders in March 2020 Australians found themselves subject to some of the toughest COVID-19 travel restrictions globally. Despite the heavy economic toll  the Business Council puts the cost of border closures at about $7.6 billion a month  and the immeasurable grief of people separated from loved ones overseas, Australians rightly supported a closure that worked to our natural advantage as an island nation. As Scott Morrison put it on Friday, the border closure saved lives, and in enabling parts of the domestic economy to remain open, saved livelihoods. But, as Mr Morrisons fond of saying, its time to give Australians their lives back. The first phase of the reopening plan will lift the ban on Australians leaving the country. The reasons behind such a ban, under which Australians must apply for hard-to-obtain exemptions on critical business or compassionate grounds if they want to leave the country, were never adequately explained, apart from a circular argument that if people are allowed to leave, they will seek to come back, adding to pressure on the hotel quarantine system. Inexplicably, in August the government further tightened the rules for visiting Australians living overseas, effectively banning them from leaving the country, a ruling that saw some people escaping via third countries.

Under the new rules, vaccinated citizens and permanent residents wishing to return from overseas will be allowed to isolate at home for seven days instead of having to endure 14 days in hotel quarantine at their own expense. The news will be a tremendous relief for the 40,000 Australians stranded overseas and at the mercy of fluctuating caps on arrivals  an already puny intake was halved in July in response to the Delta outbreak. And all too often, in a gross display of inequity, celebrities, sports people and Hollywood actors have been allowed to jump the queue. The earlier-than-anticipated reopening is politically convenient for the government because it intensifies the pressure on Western Australia and Queensland over border closures. Despite the undertakings in national cabinet that states would re-open their borders on reaching the 80 per cent vaccination target, both state premiers are understandably reluctant to expose their mainly COVID-free populations to the Delta strain. Loading WA Premier Mark McGowan said he will commit to a date for welcoming international travellers once the state reached a vaccination rate between 80 and 90 per cent. Meanwhile, travel company Flight Centre has threatened to mount a legal challenge against domestic border closures if WA, Queensland and Tasmania dont outline a plan to open their borders in the coming weeks. The premiers in question are right to prioritise the safety of their citizens, but this necessarily entails catching up to the rest of the country in vaccinations once supply is secure. Australians will likely only accept as a short-term compromise the fact that they will be free to enter and leave the country but not to move between states. The novelty of the absurd can only last so long. Finally its worth acknowledging Fortress Australia has inflicted an invisible psychological toll. It has arguably made our multicultural nation with a globalised economy more fearful and inward-looking, to the occasional detriment of Australias international standing and social cohesion. The latter was evident during Indias COVID outbreak when the government threatened jail terms for citizens who returned home.
The coast guard defends the task force, citing Acuarios encounter in Sabina Shoal  as well as another incident two months later when she peacefully drove away a pair of Vietnamese fishing vessels from Philippine waters  as proof of its success. This is not sexist, said Rear Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan, who came up with the idea for the unit in 2018 after leading anti-piracy operations in the Celebes Sea. This is optimal utilisation of their strength. There are things that only women can do. Crisis management is one of them. Anadale Dela Cruz, who was recruited for the Angels unit, agrees. The daughter of a policewoman, Dela Cruz said: Women have more patience. We can send a strong message in a calm tone. Whether gender makes a difference when it comes to enforcing maritime sovereignty is debatable. But the Angels program, which has drawn scepticism from scholars of international relations and gender studies alike, highlights the Philippines sudden willingness to stand up to Chinese provocations after years of inaction. The 3.6 million square kilometres of water in the heart of south-east Asia is one of the most disputed regions in the world  with overlapping claims from seven countries, all vying for greater access to vast offshore energy resources and control of a waterway responsible for one-third of annual global shipping.

No country has behaved more stridently than China, claiming historical rights over virtually the entire sea. It has built dozens of outposts on disputed reefs and tiny sand banks, some that now boast airstrips. A maritime Chinese militia serves as an irregular naval force, using civilian vessels to menace boats from other countries. China has also given its coast guard the authority to fire weapons, and demands that foreign vessels, including submarines and oil tankers, report their presence to Chinese authorities. Few countries have taken the brunt of Chinese encroachment harder than the Philippines. For years, the dispute has festered as a source of national shame with the loss of territory to the Chinese, such as the Manhattan-sized coral reef known as Scarborough Shoal, in 2012. Meanwhile, Filipino fishermen have seen their livelihoods slip away as Chinese vessels block them from venturing farther out to sea. Since taking office five years ago, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has refused to challenge Beijing, hoping that a friendlier relationship would attract billions in Chinese loans and investments. He argued that confronting the militarily superior Chinese was foolhardy. He dismissed as just a piece of paper a 2016 landmark ruling at The Hague that rejected Chinese claims to waters in the Philippine exclusive economic zone. But when the financial largesse never materialised and criticism mounted that Duterte was grovelling before China, his administration started to change tack, fearing political repercussions with an election looming in 2022, experts said. The arrival in March of a massive flotilla of Chinese militia vessels near a streak of land shaped like a boomerang called Whitsun Reef offered an opportunity to fight back. The incursion prompted a surge in Philippine coast guard and naval patrols and a flurry of diplomatic protests. Duterte threatened to send warships to stake the Philippines claim to natural resources.

Then in early May, only days after Acuario repelled the Chinese boats in Sabina Shoal, Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin jnr lashed out in a tweet telling China to GET THE F--- OUT of the South China Sea. The famously provocative diplomat, who likened China to an ugly oaf, later apologised and deleted the post. Loading The uncharacteristic show of defiance against Beijing set the tone for different branches of the Philippine government to take the initiative in what Filipinos call the West Philippine Sea. The media-savvy coast guard posted video of Acuarios radio challenge on the services Facebook page, which has hundreds of thousands of followers and serves as a recruitment tool. The coast guard has modernised and grown rapidly under the Duterte administration, more than tripling its personnel to 20,000 in the last five years. Its favoured by Duterte as a way to resolve confrontation diplomatically instead of deploying the countrys chronically weak navy armed with World War II- and Vietnam War-era ships. Theres no reason to militarise the situation, said Gavan of the coast guard. The military comes in when diplomacy breaks down. And the coast guard is diplomacy-centric.

With China rapidly building-up its maritime forces and the United States re-establishing its commitment to the area, tensions are high. The USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier strike group was deployed in the South China Sea on September 24 at a time when Beijing is riled about a deal in which the US and Britain would sell nuclear-powered submarine technology to Australia. Loading This [Angels] program is meant to show the Filipino people that this administration is finally doing something, said Jay Batongbacal, director of the University of the Philippines Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea. Public opinion has been very clear that this administrations policy of accommodating China is increasingly unpopular. Dela Cruz, 30, said she had long wanted to serve her country in uniform. As a young girl, shed salute her police officer mother each morning as she went to work. She couldnt afford to attend military school or the police academy. Her older sister, who was a nurse, gave Dela Cruz her old textbooks and uniforms. But after graduating from nursing school, Dela Cruz was approached by a coast guard recruiter. She ignored suggestions by her father that it was a mans job.
IRVINE, Calif., Oct. 1, 2021 -- Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) today reported total September sales of 24,045 vehicles, a decrease of 0.8 percent compared to September 2020. Year-to-date sales totaled 273,213 vehicles; an increase of 34.4 percent compared to the same time last year. With 25 selling days in September, compared to the same number the year prior, the company posted a decrease of 0.8 percent on a Daily Selling Rate (DSR) basis.

CPO sales totaled 5,603 vehicles in September, a decrease of 7.0 percent compared to September 2020.

Sales Highlights

CX-30 achieved 12 percent YoY growth with 3,581 vehicles sold

CX-5 achieved 32 percent YoY growth with 13,094 vehicles sold

CX-9 achieved its best-ever September with 2,887 vehicles sold

Mazda Canada, Inc., (MCI) reported September sales of 5,620 vehicles, a decrease of 4.9 percent compared to September last year. Year-to-date sales increased 26 percent with 52,442 vehicles sold.

Mazda Motor de Mexico (MMdM) reported September sales of 1,681 vehicles, a decrease of 58.9 percent compared to September last year. Year-to-date sales increased 6.1 percent, with 32,964 vehicles sold.

Mazda North American Operations is headquartered in Irvine, California, and oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States, Canada and Mexico through approximately 780 dealers. Operations in Canada are managed by Mazda Canada Inc. in Richmond Hill, Ontario, and operations in Mexico are managed by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City. For more information on Mazda vehicles, including photography and B-roll, please visit the online Mazda media center at InsideMazda.MazdaUSA.com/Newsroom.

Follow MNAO's social media channels through Twitter and Instagram at @MazdaUSA and Facebook at Facebook.com/MazdaUSA.
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$2.2 Million Raised for Marine in Military Detainment After Criticizing Afghan Chaos

Some $2 million has been raised for a Marine who was put in the brig for speaking out against the U.S. militarys leadership amid the chaotic Afghanistan evacuation.

More than $2.2 million was raised for Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller after more than 29,000 donors contributed. Scheller is awaiting a hearing over viral videos in which he called for accountability from top leaders in the military and the Department of Defense.

He was placed in confinement at the Regional Brig for Marine Corps Installations East at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, officials said. About a week ago, the Marine Corps confirmed his detainment, although its not clear when his Article 32 hearing will take place.

The time, date, and location of the proceedings have not been determined, Marine Corps Training and Education Command spokesman Capt. Sam Stephenson told Task & Purpose. Lt. Col. Scheller will be afforded all due process.

In August, Scheller gained viral fame after posting a video on social media alleging that top military brass were not taking responsibility for how the military withdrawal from Afghanistan was handled, including the ISIS terrorist attack that left 13 service members dead in Kabul.

The reason people are so upset on social media right now is not because the Marine on the battlefield let someone down, Scheller said in a video posted several weeks ago. People are upset because their senior leaders let them down. And none of them are raising their hands and accepting accountability or saying, We messed up.'

After releasing several videos, Scheller was reportedly told by his superiors to stop posting on social media entirely. He appeared to ignore that alleged directive by writing about the gag order in his most recent social media post.

In one post, he announced that he was relieved from his position as the battalion commander for the Advanced Infantry Training Battalion at School of Infantry East at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. In another post, Scheller suggested in a post that he could be taken to the brig.

What happens when all you do is speak truth and no one wants to hear it. But they can probably stop listening because Im crazy right? Scheller wrote in another post. Col Emmel please have the [military police] waiting for me at 0800 on Monday. Im ready for jail.

Schellers mother, Cathy Scheller, said she believes the military is treating her son unfairly, also confirming that he was taken to lockup pending a hearing.

He is an American war hero. He has fought for his men and women that follow him. Hes fought on the battlefield for them. I believe he has risked his life for his fellow service people and Americans. He is now risking his livelihood for them. He saw a misjustice happening at the top and he felt that they should be held accountable for it, Cathy Scheller said on NTDs The Nation Speaks.

The Marine Corps will win the battle, his father, also named Stuart, said on the program. But America is going to help Stuart win the war.

I do know that he broke rank and I know that he knows that there are consequences for that. But he didnt hurt anyone. He didnt do any violent crimes. He spoke up on Facebook. And yes, there is a chain of command and there should be punishment for that, Cathy Scheller added to NTD.

The elder Scheller said that his son was merely asking for accountability from top military leaders over the withdrawal.

The Epoch Times has contacted the Department of Defense for comment.
Angel Wings: Man Snaps Rare Photo as Bird Swoops Down on Bear Snoozing on a Hay Bale

While on call in British Columbia, a heavy-duty truck mechanic saw a black bear lounging on a hay bale and whipped out his camera. As a northern harrier swooped over the scene, the ingredients for a rare photograph aligned.

Originally from Fribourg, Switzerland, 32-year-old Serge Wolf has lived in Prince George, in Canadas British Columbia, for just over four years. He was on a job site just north of Prince George when the crew was joined some 100 meters away by a curious creature.

The bear was present the entire time, Wolf told The Epoch Times. He was eating clover, sleeping, and checking us out from time to time.

It looked very cute and one doesnt usually see a bear on a bale, he recalled, so I was hoping that he stayed there until I had time to take some shots, and he did.

Wolf, who has been exploring wildlife photography for over a decade, fetched his camera on his lunch break. As he chatted with the owner of the site, a harriera large bird of prey endemic to British Columbiaflew over the field.

I was joking that it would be nice to have both in the same frame, and, moments later, the harrier flew through my viewfinder, Wolf recalled.

The harrier is a little closer than the bear, but the angle makes it look as if it could grab the bear. It almost looks like little angel wings.

Shooting with a Nikon D850 camera and Sigma 150-600mm lens, Wolf used single point, back-button autofocus to keep the harrier in clear view as it flew. I did not really expect for it to actually fly over the bear, he said. When it did, I stayed on the northern harrier and was able to get the shot.

Later that afternoon, Wolf showed the photo to co-workers and realized he might have something special. Excited about the lucky shot, he shared the photo on a Prince George community Facebook page for others to enjoy.

Wolfs interest in photography grew out of his love for birds. On a trip to Canada 12 years ago, he became enthralled by the birds he saw and started taking photos for identification.

As his hobby grew, so did his camera equipment collection.

While capturing unique moments is something deeply satisfying for Wolf, he claims that the power of photography to inspire conservation efforts is endless.

I now see photography as a way of showing people things they dont necessarily see, he said. It makes me more than happy if my photography helps someone to understand nature a little more, and to protect it more than before.

Wolf said that when people ask him how he comes across all these special nature moments, he always tells them, Only people who look, see.

People today tend to walk, drive, or run through life with their heads down, ears numbed with music, and eyes on a screen, he said. Thats not how you will see. Get out, even if its just your backyard, look at the small wonders of nature, connect with it, and you will see more and more as you get aware of your surroundings.

Wolf encouraged, You can be sure that there is a lot more out there to be seen, take pictures of, and leave us in awe.

Share your stories with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.com, and continue to get your daily dose of inspiration by signing up for the Epoch Inspired newsletter at TheEpochTimes.com/newsletter
Authorities: Body of Missing College Student Miya Marcano Found

MIAMIAuthorities say they have found the body of a missing Florida college student who disappeared a week ago. A maintenance worker who entered her apartment unauthorized the day she disappeared and later killed himself is the prime suspect.

Orange County Sheriff John Mina said Saturday that authorities found Miya Marcanos body in a wooded area near an apartment building. Authorities said the 19-year-old vanished on the same day a maintenance man improperly used a master key to enter her apartment. Her family reported her missing after she missed a flight home to South Florida on Sept. 24.

The sheriff previously said Armando Caballero, a maintenance worker at the apartment complex where Marcano lived and worked, is considered the prime suspect. Caballero, 27, apparently killed himself; his body was found three days after Marcano was last seen.

Marcano had repeatedly rebuffed romantic advances by Caballero. Detectives spoke to Caballero after the Valencia College student was reported missing, but had no evidence to detain him at that time. They obtained a warrant for his arrest after learning he had entered her apartment before she disappeared. His body was then found inside a garage.

Cellphone records from Caballero led them to the apartment complex near where Marcano was found and showed he was there for about 20 minutes the night she was reported missing, Sheriff Mina said. At one point, Caballero also previously lived at that apartment complex.

Nothing in the records indicate that he ever returned there before he killed himself, he said, adding deputies are not looking for any other suspects.

The FBI and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement were among the hundreds of authorities searching for Marcano. Meanwhile, friends and family held a prayer vigil and passed out flyers desperate to find the missing teen.

At this time, we cannot identify a cause of death, so I dont want to speculate on that, Mina said of Marcanos death during a news conference Saturday.

Mina says they notified her parents just hours ago, adding our hearts are broken.

Everyone wanted this outcome to be different, he said. As a sheriff, as a father, obviously we are grieving at the loss of Miya.

Caballeros criminal history revealed one prior arrest in 2013 for using a destructive device resulting in property damage and discharging a weapon on school property, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

An arrest report said Polk County sheriffs deputies were called to the campus of Warner University after a report of a bomb going off inside a dorm. The explosive turned out to be a toilet bowl cleaner concoction inside a plastic drink bottle. The report said Caballero admitted to using the improvised explosive as a prank on other residents of the dorm. No one was injured.

The apartment complex where Marcano and Caballero worked, Arden Villa, released a statement saying all potential employees are vetted through a national background check services provider, and no records of burglary or sexual assault were found involving Caballero.

By Kelli Kennedy
An armed Taliban terrorist on a busy street opposite Eidgah Mosque where a deadly blast occurred in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Oct. 3, 2021. (Reuters/Screenshot via NTD)

Bombing at Afghanistan Mosque Leaves Civilians Dead: Taliban Spokesman

A bomb exploded on Oct. 3 at a mosque in Afghanistans capital, Kabul, leaving a number of civilians dead, a chief Taliban spokesman said.

A bomb blast rocked a gathering of civilians near the entrance of the Eidgah Mosque in Kabul this afternoon, leaving a number of civilians dead, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid wrote as part of a series of tweets.

Taliban fighters werent harmed in the attack, Taliban spokesman Bilal Karimi told The Associated Press. Those killed in the attack were civilians standing outside the mosque gate. He didnt provide a figure for the number killed and said an investigation was underway.

An Italian-funded emergency hospital in Kabul said on Twitter that it had received four people wounded in the blast.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing. However, after the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August, reports have emerged that numerous ISIS terrorist group members were released from prisons across the country, while ISIS claimed responsibility for a bomb attack that left 13 U.S. service members dead in late August amid a chaotic and rushed evacuation at Kabuls main airport.

One shopkeeper who was near the site of the attack, who only gave his name as Abdullah, told the AFP news agency, I heard the sound of an explosion near the Eid Gah Mosque followed by gun firing.

It was the deadliest attack in the Afghan capital since U.S. forces left at the end of August.

On Oct. 1, Taliban fighters raided an ISIS hideout just north of Kabul in Parwan Province. The raid came after a roadside bomb wounded four Taliban fighters in the area.

The release of ISIS members during the Talibans takeover of Afghanistan has raised questions about whether a conflict between the group and the Taliban, also a terrorist organization, could erupt. ISIS and the Taliban have been enemies for years.

About 100 American citizens and permanent residents are still stuck in Afghanistan, senior White House officials said last week.

The biggest constraint to the departure of our citizens and others from Afghanistan, of course, remains the Talibans unpredictability regarding who is permitted to depart, a State Department official said, according to a statement. The second big constraint is the absence of regular commercial air service to enable folks who wish to depart to do so in a predictable manner.

The comment came as Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley faced questioning from lawmakers last week over the chaotic withdrawal.

My judgment remains that extending beyond the end of August would have greatly imperiled our people and our mission, Austin said in front of a congressional panel last week.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss during her speech at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester, England, on Oct. 3, 2021. (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

Boris Johnson Not Responsible for Whats in the Shops: Truss

Its not Prime Minister Boris Johnsons job to make sure shops have their shelves full, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said on Sunday amid fears that people may not be able to get their usual Christmas supplies.

The prime minister is facing pressure to solve the shortages of heavy goods vehicle (HGV) drivers and other labour shortages as a disruption in the fuel supply chain turned into a full-blown crisis after panic-buyers dashed to forecourts to fill their cars over the past 10 days.

Brian Madderson, chairman of the Petrol Retailers Association, told Sky News on Sunday that while there were only one or two dry sites north of London and that the general improvement has continued, the situation in London and the southeast remained difficult.

Speaking at a Telegraph event at the Conservative Party conference, Truss said its not up to Johnson to fix the problem.

I dont believe in a command and control economy, so I dont believe the prime minister is responsible for whats in the shops, the foreign secretary said.

This is why we have a free enterprise economy. Im sure that the goods will be delivered into our shops, she added.

The government offered on Sept. 26 to issue three-month visas to 5,000 foreign HGV driversalong with 5,500 poultry workersto alleviate pressure during this Christmas season.

After receiving complaints that foreign people would not want to come for only a few weeks, the government tweaked the plans on Friday, introducing a bespoke scheme to allow up to 300 fuel tanker drivers to come to the UK immediately and stay until the end of March 2022. The balance of 4,700 will arrive from late October and leave by the end of February 2022.

Other industries also warned of labour shortages, including a shortage of butchers that may lead to 120,000 pigs being culled and incinerated, according to media reports.

Speaking to broadcasters in east Manchester earlier on Sunday, Johnson rejected the idea of getting foreign HGV drivers to fill the gap, which is estimated to be around 100,000 drivers.

The thing you cant do is go back to the model of the UK economy that we had for decades, which was basically allowing low-wage, low-skilled jobs to be supported by uncontrolled immigration, Johnson said.

The prime minister said the model led to very low wages and productivity, and that he believes a high-skill, high-productivity economy is the way forward.

Asked whether he would issue more temporary visas, Johnson didnt rule out the option, but said its best if the industries could solve their own issues.

Well take each step as it comes, were there to support industries that are having difficulties, but it is fundamentally up to them to work out the way ahead. the prime minister told broadcasters.

In the end, those businesses, those industries, are the best solvers of their own supply chain issues. [The] government cant step in and fix every bit of the supply chain, Johnson said, adding that the ministers will keep all options on the table.

The long-time shortage of HGV drivers has been blamed on a mixture of factors, including low pay; poor working conditions such as long, irregular hours, and a lack of toilets and other infrastructure; training and licensing costs; tax rule changes; Brexit; and the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic.

According to the latest ONS data for August, more than 1 million jobs were available for the first time on record as the economy reopens from CCP virus lockdowns.

Some of the vacancies could be filled as job losses were expected when the UKs 70 billion ($94 billion) Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme came to a close on Sept. 30, although retraining will take some time.

Alexander Zhang and Reuters contributed to this report.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss during her speech at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester, England, on Oct. 3, 2021. (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

British Criminal Justice System Not Institutionally Misogynistic: Truss

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss rejected the claim that the UKs criminal justice system was institutionally misogynistic in the wake of Sarah Everards murder.

Everard, a 33-year-old marketing executive, was walking home in the evening on March 3 after having dinner at a friends house in Clapham, south London, when she was kidnapped by then-Metropolitan police officer Wayne Couzens, who made a fake COVID-19 arrest and drove Everard to Kent before raping her, strangling her to death with his police belt, burning her body in a fridge, and disposing of her remains.

Undated family handout photo of Sarah Everard issued by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). (Family handout/CPS via PA)

As her killer was handed a life sentence on Thursday, the high-profile case has sparked a fresh round of debates on police vetting, womens safety, and the criminal justice system, whose response to rape allegationsaccording to a watchdog report published in Julyoften lacks focus, clarity, and commitment.

The report said the inspectors of the police and the Crown Prosecution Service were told time and again that these cases were difficult to investigate, difficult to prosecute, difficult to explain to victims, and difficult for juries to understand.

Asked if the system was institutionally misogynistic, the foreign secretary, whos also the minister for women and equalities, said she wouldnt use those words.

But what I would say is, as a woman, I do find walking home at night concerning, she told the Telegraph Choppers Politics podcast event at the Conservative Party conference.

Truss said she believes its fundamentally wrong for women to be more fearful of going out.

Its something we have to change about our society, she said.

Speaking earlier on Sunday at east Manchester, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said his government is investing in CCTV, street lights, police recruitment, and toughening the sentences for serious sexual offences, but theres endemic difficulty in having rape claims dealt with fast enough and some times taken seriously enough.

There are delays taking place at every stage in the process. You know the reasonsits all the complexities to do with peoples mobile phones, the evidence thats produced by the defence, and all that kind of stuff, he told reporters.

But, in the end, that is no excuse. We have to have these complaints properly dealt with.

Wayne Couzens who has pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to the murder of Sarah Everard, in an undated handout photo. (Metropolitan Police/PA)

In a separate interview, Johnson told the BBCs The Andrew Marr Show the the ministers will stop at nothing to make sure that we get more rapists behind bars and we have more successful prosecutions for rape and for sexual violence.

It has also emerged that Couzens was deployed to the Houses of Parliament as an armed officer in 2020.

The House of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said that this is extremely concerning and he has asked the Metropolitan Police for an urgent meeting.

Parm Sandhu, an ex-chief superintendent at the Met, called for all officers to be re-vetted as an urgent measure to reassure the public.

PA contributed to this report.
Chinese J-15 fighter jets are launching from the deck of the Liaoning aircraft carrier during military drills in the Yellow Sea, off China's east coast on Dec. 23, 2016. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

China Increases Aggression Toward Liberal Island, Sends 39 Aircraft Into Taiwan Defense Zone

MP urges like-minded countries to conduct joint intercepts of Chinese incursions

TAIPEIA total of 39 Chinese air force aircraft entered Taiwans air defense zone on Saturday, the defense ministry in Taipei said, setting a new high in the communist regimes aggressive provocations aimed at the people living in Taiwan, which provides a stark contrast to Beijings totalitarian rule.

Taiwan, a democratically governed island to which the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) wants to lay claim, has complained of repeated Chinese missions into its airspace, often in the southwestern part of its air defense zone close to the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands, for over a year, in a warning to the world over the CCPs increasing military aggression.

Taiwanese fighters scrambled against the 39 Chinese aircraft in two waves on Saturday, the Taiwan Defense Ministry said. It said Taiwan sent combat aircraft to warn away the Chinese aircraft, while missile systems were deployed to monitor them.

That was one more aircraft than on Friday, the day that communist China marked its national day, which was at the time more planes than the country had ever sent before to harry Taiwans air defense zone.

Taiwans Defense Ministry said that on Saturday the Chinese aircraft first came during the day20 aircraftfollowed on Saturday night by a further 19. Most of the aircraft were J-16 and Su-30 fighters, it added.

The aircraft on both missions flew near the Pratas, the ministry said, in separate statements late Saturday and early Sunday morning.

Taiwan Premier Su Tseng-chang condemned China for its actions on Saturday, saying the country was engaging in military aggression and damaging regional peace.

Wang Ting-yu, the co-chair of Taiwans parliamentary Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, urged the international community to support Taiwans resistance to the communist regime by conducting joint intercepts of the Chinese incursions.

Its time like-minded countries stepped up to tackle Chinas growing security threat. One effective way to discourage these activities would be to conduct joint intercepts, he said on Twitter.

Taiwans foreign affairs minister Joseph Wu said on Twitter of the threatening actions by Beijing, Its strange the #PRC doesnt bother faking excuses anymore.

Oct. 1 wasnt a good day. The #PLAAF flew 38 warplanes into #Taiwans ADIZ, making it the largest number of daily sorties on record. Threatening? Of course. Its strange the #PRC doesnt bother faking excuses anymore. JW ( via @MoNDefense) pic.twitter.com/U2fHUwV5uK   Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ROC (Taiwan)  (@MOFA_Taiwan) October 2, 2021

China is yet to comment.

It has previously said such flights were to protect Chinas sovereignty over Taiwan and aimed against collusion between Taiwan and the United States, the islands most important international backer as the traditional leader of the free world.

Taiwan marks its own national day next Sunday, with a major speech by President Tsai Ing-wen and military parade in central Taipei, which will include a fly-by of fighter jets.

China has stepped up military and political pressure to try to force Taiwan to accept Chinese sovereignty, which is ruled under the one-party communist statea foreign political ideology to China.

Taiwan says it is an independent country and will defend its freedom and democracy.

The Epoch Times contributed to this report.
Soil containing various rare earth elements for export at a port in Lianyungang, China, in a file photo. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

China Increases Rare Earth Production, Reaching New High in Yearly Quota

China is to boost this years quota of rare-earth metal production by 20 percent, to a record high. In recent years, countries such as the United States have been concerned about the threat of the communist regime leveraging its dominance in these essential materials.

The country plans to produce 168,000 tons of rare earth in 2021, up from 140,000 tons last year, according to Reuters, which cited a recently released notification from Chinas Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Ministry of Natural Resources.

The quota for smelting and separation operation, or processing rare earth elements into a form that manufacturers can use, is 162,000 tons, also up 20 percent on the year, according to the notification.

This marks the fourth straight year the quota has risen, now reaching the highest level on record, according to Japanese outlet Nikkei Asia.

Rare earths are 17 elements on the periodic table vital in many industries, including consumer electronics, green technologies, medical tools, and defense. These critical minerals are also key to the production of weapons guidance systems, jet engines, sonar devices, and laser weapons.

The elements are abundant and easy to mine; theyre called rare because theyre difficult to separate and refine into a usable form.

In the 1980s, the United States was the world leader in the production of these elements.

Currently, China controls about 80 percent of the global rare earth supply, and has previously cut off its exports as a retaliatory tactic against other countries.

At the height of the U.S.China trade war in 2019, there was speculation that Beijing would use rare earth exports as a counter-weapon against the United States.

Early this year, Chinese regime officials reportedly explored whether curbing such exports to the United States could cripple its production of F-35 fighter jets.

Confronted with the threat of losing access to these essential materials, the Biden administration was seeking ways to reduce the United States strong reliance on China.

In September 2010, tensions between Japan and China erupted after a Chinese fishing boat collided with two Japanese coast guard ships near uninhabited islands in the East China Sea claimed by both countries.

Japanese authorities later detained the boat for an investigation. The action infuriated Beijing, which retaliated by imposing a ban on rare-earth metal exports to Japan. After about a month, Beijing lifted the ban.

Rare earth is also a crucial issue as Beijing seeks to develop a relationship with Afghanistan, which is estimated to hold rare earth elements worth up to $3 trillion.

After the Talibans swift takeover of Kabul in mid-August, the Chinese Communist Party welcomed the Talibans rise in the war-torn nation.
Journalists walk past a screen showing video footage of Chinese leader Xi Jinping, during a visit to the Museum of the Communist Party of China in Beijing on June 25, 2021. (Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images)

Chinas Control Over Algorithms

Commentary

Cue the references to a Matrix-like dystopian future where Chinese citizens are trapped in a simulated reality managed by state-controlled computer algorithms.

Its not too far-fetched to imagine.

The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), the countrys cyberspace watchdog, announced recently that it would set up governance and rules to tighten its grip on algorithms that companies use to interact with its users.

Algorithms are widely deployed, used by companies to interact with users on a daily basis. Think of them as the engine that drives our internet search results, restaurant recommendations based on our location and taste preferences, show and movie recommendations based on our viewing history, the route our GPS app takes us on based on traffic and other patterns, etc. We depend on various algorithms, whether we realize it or not. And todaywhen every company needs to be a technology companyinvestments in algorithms, artificial intelligence, and machine learning are increasingly mandatory.

For Chinese consumers, that all translates to what videos they see on Douyin (Chinas version of TikTok), what recommendations they see on Alibabas Taobao shopping platform, dispatch decisions on platforms such as logistics apps Didi and Meituan, and the topics trending on Weibo (Chinas Twitter-like application), for example.

Its unclear how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) intends to regulate the algorithms underpinning such technologies. But a few general guidelines have been laid out.

A multi-pronged regulatory approach should be established to monitor algorithm safety, archive, and illegal behavior, according to the CACs statement in Chinese, while emphasizing that technology innovation should be preserved.

The announcement, which said the guidance would take around three years to roll out, comes a month after the CAC released a set of draft guidelines on how algorithms should behave.

Some of this may stem from legitimate concerns around certain tech companies using algorithms to manipulate results or rankings, and fabricate the popularity of certain topics over others, or make them more addictive to users. The CAC is careful to state that such regulations would benefit consumers and online users.

One particular provision will be far-reaching in its impact. It says technology algorithms must promote mainstream values (read: CCP-approved), and requires that algorithmic models demote (read: eliminate) content that may upset the economic or social order.

Similar to rules placed on Chinas populace, its technology algorithms must also be censored, loyal to the CCP, and must abide by the all-important Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics.

If this seems like an excessive overreach, then one hasnt been paying attention. In recent months, Chinese leader Xi Jinping has started campaigns to remold Chinese society and its future development, in everything from childhood education to video games to worker rights. And regulations to control how computer algorithms interact with human users necessarily need to be part of that effort.

We know Xi has ambitions to control or influence the global internet, given its strategic importance in shaping social and political discourse. And its easy to see how this recent development fits within that framework. Computer code becomes a form of costless labor force multiplier in the CCPs quest to influence and police ones thoughts.

From an economic perspective, especially for U.S. investors who hold positions in Chinese technology companies increasingly subject to these state control mechanisms, the calculus gets even more convoluted. Companies such as Didi and Alibaba are listed on the U.S. stock market, and millions of Americans hold their shares either directly or indirectly via mutual funds or ETFs. U.S. pensionsthrough venture capital and private equityare also shareholders in firms such as TikToks parent company ByteDance.

In addition to perusing earnings reports and keeping up with the income statement and balance sheets of these companies, shareholders also must be aware of governance issues and increasing CCP control over corporate management. Shareholders must necessarily accept that the companies they own will be subject to follow Xis future agenda.

The question then becomes, should U.S. investors be complicit in this?

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
French President Emmanuel Macron (R) welcomes his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at the Elysee Palace in Paris on March 25, 2019. Chinese leader Xi Jinping is on a three-day state visit in France where he is expected to sign a series of bilateral and economic deals on energy, the food industry, transport, and other sectors. (Ludovic Marin/AFP/Getty Images)

Chinas Global Influence War: French Military Expose

News Analysis

Beijings global influence operations, including election interference, has been revealed by a new French military study that leaves the peak targets untouched.

A new study of Chinas global influence operations by Frances Ministry of Armed Forces demonstrates that Beijing is making a Machiavellian turn toward seeking to inspire fear in the world, rather than solicit its amour. In Beijings influence operations, the authors argue, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is consciously using influence tactics that it obtained by observing similar tactics used by Russia.

The study is excellent, but focuses too much on petty forms of influence. It treats with kid gloves the most important targets of Beijings influence operationsthe current political and economic elites of Washington, London, Brussels, Berlin, Tokyo, New Delhi, and, you guessed it, Paris.

In the most comprehensive study of its kind, the authors boldly construct a taxonomy of CCP influence operations, including propaganda, lawfare, espionage, and organizational influence tactics. They cover some of the most controversial topics in the field of Chinese politics, including Beijings foreign election interference, the capture of foreign elites through trade relations, the CCPs persecution of the Falun Gong, and the CCPs attempt to control narratives about global organ trafficking, even as the Party engages in forced organ harvesting from Chinas prisoners of conscience. But the study leaves Beijings most important influence operation out of its taxonomy: the capture of foreign elites through bribery of various kinds.

The 641-page report titled, Chinese Influence Operations: A Machiavellian Moment, was authored by Dr. Paul Charon and Dr. Jean-Baptiste Jeangene Vilmer at the Institute for Strategic Research (IRSEM), a prestigious French military school. The IRSEM made the report public on Sept. 20. Vilmer has been the director of the IRSEM since 2016.

The taxonomy of the CCPs propaganda war is divided into concepts, actors, and actions, with concepts including propaganda, espionage, lawfare, and organizational influence; actors being the Party, state, military, and industry; and actions being seduction, subjugation, infiltration, and coercion.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping shakes hands with then U.S Vice President Joe Biden inside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Dec. 4, 2013. (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

These latter two topics get the most attention, and compose a chapter titled Infiltrer et Contraindre. Contraindre can be translated in multiple ways, including to compel, force, constrain, and coerce. The chapter is organized according to targets and means, including the Chinese diaspora, the media, diplomacy, the economy, politics, education, think tanks, culture, and the internet.

The report also includes case studies on Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Sweden, Canada, and Operation Infection 2.0 during the COVID-19 Pandemic, in which the CCP promotes disinformation alleging that the virus originated in the United States.

However, the entire topic of economic influence only merits eight pages under its own heading, buried deep in the study. The $1.3 million bribery of U.N. General Assembly President John Ashe, who later died under suspicious circumstances, merits a single sentence in the study. Hunter Biden is nowhere to be found.

But discovery of the identity of Larry Romanoff, an almost unknown Canadian immigrant to Shanghai who the CCP apparently hired as a two-bit propagandist, gets seven pages and is highlighted proudly in the introduction as an original contribution. One could argue that the French military is not seeing the forest for the trees.

That said, the authors original research exceeds the work of prior analysis in some important ways, including the Chinese militarys 311 psychological warfare and lawfare group, the influence operations of the Chinese Communist Youth League, and the CCP-influenced ecosystem of think tanks and publishers in France. The authors utilize extensive Chinese-language sources for their original research.

The report is getting some press, especially in France, that will hopefully overturn, and wake up, a dangerously sleepy public francais. It has received purely positive media coverage, to my knowledge, including in CNBC, The Canadian, Frances RFI, FranceInfo, Le Parisien, and the countrys iconic leftist newspaper, Liberation. Singapores Straits Times and South Asias ANI also applauded the new study. The Epoch Times has published four articles on the report, including one in the Chinese language, all of which are supportive.

Several China experts, with whom I communicated, argued that the study is both provocative and accurate. How Soviet the Chinese approach is is intriguing, wrote David Cowhig in an electronic communication. While I assumed that some of it was, given the long KMT/Communist Party/Comintern association with [the] USSR from the Mikhail Borodin days in the 1920s, this does make it clearer, he wrote. Perhaps the collapse of the USSR made it easier to see some things more clearly in the Soviet elder brother worth imitating and [thus] patch things up with the Russians?

Cowhig is a former U.S. State Department official who has extensive experience in both China and Russia.

Sam Cooper, a Canadian expert on Chinas influence operations, responded positively to the reports case study on Canada. The findings of this extensive French study regarding United Front interference in Canadas democracy are accurate, and very timely. My own research has found what look like high-level state actors in Vancouver WeChat and United Front groups escalated brazen interference in B.C.s [British Columbias] 2018 municipal elections, and in the recent federal election, some of the primary actors have celebrated swinging a Richmond riding against the Conservative Party and incumbent MP Kenny Chiu.

The Straits Times positively covered the reports Singapore case study, identifying Beijings talking points for the country as a mix of racism and realismfor example, Singapore is Chinese and part of Greater China, to which Singaporeans should be loyal.

The report comes at an optimal time for Singapore, which is considering government-proposed legislation against foreign interference, including through propaganda and local proxies.

Beijing has thus far reserved comment, though its embassy in France criticized the report on Sept. 22 as a stigmatization operation.

The French study is important in that it evidences a growing international concern over Chinas illiberal influence that the CCP typically seeks to portray as solely associated with a supposed anti-China agenda in Washington. In fact, as the report demonstrates, the concern over authoritarian influence operations is international and increasingly urgent.

The authors, therefore, have no excuse for leaving elite capture out of their taxonomy, as they describe the basic ideas and principles of the issue of elite capture in their examples and case studies, including influence imposed upon heads of state and ministers in France, Germany, Britain, Australia, Estonia, Taiwan, and at the United Nations. They also discuss CCP influence of CEOs inside and outside of China, including through the regulation of market access and through the insertion of Party cells into corporations.

People are seen on Wall Street outside the New York Stock Exchange on March 19, 2021. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters)

Elite capture, as a particular form of Chinese economic influence at global elite levels, including the heads-of-state level, is more hidden. It is arguably more powerful than the influence Beijing can have over a country through the CCPs awkward attempts to appeal to overseas Chinese voters through various types of propaganda, including paid advertising in the mainstream and Chinese media, and social media manipulations that are relatively easy to expose and ridicule.

The authors themselves admit that this kind of boorish propaganda is counterproductive to Beijings aims. But their selective focus on the counterproductive elements of Beijings influence operations, rather than its highly successful elite capture and economic influence, unfortunately becomes a soporific background noise because if Chinas influence operations are truly counterproductive, the public can yawn, roll over, and go back to sleep.

One of the authors more controversial assertions is that Beijing is engaged in global election interference, rather than just influence. Much is made in academic circles of the difference between election influence and election interference, with the assumption that open influence is not as harmful to democracy as covert interference.

The authors posit a continuum of benign influence in the form of public diplomacy, to the malign influence of clandestine interference. But in the case of election contests, a vote is a vote, however Beijing acquires it, and when it uses taxes from Chinese citizens who have no say in how their taxes are spent, and spends that tax money abroad on an electoral outcome, the result is similarly illiberal.

That said, the new French study rightly tends to use the stronger term interference. Influencing voters influences how they vote, which is, after all, an interference in the result of an election. The public diplomacy of a totalitarian power, like the CCP, should not be described as benign in the same manner as the public diplomacy of a democracy like France, Germany, or the United States.

French President Emmanuel Macron (C) gestures next to German Chancellor Angela Merkel (R) and Chinese leader Xi Jinping (L) following their meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris on March 26, 2019. (Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images)

The authors also controversially claim that the CCPs election interference particularly targets Chinese-ethnicity populations in democratic countries. Given increasing legitimate concerns about anti-Asian racism and the use of these concerns by the CCP for its own illiberal purposes, the authors reasonably predict that Beijings apologists will opportunistically accuse their analysis of racism. They rightly stress at the very beginning of the report that they are not against China or Chinese people.

It always bears repeating that the Chinese that the CCP targets with interference are the victims of the CCP. Those who point out this victimization are then added, through additional propaganda, to the CCPs victim list.

The authors discussion of Beijings global election interference addresses the issue in Australia, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan, Canada, and the United States, among other countries. Their point that election interference is most evident in constituencies that are les plus sinicisees (the most Chinese) is a particularly French perspective, though it can also be found in Australia and Canada.

Charon argued in an email that the Chinese diaspora in France is the largest in Europe, slightly larger than in the United Kingdom, but still behind those in the United States and Canada. Another reason for the relative[ly] low level of [clandestine influence] operations in France is that the country has long been perceived by the Chinese as a soft target, in other words, one that is easy to break.

The CCP deploys its resources according to other metrics as well, and does not only try to influence the Chinese diaspora in an attempt at election interference, he wrote, noting that the CCPs deployment of resources among the Chinese diaspora is not always done in order to instrumentalise the diaspora, but mainly to protect against what the party calls cultural infiltration, in other words, the import of liberal ideas into China.

To my argument that elite capture and economic influence should have appeared more prominently in the taxonomy and analysis, Vilmer provided a quick response, including that these issues were relatively obvious, having been adequately addressed elsewhere. But I havent seen much attempt to connect President Emmanuel Macrons personal interests, as well as those of his elite supporters, whether financial or political, to his lack of a real China policy.

The authors of the report argue that, conversely, Frances resistance to Chinas compellence has become so effective of late, that Beijing has had to resort to more underhanded forms of influence.

In France and until recently, the economic lever was enough, Vilmer wrote in an email. See the example we give  of President Sarkozy in 2008-9: first conditioning his participation in the opening ceremony of the Olympic games to a resumption of dialogue [between] Beijing and Tibetans (and announcing that he would meet the Dalai Lama), he finally renounced after the CCP deployed an arsenal of political and economical threats. For a long time, France was seen as a soft target: applying economic pressure was enough to make us give in, so there was literally no need for more complex/clandestine influence ops. Since 2019-2020, it is changing. This is what we call The French awakening in the conclusion.  French awareness is growing (as this report itself shows).

Lets hope that when France wakes up, if it wakes up after this anodyne study, that it does a better job of joining with truly focused U.S. allies, like Britain and Australia, in decisively defeating the CCP.

Correction: This article has been corrected from its previous version, which inaccurately stated that 50 researchers contributed to the report. The Epoch Times regrets the error.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
A man passes by the logo for Alibaba outside the Beijing headquarters in Beijing, China, on Aug. 24, 2021. (Ng Han Guan/AP Photo)

Chinese Regime Tightens Political Control of Internet Giants

BEIJINGThe Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is tightening political control over Chinas internet giants and tapping their wealth to pay for its ambitions to reduce reliance on U.S. and European technology.

Anti-monopoly and data security crackdowns starting in late 2020 have shaken the industry. Investor jitters have knocked more than $1.3 trillion off the total market value of e-commerce platform Alibaba, games and social media operator Tencent and other tech giants.

The CCP says anti-monopoly enforcement will be a priority through 2025. It says competition will help create jobs and raise living standards.

The CCP seems likely to stay the course even if economic growth suffers, say businesspeople, lawyers, and economists.

Lester Ross, head of the Beijing office of law firm WilmerHale, said that Chinese leaders dont want to reimpose direct control of the economy but want private sector companies to align with the CCPs plans.

What they are worried about is companies getting too big and too independent of the party, said Ross.

Chinese internet companies and their billionaire founders, including Alibaba Groups Jack Ma and Tencent Holdings Pony Ma, are among the biggest global success stories of the past two decades. Alibaba is the biggest e-commerce company, while Tencent operates the popular WeChat messaging service.

But party plans emphasize robots, chips, and other hardware, so these companies are rushing to show their loyalty by shifting billions of dollars into those.

The CCPs campaign is prompting warnings the world might decouple, or split into separate markets with incompatible technology. Products from China wouldnt function in the United States or Europe, and vice versa. Innovation and efficiency would suffer.

U.S. curbs on Chinese access to telecom and other technology havent helped.

Alibaba said it will invest $28 billion to develop operating system software, processor chips, and network technology. The company has pledged $1 billion to nurture 100,000 developers and tech startups over the next three years.

Last year, Tencent promised to invest $70 billion in digital infrastructure. Meituan, an e-commerce, delivery and service platform, raised $10 billion to develop self-driving vehicles and robots.

Investors, many burned by the drop in technology shares, are keeping their money on the sidelines. Tencents market capitalization of $575 billion is down $350 billion from its February peak, a decline equal to more than the total value of Nike Inc. or Pfizer Inc.

CEO Masayoshi Son of Japans Softbank Groupan early investor in Alibabasaid on Aug. 11 he will put off new China deals. Softbank invested $11 billion in ride-hailing service Didi Global, whose share price has fallen by one-third since its U.S. stock market debut on July 30.

The crackdown began in November when Beijing ordered Ant Group, which grew out of Alibabas Alipay online payments service, to postpone its stock market debut in Hong Kong and Shanghai. The company, which offers online savings and investment services, was told to scale back its plans and to install bank-style systems to vet borrowers and manage lending risks. Industry analysts cut forecasts of Ants expected stock market value.

Meanwhile, the Chinese communist regime is tightening control over data gathered by private companies about the publicespecially at Alibaba and Tencent, which have hundreds of millions of users. Chinese leaders see information about its 1.4 billion people as a tool for gaining insight into the public and economyand a potential security risk in private hands.

A law that takes effect Nov. 1 establishes security standards, prohibits companies from disclosing information without customer permission and tells them to limit how much they collect. Unlike data protection laws in Western countries, the Chinese rules say nothing about limiting government or the CCP access to personal information.

Beijing also is accused of using its stockpile of data about the public in a campaign of repression against Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim minorities in Chinas northwestern region of Xinjiang.

Very lax until a few months ago, the CCP has become one of the most active and forceful jurisdictions in regulating the digital economy, wrote Angela Zhang, an anti-monopoly expert at the University of Hong Kong law school, in a paper this month.

In April, Alibaba was fined 18.3 billion yuan ($2.8 billion) for offenses that included prohibiting vendors that wanted to use its platforms from dealing with Alibabas competitors.

Units of Alibaba, Tencent, live-streaming site Kuaishou, microblogging platform Sina Weibo and social media site Xiaohongshu also have been fined for distributing sexually suggestive stickers or short videos of children. Tencents music service was ordered to end exclusive contracts with providers.

Beijing is also using the crackdown to narrow Chinas politically sensitive wealth gap by pushing tech giants to share their wealth with employees and consumers.

Didi, Meituan and other delivery and ride-hailing businesses were ordered in May to cut fees charged to drivers and improve their benefits and security. Meituan CEO Wang Xing promised to donate $2.3 billion to environmental and social initiatives. Tencents Ma pledged $2 billion to charity.

Alibaba has promised to spend 100 billion yuan ($15.5 billion) on job creation, rural development, and other initiatives to support Chinese leader Xi Jinpings common prosperity campaign.

Such income redistribution plans are reminiscent of the mass mobilization and populist strategies of the 1950s and 60s under then-leader Mao Zedong, Zhang wrote.
A million dollar prize is for grabs for one Australian as part of a new initiative dubbed the Million Dollar Vax campaign.

The campaign will give away $4.1 million worth of prizes, with the big ticket item of $1 million in cash drawn on Nov. 5.

Some 3,100 gift cards worth $1,000 each will also be drawn throughout October.

Funded by philanthropists and corporations, the campaign aims to boost national vaccination rates above 80 percent, a key reopening target under the national plan.

Craig Winkler of the Million Dollar Vax Alliance says it is not designed to convince vaccine hesitant Australians to get the jab.

The promotion simply seeks to reward people who decide to be vaccinated now rather than waiting, so that we can reduce the community impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, he said in a statement on Sunday.

The aim is to accelerate Australias COVID-19 vaccination program in a safe way throughout the month of October.

The faster we reach higher vaccination rates nationally, higher than 80 percent, the sooner we all can safely resume our full range of community and business activity.

Australias vaccination rates have soared in recent months as supply issues eased, with 79 percent of the 16-plus population having received at least a first dose and 56 percent double dosed.

The federal government had been considering incentives to encourage Australians to get the jab before lockdown-inducing outbreaks of the highly infectious Delta variant in NSW and Victoria.

The initiative is inspired by the Ohio Vax-A-Million campaign, and Philanthropy Australia chief executive Jack Heath hopes their version will save lives, ease the burden on healthcare workers, and benefit the wider community.

All Australian adults are eligible to enter the competition online, as long as theyve received a first dose on or before Oct. 31.

Prizes will only be dished out to those fully vaccinated by Dec. 13, six weeks after the cut-off date.

By Callum Godde in Melbourne


Students for a Free Tibet protest below a new electronic billboard leased by Xinhua (2nd from top), the news agency operated by the Chinese regime, as it makes its debut in New York's Times Square on Aug 1, 2011. (Stan Honda/AFP via Getty Images)

Covert, Corrupt, and Coercive: Report Details Beijings Bid to Establish New Global Media Order

The Chinese regime has been deploying covert, corrupt and coercive means to weaponize Chinese-language and Western media in a campaign to impose its vision of current affairs on the rest of the world, a recent French military think tank report finds.

Beijings efforts to export its narratives have lasted for decades. The first Chinese Communist Party-controlled English language newspaper, China Daily, started in 1981. But such attempts had been clumsy and yielded slow results, according to Reporters Without Borders.

The year 2008 marked a turning point. The Olympic Games in Beijing, an event the regime had hoped to leverage to showcase its economic success, gave rise to protests in nearly a dozen cities around the world that disrupted torch relays.

The humiliation Beijing suffered from the resulting negative coverage had stung the authorities. To better control the regimes global image, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) soon came up with a 10-year plan, noted the report by the Institute for Strategic Studies of Military Schools (IRSEM), a think tank funded by the Ministry of the Armed Forces.

A police officer communicates over his radio standing beside an anti-Chinese banner during a demonstration by pro-Tibet activists and supporters near venue of the Indonesias leg of 2008 Beijing Olympic torch relay in Jakarta on April 22, 2008. (Jewel Samad/AFP via Getty Images)

The 650-page study, which drew on public information, research reports, and independent interviews, examined how Beijing has been exploiting the openness of the West to amplify its propaganda narratives, forming one component of the regimes sprawling influence operations globally.

The values of tolerance that characterize Western democracies have afforded Beijing considerable freedom of movement, allowing it to multiply its foreign offices, recruit foreign journalists to adapt its messages to different audiences, infiltrate local press with gifts and other material benefits, while dispensing billions of advertising dollars on Western media to further expand its reach, the report said.

In China, rather than a watchdog meant to keep the government in check, the press under Beijing has become a tool to serve the Party, the report said. Such vision was made plain in a 2016 speech by Chinese leader Xi Jinping, during which he told around 180 state media representatives to align their ideology with that of the top officials, speak for the Partys will  and protect the Partys authority, according to a Xinhua readout.

To some Xinhua reporters, Xis coming to power had marked the beginning of a new era, in which the Chinese media no longer need to be ashamed of being communist media, a Xinhua reporter told one of the report authors in 2018.

Buying Influence

Chinese state media are active on all social media networks, with a sizable influence on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagramall of which are blocked in China.

Chinese state media set up English- and regional-language pages on Facebook in 2013. Eight years on, they have topped worlds media in term of following, with four major outletsCGTN, China Daily, Xinhua, and Peoples Dailyhaving between 86 million to 116 million followers each at the time of the French reports publication, or about 2.5 to 3 times larger than that of CNNs.

The logo of CGTN is displayed on a computer monitor in London, England, on Feb. 4, 2021. (Leon Neal/Getty Images)

These spectacular scores have been the outcome of a deliberate effort to artificially inflate subscriber numbers, the authors said, pointing to the exceptional growth rate and the extremely low interaction rate these accounts receive.

According to the report, around eight major Chinese state media in English have an average growth rate of 37.8 percent from the period Jan. 1, 2019 to March 31, 2020, or about 5,000 times higher than that of U.S. mainstream media, but their level of engagement is 68 times lower.

Tender documents dated 2018 and 2019 reveal that state run outlets have been spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to acquire followers on Twitter and Facebook in what appeared to be a campaign to establish themselves as authoritative news voices.

When  you see tens of millions of people following, then you feel like this is pretty credible, Sarah Cook, a China analyst at human rights watchdog Freedom House, told The Epoch Times at the time. She described it as a new frontier, that is, an avenue for accessing the grassroots in society and public in other countries.

Facebook and Twitter logos are seen on a shop window in Malaga, Spain, on June 4, 2018. (Jon Nazca/Reuters)

The proportion of fake accounts among their Twitter followers is hard to ignore: For an average Twitter user, from 5 to 30 percent of the accounts that follow them are bots or spam; but the fake account ratio for the four aforementioned media ranges from 34.3 percent to 38.4 percent. For their French versions, the numbers shoot up to as high as 62.8 percent, the researchers found.

CCP-controlled China Daily at the same time is pouring millions of dollars to distribute their content through some of the most influential publications around the world. Between November 2016 and April 2020, China Daily paid nearly 19 million to U.S. newspapers to insert their free supplement called China Watch.

The collaboration has a three-fold benefit, the authors said. Not only does it help the Chinese media reach its target audience, it makes them appear more credible, and gives them financial leverage over their partner media.

British newspaper The Telegraph, which until April last year had been receiving roughly 750,000 (roughly $1 million) per year to distribute China Watch, also carried at least 20 signed articles by the Chinese ambassador to the U.K. between 2016 and 2018twice the number published by the Daily Mail, The Guardian, and Financial Times combined, according to a 2019 study published on Royal United Services Institute, a British defense and security think tank.

A New Global Media Order

The U.S. State Department has designated a total of 15 Chinese state-run outlets entities based in the country as foreign missions because they are substantially owned or effectively controlled by a foreign government, a department spokesperson told The Epoch Times in September.

A newspaper consumer reads a copy of Chinas Africa edition of its daily newspaper in front of a news stand in the Kenyan capital on Dec. 14, 2012. (Tony Karumba/AFP via Getty Images)

In the case of state-run news agency Xinhua, its local journalists have the sole mission of translating dispatches previously penned by Chinese staff, the French report said. A French journalist for Xinhua told a report author in 2018 that their Xinhua dispatches consist of 80 percent translations from English and 20 percent from Chinese. The translations and occasional original article would all be proofread by a Chinese journalist fluent in French and attuned to Partys expectations as well as the preferred stories, according to the Xinhua reporter.

Former staff members from pro-Beijing Hong Kong newspaper Sing Tao have recounted similar stories to The Epoch Times after the publication registered its five U.S. entities as foreign agents under orders from the Justice Department in August.

David, a former senior editor for Sing Taos New York office, said that he was briefed on two principles on his first day: no reporting of news on Falun Gong, a spiritual group persecuted by Beijing, nor Taiwan independence. Another, who worked for the outlets San Francisco office years ago, said she was told not to use the word CCPthe acronym for the Chinese Communist Partynor Republic of China, the official name for the self-ruling island of Taiwan that the regime claims as its own. Instead, she was to use the words China and Taiwan Province of the Peoples Republic of China respectively, she told The Epoch Times.

Acquiring foreign media, training journalists, donating gifts and equipment, applying diplomatic pressure, using visa blackmail, leveling threats through phone calls are among some other tactics deployed by Beijing to reshape the media landscape overseas to bend to its will, according to the report.

In South Africa, journalist Azad Essa saw his weekly column canceled from Independent Media, the countrys second-largest media group, hours after the publication of his Sept. 2018 story condemning the persecution of Uyghurs in Chinas Xinjiang region. The media group is 20 percent owned by two Chinese entities backed or controlled by Beijing.

Damaged computers and construction debris on the floor of The Epoch Times Hong Kong editions printing press in Hong Kong, China, on April 12, 2021. (Adrian Yu/The Epoch Times)

The Hong Kong edition of The Epoch Times has been subject to a string of vandalism since its establishment, in what critics said bears the hallmarks of the regimes intimidation tactics to silence independent reporting.

Due to fears of reprisal, Chinese-language media groups in Australia have chosen to actively self-censor, according to a September study by Sydney-based Lowy Institute.

Politically sensitive topics or criticisms against the Chinese government would put our staff members or their families at risk. We dont want them or their families to get detained in China, one media proprietor told the think tank.
Daniel Craig attends the World Premiere of "NO TIME TO DIE" at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England, on Sept. 28, 2021. (Tristan Fewings/Getty Images for EON Productions, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, and Universal Pictures)

Daniel Craig to Receive Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

HOLLYWOOD, Calif.Daniel Craig, who has portrayed James Bond in five 007 films, including the soon-to-be-released No Time to Die, will receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame this week.

Craigs starthe 2,704th on the Walk of Famewill be dedicated at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at 7007 Hollywood Boulevard, a location chosen for the Bond-related last three digits of the address, according to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.

It will be placed next to the star of one of Craigs Bond-movie predecessors, Roger Moore, according to the chamber.

Daniel Craig is a British cultural icon, as is James Bond, the man he has portrayed in five 007 films, said Ana Martinez, producer of the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

We are thrilled to place his terrazzo Walk of Fame star next to the star of another famed actor who also portrayed James Bond, Roger Moore. Fans will be thrilled when they see that their stars are appropriately located at 7007 Hollywood Boulevard!

Joining emcee Nicole Mihalka, chair of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, to unveil the star will be film producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, and actor Rami Malek, who co-stars in No Time to Die.

The ceremony will be live-streamed on walkoffame.com.

No Time to Die will be released Oct. 8, and will mark Craigs final turn as Bond.
Does Collusion Between Wall Street and the CCP Fuel Chinese Trading in US?

SEC warns again that Chinese stocks may be delisted if they refuse to be audited

News Analysis

While the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) continues to signal tighter audit standards for Chinese companies listed in the United States, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been meeting privately with Wall Street firms to launch wholly-owned mutual funds in the Chinese capital market. Experts believe Wall Street will remain as a middleman between China and the United States while the potential for profits exists.

On Sept. 22, the Wall Street investment firm Neuberger Berman was officially approved by the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), to become the third wholly overseas-owned mutual fund to operate in China along with BlackRock and Fidelity.

The deal was promised by the CCP during a private ChinaU.S. Financial Roundtable (CUFR) held online with Wall Street executives on Sept. 16. Prior to that meeting, SEC Chair Gary Gensler wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed on Sept. 13 that the SEC may need to prohibit trading in about 270 China-related companies by early 2024 if the U.S. authority is not allowed to audit Chinese audit firms.

Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Gary Gensler testifies before a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee oversight hearing on the SEC on Capitol Hill in Washington on Sept. 14, 2021. (Evelyn Hockstein/Pool/Reuters)

Gensler issued similar warnings on July 30 and Aug. 18, following the SECs implementation of the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, which went into effect on Dec. 18 last year. This law prohibits a company from trading its stock unless the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) is enabled to oversee its audits. After three years of noncompliance, the law requires U.S. exchanges to delist that companys stock.

Mike Sun, a U.S.-based private investment adviser, suggested the ChinaU.S. Financial Roundtable was an act of collusion between Beijing and Wall Street. Capital seeks profit, especially in a free economy, and Wall Street players will inevitably act as middlemen for their own benefit, he said.

A similar observation was made by Frank Xie, a professor with the University of North Carolina School of Business. In an interview with The Epoch Times, Xie said the private roundtable was not the first time Wall Street executives and CCP regulators had allegedly colluded. Wall Street has been financially supporting the CCP for years and whitewashing it in the West, he said.

CCP Opens Up Foreign-Owned Mutual Funds

This year marked the start of the CCPs efforts to accelerate its approval of applications by wholly foreign-owned mutual funds. Prior to the Neuberger Berman deal, Chinas CSRC granted approvals to BlackRock on June 18 and to Fidelity on Aug. 6, and this is just the beginning.

This opening up is part of a trade deal made with Washington in early 2020. The CSRC website reveals several more U.S. investment firms have applications pending. Among them are VanEck, Alliance Bernstein, and Schroders. J.P. Morgan Asset Management, a subsidiary of J.P. Morgan, also received permission to increase its stake in its joint venture company to achieve a wholly-owned shareholding.

Patrick Liu, head Neuberger Bermans China division, said that becoming one of the first batch of foreign mutual fund firms to start a business in China is a milestone in their China business expansion. He said that any global asset management firm should not overlook the tremendous opportunities presented by the Chinese market.

Neuberger Berman currently manages over $433 billion in assets. Since 2008, the firm has participated in various restricted private equity funds, investment advisory services, and Qualified Domestic Limited Partnership pilot business in China.

ChinaUS Financial Roundtable

The 35 participants in the fifth private CUFR on Sept. 16 included top Chinese regulatory officials, such as Fang Xinghai, vice chairman of the CSRC; Yi Gang, governor of the Peoples Bank of China; Guo Shuqing, chairman of China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission; and leaders of top Wall Street firms like Goldman Sachs, BlackRock, Fidelity, Blackstone, and Citadel, the third-largest hedge fund on Wall Street.

Mike Sun said Wall Street giants have coveted Chinas financial market for more than 30 years, and the CCP has been using Chinas multi-trillion-dollar financial market as bait to get Wall Street to act as a middleman with the U.S. government.

Sun believes Beijing does not think that the SECs intensified regulation of Chinese stocks means they should be taken off the market and that the SEC is only acting in accordance with U.S. laws and regulations to protect the interests of U.S. investors. But on issues such as information security, which Beijing considers to be a threat to its national security, the CCP will not give in easily.

Chinese media did not report on the three-and-a-half-hour private CUFR.

Sun believes that Beijings message is that it is supportive of Chinese stocks going public in the United States but within its control. Based on its approval, it will decide whether to list domestically or overseas, including in Hong Kong.

He said that Wall Street bigwigs will act as middlemen for their own interests and that international accounting firms, led by the Big Four accounting firms, will also play a role.

Frank Xie also believes the big investment banks on Wall Street have been acting as lobbyists for the CCP. Some large Western accounting firms knowingly turn a blind eye to false accounting and misrepresentation by the CCP, he alleged.

US Tightens Regulation of Chinese Stocks

On Sept. 14, the SECs Gensler stressed, Whether in California, the Cayman Islands or China, all companies that seek to raise money in the deep and liquid U.S. capital markets should play by Americas rules.

The PCAOB adopted a new framework on Sept. 22 that will require greater disclosure by the companies who used non-U.S. auditing firms to help the PCAOB implement the Foreign Company Accountability Act. This framework will become effective upon SEC approval.

Translated by Cathy Yin-Garton.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

Jennifer Bateman Follow Jennifer Bateman is a news writer focused on China.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, pauses during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing May 26, 2021 on Capitol Hill. The committee will hear testimony about the NIH FY22 budget and the current state of medical research. (Stefani Reynolds-Pool/Getty Images)

Fauci: Too Soon to Tell If Americans Can Get Together for Christmas

Biden administration COVID-19 adviser Dr.Anthony Fauci said on Oct. 3 that its not clear if Americans should have Christmas gatherings because of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic.

Fauci was asked during a CBS News interview about whether Americans can gather for Christmas, and he replied that its too soon to tell.

We have to concentrate on continuing to get those numbers down and not try to jump ahead by weeks or months and say what were going to do at a particular time, he said. Lets focus like a laser on continuing to get those cases down. And we can do it by people getting vaccinated. Also, in the situation where boosters are appropriate to get people boosted because we know they can help greatly in diminishing infection and diminishing advanced disease.

Fauci has been criticized for his dire pandemic predictionsnamely claiming that COVID-19 cases will spike during holiday gatheringsduring media interviews throughout the pandemic. Ahead of Christmas 2020, Fauci suggested that the United States would have to keep stay-at-home and social distancing orders intact due to a holiday COVID-19 wave. Before that, Fauci claimed that family gatherings during Thanksgiving 2020 would put others at risk.

According to recent data provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), COVID-19 cases have dropped by about 20 percent between Sept. 21 and Sept. 28.

A recent survey from The Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that Americans aged 50 and older have reported feeling socially isolated at least sometimes, while one in four have said that their relationships and social lives have worsened over the past year.

Visiting with friends and family in person, doing volunteer work, attending religious services, and talking with neighbors have declined, the survey reads.

Dr. Scott Gottlieb, who led the Food and Drug Administration from 2017 to 2019 and now sits on Pfizers board, told CNN on Sept. 27 that the Delta variant could be the last major surge of COVID-19 infection in the United States. Some experts had publicly feared that the so-called Mu variant could take hold in the United States, but recent data from Outbreak.info suggests that there have been no reported cases of the strain over the past seven days.

Were going to start to transition from the pandemic phase of this virus, at least here in the U.S., to a more endemic phase where the coronavirus becomes a persistent threat, Gottlieb said. But youre not seeing levels of infection quite the same way that youve seen them in the past year and a half.

Citing recent data showing a decline in cases, Gottlieb said that by Thanksgiving, COVID-19 cases will decline to a level that feels more manageable.

After his comments about Christmas on Oct. 3, Fauci received criticism from several media pundits on Twitter, where his name was included in the trending section for several hours.
President Joe Biden speaks about combating the COVID-19 pandemic in the State Dining Room of the White House on Sept. 9, 2021. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Federal Agency: Bidens Vaccine Mandate for Federal Workers Can Be Enforced Next Month

The federal Office of Personnel Management (OPM) said that President Joe Bidens vaccine mandate announced last month for federal workers can be enforced in November, giving employees about a month to get a CCP virus vaccine.

In a memo (pdf) released by Director Kiran Ahuja on Oct. 1, the OPM advised federal workers that they shouldnt wait until the last minute to get vaccinated because other events often interfere with even well-laid plans.

Employees who refuse to be vaccinated or provide proof of vaccination are subject to disciplinary measures, up to and including removal or termination from Federal service, Ahuja stated. The only exception is for individuals who receive a legally required exception pursuant to established agency processes.

The guidance from Bidens executive order, he wrote, states that federal employees need to be fully vaccinated by Nov. 8 with any of the three vaccines.

For Pfizer recipients, federal workers should get their second shot 3 weeks (or 21 days) after the first, and this means that in order for Federal employees to meet a November 22 deadline, they should receive their first vaccination no later than October 18, and their second dose no later than November 8, according to the memo.

Moderna recipients should receive their first shot by Oct. 11 and their second dose by Nov. 8, Ahuja said.

And because the Johnson & Johnson/Janssen vaccine only has one shot, Federal employees must get that dose by November 8, in order to meet a November 22, 2021, deadline to be fully vaccinated, the memo reads.

On Sept. 9, Biden announced sweeping measures targeting the federal government, the health care sector, and private businesses. Meanwhile, a number of GOP-led states and federal workers filed lawsuits against the Biden administration, arguing that his mandate is tantamount to federal overreach.

A number of federal employees filed a lawsuit against Biden about two weeks ago, arguing that his executive order unfairly affects those of Christian faith.

One of the plaintiffs, Daniel Jackson, a U.S. foreign service officer, has a faith that also instructs him that vaccination is not morally obligatory in principle and therefore must be voluntary, lawyers for the plaintiffs argued in the suit. They argued that there is a general moral duty to refuse the use of medical products, including certain vaccines, that are produced using human cells lines derived from direct abortions.

The suit also argues that U.S. Secret Service agent Lionel Klein, another plaintiff, has already contracted COVID-19 and has enough antibodies to ward against future virus infections. As a result, he doesnt need the vaccine, lawyers contend.

COVID-19 is the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.
A woman casts her ballot in the 2020 general election inside the Basset Place Mall in El Paso, Texas on Nov. 3, 2020. (Justin Hamel/AFP via Getty Images)

Federal Judge Strikes Down Texas Polling-Place Dress Code

A federal court struck down two Texas state laws that forced voters to refrain from wearing clothing with political messages on them in or near polling places as unconstitutional infringements of free speech.

According to Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF), a national public interest law firm based in Sacramento, California, that represented plaintiff Jillian Ostrewich, the laws gave thousands of election workers across the state unlimited discretion to confront any voter wearing a T-shirt, hat, or button related to any past, present, or future candidate, political party, or ballot measure.

This is an important win for Texans free speech rights, PLF attorney Wen Fa said.

The First Amendment protects an individuals right to express beliefs, regardless of whether others agree with those beliefs. An individuals right to self-expression does not end at the polling place.

The ruling by U.S. District Judge George C. Hanks Jr., an Obama appointee, came Sept. 30 in Houston in a case known as Ostrewich v. Hudspeth, civil action 4:19-cv-00715.

Ostrewich, the wife of a firefighter, wore a yellow T-shirt bearing the words Houston Firefighters and a small AFLCIO emblem to a polling place in Houston in October 2018. There was an initiative on the ballot at the time to give firefighters a pay increase. The ballot question, known as Proposition B, was approved by voters 59.2 percent to 40.8 percent in November 2018, Ballotpedia reports.

Election officials ordered Ostrewich to turn her shirt inside out or be barred from casting her ballot. Officials also ordered other voters not to wear shirts bearing the firefighters union logo. Firefighters wearing their uniforms to the polls were reportedly admonished by officials.

Ostrewich sued, claiming the voting apparel laws unconstitutionally chilled free speech.

On Sept. 14, Magistrate Judge Andrew M. Edison recommended that two of the three legal provisions challenged by Ostrewich be struck down. He recommended that a narrower provision, intended to apply to poll workers name badges, that prohibits badges or insignia related to candidates, parties, and measures on the ballot, not be struck down.

Sections 61.003 and 85.036 of the Texas Election Code prohibit voters from electioneer[ing] for or against any candidate, measure, or political party. The first section governs conduct on Election Day; the second, during the early voting period. Electioneering is defined to include the wearing of apparel for or against any candidate, measure, or political party.

But the prohibition, Edison noted, is not limited to candidates, measures, or political parties appearing on the ballot, and the provisions suggest that election judges are allowed to ban voters from wearing apparel they deem political.

This is problematic, he wrote.

Like the Minnesota statute at issue in the Supreme Courts 2018 ruling in Minnesota Voters Alliance v. Mansky, sections 61.003 and 85.036s use of the term political is unmoored from any objective, workable standard that an election judge could use to reasonably apply the statute, wrote Edison.

The sections do not give Texas voters notice of what is expected of them in the polling place, and they do not provide election judges with objective, workable standards to reign in their discretion. This is impermissible under the First Amendment and these statutory provisions should be struck down as unconstitutional.

Hanks adopted Edisons recommendations in full, holding that sections 61.003 and 85.036 are struck down as unconstitutional infringements on the First Amendment right to free speech.

A magistrate judge helps district court judges handle what at times can be a heavy workload.

Hanks, a district court judge, was nominated by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, as required by Article III of the U.S. Constitution. Edison, a magistrate judge, was appointed based upon the recommendations of a citizens merit screening committee. Magistrate judges exercise jurisdiction over matters assigned by statute as well as those delegated by the district judges. A full-time magistrate judge serves a term of eight years. Duties assigned to magistrate judges by district court judges may vary considerably from court to court.

Lawyer Fa told The Epoch Times that what this lawsuit shows is that when you have broad and vague laws, people who are working them are bound to interpret them in different and inconsistent and arbitrary ways. And what we were able to accomplish in this lawsuit was not just a victory for free speech, but also a victory for the application of objective standards in the law. So I think its a great victory on both of those fronts.

Ostrewich said in a statement that she was pleased with the courts opinion.

It is just a T-shirt. The government should have no business dictating what I wear when I go to vote.

One plaintiff dropped out of the lawsuit on July 10, 2020, according to court records.

That litigant was Anthony Ortiz, who wore a Make America Great Again hat when he went to vote in a polling precinct in November 2018, but was forced to remove it or face a misdemeanor charge. Ortiz said an election official instructed him to turn his hat inside out, or else he would be prevented from voting. Ortiz objected, noting that his hat didnt identify a party or candidate on the current ballot. Ortiz eventually left the polling station and returned later without the hat and was allowed to vote, as The Epoch Times previously reported.

Its unclear if Texas will appeal the court ruling.

The lead attorney for the state, Christopher D. Hilton of the Texas Office of the Attorney General, didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.
Police officers stand guard outside the No. 2 Intermediate People's Court where human rights lawyer Pu Zhiqiang was being sentenced in Beijing on Dec. 22, 2015. (Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images)

Former Chinese Justice Minister With History of Human Rights Violations Under Investigation

The Chinese communist regime has placed Fu Zhenghua, a longtime official in Chinas public security sector, under investigation. While the regime hasnt disclosed details of the investigation, Fu is known to have committed human rights violations for years.

The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, a party organ for policing corruption, issued a short statement on Oct. 2, saying that Fu was suspected of serious violations of discipline and the lawan oft-used euphemism by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to mean corruption. The commission didnt provide further details.

Fu, 66, became the Chinese justice minister in March 2018 before stepping down in April 2020. Since then, he has been a deputy director of the Committee for Social and Legal Affairs in the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), a political advisory body.

His career in Chinas public security sector began in 2010, when he was named head of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau. Three years later, he took on two additional positionsa deputy minister of Chinas Ministry of Public Security and a member of the regimes top legal body, the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission (PLAC).

He would continue to have a position at both the ministry and the commission until mid-2016.

From 2015 until 2018, Fu headed the communist regimes notorious 610 Officean extralegal secret police force akin to Nazi Germanys Gestapo. Established in June 1999, the office has been implementing the regimes persecution policies against Chinese citizens who practice Falun Gong, a spiritual practice that involves meditative exercises and moral teachings.

While Fus case is still pending further investigation, many CCP officials have been purged since 2012, when Chinese leader Xi Jinping began a relentless anti-corruption campaign. Since then, more than 100 tigers and fliesCCP jargon for high- and low-ranking officialshave been purged for corruption crimes such as bribery and embezzlement. However, the regime has steered away from looking into how these officials may have also committed human rights violations.

Zhou Yongkang, who formerly headed the PLAC, was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2015. According to Chinas state-run media, Zhou was guilty of abusing his power, among other things, but there was no mention of his involvement in human rights abuses.

Fu has been named by the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (WOIPFG), a U.S.-based nonprofit organization, for his crimes against Falun Gong adherents, as well as being one of the CCP officials responsible for Chinas massive suppression of lawyers in 2015.

On July 9, 2015, the Chinese regime rounded up hundreds of lawyers and activists across China in a clampdown commonly known as the 709 Incident. Some remain in prison or detention, such as human rights lawyers Yu Wensheng and Chang Weiping.

According to data from Minghui.org, a U.S.-based website that monitors the persecution of the faith group, hundreds of Falun Gong adherents living in Beijing were kidnapped, and more than 60 were sent to labor camps between 2012 and 2015, when Fu was the Beijing Municipal Public Security chief. More than a dozen adherents died, among them Li Yuejin.

Li was taken by police officers from the municipal security bureau in Beijing and other local police stations in August 2012, according to Minghui.org. He was subsequently sent to a labor camp, where he was persecuted for refusing to renounce his beliefs.

One day at the labor camp, Li was forcibly given a shot of an unknown substance that caused him great discomfort. According to Minghui, the injection was determined to be the cause of his death in October 2013, months after he was granted medical parole due to his poor health.

Millions of Falun Gong adherents in China have been detained inside prisons, labor camps, and other facilities in China, with hundreds of thousands tortured while incarcerated, since July 1999, when former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin launched the persecution, according to the Falun Dafa Information Center.

In the first six months of 2021, at least 674 Falun Gong adherents were illegally sentenced, with the longest sentence being 14 years.
A large group of protesters stand on the east steps of the Capitol Building in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. (Jon Cherry/Getty Images)

Former Green Beret and Congressional Candidate Arrested in Connection to Jan. 6 Breach

A former congressional candidate was arrested in Florida last week in connection to the Jan. 6 Capitol breach, authorities said.

Jeremy Brown, who said he is a retired Army green beret, was arrested on charges of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and engaging in disorderly or disruptive conduct in any restricted building or grounds to disrupt government affairs, said federal prosecutors on Sept. 30. Brown was arrested in Tampa, Florida, officials said.

Case documents filed by prosecutors last week alleged that Brown had helped transport people who sought to attend the Jan. 6 protest and is accused of writing on the Signal app in late December that we have a RV an Van going (sic). Plenty of Gun Ports left to fill. We can pick you up.

If you can, come to my house anytime Saturday. You can stop by and drop stuff off, or stay the night. This way we can load plan, route plan, and conduct PCIs (Pre Combat Inspections), Brown also wrote on Jan. 1, along with details about when to leave for the event.

Its not clear if Brown has a lawyer.

Later, on Jan. 6, he allegedly wrote that everything you are watching on the Media and Houses of Congress is a LIE adding that I was shot in the neck with pepper balls and beating in the forearm with a night stick trying to shield unprotected Civilians from being hit in the head. This was an exercise in the unrestrained addiction to power.

The case file also included screenshots of posts that Brown made on Parler.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Brown was a former Special Forces Operations sergeant for about a decade and also ran for a congressional seat in Florida last year.

The Department of Justice filing also asserted that Brown wore full military gear, including a helmet, radio, a tactical vest, and prominently displayed large surgical trauma shears tucked into a pack sitting on the vest, which was similar to a photo of him that was provided by an unnamed witness to federal officials.

Brown was allegedly within the restricted area that was set up by law enforcement near the Capitol when members of Congress and then-Vice President Mike Pence certified the 2020 election, according to a photo taken on Jan. 6, prosecutors said.

In December, Brown had allegedly recorded a December conversation with two men who claimed they worked with the FBIs Joint Terrorism Task Force. They indicated during their discussion that they would be interested in Brown becoming an informant.

I cant make any promises but, like, if you provide information that prevents something big, the government pays for that, one of the men, who werent identified, told Brown.
In this screenshot from a police camera video, Brian Laundrie talks 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, Utah, on Aug. 12, 2021. (The Moab Police Department)

Hiker Says He Has No Doubt He Encountered Brian Laundrie on Appalachian Trail

A hiker in Tennessee claimed that he saw Brian Laundrie, who is wanted by the FBI, near the Appalachian Trail near the North Carolina border on Saturday.

Dennis Davis, who spoke to a number of news outlets over the weekend, said that he saw a man who resembled Laundrie driving a white pickup truck around 12:30 a.m. ET on Saturday in the area. Davis recalled that he didnt at the time realize the driver was Laundrie. After the encounter, he looked up photos of the FBI fugitive, who is wanted on fraud charges but is a person of interest in the death of his fiance, Gabby Petito.

There is no doubt about it. That was Brian Laundrie I was just talking to. 100 percent. Not a doubt in my mind, Davis told Fox News, adding that he called the FBI twice as well as 911 operators in North Carolina and Tennessee.

Davis said he and several other hikers were about to leave a car near the Appalachian Trail and was going to sleep at the trailhead. When Davis tried to perform a U-turn, he saw a white truck that flashed its headlights signaling that he could complete the U-turn, he recalled.

Then, the man in the vehicle stuck his hand out of the window.

I pulled up alongside of the vehicle, Davis stated, adding that I rolled my window down and I started talking with the gentleman. I could tell right away that something wasnt right with him.

The driver told Davis that he was lost and was attempting to get to California after fighting with his girlfriend.

He said me and my girlfriend had a fight, and man, I love her, and she called me, and I need to go out to California to see her, Davis told the outlet, saying he told the driver to take Interstate 40 West. The driver, he added, told him that would rather stay on Waterville Road near the Pigeon River.

After speaking with the man, Davis wondered whether the driver was Laundrie, who appeared tired or on drugs.

So I got to the next spot where I was going to park and I pulled open my phone and I started looking through pictures. And the thing when I was talking to him which really stood out to me was: He had a very full but short, very thick, dark, black beard and mustache. And so when I parked my car and I pulled up the picture of him on the internetand there was that beard and mustache, Davis said.

Davis also said that Duane Dog the Bounty Hunter Chapmans family contacted him and sent him an audio file of Laundries voice, which was the same I heard, referring to the driver.

Petito was officially reported missing by her family on Sept. 11 and was later found dead in Wyoming. Her manner of death was ruled a homicide by a local coroner.

She and Laundrie had traveled cross-country before Laundrie returned back to his home in North Port, Florida, weeks ago without Petito. His parents reported that Laundrie went missing on Sept. 14.
People gather at Piccadilly Circus during the Resist the CCP Day event in London on Oct. 1, 2021. (Qian Cheng/The Epoch Times)

Hongkongers in UK Protest Against Chinese Regime on Communist Anniversary

Hundreds of Hongkongers joined demonstrations against the Chinese regime in British cities including London and Manchester on Oct. 1, the 72nd anniversary of the Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) one-party rule.

The Resist the CCP Day rallies were jointly organised by several Hong Kong groups and human rights bodies representing Tibetans and Uyghurs.

Finn Lau, founder of Hong Kong Liberty and one of the organisers of the demonstrations, said the various persecuted groups chose to protest together on this symbolic day because we are all suffering, we are victims under the CCP.

Founder of Hong Kong Liberty Finn Lau in an interview during the Resist the CCP Day in London, on Oct. 1, 2021. (Jenna/The Epoch Times)

The human rights situation in the former British colony has deteriorated rapidly under a new national security law, which the Beijing regime imposed on Hong Kong in June 2020.

Lau told The Epoch Times that his friends were among those who were imprisoned in the Hong Kong authorities intensified suppression of pro-democracy activists. But he said he will not give up and will continue to fight on behalf of the people of Hong Kong.

Some people may say that the collapse of the CCP is impossible, but I dont think its a dream, Lau said. Look at the history of the USSR: 40 years ago they thought that it was impossible the USSR would collapse.

Lau said he believes the fate of the Soviet Union, which disintegrated in 1991, will happen to the CCP as well.

Simon Cheng in an interview during the Resist the CCP Day in London, on Oct. 1, 2021. (Jenna/The Epoch Times)

Simon Cheng, a former employee of the British consulate in Hong Kong, said he wanted to join the rally in London because there is no longer any room in Hong Kong for freedom of expression.

Cheng was tortured and forced to make a TV confession when he was detained for 15 days in August 2019 by mainland Chinese police. He later arrived in the UK and became the first British National (Overseas) passport holder to be granted asylum.

Cheng told The Epoch Times that, by imposing the national security law, the CCP has installed its own political system in Hong Kong, making it unrecognisable to Hongkongers who had become used to freedom and autonomy.

The Hong Kong of the past no longer exists, he said. So we must do our best to protect the spirit of Hong Kong.

Many of the protesters were more recent arrivals who came to the UK thanks to a new visa scheme for holders of the British National (Overseas) status, which allows them to live, study, and work in the UK for five years and eventually apply for citizenship.

Among them was a family of three who only identified themselves by their family name Ng.

Mrs. Ng said they chose to come to the UK as soon as they could because they did not want their child to be poisoned by the CCPs propaganda, which has tainted Hong Kongs school textbooks.

We just had to come to support this rally because we in the UK still have the freedom of expression, which is no longer available in Hong Kong, she told The Epoch Times.
Deputy Leader of the Labour Party Angela Rayner listens to speeches in the main hall on day four of the Labour Party conference in Brighton, England on Sept. 28, 2021. (Leon Neal/Getty Images)

How Hatred in the Name of Equality Is Deemed Virtuous

Commentary

Its curious, and perhaps not coincidental, that those who search out and seek to punish so-called hate speech havent yet turned their attention to expressions of class hatred.

Its curious because class hatred and its associated policy, economic egalitarianism, were probably responsible for as many deaths in the 20th century as racism, if not more.

I dont want to make a precise calculation as to which was worse between class hatred or racism, because I recall what Dr. Samuel Johnson replied when asked who was the better poet, Samuel Derrick or Kit Smart.

Sir, Johnson said, there is no settling the point of precedency between a louse and a flea.

I dont expect that the inquisitors of hate speech will call for class warriors to be banned from expressing themselves on social media or anywhere else anytime soon. Some hatreds, then, are deemed respectable, even praiseworthy, and the expression of them, even to the point of incitement, is considered to be the manifestation of a good or pure heart.

The deputy leader of Britains left-leaning Labour Party, Angela Rayner, recently said during a meeting, with regard to the governing Conservative Party: We cannot get any worse than a bunch of scum, homophobic, racist, misogynistic, absolute vile  banana republic, vile, nasty, Etonian  piece of scum.

Rayner later stated that she had held herself back a little.

We cant get worse? I have no great regard for the antics of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who seems unprincipled, inconstant, boastful, vainglorious, and incompetent in my view, but to say that we cant get worse seems to demonstrate a pitiful ignorance of history thats rather worrying in someone who might one day hold high office.

Werent Hitler, Stalin, or Pol Pot (to name only a few) just a little worse than Johnson? Even as an emotive insult, however, Rayners words seem to indicate not merely a lack of restraint, but also a worrying lack of command of the English language: For example, scum doesnt come in pieces, although it does, almost by definition, rise to the top.

However, literary criticism isnt my main concern here.

Its the depth of hatred and resentment expressed in Rayners words that worries me and the evident absence of hesitation in giving vent to them.

Contrary to the hydrostatic view of emotions such as hatred, they tend to increase rather than decrease through venting. The view that if an emotion isnt expressed openly it will do incalculable damage to a person is one of the gifts of psychoanalysis to the world.

As a prisoner who had just murdered his girlfriend once told me, I had to kill her, doctor, or I dont know what I would have done.

Suffered some frustration, perhaps.

Rayner was criticized for what she had said, but she defended herself by claiming that this was her habitual manner of speaking: as if she couldnt conceive that she might do wrong, as if her only criterion of rightness was what she herself had done.

Although what she said was, in my opinion, horrible, I dont think that she should be punished for having said it or prevented legally from ever saying anything similar again. Freedom of speech is freedom of speech, not gentility, decency, or even intelligence.

Her words were imbued with infinitely more hatred than those of, say, someone who merely points out that a transgender woman isnt a real woman, for the latter, far from being an expression of hatred, is perfectly compatible with sympathy for such a person.

In a sense, its a prerequisite for such sympathy, insofar as it recognizes the inevitable psychological discomfort of anyone in such a position.

But its he or she who draws attention to an evident truth, rather than someone whose words seethe with insult and crude insensate loathing, whos held to be guilty of hate speechbecause hatred in the name of equality is regarded as generous, despite its record of mass murder rivaled only by racism.

Those who hate in the name of equality believe themselves to be, and are frequently believed to be, virtuous because they supposedly value justice.

But two things need to be pointed out. First, if equality is based on identity or even similarity of outcome, rather than equality before the law, then there could be no greater injustice than equality, at least if justice is the distribution of reward according to what one deserves.

Naturally, deserve is a complex and difficult concept, but real egalitarians wish to eliminate it completely in their desire that all should have prizes and the same prizes at that. However, if reward is disconnected entirely from deservingness, much, most, or all meaning in life is eviscerated, for the reward will be the same whatever you do. Why, then, even try?

Second, however, is the fact that while justice is desirable, it isnt the only thing thats desirable, and sometimes must yield place to considerations such as charity, kindness, and humanity.

An utter wastrel may well deserve to starve, considered in the abstract, because of his constant and repeated feckless behavior, but we shouldnt let him starve because our humanity wont allow it.

As Hamlet put it, Use every man after his desert, and who shall scape whipping?

Thus, the fact that inequality isnt in itself unjust doesnt dispose altogether of the question of how equal in outcome a society should be, even leaving aside the question of the loading of the dice in some peoples favor and against others and how far the dice may in practice be loaded fairly.

A society in which only a tiny proportion of the population deserves, by their efforts, to enjoy the better things in life is certainly conceivable, but we shouldnt care to live in such a society, however just it may be. But the problem with modern redistributionism is that its founded much more upon hatred of the rich or fortunate than it is upon love of the poor or unfortunate.

Hatred is an incomparably stronger political emotion than love. In the worldview of redistributionists such as Rayner, its more blessed to take than to give, which is why taxation is an end in itself for them, irrespective of its effect upon the economy and society as a whole.

It also has the great advantage, from their point of view, of conferring great power on those who levy it, namely themselves. All power corrupts, but the desire for power corrupts even before its ever achieved.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou leaves her Vancouver home to attend her extradition hearing in British Columbia Supreme Court, in Vancouver, Canada, on Aug. 4, 2021. (Don Mackinnon/AFP via Getty Images)

Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou Promoted as National Hero in China

The release of Meng Wanzhou, the CFO of Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei, to China has been used by the CCPs media to launch a wave of anti-U.S. propaganda and to promote Meng as a national hero against the United States in Chinese schools and kindergartens.

After reaching a deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Justice Department, Meng took a chartered flight back to China on Sept. 24.

On Dec. 1, 2018, Meng was arrested by the Canadian police at Vancouver International Airport at the request of the U.S. Department of Justice. U.S. prosecutors charged Meng with bank and wire fraud. The Justice Department requested that she be extradited to the United States to face trial.

For almost three years, Meng has spent time with family in her Vancouver home.

After Meng arrived in Shenzhen, China, on the evening of Sept. 25, the website of the CCPs Central Commission for Discipline Inspection published an article early the next morning, saying that the United States was trying to obstruct or even interrupt Chinas development process.

CCP mouthpiece The Peoples Daily ran a commentary around the same time, calling Mengs case a political witch hunt by the United States to target Chinese people and suppress Huawei, a Chinese technology company. Other articles in the CCPs official media make similar arguments.

Regime outlet Guangming Daily went one step further. Its WeChat account Educationist posted an article titled Today, tell students the story of Meng Wanzhous return home and suggested using the Meng incident as a blueprint for students homework.

An assignment for Class 8, Grade 5 of the No. 2 Experimental Primary School in Zouping city, Shandong Province, was circulated online from Sept. 26. The assignment was titled Thoughts from the Meng Wanzhou incident. The following six questions were listed: Who is Meng Wanzhou? Who was detaining her? Why was she detained? How was she rescued? What does the Meng Wanzhou incident tell us? As a primary school student, what hope do you have for your future?

The Epoch Times called the No. 2 Experimental Primary School in Zouping on Sept. 29 for comment, but calls went unanswered.

A supermarket owner in Zouping, who asked not to be named, told The Epoch Times that the Meng case was used to brainwash students in school and he felt sorry for the children, who know nothing at such a young age. He said the Chinese people who are following the uproar are really sick.

He said Meng squandered the Chinese peoples hard-earned money abroad and lived in a luxury house in Canada, yet the Chinese are cheering for her.

On Chinese social media platform Weibo, a user named Chichi Cat confirmed on Sept. 27 that her daughters school was teaching about the Meng incident. Another user named Li just walks on regardless also said that schools are organizing students to watch videos of Meng returning home. User Little grapefruit in the world saw a sign about Meng Wanzhou when passing the school radio station.

One user posted a paragraph from the class meeting themed Meng Wanzhou given by the school. Another posted that the Meng incident was discussed in the ideological and moral cultivation class of third grade students. It was compared with the War of Resistance against Japan and Syria, which became a successful patriotic education lesson.

Henan University, which has exchanges and cooperation with Huawei, reprinted a Sept. 26 article on Mengs case by the CCPs state-run news agency Xinhua ahead of its Sept. 27 article about Huawei executives exchange activities at the university, saying that Huawei was suppressed and blocked by many countries and had national integrity.

Li Yiming, a media professional in Japan, told The Epoch Times how the CCP has used the Meng incident in its patriotism brainwashing education for primary school students.

Li said while Meng was under surveillance in Canada, the CCP portrayed her in a very positive light. The Chinese Internet was overwhelmed by propaganda describing her as an anti-American hero. With no role model to set, the CCP is using the incident to make Meng what it wants to be, he said.

This is what the CCP does all the time. It always needs to set up something to advertise its value theory and get people to listen to it, Li said. In some places, she is even discussed in class to brainwash the teenagers.

In Lis view, the CCP may have two purposes in making Meng an anti-American hero. One is that since no one believes in the CCP now, its just the right time to stir up the common people. Another is that due to the overall downturn in various industries, people are dissatisfied with the authorities. By doing this, it can stimulate peoples patriotic enthusiasm as well as divert their attention, Li said.

Kane Zhang contributed to this report.
A seagull flies over oil washed up by the coast in Huntington Beach, Calif., on Oct. 3, 2021. (Ringo H.W. Chiu/AP Photo)

Massive Oil Spill Kills Wildlife, Closes Beaches at Southern California Beach

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif.A 126,000-gallon oil spill from an offshore rig was causing major ecological damage in the waters off Huntington Beach in Southern California on Oct. 3, as officials closed the area to beachgoers and canceled the final day of the Pacific Airshow.

The U.S Coast Guard was leading the response to the spill, which covers about 5.8 nautical miles between the Huntington Beach Pier and Newport Beach. The spill emanated from a facility operated by Beta Offshore about five miles off the coast, and was likely caused by a pipeline leak.

Huntington Beach Mayor Kim Carr said the spill of 3,000 barrels worth of oil was reported at about 9 a.m. Saturday and drew a response from all levels of government, with a unified command established to handle the environmental crisis.

Carr described the situation as a potential ecologic disaster, and said some of the oil had reached the shore and was impacting the Talbert Marshlands and the Santa Ana River Trail.

The spill has significantly affected Huntington Beach, with substantial ecological impacts occurring at the beach and at the Huntington Beach Wetlands, a city statement said.

Rep. Michelle Steel, R-Huntington Beach, sent a letter to President Joe Biden on Sunday requesting a major disaster declaration for Orange County.

It is imperative that the federal government assist in recovery efforts. Constituents who live along the shoreline are already reporting oil on the beach and strong odors, Steel wrote. Officials are already responding to protect sea life. Dead fish and birds are already being reported on beaches and shorelines. I have serious concerns about the environmental impacts of the spill and applaud the workers who are doing their best to prevent the oil from hitting sensitive wetlands.

A dog plays near oil containment barriers in Newport Beach, Calif., on Oct. 3, 2021, after a pipeline breach connected to an oil rig off shore started leaking oil. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

Skimming equipment and booms were deployed to prevent the inflow of oil into the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve and Huntington Beach Wetlands, although officials said wildlife in the two areas were already being affected.

The California Department of Fish & Wildlife set up the Oiled Wildlife Care Network hotline, at 877-823-6926, for people to call if they see wildlife impacted from the oil. Members of the public were urged not to approach any animals themselves.

The city also closed ocean access from the Huntington Beach Pier down to the Santa Ana River jetty.

Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foleywho represents the impacted cities of Newport Beach, Huntington Beach and Seal Beachsaid Sunday morning that access to the beaches would be restricted too so officials could continue cleanup efforts.

Foley said the spill has already killed some fish and birds.

Significant ecological impacts in HB. Oil has washed up now onto the HB beachfront. Weve started to find dead birds & fish washing up on the shore, Foley tweeted at 12:48 a.m. She added that the damage from the spill could be irreversible, calling the beaches and marshlands part of our heritage that draw countless numbers of people to the shore.

Oil also began to wash ashore in Newport Beach on Sunday. Health officials warned people not to swim, surf or exercise by the beach because of the potential health hazards. People were also urged not to fish in the area since the waters are considered toxic.

Boaters who incur any oil damage to their crafts were asked not to clean the boats themselves since they could spread the oil, but to contact county officials who could refer them to the proper channels for possible reimbursement of cleaning expenses.

Foley told KTLA5 that she was on a call Sunday morning with the mayor and city manager of Newport Beach and Huntington Beach, along with the Orange County Sheriffs Department Harbor Patrol and the coordinators for the incident management team.

She said softball-size clumps of oil were seen on the Huntington Beach shoreline.

The city fully acknowledges the gravity of the decision to cancel the final day of the iconic Pacific Airshow, and the disappointment that this decision will cause, Huntington Beach officials said in a statement.

However, the need for prompt and intensive intervention efforts requires complete and unfettered access to the marine environment.

About 1.5 million people attended the show Saturday, officials said.

The unified command said the public was being asked to avoid any oiled areas. Trained spill response contractors were cleaning up the disaster.

Public volunteers are not needed and could hinder response efforts, they said.

The leak had not been completely stopped Sunday, but preliminary patching was completed to repair the oil spill site and repair efforts were ongoing.

Workers moved to shut down the pipeline and used pressurized equipment to retrieve as much oil as possible soon after the incident was reported at 12:18 p.m., Kate Conrad of Beta Offshore told the Los Angeles Times.

The oil spill occurred in federal waters at the Elly platform, which was built in 1980 and processes crude oil from two other platforms that comes from a large reservoir called Beta Field.

Houston-based Amplify Energy Corp. is the parent company of Beta Offshore. Attempts to reach the company Sunday were unsuccessful.
Maud Maron on NYC Schools Pushing Critical Race Theory; the Assault on Merit; and the Emerging Community of the Canceled

You can teach kids how to treat each other with respect and dignity without trying to racially essentialize kids.

I sit down with Maud Maron, an elected New York public school council member and public defender who was fired from her job at the Legal Aid Society after speaking out against race essentialism in schools. She is running for New York City Council.

We discuss the injection of critical race theory into schools, why lowering education standards hurts poor, minority kids, and what she describes as a new community of the canceled that has emerged in the last year.

Jan Jekielek: Maud Maron, such a pleasure to have you on American Thought Leaders.

Maud Maron: Jan, Im so happy to be here.

Mr. Jekielek: Maud, I first became aware of you back in July. You wrote an op-ed in the New York Post, Racial obsessions make it impossible for NYC schools to treat parents, kids as people. This whole concept is something were going to talk about today, but before we go there, theres a whole fascinating backstory to hear and maybe a little bit of story afterwards. I just want to get you to flesh this out, how this all came to be.

Ms. Maron: Right. Well, I wrote that op-ed about a training that I attended in my capacity as a school board president of a local school board in New York City. Usually, school boards are attended by a very small number of people, and that was certainly true of the board that I was on. But when we switched to Zoom because of COVID, we had more and more people, parents, showing up, which is actually a good thing, which was one of the small upsides of Zoom culture in the COVID era.

In the particular school board that I sit on, one of our meetings went viral, based on something someone has recently described to me as intersectional madness, because there was one parent whose outburst at another parent, fellow board member, was over the fact that he was white and was holding a black child on his lap. She thought that that was offensive for reasons that I still couldnt possibly articulate to you.

Her outburst about that sort of went viral. Someone posted a clip on the internet, and people started paying attention, not just to the school board that I was on, which is one of the largest in New York City and in Manhattan, but to school boards around the country, because parents were starting to speak up. Some were quite in support of the ideology that this woman was talking about, which is encapsulated with Ibram Kendi and Robin DiAngelos ideas, but other parents were pushing back on those ideas.

The school board fights, the school board wars, that I think are still going on very much right now, are where that op-ed that I wrote came from.

I was also responding to an interchange with Nikole Hannah Jones, who is the author of The 1619 Project in The New York Times. She interviewed me because shed heard me speak as a school board parent.

She and I disagreed about a few things, and I referenced that disagreement and how parents should be able to come to the table to talk about their kids education, even if they disagree with each other. And so thats what I wrote about in that op-ed.

Mr. Jekielek: If I recall, you thought it wasnt entirely represented accurately in the article that was a result of that interview.

Ms. Maron: One of the things I had said to her, to Nikole Hannah Jones in the interview, was that all parents had a right to come to the table. This idea that these anti-racist views as articulated by Ibram Kendi are the only views that youre allowed to have in the classroom or on the school board, I disagree with that. I think you have to makeespecially in New York City, this fantastically diverse city, parents get to come regardless of their ideas to talk about what they want out of their childrens education.

It was portrayedbecause I said, Even if you think someone else is racist, theyre a public school parent. They get to come and talk about their ideas. That was endlessly portrayed in social media as me saying that I was condoning or supporting racists being heard or listened to.

What I was saying is, Even if you think someones point of view is racist, public school parents get to come together.

Somewhat ironically, in the Twitter exchange I had with her, she accused me of being disingenuous because I referred to specialized high schools as majority POCPOC standing for people of colorwhich they are, in fact. And many, many people got angry at her because they said it was rather racist to say that Asians are not people of color. Those specialized high schools, in these schools in New York that you access through an exam, are majority Asian, and so they are majority non-white or people of color.

So when she said it was disingenuous of me to say that, a lot of people accused her of racism. What I said is, Even the people who think shes racist have to acknowledge that shes a public school parent, just like me, just like close to a million families, and we all get to come and we all get to talk about what we want for our childrens education. That was the argument I was making. I believed it then, and I believe it now.

Mr. Jekielek: Its interesting that you said this is about treating parents and kids simply as people. Now, what do you mean by that?

Ms. Maron: You know, our discourse around these issues, about what to teach, how to teach it, what were allowed to teach, what were allowed to say, and what were allowed to call each other, has become so polarized that open discourse of just being able to talk about it is slipping away.

Its because were labeling some people as unworthy of being part of the conversation. You have to agree with certain points of view, with certain language, with certain words, before you even get to come to the table for the conversation. And thats not how it should be.

Its not how it can be in New York City, or anywhere, but New York Citys public school system is the largest in the country. Its pretty big; its pretty diverse. And you have to accept the fact that walking through the door of your kids school, there will be lots of parents who dont agree with you about important things.

Nonetheless, you make a community, a school community where there will also be many things you have in common, like the quality of the education you want for your children and the fact that you want your children to treat each other with respect and kindness while theyre learning together. Right, I think thats a line you could draw through pretty much every public school parent.

Mr. Jekielek: I want to talk about the education element a bit, because youve been very vocal about it. Something like less than 50 percent of students are able to read at grade level. And there are all sorts of very scary statistics, which youre bringing to light, actually as part of your run for city council. I should mention that we dont usually bring people on that are running in political races, but thats not really the topic for today. So, with this op-edand this was part of what actually brought this to my attentionthere was a lot of fallout.

Ms. Maron: Yes, indeed.

Mr. Jekielek: Part of it is that you lost your job.

Ms. Maron: Yes.

Mr. Jekielek: I want you to tell me a bit about that, but before that, I want you to tell me about your job and how you got into it. Because its a rare breed of people that want to become public defenders, and I would love to hear your story of becoming a public defender.

Ms. Maron: Well, I knew in law school that it was something that interested me and something that I wanted to do. In my third year of law school, I took a class where you actually were assigned to be a mentee to a public defender. And so I was actually in court and representing clients as a third year law student.

That sealed the deal. Youre interacting with people in ways that you really help individual clients. I love the work, I love the colleagues, and I love doing the work.

I started working there right out of law school. I started working at the Legal Aid Society, which is the largest public defense agency in New York City. I did that for many years until I had my first child. I have four kids, and I went back to work at Legal Aid. I was working there when I was on my school board and when all of this was unfolding.

But after I wrote that op-ed, my employer and my unionwere a unionized law office, which is a little unusualbut my union and my employer released statements basically saying that I was unfit to do the job, because of the opinions that I held and that I wrote about and because of who I am.

Mr. Jekielek: People reached out to some of your coworkers, and most of them, without being identified for fear of repercussion, said, She was excellent at her work. I mean, I have to say that. But somehow by stating this opinion, you had crossed the Rubicon here.

Ms. Maron: Yes, look, for me personally, its really awful, but also I dont think Im alone, sadly. I dont think Im the only person who has lost their job because they said something they believed that their employer decided you dont get to say that.

In America, that shouldnt happen anywhere, in my opinion. In our country where we have first amendment rights that are very explicit and very clearI wasnt even talking about my job, I was talking about my kids schools and my kids education. And so the idea that my employer felt that they had the right to weigh in and to say that my ideas and my thoughts rendered me unfit to do my job, its really troubling.

Mr. Jekielek: I would have to agree. They published these statements, but that actually led you to losing your job.

Ms. Maron: Well, we have a case thats in federal court right now. I am suing my employer and my union. And so to some extent, that will be decided in federal court. Ill just put on the lawyer hat, and I will say that case will follow the path through the courts that the cases like that do.

[Narration]: We reached out to Maud Marons former employer, the Legal Aid Society. A spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an email, We believe this lawsuit is a frivolous and misguided attempt to use litigation to harass a nonprofit employer and its employees who have spent their careers advancing social justice causes.

Mr. Jekielek: So, since that time or during all this, youre actually running for city office.

Ms. Maron: Yes.

Mr. Jekielek: What prompted you to do this?

Ms. Maron: I ran for the school board back in 2017. When youre working as a parent leaderthats the language we use in New York City for people who are on school boards and in the various committees that exist within the school for parents to make their voice heardyou interact with a lot of local politicians.

Youre knocking on their door and advocating for things for the kids schools or for changes to all sorts of education policies. And you see up close how some of those local elected offices work.

I decided I would run for city council, which is the local legislative body in New York City. I took a sabbatical from my job, and my plan was to run for office, and if I got elected great, I would be a city council member. And if I did not, I would return to a job that I had a legal right to return to, that I liked doing, that I was good at doing. I thought it was a simple, safe plan to run for office, and to return to my job if I was not elected.

Mr. Jekielek: So the reason behind you wanting to run has to do with education, right?

Ms. Maron: Yes, not exclusively education. There are a lot of issues downtown that are impacting us. Ive been a public defender for years. I know the criminal court system well and the criminal justice system. The same way were polarized in certain education conversations, were polarized in public safety conversations. Youre either sort of pro-cop or anti-cop, well, thats silly and ridiculous.

We need to be safe in our communities. We need kids to be safe. We need old people to be safe, We need to pay attention to the rise in hate crimes in our city, but we can do all that while not abusing any persons constitutional rights.

And we need to make sure that we have jails that are humane and that are safe. [I dont agree with] this polarized idea that you need to decarcerate, which is a word you hear all the time as if its the only solution to a problematic jail culture. And Rikers Island in New York City is a disaster.

The only solution that some folks are offering is to let every single person out of jail. Thats not a realistic or sane solution for a city of our size.

Its one of those things where you have to bring people who have very different points of view about what the solutions are together to acknowledge the role that police play in a society, to acknowledge the importance of public safety, but to also acknowledge the rights of poor peopleall people, but particularly poor peoplegoing through a criminal justice system as defendants, and have a sane conversation about the balancing of those very legitimate concerns.

Ive talked about public education; Ive talked about public safety. And of course, when I started to run, I didnt anticipate a global pandemic. So I didnt anticipate the shutdown of businesses in New York City and the enormous impact on small, local businesses and restaurants and people who had their livelihoods pulled out from under them, because of what I and many other people realize were overly restrictive and overly punitive lockdown measures.

If you can lock people down for a certain period of time and get rid of a disease, maybe you should do that. But what weve discovered, I think if you look globally, is that lockdowns didnt stop COVID from ravaging our communities, but they brought their own enormous destruction. And so thats something that for me, as someone running for office, I think we have to talk about in a smarter and better way than were doing in New York right now.

Mr. Jekielek: I want to go back to this idea of, facilitating discourse. Theres a lot of folks out there that are thinking to themselves, a lot of people that are writing to me regularly, saying, I dont think that divide that you identified earlier can be bridged; its just too far. But youre still talking about bridging the divide. Thats what I find interesting.

Ms. Maron: Well, Ill tell you. When I filed my lawsuit in federal court with regard to my employer, the journalist Bari Weiss wrote an article about it, and I appeared on her podcast. Because she has a big reach, a lot of people heard it; a lot of people read about it. And I got a wave of letters from people.

For me, it was fascinating and really interesting, because I had people who described themselves as very far to the left of me, basically Marxist, who said: this is what I think, why what happened to you shouldnt happen. I had other people telling me that they were deeply conservative, that they actually thought they probably didnt agree with me about much, but they admired me standing up in this way, and agreed with some of what I had said in the podcast.

So I heard from this huge range. And there were other folks, I think maybe more similar to me, sort of moderate centrist types. They were people whose politics and whose ideas span a very wide range. They agreed with the idea that you should have any ideas you want and still be able to show up and work.

If youre doing your job well, you should be able to keep doing it, even if your employer doesnt agree with you about some issue, some concern. So there is common ground among Americans, even Americans of different political parties, even people with very divergent views on important issues. There is common ground, and if youre invested in finding it and creating a space for that open discourse, you can find it.

Mr. Jekielek: I want to just briefly touch on this, because I want to make sure that youre not misrepresented around the issue of racism. I know when we were talking earlier, you said, Ive seen racism in my work and so forth. This is a real thing. Right? But you take issue with this ideological racism, for the lack of a better term, the Ibram Kendi version of racism or explanation of how that actually works. Tell me a little bit about that.

Ms. Maron: You know, of course theres racism in America, and if youve worked as I have in the criminal court system, you see it very up close sometimes, but you dont have to have any specialized field of knowledge to see racism or sexism or homophobia or anti-Semitism.

Weve seen a huge amount of anti-Asian violence in New York City. Thats been really horrifying recently in the last year or so. Theres a lot of bad people who do bad things. Im not playing it down by using simple language; Im just saying that there is, thats all real.

How we remedy it, how we teach about it, how we talk about it, how we understand it, reasonable people can have different ideas about it. I disagree with the book, White Fragility that says all white people are racist. I disagree with Ibram Kendis notion that the way you remedy past discrimination is with present discrimination.

I think reasonable people could sit down and say: heres why I think thats unworkable or thats a bad idea. Its part of what I was saying earlier. Part of what I wrote the op-ed about is that you may think the persons racist because they dont agree with Ibram Kendi or because they dont accept your point of view, but thats not how you have a conversation with people.

You have to bring your ideas, you have to bring your explanations, your examples. You have to bring that to the table to have a conversation. You either agree with me or youre racist is a ridiculous position to have.

Mr. Jekielek: You just reminded me, some of the more amazing stories Ive read involve a man, I forget his name right now, who would go to actual white supremacists.

Ms. Maron: Daryl Davis.

Mr. Jekielek: Yes, Daryl Davis, make friends with them, and actually shift a number of their thinking.

Ms. Maron: Through conversation and treating people like human beings. Daryl Davis is a black man, and he was speaking to Ku Klux Klan members. Yes, he and I are on a newly formed organization called FAIR, The Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism. Its a collection of some rather amazing people that Im very thrilled to be included with because they are people trying to talk about how to have the conversations we need to have and how to treat each other like human beings.

Mr. Jekielek: Something you just mentioned, I want to build on that a little bit. Its the speaking up when you see wrong being done. As were filming, theres a video today of a woman pulling down what she describes as pornographic advertising in the subway. In Fairfax county, theres parents looking at books and this pornography element is coming up in grade seven and eight books.

People are seeing these kinds of things, but in many cases, they dont know how to respond, even though they have an issue with it. Its the same with, for example, masking of children. Thats another topic which people arentsome people are talking about, but youre saying that you have to speak out.

Ms. Maron: Yes. One of the biggest problems that we haveand certainly what my own journey has shown usis around certain topics theres this huge cost to speaking out, and so people remain quiet.

I saw that video of the woman pulling things down in the subway, and Ive seen more than one Fairfax County, Virginia school board meeting at this point, because there are a lot of parents there speaking up and saying, Whats going on in our schools is not acceptable. Its not good; its bad for our kids.

That should never carry a cost. You should be able to show up at a school board meeting and say, Im really concerned about this practice going on in my school. I want to speak to board members and elected leaders who are responsive to me. The idea that these parents show up, and sometimes the Fairfax CountyIm in New York; Im not in Virginia, but weve seen in San Francisco and in Virginiaboard members get up and walk out of the room. Thats not your job or your role, and its just not acceptable.

Youre there to listen to parents and to be responsive to parents, right? It doesnt mean that every parent that comes in and has an issue or has a concern gets to change whats going on in the school on the spot. Thats not how it works, but the conversation about whats important and whats happening has to be engaged.

Parents have to be listened to. So when the criticism cuts too close to the bone and people dont like it, getting up and walking out of the room is not acceptable. I ran a school board for a period of time, so I can say its really possible to sit there and listen to people who strongly disagree with you and make a space where people who agree and disagree with you can come and be heard.

Mr. Jekielek: I remember back when there was a lot of discussion about doing homeschooling in the COVID era. Those schools, many schools were shut down. This Harvard professor said, basically, that we shouldnt be allowing for this, because we cant really control what these kids are learning. I do remember that.

It just made me really think about that. It never occurred to me that schools administrators might think that they should overrule the parents role potentially, right? Because in the end, I guess you would expect the parents would be in charge, but thats not actually everybodys view, right?

Ms. Maron: Thats a very, very big issue right now. And I think were going to see it grow bigger. That discussion is going to become more engaged, because there is this idea that somehow that sometimes parents are part of the problem.

You see it around things like kids choosing different pronouns in school. A lot of schools have started this process where they say: okay, were not going to tell the parents that were now calling this girl who came to our school as a girl, whos now wishing to use male pronouns, that were using male pronouns or vice versa.

Theres no excuse for that. Theres just no excuse. If theres some particular reason to believe that a childs in danger from their parents, teachers are mandatory reporters. You have to report that danger. If there isnt any real or concrete reason to think that parents couldnt be engaged about the wellbeing of their child, then theres no excuse not to.

Of course parents have to be engaged about whats going on with their children. And of course, parents have the last say in whats going on with their children. But this notion that somehow schools know better, or that they can do a better job than parents, is creeping up.

Its not exclusive to gender ideology, but for me, you see it most troublingly there. And its part of a broader pattern of thinking about schools not as places where you have to educate future citizens and prepare them for college or prepare them for the workforce, but where youre molding a person to share an ideological point of view.

I think it really gets off the rails of what schools are supposed to be doing. Particularly because schools arent doing what theyre supposed to be doing in the first place, which is to educate future citizens.

When youre falling down on that job, and then you say, Well, were not even really so much focused on that; were focused on making sure that children agree with an ideological point of view, thats really deeply troubling. Its one of those things that I think parents on both sides of a political aisle could agree about.

Mr. Jekielek: You just reminded me, I was made aware earlier today that theres an attempt to lower the age of consent for vaccination to 12, in Massachusetts I believe it is. I dont know if this is exactly the same question as schools, but who else would be urging the students to be vaccinated at 12? I dont know.

Ms. Maron: I think theres a tremendous mismatch in issues around age of consent. Children have to be a certain age to buy cigarettes or buy alcohol or get a tattoo, but then on other more serious concerns, medical concerns, theres suddenly an urge to say that children who are very young can make that decision on their own without their parents.

The lack of consistency there gives away a little bit, the fact that issues are being pushed and were not having an honest discussion about parental involvement in childrens decision making.

Mr. Jekielek: Fascinating. Just a little bit on this, I wanted to go back to the education side. This has been a problem for a very long time. The idea that less than half of, is it New York students?

Ms. Maron: Its a statistic from New York City.

Mr. Jekielek: Right, less than half are able to read and do math at grade level. And I understand that New York has really quite a bit of money per student, comparable to many private schools in the system, right? But this isnt new, the emergence of this, lets call it woke ideology or something. This has been persistent for awhile. How does that work?

Ms. Maron: Yes, and I think, as I said, when I started on the school board in 2017, it was pre-COVID and we were talking really excessively about education and how to fix it and how to make it better. If you dont teach kids how to read or write or do math on grade level for many years, the deficits compound, and it gets harder for children to be able to take an entrance exam to get into a competitive high school.

How to solve for that was the discussion that was brewing on my school board. Basically, to really oversimplify it, it came down to two schools of thought. One was to improve the education so that all kids could compete fairly. And the other was to say that there were these structural inequities that we could never overcome, so we just had to get rid of the tests and get rid of any objective evaluation of how kids were doing.

I couldnt disagree with that more because its a disservice to kids if you dont even bother to figure out whos learning and whos not. Of course we need to give our kids tests to see if they can read and do math in such a way that would allow them to take the courses at a high school level. We should prepare them to do well and to be successful.

But that conversation in its most simple terms is this: Do we fix the school system so that we can educate our kids extremely well? Or do we do away with the tests that show how badly we are educating our kids so that we can declare some sort of success and call it integration? I think thats really cheating kids.

Mr. Jekielek: Essentially, its an assault on merit-based education.

Ms. Maron: Yes.

Mr. Jekielek: I find it difficult to imagine how that will work out well for anybody. Im talking about anybody at all, right? But clearly youve been speaking with people who believe that this is a good way to go.

Ms. Maron: Right, its happening right now, like this second in New York City. Before I came here this morning, I had a parent reach out to me about a local high school thats very close to my house where theyre trying to get rid of the advanced placement classes.

When you dig a little to try to understand whyif you have a school where thats a successful school, where children are doing well, the parents want to send their kids to, why would you try to get rid of advanced placement classes or honors math classes?

And when you dig a little, you always find this idea of equity behind it, that somehow its more fair to a disadvantaged group of kids, and usually thats defined along a racial axis. Its so simplistic, and ultimately, really at the end of the day, its terrible for public school kids; its terrible for poor kids; its most terrible for the kids that were supposedly trying to help when we implement these fixes.

If youre a poor minority kid in New York City who has no social capital to spend, your parents arent going to help you get a job, you dont have anyone to help you catch up in a subject if you fall behind, youre the child who most needs a rigorous, great public school education.

I mean, we all do. My kids need a great public school education too, but the kids who need it most are the kids who dont have extra support in any way. They need public schools to be excellent and to really be a ladder. Thats why I think the folks who are arguing to get rid of hard tests or accelerated classes are doing an enormous disservice to the kids that they say they want to help.

Mr. Jekielek: Have you ever thought about taking your kids out of public school?

Ms. Maron: Yes, I have.

Mr. Jekielek: Because this is presumably what got you interested in school boards and the like in the first place.

Ms. Maron: You mean having kids in public schools?

Mr. Jekielek: Yes.

Ms. Maron: Yes, of course. Im very invested in our public schools and I want them to be great, and my kids have been very happy, and have had great friends and great teachers. There are things I would improve, that I would suggest for improvement in all of my kids schools.

But one of the things thatthere are many reasons why every family makes their own personal decisionbut in New York City, and not just New York City but elsewhere, there has been a little explosion of parent unhappiness in private schools over diversity, equity, and inclusion trainings that are going on in those private schools.

If you disagree with some of those initiatives that lean heavily into the, White Fragility style trainingsthat I was taking issue with in that op-edwhat I always say to my husband is, Why would we pay for this awful stuff when we can get it for free in public school?

I say it jokingly, but its true. I dont want, if there was that great school out there where the academic standards were super high and where the school wasnt trying to swim through this swamp of figuring out thingsthat you can teach kids how to treat each other with respect and dignity without trying to racially essentialize kids, say that all kids of this skin color are like this, and all kids of this skin color like that. Thats just a horrible thing to teach children, and I certainly dont want to pay for it to be taught to my children.

Mr. Jekielek: Okay, so this is the reason why you wouldnt take them out of public school, but why would you have?

Ms. Maron: Because I want my kids to not be taught the things that I take issue with. And because I want the focus on education to be unapologetic about rigor, unapologetic about learning.

Theres nothing wrong with being the kid who gets all the answers right on a test. Theres nothing wrong with striving to learn more and do better. And that sense of lets celebrate education and lets be unapologetic about it, its sort of slipping away a little bit. Thats what makes me nervous.

At one of the school board meetings that was still in person pre-COVID, a huge number of parents turned up over the issue of whether or not we would get rid of the specialized high school exam, the SHSAT, the test that you take to get into it.

This mom showed up, and she said she was a Chinese-American woman. And there had been a lot of discussion about test prepthat that was one of the reasons maybe these exams were unfair. The argument there from folks who want to get rid of the test is that rich and wealthy white kids can pay for test prep and poor minority kids cant. That argument is somewhat belied by the fact that its often low-income Asian kids who are doing the best on these tests.

But at any rate, this Chinese-American mom showed up, and she said, What you call, test prep, we call studying, and we wont apologize for it. And a little light bulb went on in my head, [countering] that notion of well maybe its not fair because some kids can afford a preparatory class and some kids cant.

I just thought, so many of the kids who are doing really well in New York City schools are poor. They have parents who dont speak English as a first language. They dont have the enormous privileges. There are privileged kids doing well in school too. There are kids of every socioeconomic group, in every color doing well.

But you have so many children who are not privileged in any way doing well, and you refuse to acknowledge that and see it and say, Wow, the success of immigrants, waves of immigrant communities in New York City, that do well in school, thats what we should be focusing on.

How does that happen? That happens by families telling kids its incredibly important for you to do well in school. We expect you to do well in school, and we expect you to study. Isnt that something that, even if you dont agree with it for your own child, even if you dont, can we just acknowledge it? Thats a very good and healthy thing for many children, particularly poor kids in the city who are using education to get ahead.

Mr. Jekielek: This feels like a sensitive thing to talk about. I dont know if it should be. Its almost like its the culture inside those households that makes the difference, irrespective of socioeconomic reality or ethnicity. What do you think about that?

Ms. Maron: Look, Ive worked with a lot of Chinese-American, Asian-American families, more broadly around education advocacy issues. And of course theres a big cultural component for some families, making sure that you get great grades is incredibly important. And for other families that isnt a big issue.

Im part of an education advocacy organization in New York City called PLACE NYC, and theres a tremendous similarity between immigrant parents. It doesnt matter if youre from China, from Poland, from the former USSR, the immigrant vibe from certain parents about how important education isand Im married to an immigrant so I see it firsthandis really strong.

It doesnt mean that native-born Americans like myself dont care about education. We do, but there is an extreme emphasis on the importance of education in some homes. Theres an extreme emphasis on arts or sports or extracurricular activities in other homes. And thats great; its fine, theres nothing wrong with that.

There are also just kids for whom there is no emphasis at home. They dont have strong parental supports and they dont havewe have a tremendous number of homeless children in New York City public schools. When youre worried, you as a parent, are worried about where youre going to lay your head down or keeping your family together, worrying about the grade on a test probably does fall down lower on the ladder, which is not to say that parents who are homeless arent worried about their kids getting a good education. Of course they are. There are many, many parents that are.

But where you can put your emphasis as a parent and the time and energy that you can devote to your kids education varies tremendously.

We get this idea from a lot of equity advocates in New York City about equal outcomes: they measure the success of a program or a school by how much everybody does the same. Thats really impossible given peoples innate differences and talents. And the fact that the home life is so distinct for people.

I think thats what lies behind some of the lets get rid of the advanced programs, lets get rid of the accelerated programs. Because it highlights differences that our elected leaders and that our school administrators dont like seeing, because its inconvenient for them.

Mr. Jekielek: Im going to switch gears a little bit here. You wrote an op-ed, I believe in Newsweek. Basically you highlight the need to respond vocally to what you describe as woke lies.

Ms. Maron: Yes.

Mr. Jekielek: Okay, so explain that to me.

Ms. Maron: Well, what I wrote is, I stand with J.K. Rowling, who is the author of the famous Harry Potter books. I wrote it, because I hadnt written it almost a year ago when she was being pilloried. She was being called transphobic for saying that sex-based rights are real and important. In other words, that women should have legal rights that are specific to you as women.

The topic hasnt gone away, because the ACLU a few days ago released a quote. They doctored a quote of the former Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She was talking about women and womens rights, reproductive freedom rights. And they took out the word woman and wrote person, people or person, because now theres this idea, a sort of incredibly odd idea, that using the word woman or mother is not inclusive of trans people.

Its absurd, because the idea that you have to erase words that I use to describe my lifebeing a woman and being a mother are incredibly important to me. But the idea that you have to erase those words to be inclusive of trans people is just ridiculous.

You dont erase the language that half the planet uses to describe themselves to be inclusive of people. You can be inclusive of trans people and make sure that their rights are protected and that they are not discriminated against in any way without changing the language for a whole group of people.

And so that issue came up. The reason I hadnt written it then is because I was running for office. And the idea was: you cant say this because people have already called you racist for education advocacy issues. Now theyll call you transphobic.

It sort of seemed like a practical political decision at the moment, but it stuck with me as something where I felt like I didnt say something I believe. Even though shes a famous author, shes one of the wealthiest women in the world, and she didnt need my voice speaking up for her, I felt like I wanted to be one of the voices saying, I stand with this woman. I agree with her.

I didnt say it because I thought there would be negative political repercussions. I dont want to live in that country that says, Well, you cant risk saying I agree with her. I want to say, I agree with you. And I want to say, I disagree with you because what does it mean to be American, if you cant say, I agree with this person?

Mr. Jekielek: What is the cost of not saying that?

Ms. Maron: The cost of not saying is that you know youve been somewhat cowardly.

Mr. Jekielek: What about to society?

Ms. Maron: Well, I think were seeing that cost now writ large, right? When I see other parents raging at school boards saying, You cant teach this in my kids school, Im seeing the rage of parents who have been too quiet for too long.

Mr. Jekielek: As we finish up, I want to talk a little bit about this whole phenomenon of cancellation. Theres so many people in America and beyond right now that are experiencing this. People, organizations, and of course, and you yourself have been so-called canceled. Now for some people, it might be a little bit simpler.

You had the situation where you were able to stay at home, for example, presumably it was your husband that was working during that time. That might give you a bit more of an ability to just say, I dont really mind about the outcome. A lot of people that Ive spoken with that have either experienced this or fear experiencing it, their whole livelihood could be at stake. Nevermind other people who say, its driven them to think suicidal thoughts or worse.

Ms. Maron: Yes, I think youre a hundred percent right that for some people you have cushion and you have insulation. I didnt worry about paying my mortgage or keeping food on the table. When I lost my job, I hated losing my job because I love it, and its what I was planning on doing. But for some people, for many, many people, they dont have that cushion, right?

Theres the organization FIRE [Foundation for Individual Rights in Education]. They work on academic freedom issues, and they do this annual poll of where Americans feel on campus in terms of being able to speak out, and its getting worse.

People feel more inhibited about what theyre able to say. And so when you have a professor who thinks, I cant risk saying one wrong thing in front of my class, because Ill lose my job, and if I lose my job, I dont know if Ill get another job. And I dont know how Im going to pay my mortgage or pay my rent.

Thats where cancel culture is, which is real. I havent really used those words so much, but I think its most easy to understand where people are afraid to speak out because theyre afraid they might lose their job or experience some other [hardship, like] being ostracized by their community. Thats where its most pernicious, right?

Its people who are not saying anything that could possibly get them in trouble. Not because they dont disagree with ideas that are being floated around in their workplace, on their campus, but because they cant afford to, right? Because they absolutely cant afford to lose a job or to experience being ostracized in any way.

I mean, I dont know anyone who welcomes it. Its really awful, but also, theres a tremendous disparate impact among people because some people can transition and get a job somewhere else and and move on, and some people dont and cant.

The thing that happens where one person is particularly viciously silenced, its awful for that person, but its a message to everybody else, like, see what happens? This person stepped over this line said this thing they shouldnt say, and its a big message to everybody else that they better not say words like that or have thoughts like that because they too could be silenced.

Mr. Jekielek: Did you lose friends?

Ms. Maron: Oh, yes.

Mr. Jekielek: I guess you gained some as well.

Ms. Maron: Yes, I have. There are two expressions that came to me in conversation with people. One is something I saw that someone on social media talked about: the great unfriending. I thought: oh, I know what that feels like, because you have people who youve been friends with for a long time, who think, Were no longer in lock-step politically, so we cant be friends. It surprised the heck out of me because Im fine with being friends with you, even if I dont agree with you on everything.

And then the other thing someone said to me. We were talking about going through relatively similar experiences, and they said that one of the great unexpected gifts of the past year had been the community of the canceled. I thought it was really beautiful and really also spoke to me, because I thought: yes, Ive met a lot of really amazing people. And its been heartening to talk to so many great people who were speaking up, even knowing that theres a cost to speaking up.

Mr. Jekielek: So Maud, whats the path forward here?

Ms. Maron: Well, Im running for office and Id like to see more people run for office who are not parroting the party line, whether its the Democratic party line or the Republican party line, but are really speaking directly to the issues that people are talking about.

School boards are a great place to see grassroots concerns. If you go to your local school board, and you see what makes parents get up, stand up, sit on uncomfortable chairs, and wait around forever to speak two minutes into a mic. then youll know what people are worried about and concerned about. We need more politicians who are speaking to that.

Mr. Jekielek: Well, Maud Maron, such a pleasure to have you on.

Ms. Maron: Thank you so much for having me.

This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

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Dominic Perrottet will put himself forward to be the 46th premier of NSW after the departure of incumbent Gladys Berejiklian.

Berejiklian announced her resignation on Friday after the states corruption watchdog disclosed the 51-year-oldpremier since early 2017was under investigation for potential breaches of public trust.

The Independent Commission Against Corruption is investigating whether Berejiklian exercised public functions in a position of conflict given her secret five-year relationship with ex-MP Daryl Maguire.

Berejiklian denied wrongdoing but said she had no choice but to resign, and will also soon vacate her role as Willoughby MP.

Read More Leader of Australias Most Populous State Resigns as Corruption Probe Announced

After a Liberal party meeting over the weekend, Perrottet announced on Sunday he would seek to become the next premier.

The Epping MP entered NSW parliament in 2011then as Castle Hill MPand served as finance minister before becoming treasurer.

The father of six is a member of the Liberal Partys right faction. If he succeeds in his tilt, Stuart Ayres will serve as his deputy.

We believe it is a team that will provide stability, unity and experience to continue the great work of Premier Gladys Berejiklian and our entire team to ensure that NSW comes out the other side much stronger, Perrottet said.

Former prime minister John Howard earlier threw his weight behind Perrottets tilt, saying he was driven and reform-focused.

His background, his experience as treasurer and very importantly his commitment to economic reform mean that he, of all of them, is the best person to take over the helm, Howard told Sky News.

Perrottet earlier on Sunday said he was flattered by the endorsement.

Planning Minister Rob Stokes is the only other senior NSW cabinet minister to throw his hat in the ring for the premier job. It is not clear if Stokes will stand aside now Perrottet has nominated to become premier.

It comes after Transport Minister Andrew Constance on Sunday said hed resign from NSW parliament and run for the federal seat of Gilmore.

Constance will resign from state politics by years end and will seek Liberal preselection for his local seat of Gilmore, on NSWs south coast.

His move has earned Prime Minister Scott Morrisons blessing.

Berejiklian since her resignation has been lauded by everyone from Opposition Leader Chris Minnswho said he cannot fault her dedication and hard workto Morrison, who praised her heroic qualities.

Constituents on Saturday flocked to her home and office with flowers and balloons, while others put up handmade signs.
San Diego Health Care Workers Protest After Vaccine Exemptions Denied

Over 100 medical staff and community members gathered in front of Rady Childrens Hospital in San Diego on Oct. 1 to oppose the hospitals denial of its employees vaccine exemption requests.

California has required medical staff to be completely vaccinated by Sept. 30, or apply for a vaccination exemption based on medical, religious, or personal beliefs. However, Rady Childrens Hospital stated that since more than 70 percent of the hospitals patients are in the age group that cannot receive vaccinations (12 years and younger), medical staff who are in direct contact with patients must be vaccinated and cannot apply for an exemption.

They denied everyones religious and medical exemptions that they submitted to not to get a vaccine, Alicia Fregoso, a registered nurse of 15 years working in the intensive care unit at Rady Childrens Hospital, told The Epoch Times.

We had three or four days to get it or else we would be placed on a leave of absence, which is why Im here now. I dont have the vaccine, and I cant come to work now.

Medical staff and community members protest vaccine mandates in front of Rady Childrens Hospital in San Diego on Oct. 1, 2021. Registered nurse Alicia Fregoso wrote on a sign that she has acquired natural immunity to COVID-19. (Jane Yang/The Epoch Times)

For several months, unvaccinated medical workers at the Rady Childrens Hospital had to undergo biweekly COVID-19 testing. On Sept. 27, the hospital suddenly refused to accept medical and religious exemptions, Fregoso said.

Radys reason is that the majority of our patient population cannot get the vaccine yet, so its for their safety. However, as a nurse, I had COVID before. I have natural immunity and I have antibodies. I check on a regular basis, and I know that my immune system is still working, she said.

Fregoso said her vaccinated peers at the hospital did not need to undergo testing, and they are still allowed to work, even if positive, [as long as] they dont have symptoms.

Another registered nurse at Rady Childrens Hospital of 15 years who requested anonymity said, Everybody knows the factual evidence that whether youre unvaccinated or vaccinated, you can still spread COVID disease, either way. Why am I not safe to care for the babies that I take care of, and families each day, and they [vaccinated] are?

I have followed all of the testings twice a week, as the state has set in place and the Rady Childrens Hospital has adhered to. I had worn all the PPE required, and yet theyve completely denied us of [our] rights.

Medical staff and community members protested vaccine mandates in front of Rady Childrens Hospital in San Diego, on Oct. 1, 2021. (Jane Yang/The Epoch Times)

Some of the protesters at the rally worked at other hospitals and live in nearby communities.

Laura George, a registered nurse who works at Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego, said that her hospital allows medical staff to apply for an exemption, so she came to participate in the protest to support her childrens hospital colleagues who couldnt apply for the exemption. She also said that many nurses who had been infected with COVID-19 have gained natural immunity.

The vaccine is not lowering the spreading, and they are not testing them. The only people getting tested are the unvaccinated, George told The Epoch Times.

Theres no science behind it at all. If you talk with any upper person in the hospital, they will tell you that it has nothing to do with science.

Denise Bond, who had worked as a registered nurse at another Sharp Memorial Hospital for 34 years, said she was terminated from her job because she didnt comply with the COVID-19 nasal swab testing. She spoke out against the mask, testing, and vaccine mandates during the rally.

Thats tyranny. We live in the United States of America, where we have, or should have, the right to choose, Bond told The Epoch Times.

Among the protesters, some were waving American flags and many were holding handwritten signs that read: Mandate? Lets choose freedom, We stand together for freedom, No vaccine Passports! and so on.

There are also signs that read, Last years heroes, this years zeroes, referring to the medical staff who worked at the forefront when the COVID-19 pandemic raged last year.

Ben Metcalf, a spokesman of Rady Childrens Hospital, told reporters that the hospital wasnt accepting media inquiries on Oct. 1. However, the hospital previously said that out of the 5,166 medical staff, a total of 201 people had applied for COVID-19 vaccine exemptions and were rejected.

Medical staff and community members protest vaccine mandates in front of Rady Childrens Hospital in San Diego, on Oct. 1, 2021. (Jane Yang/The Epoch Times)

Jane Yang contributed to this report.
Search the White Sands of Alamogordo, New Mexico

The town of Alamogordo is a perfect location for visiting Alamogordo White Sands National Park. We enjoyed several nights at the Alamogordo White Sands KOA campground, which allowed us plenty of time to see this natural wonder.

Alamogordo White Sands National Park covers 275 square miles of the Chihuahuan Desert. The largest gypsum field in the world, it is the remains of the Permian Sea, which dried up millions of years ago. In 1933, President Herbert Hoover proclaimed this to be a national monument. The dune fields just outside the monument were used as weapons testing sites.

In fact, White Sands Missile Range still regularly conducts missile tests here, so before you go, check the National Park Service website to determine if the highway and park are open. Testing is done for a couple of hours about two days a week, and the times are posted online.

In 1945, during World War II, Trinity Site, 100 miles north of Alamogordo, was used to test the first atomic bomb. The park entrance is on U.S. Route 70, 54 miles east of Las Cruces, and 15 miles southwest of Alamogordo. At the visitor center, you will learn the history of the amazing white gypsum sands in a very good free movie and receive information about programs and activities from the park rangers.

It is important to wear hats, sunglasses, and sunscreen all year-round as well as to take plenty of water with you as there are no concessions. Dunes Drive goes to the heart of the park, and signs and roadside exhibits indicate interesting places and information along the way. Cars are not allowed off the road or through the dunes, but there are paved parking places and self-guided walking tours. The national park provides accessible paths, and there is a good boardwalk. Picnic areas in designated sites have tables, shade, restrooms, and trash cans, but no water.

Sled tracks remain on a white sand dune in New Mexicos White Sands National Park. (Courtesy of Bill Neely)

We looked for the small bleached Apache lizards, but none were out while we were searching. We also hoped to see the pale pocket mice, which also live here. It seems that desert animals are wise enough not to come out in hot periods, and many, such as the kit fox, are nocturnal.

We saw lots of family groups having fun with sleds, which are permitted on the dunes. You can bring your own or buy a sled and wax at the park gift shop. Sand sledding is different from sledding on snow, so be sure to wax the runners on your sled.

Sand hills are not easy to climb. Our feet either sank deeply or slid back a half-step for every step we took. Still, it was fun to climb up, leaving our footprints among the millions of others in the dunes. Because we were there during a June with record heat, we waited until after 6 p.m. to venture into the sand on foot, but we were able to walk barefoot with no discomfort. Shallow water beneath the gypsum dunes keeps the sand temperatures perpetually cool. Unlike sand, gypsum does not stick to the skin and is easily shaken off.

A visitor to the Alamogordo White Sands National Park in New Mexico pauses to take in this natural wonder. (Bill Neely)

Strong, frequent southwesterly winds blow these dunes almost constantly, moving them, sweeping them down, and rebuilding them in other places. In some areas, we saw a plant residing on a tower of sand. This is because the roots of the skunkbush sumac extend deeply and keep the plant firmly in place even when the sands blow away around it. These are good hiding places for the kit foxes.

Other plants such as sand verbena are beautiful blooming in the sand, but these have shallow roots. However, they spread seeds and grow to flowering maturity in one season, so they continue to live delicately at White Sands. Dying soaptree yucca plants lean over in some places because although they can hold on with deep roots, when the sand moves on, the exposure soon kills them.

We had hoped to stay beyond the gorgeous sunset to see the stars come out as there is no light pollution here, but we needed to get going. Sometimes the park stays open late for special events, such as full-moon viewing. Well catch that next time.

When You Go

ci.alamogordo.nm.us

NPS.gov/whsa/index.htm

NPS.gov/whsa/planyourvisit/park-closures.htm

Bonnie and Bill Neely are freelance writers. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at Creators.com. Copyright 2021 Creators.com
Self-Confessed Killer Testifies Against Alleged Boss at Federal Gang Trial in Chicago

CHICAGOSammie Booker, sitting on the witness stand, revealed to jurors that he had robbed and extorted scores of drug dealers, killed three people, and aided at least two other murders as an underling of the Four Corner Hustlers gang on the West Side of Chicago in the past two decades.

And more importantly, he said, he did so at the orders of his former boss Labar Spann, the lone defendant in the trial.

Bookers testimony, which ran from Sept. 27 to 29, is a key move by the federal prosecutors to prove Spanns alleged racketeering activities over two decades under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). If found guilty by the jury, Spann faces up to life in prison.

The attorney defending Spann, Steven Shobat, rose to shake Bookers credibility by attacking his motive and character. Shobat reminded the jury that Booker could get drastically reduced sentences in exchange for his cooperation with prosecutors and that the inconsistency in his testimony suggests he may have lied.

Jurors are to decide if they believe all of Bookers testimony, part of it, or none of it.

In the 1980s, Booker dropped out of high school at age 14 and joined the Four Corner Hustlers gang. That was the era of the crack epidemic, and gangs were highly organized around drug dealing and turf protection.

After Booker spent a stint in prison and got out on parole in 1996, he found Four Corner Hustlers and other gangs in his West Side community collapsing into smaller factions.

Both Booker and Spann chose to join the Four Corner Hustlers faction led by Gaudy Thornton. The two often paired up to rob drug dealers, with Spann setting up the drug buy and then Booker walking up with a firearm to rob the dealers of everything.

In the late 1990s, Booker was again incarcerated. When he got out in 1999, he found Spann no longer belonging to the Gaudy faction. Spann told Booker: I am outlawing. I am not answering to anybody no more. So, the Outlaw faction of Four Corner Hustlers was born, Spann being the alleged leader.

Booker said he became a shooter for Spann, and he would shoot whatever the case may be on Spanns orders.

In 2000, Booker shot and killed Carlos Caldwell, Maximillian McDaniel, and Levar Smith. Then in 2003, Booker was an accomplice in the murder of George King and Willie Woods.

For much of the time afterward, Booker was in jail. While briefly on parole in 2012, Booker aided numerous extortions of drug dealers allegedly on Spanns orders, with Spann asking for money and drugs and Booker standing by with a firearm.

Shobat, in his questioning of Booker, tried to prove to the jury that Booker committed those murders and extortions of his own free will. That is, even if Spann had ordered them, Booker could have chosen not to do it or have even left the gang altogether if he wanted to.

Shobat asked him: If you say, Im sick of you, Spann, you can walk away. You had that opportunity any time and you are free to go, right?

Booker answered, Yes.

Shobat said, What is true of you is true of everybody that call themselves Outlaws, right?

Booker answered, Yes.

Shobat said, They dont have to listen to Spann if they dont want to.

Booker answered, If you have been with Spann long enough, you know what kind of guy he was.

In response, the federal prosecutor, Assistant U.S. Attorney William Dunne, tried to prove to the jury that though Booker might have seemed free to go, there could be dire consequences for him. Dunne listed examples in which Spann had hurt or killed Four Corner Hustlers members who had turned against him.

Shobat also described Booker as a career criminal who, once out on parole, went right back to a criminal life in violation of parole conditions. He also painted him as an unreliable witness by pointing out inconsistencies in his testimony.

Shobat criticized Bookers motive to testify against Spann.

Like Spann, Booker was also a defendant in the RICO indictment, but he took a plea agreement with the government to testify truthfully against Spann in exchange for a drastically reduced sentence.

According to Shobat, in the best-case scenario, Booker could get out of prison in three years and three months. Booker has been incarcerated since 2012 for an unrelated charge of illegal possession of guns.

Shobat asked, You are hoping that you have three more years and three months to serve for all the cases you had and are facing, including three murders you committed and at least three you assisted, right?

Booker replied, Yes.

In response, Dunne reminded the jury that the plea agreement condition is for truthful testimony. That is, Booker must truthfully testify if he is to receive a reduced sentence.

Dunne asked, Im asking you, for the last few days, are you telling the truth?

Booker replied, Yes.

The credibility of Bookers testimony lies in the hands of the jurors. Judge Thomas Durkin at the outset of the trial instructed jurors to look for facts only, and to evaluate credibility of testimony through a witnesss intelligence, access to evidence, motive, memory, and consistency.

In September 2017, 10 Four Corner Hustlers members were charged along with Spann in the sweeping RICO indictment. Since then, seven defendants, including Booker, took plea deals and three agreed to testify against Spann. Spann is the lone defendant standing in the months-long trial that is expected to conclude in late November.

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 to 2016, when a jury convicted six Hobo gang leaders, four of whom were sentenced to life in prison.
People attend an anti-lockdown protest at the Auckland Domain in Auckland, New Zealand, on Oct. 2, 2021. (Phil Walter/Getty Images)

Thousands of New Zealanders Protest for Freedom After 6 Weeks in Lockdown

Thousands of people in New Zealand gathered in Auckland and multiple locations across the nation on Oct. 2 in a show of solidarity against alleged government tyranny and in support of freedom.

Auckland, with a population of about 1.7 million, continues to be under a government-prescribed lockdown that limits movement with the exception of certain permitted reasons.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern had enforced a nationwide snap lockdown on Aug. 17 in response to the nations first case of the Delta variant. She then said in September that she is aiming for a 90 percent vaccination rate before she will move away from lockdown orders. This includes in Maori and Pasifika populations, which will be difficult due to hesitancy and people who choose not to take the vaccine.

With the exception of Auckland, New Zealand has largely returned to less restrictive operations under Alert Level 2. The city was also downgraded to the looser lockdown Alert Level 3 on Sept. 21, although the government warned that it could announce Level 4 restrictions at any time. On Sunday, Ardern announced another five-day snap lockdown at Level 3 for parts of regional Waikato after two new cases were detected.

About 1,000 to 3,500 people gathered at the Auckland Domain on Saturday at around 11 a.m. for a Families Freedom Picnic as well as a peaceful protest the organisers called a mass stand in front of the Auckland War Memorial Museum.

Families with children attended, setting up picnic blankets in the area. Several dozen motorcyclists arrived at the event in a motorcade convoy as part of their protest.

People gather at the Auckland Domain for a peaceful protest in Auckland, New Zealand, on Oct. 2, 2021. (Phil Walter/Getty Images)

People gather at the Auckland Domain for a protest in support of freedom in Auckland, New Zealand, on Oct. 2, 2021. (Phil Walter/Getty Images)

A procession of motorbikes travels along the Southern Motorway towards the Auckland Domain for a peaceful protest against government tyranny in Auckland, New Zealand, on Oct. 2, 2021. (Phil Walter/Getty Images)

People attend a peaceful protest for freedom at the Auckland Domain in Auckland, New Zealand, on Oct. 2, 2021. (Phil Walter/Getty Images)

There were also tractors at the event in support of farmers who were protesting for their freedom to farm.

The organization said that thousands of others in multiple cities across New Zealand attended similar smaller-scale peaceful protests on Saturday, including in Christchurch, Gisborne, Hamilton, Hawkes Bay, Nelson, New Plymouth, Rotorua, Tauranga, Wellington, Whakatane, and Whangarei.

One day prior to the event, a video from the organiser, the Freedoms and Rights Coalition, emerged, asking, What is Freedom?

Think about this: Weve now been locked up in our homes for the past six weeks, enslaved to four wallsa prison inside our own homes, yet guilty of nothing. How many more lockdowns before they take away all of our freedoms? a female can be heard saying in the voiceover. And who stole those freedoms, you might ask? Its the very people we are meant to trust inthe government.

People attend a protest for freedom at the Auckland Domain in Auckland, New Zealand, on Oct. 2, 2021. (Phil Walter/Getty Images)

She says in the latter part of the video, If we do not have the freedom to go to school, see friends, socialize, and choose whether we want the vaccination or not, then what kind of life are we now living?

What hope do our future generations have if we dont stand? What hope do we have as a nation if we dont stand? Take my freedoms, you might as well take my life. Will you stand with us?

Ardern has urged all New Zealanders to get vaccinated so that she can avoid ordering more lockdowns. But the protesters said they dont agree with the governments balance of risk.

So far, 78 percent of those eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine have had one dose, while 46 percent are fully vaccinated. Of those aged 65 and older, 82 percent are fully vaccinated with two doses.

Brian Tamaki, a member of the Freedoms and Rights Coalition and the leader of the Destiny Church, took the stage at the event and spoke for about 40 minutes.

The power is in the people. The power is not in politicians, he told the crowd.

Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki speaks to people at the Auckland Domain during a protest in Auckland, New Zealand, on Oct. 2, 2021. (Phil Walter/Getty Images)

Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki speaks to people at the Auckland Domain during a protest in Auckland, New Zealand, on Oct. 2, 2021. (Phil Walter/Getty Images)

Police were monitoring the Auckland protest with no arrests or infringements issued, local media reported.

No one should fear being arrested if they remain peaceful, event organizers said ahead of time.

Auckland Council director of customer and community services Claudia Wyss said the council did not permit, support, or endorse the event, reported stuff.co.nz. While we respect peoples rights to peaceful protest, we have serious concerns that the gathering may result in the spread of COVID-19 and risk the health of Aucklanders, she said.

Organisers plan at least two more similar protestsone on Oct. 16 with two mass stands in Auckland and Christchurch, and another on Oct. 26 with a mass stand in Wellington.

Arderns government is set to decide on Oct. 4 whether to downgrade restrictions in Auckland to Level 2. However, border rules that prevent travel to and from Auckland are likely to remain, she warned.

Under the current Alert Level 3 restrictions, Auckland permits certain businesses and services to operate, which includes early learning centres and schools for children up to year 10 whose parents or caregivers need to work.

Gatherings are permitted for weddings, civil union ceremonies, funerals, and tangihanga (a traditional Maori funeral rite) for up to 10 people. Masks remain compulsory outside the home.
Ultimately, Its About Control: James Gorrie on CCPs Clampdown of Big Tech

In this special episode, we sat down with James Gorrie, a blogger, filmmaker, and author of The China Crisis. He touched on Chinas clampdown on Big Tech, the Evergrande crisis, and the energy shortage in China.

Gorrie said about Chinas clampdown on Big Tech: Ultimately, its about control. And Chinas run by the Chinese Communist Party [CCP], obviously, run by a cadre of top echelon people and theyre all about control  its a state-run enterprise, as it were, and theyre clamping down on these tech folks like Jack Ma, for example, because for a number of reasons, hes threatened the state. He threatened the validity of the state. He pointed out that their financial system and their banks around like, you know, the pawnshop mentality.

He went on to say: Jack Ma looked and behaved and had huge events like hes a rock star and dressed like a rock star. Theres only room for one rock star in China, and its not Jack Ma.

As for why China is clamping down on Big Tech, Gorrie said, I just think that the CCP is afraid of technology, technological heroes because they represent a threat to their power and intelligence community.

Watch the full episode on EpochTV.

Have other topics you want us to cover? Drop us a line: chinainfocus@ntdtv.org

And if youd like to buy us a coffee: https://donorbox.org/china-in-focus

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For more news and videos, please visit our website and Twitter.
Two Chinese SU-30 fighter jets take off from an unspecified location to fly a patrol over the South China Sea in a file photo. (Jin Danhua/Xinhua via AP)

US Condemns Provocative Chinese Military Flights Near Taiwan

The United States on Oct. 3 urged the Chinese communist regime to stop its provocative military activities near Taiwan, after Beijing sent nearly 100 aircraft into the islands air defense zone over a three-day period.

On Oct. 1, 2, and again on Oct. 3, Chinese military planes flew into the zone, prompting Taiwan to scramble its fighter jets to warn away the aircraft, the islands defense ministry said. The Oct. 2 incursion, with 39 Chinese aircraft, marked the highest reported number to date.

For more than a year, the Chinese regime has been sending aircraft into Taiwans air defense identification zone in a bid to intimidate the self-governed island that it claims as its own. The most recent incursions included both daytime and nighttime sorties of fighter jets, bombers, and anti-submarine aircraft.

The United States is very concerned by the Peoples Republic of Chinas provocative military activity near Taiwan, which is destabilizing, risks miscalculations, and undermines regional peace and stability, State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.

We urge Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic, and economic pressure and coercion against Taiwan.

The United States has an abiding interest in peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and will continue to assist Taiwan in maintaining a sufficient self-defense capability, the statement said. The United States, the islands biggest arms supplier, is obliged under the Taiwan Relations Act to provide arms to the island for its self-defense.

The U.S. commitment to Taiwan is rock solid and contributes to the maintenance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and within the region, Price said.

Taiwans Foreign Ministry thanked the United States for its strong remarks, adding that the regime in Beijing was increasing tension in the Indo-Pacific region.

In the face of Chinas challenges, our countrys government has always committed itself to improving our self-defense capabilities and resolutely safeguarding Taiwans democracy, freedom, peace, and prosperity, it said in a statement.

The Chinese regime has yet to comment on the military activities. The sorties on Oct. 1 coincided with the countrys National Day, a holiday marking the Communist Partys takeover of China.

Taiwans defense ministry said it sent combat aircraft to warn away the Chinese aircraft, while missile systems were deployed to monitor them.

It said the aircraft were a mixture of J-16 and Su-30 fighters as well as anti-submarine and early warning aircraft. Oct. 1 flights included nuclear-capable H-6 bombers.

Taiwan Premier Su Tseng-chang condemned China for its actions on Oct. 2, saying the country was engaging in military aggression and damaging regional peace.

Taiwan marks its national day on Oct. 10, with a major speech planned by President Tsai Ing-wen and a military parade in central Taipei, which will include a fly-by of fighter jets.

The Chinese regimes increasing military assertiveness in the Taiwan Strait, and East and South China seas is drawing increasing condemnation from Western democracies.

Over the summer, the Group of Seven (G-7) underscored the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and encourage the peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues.

We remain seriously concerned about the situation in the East and South China Seas and strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo and increase tensions, the G-7 said in a joint statement.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Safeway pharmacist Ashley McGee fills a syringe with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccination in California on Oct. 1, 2021. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Vaccine Antibodies Decline 7 Months After Second Pfizer Shot: US Study

Antibody levels generated by two shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine can undergo up to a 10-fold decrease seven months following the second vaccination, research suggests.

The drop in antibody levels will compromise the bodys ability to defend itself against COVID-19 if the individual becomes infected.

In a recent BioRxiv study published ahead of peer-review, many recipients of the vaccine displayed substantial waning of antibodies to the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, or SARS-CoV-2, and its variants including Delta, Beta, and Mu.

Bali Pulendran of Stanford University and Mehul Suthar of Emory University told Reuters that the study shows vaccination with the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine induces high levels of neutralizing antibodies against the original vaccine strain, but these levels drop by nearly 10-fold by seven months.

While the body has other defense mechanisms in place to ward off the virus, Pulendran and Suthar added that antibodies are critically important in protecting against SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The study focused on 56 healthy participants who had received two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The participants blood was tested once after receiving the second vaccination and once again after six months.

Researchers suggested administering a third booster vaccination as a measure to improve vaccine efficacy.

Earlier reports of data from a phase one study showed that participants had a higher level of neutralization antibody titers against the CCP viruss Delta variant after getting a boostera third doseversus those who just received two doses, officials said.

The third dose elevates the neutralizing antibodies in our laboratory studies to up to 100 times higher levels [after the third dose] compared to [before], Mikael Dolsten, Pfizers chief scientific officer, told investors in a call earlier this year.

The two-dose Pfizer vaccine was found to be 96 percent effective for the first two months following the second dose, according to a July 28 study from the companies scientists.

The research paper outlined a drop in efficacy to 83.7 percent after four to six months.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is the most widely used in the United States. More than 226 million doses have been administered as of Sept. 30, versus 151 million Moderna shots and 15 million from Johnson & Johnson.
Photo provided by the Norwalk Police Department

NORWALK  A 33-year-old woman who was reported missing to Norwalk Police on Saturday has been found, authorities said on Monday.

Ashley Dombroski had been missing since approximately 11:30 p.m. Thursday.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP)  The suspect in the 2018 killing of 17 people at a Florida high school is finally going on trial  but not for the slayings.

Jury selection begins Monday on charges Nikolas Cruz attacked a Broward County jail guard nine months after the Feb. 14, 2018, shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

Cruz, a former Stoneman Douglas student, brawled with Sgt. Raymond Beltran after being jailed on charges of killing 14 students and three staff members and wounding 17 others. No date has been set for the murder trial, which has been delayed by the pandemic and arguments over witnesses and evidence. It may start in the next few months.

The accused murderer who took our children's lives is clearly violent and took that out on a guard. He needs to face the justice system for that, said Tony Montalto, president of Stand With Parkland, a group comprised of victims families. His 14-year-old daughter, Gina, died in the shooting.

Cruz, 23, faces a possible 15-year sentence if convicted of attempted criminal battery on a law enforcement officer and three lesser charges. Cruz will get either death or life in prison without parole if he is later found guilty of first-degree murder, but this trial still has relevance. If Cruz is convicted of attacking Beltran, prosecutors can argue that is an aggravating factor when they seek his execution during the penalty phase of his murder trial if convicted.

If that is entered as an aggravating factor, it will be hard for that not to be in the back of the jury's mind," said Mark Dobson, a professor at Nova Southeastern University's law school and a former Florida prosecutor.

Prosecutors declined significant comment, only saying in a statement that "the jail video and evidence in the case speak for themselves.

Cruz's public defenders declined comment, saying they don't want to further traumatize the shooting victims' families by discussing their client.

Cruz's attorneys are expected to argue that Beltran mistreated Cruz previously and provoked the Nov. 13, 2018, brawl, which occurred inside a Broward County jail recreation area and was captured on a soundless security video.

According to court records, Cruz's lead attorney, Melisa McNeill, had complained six weeks before the fight to the Broward Sheriff's Office about Beltran's treatment of Cruz. No details of the alleged mistreatment have been released, but his attorneys said at a recent court hearing that Beltran is the only guard they have ever complained about.

Cruzs attorneys say the sheriffs office erased video of the three hours Cruz and Beltran spent together before the fight  even though they asked within a day that it be preserved and were told it would be.

The preserved video begins a couple minutes before the brawl. It shows Cruz walking alone in circles with his head down around tables with attached benches. He is dressed in an orange jail jumpsuit, a white long-sleeve undershirt and sandals. Beltran is sitting at a table in the corner.

Suddenly, Cruz stops about 10 feet (3 meters) from Beltran and the two appear to exchange words  Beltran told investigators he asked Cruz not to drag his feet and damage his sandals.

Cruz flips both middle fingers at Beltran and then charges the guard, who stands up to defend himself. Cruz, who weighs about 130 pounds (60 kilograms), throws the larger Beltran to the ground, before the guard is able to flip him and briefly pin him. Cruz grabs Beltran's stun gun and they fight over it as it goes off, apparently jolting neither, before the guard wrests it away.

Cruz escapes Beltrans grasp and the two take boxing stances. Cruz punches Beltran in the shoulder before the guard hits Cruz in the head, staggering him.

Beltran then rearms his stun gun and points it at Cruz, who had sat on a bench. Cruz lies face down on the ground and is handcuffed. The fight lasted almost exactly a minute. Neither was seriously hurt.

Because of Cruz's infamy in South Florida, jury selection is scheduled to last three days  in a typical jail battery trial with a defendant the public doesn't know, it would likely take a few hours. The court plans to screen 400 people to seat six jurors plus alternates. The typical pool for jail battery trials and similar felonies is 22, according to The Florida Bar.

Cruz's attorneys will want to eliminate any candidates who can't separate their knowledge of the Stoneman Douglas massacre from the only considerations jurors are supposed to make during this trial: Did Cruz attack Beltran and, if so, was he provoked? Testimony about the killings will not be permitted as that is irrelevant to the assault charge and would be prejudicial.

Once the jury is selected, the rest of the trial is only expected to last one to three days.

The murder trial is expected to last months. Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer has been holding frequent hearings in recent weeks to consider issues that must be resolved before it begins.

"The wheels of justice grind slowly and that is especially true with our group of families," Montalto said.

Cruz's attorneys have said he would plead guilty to 17 murders in exchange for a life sentence. Prosecutors have declined the offer, saying this is a case that deserves a death sentence.
ABOARD GEO BARENTS (AP)  Libyas coast guard Sunday intercepted two boats carrying more than 550 Europe-bound migrants off the countrys shore, the U.N. refugee agency said.

It marked the latest sea interceptions amid a surge of crossings and attempted crossings from the North African nation to European shores in recent months. It took place two days after a massive crackdown on migrants in a western Libyan town that resulted in the roundup of at least 4,000 migrants.

Libya has emerged as the dominant transit point for migrants fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East, hoping for a better life in Europe. The trend developed after the country was plunged into chaos following the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that ousted and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

Human traffickers have benefited from the chaos in the oil-rich nation and smuggled migrants through the countrys lengthy border with six nations. They then pack desperate migrants into ill-equipped rubber boats in risky voyages through the perilous Central Mediterranean Sea route.

The first wooden boat, with some 500 migrants on board, was disembarked early Sunday at an oil refinery point in the western town of Zawiya, a major launching point for migrants, according to the U.N. refugee agency, UNHCR. They include Sudanese, Somalis, Bengalis and Syrians, it said.

Later in the day, the UNHCR said the coast guard returned at least 56 migrants, including three children, to Tripoli's naval port, after their rubber boat broke at sea.

The migrants were likely taken to a detention center as Libyan authorities typically do with intercepted migrants.

On Saturday, the Libyan coast guard intercepted around 90 migrants, including eight women and three children, and returned them to Tripoli, the U.N. agency said. The coast guard also retrieved the bodies of two migrants, while 40 others remained missing at sea, the agency said.

There has been a spike in crossings and attempted crossings of the Mediterranean Sea with the goal of reaching European soil. So far this year some 44,000 people have reached Europe's shores by crossing the Central Mediterranean from Tunisia and Libya.

As of Sept. 25, more than 25,000 people had been intercepted by the EU-trained and equipped Libyan coast guard this year and returned to the war-torn country, according to the U.N. migration agency.

Over 1,100 migrants were reported dead or presumed dead off Libya in the first nine months of 2021.
HAMEL Immanuel United Church of Christ-Hamel is looking to the future as it celebrated 150 years in the community Sunday.

The church has been in and supported the Hamel community since its creation in 1871, said Rev. Dana Schindler, who has been the pastor at Immanuel United Church of Christ since July 1, 2019.

On Jan. 26, 1870, a group met in the new Columbia School to propose the Immanuel God With Us Evangelical Protestant Congregation, according to the churchs historical records. Later it would adopt its current name. In January 1871, the congregation purchased five acres of land from Henry Ohm at $250. The contract to build the church was awarded to an Edwardsville man named Mr. A Keller for $3,489. The cornerstone was laid on April 23, 1871, and the first sermon in the church was delivered by Rev. Kapp of St. Louis on Aug. 13, 1871. Eventually, the church adopted its current name.

The original church building was torn down in 1957, according to lifelong member Ruth Klenke. Klenke grew up in the church, where she was both baptized and married. She has served on the churchs anniversary committees since she was a teenager.

Over the years Klenke has served in several other positions in the church, including Sunday school teacher, young adult group leader, bell choir director, assistant organist and more. She considers herself the go-to person of the church, or something of a church assistant, as she is the one everyone seeks for help.

If theres something to do, Ill do it. Because its for the love of my church and what my family left us, Klenke said. That same drive to work and dedication to the church, Klenke believes, is what drove the founders in 1871.

Family is also a key part of Immanuel, as several members of the congregation are descendants of the churchs founders. Klenkes great grandfather, August Wilkening, was one of the men who attended the earliest meetings.

Im proud Im part of the family who worked to start this. It had to take a lot of faith, hope, work and tears, she said A lot of hard work, for the church and for their families to have this.

The past several Sundays have been used to celebrate that hard work and the churchs milestone in a variety of ways, such as sermons about the stained glass windows in the sanctuary, the marriages that have taken place at the church over the years and a skit that showcased information about the churchs founders.

Additionally, Klenke brought her circa 1871 family buggy to the church to be displayed in its front lobby. Though the buggy has been refurbished, Klenke feels the vehicle provides members a glimpse at how people used to travel to Sunday service.

Other artifacts on display at the church include photos from past years, original hymns written in German, confirmation and baptism records, and the key to the original church building.

Were pretty proud and happy that a group of men, German immigrants in 1871, decided to meet and saw a vision and a need for their community and their families, Klenke said.

These days, the church congregation is involved in the community in several ways. The congregation, along with the other churches in Hamel, sponsor the food pantry in Hamel. The congregation also offers a reading lunch program in Hamel Park in the summer and works with the local school to provide items to students in need. The church is also involved in a number of missions associated with the United Church of Christ as well as hosting community events.

Klenke described how she wants the church to be known by more people in the community.

We still have our mission to move forward with growth, she said. Were always here and open on Sundays.

Immanuel United Church of Christs 150th-anniversary service was held Sunday. Several past ministers and their spouses were invited to attend. Conference minister Rev. Shana Johnson of the Illinois South Conference was the guest speaker.

Guests are always welcome and masks are required at this time. The services are also live streamed on the churchs Facebook page at 9 a.m. For more information about the church, visit its website at https://iucchamel.org/
After facing pressure from congressional Democrats and Republicans, and before a bipartisan committee hearing was set to be held Thursday, Instagram announced it has paused the development of a version of Instagram meant for younger teenagers and preteens on Monday.

The Senate Commerce subcommittee on Thursday held a hearing with Facebook's Global Head of Safety Antigone Davis during which lawmakers repeatedly expressed skepticism regarding the plans for a kids version of Instagram. The hearing followed the release of internal Facebook documents by the Wall Street Journal in which it was shown that Instagram worsened body issues for one in three teenage girls and that among teenagers, 13% of British users and 6% of American users of Instagram traced the desire to kill themselves to the app.

Facebook billed the Instagram plan as an alternative and safer app for kids than its flagship product.

"We firmly believe that its better for parents to have the option to give their children access to a version of Instagram that is designed for them  where parents can supervise and control their experience  than relying on an apps ability to verify the age of kids who are too young to have an ID," Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, said in a blog post on Monday.

The Journal's reports based on the company's own research found that Facebook knew about the potential harms Instagram can cause to teenagers, especially teen girls, regarding mental health and body image issues. Facebook had attempted to downplay those reports and its own internal research.

The Senate Commerce Subcommittee is examining how Facebook handled information from its own researchers on Instagrams potential threat to younger users while the company publicly played down the issue.

"If were dealing with Facebooks real world, where the safeguards are more illusory than real, there should be no Instagram for kids, period," said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, who sits on the Commerce Subcommittee. "If they were really committed to kids safety, if there were real-world evidence of it, I might think differently about it. But Instagram for kids is plainly just more of the same.

"Theres no partisan difference," Blumenthal told reporters outside of the hearing room, regarding how the bipartisan committee came together in their shared troubles with Facebook's plans. "And I might add, theres no sympathy for Facebook on its failure to act responsibly."

In a statement earlier this month, an Instagram official noted that the app gives a voice to marginalized people and helps people stay connected, although it can be a place where people have "negative experiences."

"This is a watershed moment for the growing tech accountability movement and a great day for anyone who believes that children's wellbeing should come before Big Tech's profits," Josh Golin, executive director at Fairplay, a child advocacy group formerly known as the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, said in a statement Monday.

In May, 44 attorneys general, including Kwame Raoul of Illinois, signed a letter addressed to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, urging him to scrap plans for an Instagram intended for younger users, citing mental health and privacy concerns. The letter came less than a month after child safety groups and members of Congress expressed similar concerns.

"While we stand by the need to develop this experience, weve decided to pause this project," Mosseri wrote Monday. "This will give us time to work with parents, experts, policymakers and regulators, to listen to their concerns, and to demonstrate the value and importance of this project for younger teens online today."

Facebook had a difficult time defending itself on Thursday, Brooke Erin Duffy, a communications professor at Cornell University, told the Associated Press.

"The focus on protecting children may be much more of a catalyst for regulation than other concerns and criticisms," Duffy told the AP. "The senators deployed this knowledge of big tech in a way that I dont think weve seen before."

Duffy noted that U.S. senators came prepared with research and difficult to answer questions.

For its part, Facebook wrote in an annotated version of part of the Instagram slide deck the night before the hearing that its earlier phrasing of the research figures "may be sensationalizing the negative impact on the graph," and even "ignores potentially positive interpretations  for example, more than half of respondents self-report that Instagram makes their feelings of loneliness better."

Facebook also said after the Journals series of released documents that the reporting cherry-picked data and lacked critical context, according to CNBC.

"Our intention is not for this version to be the same as Instagram today," Mosseri wrote. "It was never meant for younger kids, but for tweens (aged 10-12). It will require parental permission to join, it wont have ads, and it will have age-appropriate content and features. Parents can supervise the time their children spend on the app and oversee who can message them, who can follow them and who they can follow."

"Instagram is that first childhood cigarette meant to get teens hooked early, exploiting the peer pressure of popularity and ultimately endangering their health," Sen. Ed Markey, D-Massachusetts, said.
Covid fight sees army shift focus

BANGKOK: Military spending will shift from procuring weapons from overseas to sourcing domestic products due to budgetary pressures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

militaryCoronavirusCOVID-19politics

By Bangkok Post

Sunday 3 October 2021, 10:28AM

Photo: Bangkok Post.

Army spokesman Gen Santipong Thammapiya said the virus outbreak has forced the army to re-evaluate its spending plan as in the 2021 fiscal year much of its budget has been spent in support of the COVID-19 containment effort, reports the Bangkok Post.

Its policy also calls for the cancellation or scaling down of high-priced weapon-purchase schemes from overseas and buying more local products. Overall, we will prioritise maintaining our weapons and equipment and prolonging their use, he said.

Gen Santipong, who is also the armys chief-of-staff, was speaking about the armys three-year development plan (Oct 2020-Oct 2023) and its spending and performance in the 2021 fiscal year which ended on Sept 30.

He said the army has also stepped up measures to protect junior officers from unfair treatment and support their career opportunities while promoting voluntary military service and seeking to replace some personnel with civilians.

Gen Santipong said the army has made its best effort to mitigate the impact caused by natural disasters and the ongoing pandemic while still maintaining security, peace and order in the region.

Col Sirichan Ngathong, deputy army spokeswoman, said spending plans were adjusted to support disease control efforts and stimulate the grassroots economy in the last fiscal year.

She said the spending plan for the current fiscal year prioritises personnel welfare and maintenance of weapons and equipment to prolong their service years.

For fiscal 2022, the military has been allocated B97.8 billion, a decrease of B8bn, or 7.64%, from the previous year.

It had requested B112bn in funding.

Meanwhile, the navy and the air force have also reportedly deferred procurement schemes and resorted to maintenance projects as their funds have also been trimmed to save money for financing the fight against COVID-19.

The navy is said to have placed new vessel procurement on hold while the air force reportedly plans to merge Squadron 102 and Squadron 103 to save costs following the decommissioning of several F-16 ADF aircraft.
Phuket luxury resorts face legal action over illegal land grabs

PHUKET: Luxury Phuket resorts Triasara and Sripanwa are facing legal action over illegally acquired land following the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) and the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) announcing the conclusion of their investigations earlier this week.

landtourismcorruption

By The Phuket News

Sunday 3 October 2021, 02:59PM

The DSI report on its investigation into the Sripanwa resort as posted online by Veera Somkwamkid, Secretary General of the Peoples Network Against Corruption.

The DSI report on its investigation into the Sripanwa resort as posted online by Veera Somkwamkid, Secretary General of the Peoples Network Against Corruption.

The NACC specifically named Weerawat Janpen, a Phuket Vice Governor at the imte, as involved in the illegal issuance of land documents.. Image: NACC

Deals involving the issuing of land documents for the Trisara resort involved 29 officials, including a Phuket Vice Governor at the time, said the NACC in its report. Image: NACC

Deals involving the issuing of land documents for the Trisara resort involved 29 officials, including a Phuket Vice Governor at the time, said the NACC in its report. Image: NACC

Deals involving the issuing of land documents for the Trisara resort involved 29 officials, including a Phuket Vice Governor at the time, said the NACC in its report. Image: NACC

Niwatchai Kasemmongkol, Deputy Secretary-General of Office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), explained that Three Dolphins Co Ltd had used the well-known Flying SorKor 1 process to submit a SorKor 1 land use document for another plot of land to claim more than 40 rai adjacent to the land the company legitimately owns on Phukets west coast.

At a live press conference broadcast online, Mr Niwatchai and fellow NACC officers and expert land investigators specifically named Weerawat Janpen, who served as a Phuket Vice Governor at the time, as involved in approving the land transfer. Weerawat served as a Phket Vice Governor in 2011.

The land illegally acquired is within the boundaries of Sirinath National Park and the adjoining Khao Ruak - Khao Muang national forest reserve, Mr Niwatchai said.

The NACC has submitted a request to the relevant court to revoke the ownership rights, he added.

Mr Janpen was just one of 29 officials involved in the illegal issuing of the land documents, Mr Niwatchai explained.

The NACC is pursuing charges against 11 officials involved in the land grab, he added.

Compounding the illegality of the land grabs was that some of the plots acquired and built on has a slope of more than 35%, making any construction illegal, he added.

The SorKor 1 presented by Three Dolphins was used twice to claim different  and larger  parcels of land, the NACC panel explained.

In the first instance, the SorKor 1 land use document, originally issued for a land plot of 20 rai, was first converted to a NorSor 3 marked as covering 38 rai.

The NorSor 3 land document was then converted to two separate NorSor 3 Gor land documents for adjoining plots covering in total 51 rai.

The second instance the same SorKor 1 was used, it was presented to claim 14 rai with full ownership Chanote titles issued to the company, and it was presented to have a NorSor 3 Gor land use document issued covering a further more than 47 rai.

At this stage it is not exactly clear which land, if any, that the Trisara resort sits on is legal.

SRIPANWA

A separate investigation by the DSI into land plots occupied by the upscale Sripanwa resort, on Phukets east coast, has found one plot deemed to have been illegally acquired through the illegal issuance of a NorSor 3 Gor land document.

The land covers 3 rai 3 ngan 35 square wah, which the Sri Panwa resort uses as the site for a swimming pool and covers land adjoining Panwa Beach, Mr Veera said in a post online citing the DSI report of its investigation, which he said he had now received.

The land claimed is in a forest area under Section 4 of the Forest Act B.E. 2484,

The Department of Special Investigation has sent the investigation information to the Royal Forest Department to proceed in accordance with its powers and duties, Mr Veera noted.

The matter has also been sent to the NACC, the Department of Lands and the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) for further investigation, Mr Veera also said.

The NACC will pursue its own action against the officials involved, he added.

A request has been sent to the Land Department to revoke the document used to claim the land, he said.

Of note, the DSI has yet to post through its own channels the result of its investigation. However, Mr Veera posted a copy of the report in his post.

THE PEAKS

Meanwhile, Kata Beach Co Ltd, the owner of The Peak Residences, which has been ruled by the Supreme Court to be fully illegal, has asked permission from Karon Municipality to demolish the buildings.

Last week, the company requested permission to operate the building, Karon Mayor Jadet Wicharasorn, reported Isra News.

The municipality has allowed the company or a subsidiary to demolish the entire buildings. The company will have to smash and remove all scrap materials from the forest area until the land is left to be able to plant trees to compensate for the original trees. The part is the duty of forest officials, Mayor Jadet said.
Phuket Opinion: The problem with being held responsible for everything

PHUKET: This week were going to do something youre dont see often: were going into bat for the Phuket Governor, Narong Woonciew.

opinion

By The Phuket News

Sunday 3 October 2021, 09:00AM

Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew at a Phuket Community Welfare Organization Network event earlier this week titled Phuket People Unite, leaving no person behind. Photo: PR Phuket

The easing of restrictions this week for people to enter Phuket, and most notably the easing of restrictions to allow venues that serve food to also serve alcohol and provide live music  both measures long overdue to many people on the island  did not come by anywhere as quickly as it was played out in the public sphere.

There is no way that the Governor publicly issued a written formal request one day to see the easing of measures requested relaxed the very next day. It just does not happen that quickly. The easing of the restrictions in effect in Phuket was not instant; those conversations had already happened.

The most pertinent point Governor Narong included in his missive, at risk of embarrassing his superiors in Bangkok, was, ... as restaurants and food establishments in hotels and other food or beverage outlets serve Phuket Sandbox tourists, the tourists are affected. The service is inconsistent with the guidelines for promoting tourism in Phuket.

Here we see the giant gap between Bangkok-appointed officials who are ordered to follow their masters bidding. If the position of Governor were an actually elected position, as a politician the governor would have been informing the people what his actual efforts were and laying the responsibility at the feet of those actually responsible for the rules being enforced.

While provincial governors may enforce stricter COVID prevention measures than those set out by the CCSA (Center for COVID Administration Situation), under the emergency decree, even as governor, Mr Narong is not allowed to relax any measures without Bangkoks consent.

He must follow his superiors orders, and that includes not telling the people exactly who in Bangkok has decided that people in Phuket will have to continue to suffer deepening personal financial hardship under the measures extended. Those thinking that the governor should break the code and just do what he feels right, even if what the people are asking for might bring more harm than good, may not be fully appreciating that doing so is pointless. He will just be replaced by someone who will toe the line  there is no secret in that.

This is the problem of being held responsible for everything in Phuket when everything needs monitoring and when those above you are making decisions they are not being held responsible for.

The position of Governor is to ensure that Bangkok-mandated policy is implemented in Phuket, and to carry feedback from the people of Phuket back to Bangkok. The latter Governor Narong has clearly done. As early as last year he travelled to Bangkok to deliver the message in person how much the island has been suffering under the COVID control policies, and we have all seen the lack of impact that has had. That is not the governors fault.

All of this is not to exempt our governor from being the focus of criticisms. That is his job. And none of this excuses the current national administration for its many, many failings. This is just to highlight the reality of the theatre the governor must operate in.

And this is certainly not to excuse any krieng jai, the Thai practice of not upsetting the social order by questioning any person in a perceived position of superiority, either officially or socially, which many Thais uphold to be an integral aspect of Thai culture.

There are now plenty of Thais who believe that there is nothing impolite about asking those responsible legitimate questions about policies that are having a direct impact on their lives. How the questions are asked is matter of politeness, not just the fact that questions are being asked.


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COLLINSVILLE  There were costumes, authors, discussions about topics ranging from religion to space elevators and other activities at this years Archon, the St. Louis regions fan-based sci-fi/fantasy convention based in Collinsville.

But it was, in many ways, a much more subdued event than normal, with attendance at about half, a reduced number of vendors and a constantly shifting schedule.

For those who made it, Archon was a much-needed break from their mundane world.

This is where we find our tribe, said Snail Scott, a St. Louis-based sculptor who described her costume as Post-Apocalyptic Plague Shaman

This is the place for a great many people to expand the world, she added. For some people this is seen as a refuge from the outside world. But this is where we build our own worlds.

Alan DeVaughan, co-chair of the convention, said it appeared attendance around 1,000 people, or about half the normal crowd. Part of that was due to caution on the part of many regular convention goers and several high-profile events, such as the annual Masquerade  an elaborate costume contest that draws participants from around the country.

He also said scheduling was somewhat up in the air because of last-minute cancellations. One person who was to appear in more than a dozen panel discussions tested positive for COVID-19 two days before the convention.

It is also an all-volunteer event. Unlike some of the larger conventions, Archon is fan-run  something participates are quick to point out.

Its never been about movie starts and actors; its not about commercial vendors with fancy booths, Scott said. Its about fans for fans. The people who are the superstars here are the writers and artists and the people who create the science fiction and the fantasy and the art we are all here to honor.

Started in the mid-1970s as a literary convention, Archon has developed into a general interest convention  or con  with multiple tracks of programming such as costuming, real science, writing and literature and general science-fiction, as well as a separate childrens programming track.

Canceled by COVID-19 last year, this years Archon was held Friday through Sunday at the Gateway Convention Center in Collinsville. COVID still left a mark, the most obvious masks worn by everybody, though it is not uncommon for almost everybody to wear a mask at Archon.

For some, incorporating masks into the costume was important.

Scott had an elaborate helmet and costume made completely out of repurposed materials. Two two fender guards were welded together to form a helmet. Tuna cans attached to her mask to form a gas mask, with adornments made out of soda can pop-tops and small used CO2 canisters.

Everything single thing, including the textiles, are second-hand reclaimed salvage, she said.

Scott said she developed her costume while teaching online about using what is available. She has been involved in fandom since she was a teen in the late 1970s, then got away from it. After moving to the St. Louis area, she started attending Archon about 10 years ago.

I love the freedom of costuming in this environment because I can build the world of the outfit the same way an author builds a world when they create an alien planet or future civilization, she said.

For a number of attendees, this is the first or second major public event they have been to since the pandemic shutdowns last year.

Jeannie Lin, a St. Louis author specializing in historical romance and historical fantasy, was with her twin children, Daniel and Mae Linh.

This is the first one weve been to since the pandemic, she said. It seems a little quieter, a little more subdued.

In addition to publicizing her work, she said her children like the event for the costumes.

The kids get to wear their costumes for Halloween and the con, she said. Ive wanted to be able to dress up and wear my hair like this since I was a little girl, and its too weird to do on a normal basis. You have an excuse to act out a little; its cool.

Daniel Lin, dressed as one of the multi-verse versions of Spider-Man, said it is a sneak peak for Halloween and he also gets to see how the costume feels.

You get to look around at everybodys costume, and you get to show off your costume, Mae Linh said.

Elizabeth Donald, of Edwardsville, another author and long-time Archon participant, said it was good to come out and connect with fans. A member of Literary Underworld, a writers co-op with a number of members in the Metro East, she said COVID has been a body blow for small press authors.

So many of us rely so heavily on the convention circuit and personal appearances to get our work out there, she said, adding it is difficult for small press authors to get into bookstores or on Amazon.

Were glad the world is coming out, she said. This is how we get our work out there and reach new readers. You can try to build your reputation solely on social media, but good luck. They want to see the book, they want to hold the book, they want to see the back cover.

There is something about readers being able to meet the writers themselves and ask questions. They feel a more personal connection to the story, she said.

On Saturday she said sales had been good and they were having a wonderful time.

There are fewer people, but that seems to help with social distancing, and everybody is obeying the mask rule, she said. Surprisingly, were still selling very well  about what I would expect at this point in the convention. I think everybody missed us; we certainly missed them.

Donald said part of the dilemma events such as Archon is working through the pandemic.

I think a lot of conventions and public gatherings are reaching the point where they realize COVID is going to be part of our lives for a very long time, she said. Theyre going to have to find a way to make these things happen, or they go away entirely. Some are making that choice, theyre just going away.

While many of the participants were old hands at Archon, there were some new faces.

Tim Clarkson, of Columbia, Illinois, came for the first time this year. He was dressed in a post-apocalyptic costume, a popular theme. His COVID mask was incorporated into the costume under another mask.

I love it, he said. This is actually the first time Ive ever been to any kind of con. Im liking it so far. Im seeing a lot of like-minded people and I love it.

Elizabeth Lund, of St. Louis, another first-timer, was dressed as a half-elf and was having her photo taken for a costume contest. She is a member of Solarian Adventures, a LARP (live-action role-playing) group based in the St. Louis region.

Especially after the pandemic, I think its nice to see people celebrating culture and activities they really love, she said. You can do whatever you want. Its fun, its fantasy. If you have an idea you can probably make it work, and you get to hang out with a bunch of really cool people while you do it.
ATHENS, Ga. (AP)  A former NASCAR driver was killed Saturday in a shooting in Georgia that also wounded a woman, investigators said.

John Wes Townley, 31, died in the shooting in a neighborhood around 9 p.m., Athens-Clarke County Coroner Sonny Wilson told the Athens Banner-Herald.
CHICAGO (AP)  The death of an Illinois State Police trooper on a Chicago expressway has been ruled a suicide, the Cook County Medical Examiners office said Saturday.

An autopsy found District Chicago Trooper Gerald Mason, 35, died of a gunshot wound to the head, the medical examiner's office said. His age was initially reported as 36 on Friday by state police.

The 11-year state police veteran died Friday shortly after the shooting around 2 p.m. on the inbound lanes of the Dan Ryan Expressway on the citys South Side, authorities said.

He was an amazing District Chicago trooper, Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly said during a news conference Friday evening.

The trooper's mother, Linda Mason, told the Chicago Sun-Times that her son had wanted to be an officer since he was a toddler. He was a Chicago native who dedicated his life to policing, she said.

He was a sweetheart, and he loved everybody, she said. He just wanted to protect people and make this city and state better.

On Thursday, the Illinois State Police announced it would more than double patrols in the Chicago area beginning Friday in response to a surge in shootings on expressways over the past two years.

There have been more than 185 shootings on expressways in the region this year, according to the agency, compared to a total of about 130 shootings last year, and just over 50 in 2019.
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP)  New Mexico State University says less than a third of its students submitted proof of vaccination for COVID-19 by a Thursday deadline to otherwise undergo weekly testing or leave the university.

While 72.3% of the university's employees provided proof of vaccination, only 30% of students did, officials said Friday.

Its not clear how many students who didnt submit proof of vaccination by the deadline plan to submit weekly test results, officials said.

Were not where we want to be with our vaccinated students, said Jon Webster, the school's COVID-19 project manager. We want to make sure were protecting all of our students.

Failure to submit vaccination information or weekly test results can result in student suspension or staff termination, officials said.

Students can get vaccinated at any point in the semester and cease the weekly required testing once achieving full vaccination, Webster said.

We are seeing new submissions continue to come in, so we expect our final verified total to be significantly higher than what were seeing today and to continue to rise over the next several weeks as some students and employees receive their second dose and update their cards," Webster said.

He said the university was continuing to reach out to students through text message, email, social media and other channels.

Several students said Friday they were unaware of the mandate's details, the Las Cruces Sun-News reported.

Sophomore Alvaro Oliva said hes vaccinated but hadnt heard of the requirement.

You get a whole bunch of emails from your classes and all that jazz, but the emails slip through, Oliva said.

However, senior Alisa Schott said it would be hard to not have heard about the requirement.

Its kind of everywhere, Schott said. My professors talk about it all the time."

Freshman Ester Bocanegra said she's partially vaccinated and didnt know which website to use to submit information. Im sure people are confused, she said.

Sophomore Issac Duarte said students are focused on other things right now, especially midterms.

The vaccination is not really something thats a priority for us, he said.

The universitys main campus is in Las Cruces. It also has campuses in Alamogordo, Carlsbad, Grants and elsewhere.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP)  Sign-waving, chanting crowds rallied in Illinois Saturday to protect abortion rights just weeks after Texas restrictions all but banned the procedure in that state.

Thousands of people gathered in Daley Plaza in Chicago chanting, Our body, our choice, before marching through the Loop. In Springfield, several hundred people gathered on the south side of the Old State Capitol plaza, just two of 650 similar actions around the country, according to Planned Parenthood of Illinois.

The Women's March has become a recurring event since the first one was staged in Washington, D.C., just after the inauguration of former President Donald Trump, a staunch abortion opponent. But it took on a new urgency Saturday, with the Texas law scheduled to wend its way through the court system and clinics outside of Texas filling up with appointments.

Just two day after the Texas law took effect, Planned Parenthood saw the first women from Texas arriving in Illinois for the procedure, said Brigid Leahy, senior director or public policy.

They are trying to figure out paying for airfare or gas or a train ticket, they may need hotel and meals, Leahy said.

They have to figure out time off of work, and they have to figure out child care. This can be a real struggle.

Prominent among the Springfield crowd were the Illinois Handmaids, a group of women in red robes and white bonnets reminiscent of the automatons of Margaret Atwoods dystopian novel, The Handmaid's Tale, carrying signs that said, Mind Your Own Uterus and Mother By Choice.

Although abortion is more accessible in Democratic-controlled Illinois than in many other places, both rallies in Chicago and the capital called for repeal of the state's parental notification law, requiring an adult family member to be told about an abortion planned by a woman under 18 at least 48 hours in advance.

In Chicago, before Crystal Rosales spoke, several women walked by the microphone and said, I've had an abortion, and I'm here to support Crystal, reported the Chicago Tribune. Then, Rosales explained that she made the hardest decision of my life when she learned of her pregnancy in 2012.

She said she dealt with guilt, shame and sadness, but finally concluded, Abortion is health care. Abortion is essential. And abortion is freedom.

Jack Paciolla of Springfield attended the Capital rally.

We should be past this point where, they dont have a choice over their bodies? Paciolla said. We shouldnt be able to ban it. It (the abortion issue) has been decided, theres precedent, why are we still dealing with this? Its ridiculous.

___

Follow Political Writer John OConnor at https://twitter.com/apoconnor
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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Algeria has accused its former colonial ruler France of genocide and announced the recall of its ambassador from Paris in anger over what it said were inadmissible comments attributed to French President Emmanuel Macron.

The sharp escalation in tensions also follows a French decision to slash the number of visas issued to people in North Africa  including Algeria  because governments there are refusing to take back migrants expelled from France.

The immediate recall of Algerias ambassador from France for consultations was announced Saturday evening in a statement from the Algerian presidency.

The statement said the recall was motivated by recent comments about Algeria that were attributed to Macron. The comments amounted to inadmissible interference in Algerias affairs and were an intolerable affront to Algerians who died fighting French colonialism, the Algerian presidency said.

The crimes of colonial France in Algeria are innumerable and fit the strictest definitions of genocide, its statement alleged.

French media reported that Macron spoke recently about Algerias post-colonial system of government and its attitudes to France. The newspaper Le Monde said Macron made the comments Thursday in a meeting at the presidential palace with French and Algerian grandchildren of former combatants in Algerias 1954-62 war of independence from France and people affected by the conflicts aftermath.

In its report from the meeting, Le Monde said that Macron accused Algerian authorities of stoking hatred for France. The French leader also spoke about his governments tightening of visas for North Africans, saying the visa reduction would target people in the area of governance, who had a habit of asking for visas easily, the newspaper reported.

French officials announced that the number of visas given to Algerians and Moroccans would be cut by half, and to Tunisians by 30%. The government said the decision responded to refusals from Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia to provide consular documents for their citizens being deported from France after arriving illegally. The three countries were part of Frances colonial empire, and many Europe-bound migrants and other visitors coming from those North African nations have family or other ties in France.

The Algerian presidency said in its statement that Macrons remarks were an intolerable affront to the memory of the 5,630,000 valiant martyrs who sacrificed their lives in their heroic resistance of the French colonial invasion.

It added that nothing and nobody can absolve the colonial powers of their crimes.

SOURCE: Associated Press
An experimental antiviral pill developed by Merck & Co could halve the chances of dying or being hospitalized for those most at risk of contracting severe COVID-19, according to data that experts hailed as a potential breakthrough in how the virus is treated.

If it gets authorization, molnupiravir, which is designed to introduce errors into the genetic code of the virus, would be the first oral antiviral medication for COVID-19.

Merck and partner Ridgeback Biotherapeutics said they plan to seek U.S. emergency use authorization for the pill as soon as possible and to make regulatory applications worldwide.

An oral antiviral that can impact hospitalization risk to such a degree would be game-changing, said Amesh Adalja, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.

Current treatment options include Gilead Sciences Incs infused antiviral remdesivir and generic steroid dexamethasone, both of which are generally only given once a patient has already been hospitalized.

This is going to change the dialogue around how to manage COVID-19, Merck Chief Executive Robert Davis told Reuters.

Existing treatments are cumbersome and logistically challenging to administer. A simple oral pill would be the opposite of that, Adalja added.

The results from the Phase III trial, which sent Merck shares up more than 9%, were so strong that the study is being stopped early at the recommendation of outside monitors.

Shares of Atea Pharmaceuticals Inc, which is developing a similar COVID-19 treatment, were up more than 21% on the news.

Shares of COVID-19 vaccine makers Moderna Inc were off more than 10%, while Pfizer was down less than 1%.

Jefferies analyst Michael Yee said investors believe people will be less afraid of COVID and less inclined to get vaccines if there is a simple pill that can treat COVID.

Pfizer and Swiss drugmaker Roche Holding AG are also racing to develop an easy-to-administer antiviral pill for COVID-19. For now, only antibody cocktails that have to be given intravenously are approved for non-hospitalized patients.

White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients said on Friday that molnupiravir is a potential additional tool to protect people from the worst outcomes of COVID, but added that vaccination remains far and away, our best tool against COVID-19.

A planned interim analysis of 775 patients in Mercks study looked at hospitalizations or deaths among people at risk for severe disease. It found that 7.3% of those given molnupiravir twice a day for five days were hospitalized and none had died by 29 days after treatment. That compared with a hospitalization rate of 14.1% for placebo patients. There were also eight deaths in the placebo group.

Antiviral treatments that can be taken at home to keep people with COVID-19 out of the hospital are critically needed, Wendy Holman, Ridgebacks CEO, said in a statement.

A HUGE ADVANCE

Scientists welcomed the potential new treatment to help prevent serious illness from the virus, which has killed almost 5 million people around the world, 700,000 of them in the United States.

A safe, affordable, and effective oral antiviral would be a huge advance in the fight against COVID, said Peter Horby, a professor of emerging infectious diseases at the University of Oxford.

The study enrolled patients with laboratory-confirmed mild-to-moderate COVID-19, who had symptoms for no more than five days. All patients had at least one risk factor associated with poor disease outcome, such as obesity or older age.

Drugs in the same class as molnupiravir have been linked to birth defects in animal studies. Merck has said similar studies of molnupiravir  for longer and at higher doses than used in humans  indicate that the drug does not affect mammalian DNA.

Merck said viral sequencing done so far shows molnupiravir is effective against all variants of the coronavirus including the highly transmissible Delta, which has driven the recent worldwide surge in hospitalizations and deaths.

It said rates of adverse events were similar for both molnupiravir and placebo patients, but did not give details.

Merck has said data shows molnupiravir is not capable of inducing genetic changes in human cells, but men enrolled in its trials had to abstain from heterosexual intercourse or agree to use contraception. Women of child-bearing age in the study could be pregnant and also had to use birth control.

The U.S. drugmaker said it expects to produce 10 million courses of the treatment by the end of 2021.

The company has a U.S. government contract to supply 1.7 million courses of molnupiravir at a price of $700 per course.

Davis said Merck has similar agreements with other governments, and is in talks with more. Merck said it plans a tiered pricing approach based on country income criteria.

The U.S. government has the option to purchase up to an additional 3.5 million treatment courses if needed, a U.S. health official told Reuters. The official asked to remain anonymous because they were not authorized to comment publicly on the contract.

Merck has also agreed to license the drug to several India-based generic drugmakers, which would be able to supply the treatment to low- and middle-income countries.

Molnupiravir is also being studied in a Phase III trial for preventing infection in people exposed to the coronavirus.

Merck officials said it is unclear how long the FDA review will take, although Dean Li, head of Mercks research labs, said, they are going to try to work with alacrity on this.

SOURCE: REUTERS
Top U.S. health officials believe that Pfizer Incs COVID-19 vaccine could be authorized for children aged 5-11 years old by the end of October, two sources familiar with the situation said on Friday.

The timeline is based on the expectation that Pfizer, which developed the shot with Germanys BioNTech, will have enough data from clinical trials to seek emergency use authorization (EUA) for that age group from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) towards the end of this month, the sources said.

They anticipate the FDA could make a decision on whether the shot is safe and effective in younger children within three weeks of the EUA submission.

The decision on whether to authorize a vaccine for younger children is eagerly anticipated by millions of Americans, particularly parents whose children started school in recent weeks amid a wave of infections driven by the Delta variant.

Top U.S. infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci outlined the timetable during an online town hall meeting attended by thousands of staff at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on Friday, according to one of the sources. A second source familiar with the situation said that the FDA anticipated a similar timeline for Pfizer.

If Pfizer submits its EUA by the end of September, and the data support its use, by the time we get to October, the first couple of weeks of October the Pfizer product will likely be ready, Fauci said, according to the source.

Fauci said that Moderna Inc will likely take about three weeks longer than Pfizer to collect and analyze its data on children age 5-11, according to the source. He estimated that a decision on the Moderna shot could come around November, according to the source. The second source said Faucis timeline for Moderna appeared optimistic.

Officials at Pfizer, Moderna and NIH did not immediately comment.

Pfizer has previously said that it would have data on children age 5-11 ready in September and planned to submit for an EUA shortly after. Previously, federal health regulators, including Fauci, have suggested that an FDA decision might come in November or later. Moderna on Thursday told investors it expected data from its childrens study by the end of the year.

Earlier on Friday, the FDA said it would work to approve the COVID-19 vaccines for children quickly https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-fda-says-robust-safety-data-needed-before-covid-19-vaccine-approval-kids-2021-09-10 once the companies submitted their data. It said it would consider applications based on a faster path to authorize the shot for emergency use.

Such emergency authorization requires companies to submit two months of safety data on trial participants, versus six months required for full licensure.

Pfizer partner BioNTech told Der Spiegel that it also expects to request authorization globally for the COVID-19 vaccine in children as young as five over the next few weeks and that preparations for a launch were on track.

SOURCE: REUTERS
ALBANY - Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, a Westchester County Democrat, was behind a bill that former Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed into law in February 2020 that created a limousine safety task force meant to recommend ways to make the industry safer in the wake of the 2018 limo crash in Schoharie that killed 20 people.

The problem is the task force, which is required to submit its final report to Gov. Kathy Hochul and the Legislature by Nov. 1, doesn't exist.

CBS6 TV was the first to report the delay in appointing the task force. However, new details have emerged.

Cuomo and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie both did appoint two members each to the task force, which is also supposed to include the top officials from the State Police, the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Department of Transportation, all of which played a major role in the crash investigation. In August, Cuomo resigned after sexual harassment allegations.

Paulin, however, doesn't think that's any excuse.

"The situation is unacceptable, Paulin told the Times Union. The bill was signed into law in February 2020. Even with delays due to the pandemic, the task force still should have been set up by now. The Assembly has submitted the names of their appointees. The vetting process should not be taking this long."

Last month, limo company operator Nauman Hussain pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide, and under a plea deal is serving no prison time. Several civil cases filed by victims' families have yet to be heard, cases that also name state agencies, alleging that they failed to take the limo off the road despite repeated failed inspections. Mavis Discount Tire is also named as a defendent in cases for doing brake work on the limo and giving it an inspection approval in the months before the crash.

A National Transportation Safety Board report said catastrophic break failure caused the limo carrying birthday party celebrants to careen down steep Route 30 and smash into an earthen embankment, killing the driver and all 17 passengers, as well as two people who were in the parking lot of the Apple Barrel Country Store. The NTSB also eviserated the state Department of Motor Vehicles and Department of Transportation for not having a process that shutdown Prestige Limousine, which was an illegal limo operation at the time of the crash Oct. 6, 2018.

Paulin says she and others have written to the governors office expressing their frustration and that the task force's report due Nov. 1 has been jeopardized by their delay.

"This massive delay in getting the task force set up and running is something that needs to be rectified immediately," Paulin said.

For the Assembly, Heastie nominated two appointees to the 11-person task force back in June: Edward Stoppelmann, a Long Island limousine operator, and David Brown, who owns Premiere Transportation, an Albany limo company. Both have extensive experience in the industry.

Spokespersons for the DOT and DMV would only tell the Times Union that their departments had nothing to do with the other nominations to the board and referred a Times Union reporter to Gov. Kathy Hochul's office for comment. The DOT and DMV commissioners are supposed to serve as joint chairs of the task force.

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In addition to the two nominations each by the governor and the Assembly majority, the state Senate majority could appoint two members, and the Assembly and Senate minority could appoint one member each.

A spokesperson for Hochul said that the governor would form the task force as soon as possible. It is unclear who the nominations will be beyond the required nominees.

"Gov. Hochul recognizes the importance of this task force to protect the safety of New Yorkers," Hochul spokeswoman Haley Viccaro said. "The governor is working to review and confirm all appointees to boards, commissions and committees during this period of transition. Several legislative nominees are still outstanding to be put forth for consideration for this task force."

Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara, a Rotterdam Democrat, was a co-sponsor of the bill that established the task force. He called the situation "infuriating," especially given the horror that the families of the victims have gone through. Wednesday will be the third anniversary of the tragedy.

"My sympathies will always be with the families of the horrific limousine crash that shook our community almost three years ago, and Im still working to honor the victims memories every day," Santabarbara said. "I urge Gov. Hochul to appoint the task force immediately. I will also be introducing legislation to extend the authorization of the task force to ensure the report weve all been anxiously anticipating can be finalized and our communities get the answers we need. We must never let another tragedy like this happen again.
After three prior trip cancellations, getting our vaccinations and the required negative-status COVID testing, my wife and I flew to Dublin to visit our son and his wife, and to meet her family for the first time. They had canceled their wedding there last year due to the pandemic.

We had previously booked our Ireland-required COVID tests which, if negative, would allow us to avoid quarantine there. Their drive-thru test was thorough, meaning a long thin swab traveled up the nose, slid behind the eye and briefly entered the frontal lobe. I would never question an Irish COVID test result. Our negative status allowed us to travel and meet new people.

While some restrictions had been eased, most remained at high levels during our July visit. Pubs, the aorta of Irish social life, were reduced to serving patrons outside. One could only glimpse the worn mahogany bars and empty stools inside, a row of motionless, dry tap handles above them.

Ireland has a topical climate, which is to say almost everyone weighs in on it. Shame for da rain after such a nice week, or Its more like Spain with dis heat, or Not a breath out there today,'' or Bit cooler today, isnt it? A Dublin cab driver shared that his family owned an apartment in southern Spain because, Ya know, de wedder here is shite.

Once dominated by church steeples, green copper domes and cathedral towers, the Dublin skyline was full of construction cranes. Many multinational firms, attracted by Irelands favorable tax environment and highly educated workforce, have their European headquarters here. Thats great for creating new jobs, but the supply of housing hasnt kept up with demand. The global financial crisis stymied Irelands building development more than a decade ago and builders are playing catch-up. While the countrys per capita income has risen steadily (second highest in the EU), the price of renting an apartment or owning real estate in Dublin and beyond has skyrocketed. Were kinda getting screwed, said a 30-something, lifelong Dubliner looking to purchase his first house.



Smaller than New York state, Ireland proved accessible. We traveled by car, train, bus and foot to Kinsale, Cork, Killarney, Galway and Dublin. And we had a lot of company. Because the pandemic precluded much of their international travel, the Irish were busy rediscovering  via staycations  their own beautiful country. And swimming. Thats right. In mid-July, the Emerald Isle was experiencing a heat wave (the equivalent of a nice summer day in Albany). In response, the Irish were storming the beaches for relief in their togs (swimsuits), plunging luminously white bodies into the frigid Irish Sea as if it were the Caribbean itself. Their enthusiasm for torture proved contagious. I got in myself, up to the waist, and for the next hour felt as if Id had an epidural.

The Catholic Churchs grip on Ireland has eased. The number of Catholic priests has declined by 43 percent since 1995; their average age is 70. Whereas 80 percent of Catholics attended Mass weekly in 1979, 35 percent do now. In 2018, Irish voters chose to legalize abortion. Sectarian violence has eased, too. Once flashpoints for conflict, the annual Protestant parades July 12 in Northern Ireland, celebrating their centuries-old ascendency over Catholics, occurred peacefully this year.

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The island Republic we visited seemed less concerned with its past and more intently focused on the future. It was the omnipresence of the tech industry, growth of biotech and pharma companies, real estate prices, new automobiles, job opportunities, pandemic restrictions, pets, holidays and healthcare that dominated conversations. And most of those transpired with the utmost pleasantness. No worries and Tanks a million and Cheers and Grand were common utterances. It was as if centuries of tumult, subjugation, rebellion and famine had somehow forged  aided by more recent successes  a kind of communal Irish niceness and cautious optimism. Indeed, a study from a university in Cambridge recently named Ireland one of the world's best five places to survive global societal collapse.

We spent our last days in Dublin. Recognized by UNESCO as a City of Literature, it once housed Wilde, Beckett, Shaw, Murdoch, OBrien and Joyce, among others. Joyce wrote, When I die, Dublin will be written in my heart. I hope so, given that he died and was buried in Zurich, Switzerland. Sporadic efforts by the Irish to return Joyce to his native soil have been unsuccessful. Among other challenges, his gravesite is a popular tourist attraction the Swiss seem reluctant to forego. No worries.

Sean Fagan was born and raised in Troy.
ALBANY  More than a month after leaving office, former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo is still providing fodder for NBC's "Saturday Night Live."

Pete Davidson, who first appeared as the embattled governor earlier this year, returned in Saturday's season premiere as part of an opening sketch featuring new and veteran cast members as prominent Democrats.

That included James Austin Johnson making his debut as President Joseph Biden. "How was everybody's summer? Mine was bad," he said from behind the presidential podium. "Not Cuomo bad, but definitely not Afghanistan good."

After debate ensues among fractious Democrats including U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (Cecily Strong), Sen. Joe Manchin (Aidy Bryant), U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (Ego Nwodim) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (Melissa Villasenor), Davidson pops in as Cuomo to offer words of comfort to Biden.

"It's going to be more than OK  take it from me, Governorish Andrew Cuomo," he says. "House Democrats have had each other's backs no matter what. We're like one big Italian family. And you know what Italians love to do? Hug, and kiss, and run their fingers up each other's backs."

Referring to the Build Back Better bill that's at the center of the current Democratic schism, Cuomo says the legislation deserves "a second chance, then a third chance  then at least up to 11 chances." A report from the state attorney general's office examined allegations of sexual misconduct leveled against Cuomo by that number of women, ranging from inappropriate touching to workplace sexual harassment.

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Cuomo then touts his new memoir, titled "Whoops."

Watch the full clip  Davidson steps in after the five-minute mark:

Cuomo managed to escape being satirized on "SNL" for most of his tenure  unlike his predecessor, David Paterson, who criticized the show for Fred Armisen's portrayal of him during his time in office.
ALBANY  Albany Law School students speak for the bumblebees.

Actually, they spoke for the American bumblebee earlier this year when they filed a petition seeking to get them on the federal endangered species list.

This week, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service responded, saying the American bumblebee warrants further study for inclusion on the list, which would provide habitat and other protections.

Other species included were the speckled dace, a small fish found on the West Coast, and a tiger beetle found in Washington and Oregon.

If the bees make the endangered species list, they would have new protections, including potential rules about using pesticides and prohibitions on developing or building in areas that are prime habitat for the insects.

Working with the Arizona-based Center for Biological Diversity, a group of 14 Albany Law students, led by environmental law professor Keith Hirokawa, started working on the petition in 2019.

They noted that during the last two decades bumblebees have suffered an 89 percent decline in relative abundance, or their numbers compared to other species.



In New York, the losses were even more acute, with a 99 percent loss in relative abundance.

Habitat loss, pesticides, disease, climate change, and competition from honeybees all have contributed to these losses.

Students working on the petition named themselves the Bombus Pollinator Association of Law Students or BPALS.

Despite the declining population, getting the American bumblebee on the endangered list could years away, cautioned Jess Tyler, a scientist with the Center for Biological Diversity.

The recent announcement that the bees were on the 90-day list means the Fish and Wildlife Service will conduct a more rigorous study. They have the same information that other researchers have, which primarily focuses on the decline in numbers.

Its plain to see that if you look at the data, this species has one of the largest declines of any other species in North America based on relative numbers of observations, Tyler said in an email.

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The American bumblebee is a general pollinator that visits a variety of plants for gathering nectar and pollinating.

Loss of the American bumblebee would have serious consequences to American ecology and economics, according to the students and the Center for Biological Diversity.

American bumblebees have a distinctive black-and-yellow, furry color pattern. They live in colonies and make their nests in rodent burrows, rotten logs, or on the surface of the ground in large grass bunches.

They are foragers who pollinate a wide variety of plants. Most are now found in the southern Great Plains and Southeast, but they are also found in Southwestern deserts and as far north as North Dakota and Maine.

According to the Center for Biological Diversity, the decline of the American bumblebee is part of a downward trend in many of the 46 species of bumblebees and approximately 3,600 native species across the United States that pollinate a full spectrum of plants.

rkarlin@timesunion.com 518 454 5758 @RickKarlinTU
ALBANY  Attorney General Letitia James released a statement Sunday calling out the National Rifle Association after the group decided to re-elect a top executive to its board who has previously been sued by her office.

The official, Wayne LaPierre, was appointed executive vice-president to NRA's board. He was named in a lawsuit filed last year against the NRA and some of its top employees.

The NRAs decision to re-elect Wayne LaPierre and other top leaders yesterday despite the detailed evidence of repeated fraud and self-dealing we have laid out in our lawsuit and during the bankruptcy trial underscores that board governance is broken and that the rot runs deep at NRA, James said in a press release.

For years, Mr. LaPierre and his lieutenants used the NRA and its donors as a breeding ground for personal gain and to live a lavish lifestyle, which is why they must be removed. Our fight for transparency and accountability will continue because no one is above the law, the statement continued.

The lawsuit was originally filed in Aug. 2020. However, the case is still ongoing. In an investigation, James office found evidence of top executives failing to manage NRAs funds, not abiding by state and federal laws, in addition to the NRAs own policies and bylaws.

As a result of the alleged crimes, the NRA lost $64 million in approximately three years.

Specifically, the lawsuit named LaPierre, Wilson Woody Phillips, the organizations former treasurer and chief financial officer, Joshua Powell, the group's former chief of staff and executive director of general operations and John Frazer, corporate secretary and general counsel.

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According to the Attorney Generals office, the NRA filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy in January in an effort to avoid accountability altogether.

At the time of the filing, the group insisted they had healthy financial reserves, the statement included.

A few top NRA executives  including LaPierre, incoming President Charles Cotton and Willis Lee, the incoming first vice-president  admitted that the bankruptcy trail was an attempt to avoid state enforcement, the release stated.

As recently as May, a federal judge in Texas dismissed a bankruptcy claim filed by the NRA, asserting that the claim was not filed in "good faith".
In 2015, New York's Enough is Enough Act was touted by then-Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo as "the most aggressive" anti-campus violence legislation in the nation.

But after six years, it's unclear to what extent the law has been implemented, whether it has made college campuses safer or if it has improved survivors' access to justice and emotional support.

Enough is Enough, also known as Education Law 129-b, required colleges and universities to keep a log of incidents and track their outcomes, with the data published annually by the state Education Department since 2020.

Two years of data suggest that sexual assault and harassment are still vastly underreported by college students in New York.

At the majority of colleges and universities, the number of reports was equivalent to less than 1 percent of that campus' student population, according to 2019 figures released by the Education Department in January. Of 239 New York institutions, at least 70 reported 0 to 1 incidents or didn't complete the survey at all.

National surveys suggest the issue is pervasive; about 13 percent of all graduate and undergraduate students experience rape or sexual assault through physical force, violence, or incapacitation, according to a 2019 report by the Association of American Universities.

"The law should be updated without a doubt," said state Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky, who chairs the Senate Higher Education committee. "We've got to look at how we can improve the reporting. Obviously, there is no verification from the state Education Department so we have to rely on the colleges to self-report."

Lawmakers over the summer resumed talks about revamping the law and plan to solicit feedback from stakeholders in the coming months, she said.

"I'm not sure that all incidents are being reported," Stavisky said. "No college wants to be known as a safe haven for predators."

Ironically, an increasing number of disclosures of sexual violence would suggest that state and campus-level interventions are working, Title IX experts say.

Amelia Barbadoro, Title IX coordinator at the University at Albany  which counted 155 incidents in 2018 and 193 in 2019  said the rise in reports is a credit to the university's investment in outreach and bystander training and the launch of an anonymous tip line.

"When you see those high numbers and how many people are receiving services, we know that our programs are effective. You always want to look at these numbers in the context of national statistics," Barbadoro said.

Statewide, 4,031 incidents of sexual violence and stalking or harassment were reported among just under 1.2 million students enrolled at New York colleges in 2019. This marks a slight increase from 2018, the first year of reporting when 3,869 such incidents were reported among 1,215,495 students.

Incidents that must be reported to the state include anonymous tips, incidents between students or employees, and disclosures of sexual violence that may have occurred in high school or childhood. Each case is logged, investigated and the alleged victim is contacted and connected with services.

The 2015 law ensures that victims are made aware of their reporting options, including contacting law enforcement or pursuing their college's adjudication process.

But those avenues can be traumatic and often spur accusations of bias, which is why those who work with survivors say it's critical for students to have access to victim service providers as a pathway to healing.

Referrals to these outside organizations are still inconsistent, according to Lindsey Crusan-Muse, director of crime services at St. Peter's Health Partners.

"It really comes down to how the college or university interprets that law," said Lindsey Crusan-Muse, director of crime services at St. Peter's Health Partners. "Even here in the Capital Region, the schools vary widely in how they interpret the legislation."

SUNY counsel Joe Storch, who helped draft the 2015 law and founded SUNY's Student Conduct Institute (SCI), said when the law was written "it was revolutionary. No one else in the country was doing this."

If Enough is Enough is successful at responding to and preventing violence, the reporting numbers should go up before they go down, he added. "It means people trust the system, it means people recognize that the resources they can obtain are helpful for them."

The Enough is Enough data offers a glimpse at how the law is playing out on college campuses. But with so few incidents disclosed, it could take years for the data to become statistically useful, according to Storch.

"I hope we can have this conversation again in five years or 10 years and then we can start to see if any of the interventions we are putting in place are having an effect," Storch said.

Enforcement flounders

Compliance and enforcement of Enough is Enough has bounced between state agencies in the last six years.

State officials encountered setbacks as they tried to implement the new laws, which required campuses to streamline their Title IX policies and adopt a uniform definition of affirmative consent, among other regulations.

Notably, a 2017 compliance review by the state's Office of Campus Safety (OCS) was halted when the institutions refused to comply with the inquiry, according to state officials.

The state Education Department was initially authorized in the statute to conduct random audits and withhold state funds from institutions that fail to comply with the state law, but it lacked the resources to do so.

"Due to a lack of resources provided by the statute, SED entered into an agreement with the NYS Office of Campus Safety, the NYS Office of Victims Services, and the NYS Police to carry out the audits in compliance with Article 129-B," department officials said in a statement. "Those state agencies are the points of contact regarding these audits."

The Office of Campus Safety was established in 2017 to review campus policies and procedures and help with the implementation.

A "preliminary" OCS report found that more than half of New York campuses were out of compliance. The report indicated that a more thorough investigation that sought feedback from victims and college staff would follow.

In 2019, the Times Union reported that the office had never completed the second half of its review. At the time, OCS appeared inactive. One person assigned to run it had left state government and the other director appeared to have moved to a full-time position as counsel at the state Department of Health, according to SeethroughNY data. Calls and emails to the office were unreturned.

Students who wrote to OCS with questions about Enough is Enough received a form letter listing resources for assault survivors.

State officials say the more detailed Enough is Enough audit didn't come to fruition because colleges wouldn't comply and challenged the state's authority to question students and personnel.

They maintain that OCS has always been "open and active" with at least one staff member.

The former governor has since resigned in scandal, but a spokesman for Gov. Kathy Hochul indicated that talks about improving Enough is Enough were moving forward under the new administration.

Hochul intends to "review the recent efforts and compliance in this space, and continue to transform the states response to interpersonal violence so it is inclusive, survivor-centered, trauma-informed and meets the needs of all victims and survivors, spokesman Shams Tarek said.

In 2020, OCS was folded into the Office to Prevent Domestic Violence (OPDV), to take advantage of its ample resources for survivors of sexual violence, state officials said.

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The office doesn't have investigative capabilities or the authority to enforce the state law.

Under the new administration, "OPDV is actively developing an outreach and engagement plan to get feedback from student survivors, colleges and rape crisis centers to assess Enough is Enough, and working to establish new, collaborative relationships among the agency, schools and providers to further improve sexual assault prevention and services," Tarek said.

OPDV continues to engage with the 52 rape crisis centers and sexual assault service providers that receive $4.5 million annually through Enough is Enough, he said.

SUNY takes the lead

During his February 2021 State of the State address, Cuomo proposed a "reimagined" OPDV, which would be renamed the Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence.

The agency would team up with the State University of New York (SUNY) on a think tank to produce enforceable anti-violence policies, training and outreach for colleges and universities.

The Center for Advanced Research in Reducing the Impact of Violence in Education  or the ARRIVE Center at SUNY  is the brainchild of Storch and and SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras. Both are former Cuomo advisers who helped draft Enough is Enough.

"Very much to his credit, (Malatras) was spending a lot of time dealing with (the COVID-19) public health disaster ... but he saw sexual violence as an equal public health crisis," Storch said. "He started engaging with us right away."

The center, still in the planning stages, would expand on the work of SUNY's Student Conduct Institute (SCI), which in a few years has become a leading resource in New York for training and legal guidance on Title IX and related state and federal laws.

"The idea was to evolve this into a national center," Storch said. "While the Student Conduct Institute really concentrates on responding to disclosures of violence, harassment, and conduct violations, the ARRIVE Center thinks about both response and preventing these crimes and violations before they occur."

The Student Conduct Institute, launched in 2018, has effectively cornered the New York market for training on Title IX and related regulations.

All 64 SUNYs, 25 CUNYs and the vast majority of independent colleges in the state are members of the program, according to Storch.

In total, SCI has 515 clients across 40 states and SUNY leaders hope to expand its client list to 1,000 through the ARRIVE Center.

Clients say SCI offers a quality product at a reasonable price; the $5,000 membership fee is half the price of other leading Title IX training programs. SUNY has also started offering its Sexual and Interpersonal Violence Prevention and Response Course, also called SPARC, for free to any college or university nationwide.

Campus Title IX coordinators must make sense of complicated and often conflicting state and federal laws. The fact that the institute's director worked closely with the governor and helped draft the original 2015 law is also seen as a selling point.

But OPDV's partnership with SUNY  which operated 64 campuses across New York  has some concerned about the independence of the entity tasked with ensuring colleges' compliance with Enough is Enough.

A source who worked with the state on Education Law 129-B said the law isnt being enforced, "rather, it is being used as a shield and even a profit maker by the SUNY system."

OCS' partnership with SUNY undermines the trust of victims  including SUNY students  who raise concerns about the way their cases were handled, said the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

"While the governors office holds OCS out as a place victims can go to report their colleges' non-compliance, those complaints will go completely unheeded by OPDV and the governors office and they may be sharing them with the institution in question," the source said.

Since 2015, the anti-campus violence law has generated more than $20 million for SCI through membership fees and grants, which Storch said is evidence of the center's independence from SUNY.

"It's funded separately and brings in revenue separately," Storch said. "I can only speak on behalf of myself. I've never had an independence issue where someone called me up and (told me what to do)."

The state funding for the ARRIVE Center did not make it into the 2021-22 state budget and Storch recently announced he is leaving SUNY for a similar role in the private sector, but he said the center has already become a one-stop-shop for free training materials, SCI and "SUNY's got your back," which creates comfort kits for survivors of sexual and interpersonal violence.

"What I wanted was that if I would leave SUNY that they would be there for years and decades to come. Because it's important work," Storch said. "And it shouldn't be affiliated with one person, it should be affiliated with a strong academic center."
SCHENECTADY  Latrisha Greene studiously took notes while her husband, Dequan, sat passively in a jail uniform. He was on a day's leave from Schenectady County jail, where he awaits trial for the alleged murder of their 4-year-old foster child, Charlie.

In a small room at Schenectady Family Court last month, they were fighting on a different legal front, and hearing testimony perhaps pleasantly surprising: A psychologist hired to evaluate Latrisha Greenes competency as a mother had come back with a positive review of her parenting.

The psychologists finding  even as Latrisha faces abuse allegations  raised the prospect she'd regain custody of her biological children, removed by a judge following Charlie's death. The testimony also offered a rare glimpse into the secretive world of forensic evaluations, influential reports written by mental health professionals that have long roiled New York's troubled Family Courts.

This one would face atypical pushback, however. And the psychologist was not the only actor on Family Court's front lines now facing scrutiny. So, too, are Child Protective Services agencies in Albany and Schenectady counties, now defendants in a lawsuit detailing how Charlie's planned foster-care weekend at the Greene's residence turned into three months, then murder.

Since Charlie's death five days before Christmas, the Times Union has been tracking the fallout as separate legal actions have wound through family and criminal courts, and most recently, state Supreme Court. As a condition of covering the highly sensitive Family Court proceedings, the Times Union agreed not to use Charlie's last name in this article or the names of any other children.

A Christmas tragedy

On Dec. 20, 2020, police and paramedics rushed to the Greene's residence in Rotterdam to find Charlie not breathing. He was later pronounced dead at Ellis Hospital.

That same night, Charlies 5-year-old brother was interviewed by a Schenectady County Child Protective Services worker. His statements were summarized in allegations the agency leveled in Family Court a few days later.

The day Charlie died, he had peed his pants, and as punishment, Dequan allegedly tried to force Charlie to eat "nasty corn"  corn mixed with ketchup and mustard  shoving it into his mouth by the spoonful until the child was crying. Dequan also allegedly forced Charlie to perform wall squats, his arms straight out, until the 4-year-old fell. Greene then allegedly kicked and stomped Charlie to the point of inducing vomiting, severely stomping the child's abdomen.

Dequan did not call for an ambulance, instead calling his wife, Latrisha, who was shopping. He says he performed CPR. Upon arriving home, she called 911.

An autopsy revealed Charlie died due to extensive internal injuries to his liver and intestines caused by blunt force trauma. The death was ruled a homicide. Doctors also found significant bruising all over Charlie's body.

According to allegations made in December by Schenectady County social services, Charlies brother, who was found with similar bruising, recounted for investigators that the injuries were caused by being hit with a switch  an industrial-size paint stirrer  if the children were unable to sit against the wall at the 90-degree angle.

As Charlie's brother lay in Ellis Hospital, he told nurses that the only thing he was looking forward to was Christmas. Members of the Schenectady County district attorney's office bought him $800 worth of gifts. With a new foster family a few days later, he received the gifts on Christmas morning, and was told they were from Santa.

Dequan's defense

On Jan. 22, Dequan was arrested and arraigned on charges of second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter and several other counts handed up by a grand jury. The 28-year-old is being held without bail.

Dequan, who plead not guilty, initially told a Rotterdam police officer that Charlie passed out after falling out of a child's chair, according to the officer's testimony. But according to a police report, that same night, Dequan said the child had accidentally choked, the explanation his attorney is invoking to defend his client.

Prosecutors initially alleged that Latrisha asked her husband to clean up the house, knowing investigators would be returning to scrutinize the scene. But in July, that felony charge was dismissed by Schenectady County Court Judge Matthew Sypniewski, citing insufficient evidence. She still faces misdemeanor charges of child endangerment.

On the night of Charlie's death, both Charlies brother and Latrishas 5-year-old daughter told a Schenectady Child Protective Services worker that Latrisha, too, used corporal punishment. Charlie's brother said Latrisha hit him, called him names, and as punishment, forced him to take cold showers, do wall squats, and sit in a dog crate.

The children said the parents had told them not to discuss the discipline, or what happened the day Charlie died. Latrishas 5-year-old daughter relayed that if she talked about the nasty corn, then mom and dad would go to jail." Latrisha has denied using any form of corporal punishment.

'A short temper'

Charlies maternal great-grandmother, Patricia Gillett, recalled him as a very happy little boy, always smiling. His biological parents, however, were troubled.

According to a July 2020 petition submitted by Albany County social services, the biological mother was prone to violent outbursts, and for over a year had been unwilling to take medication for bipolar disorder. She faced neglect allegations and in September 2020, Albany Family Court Judge Richard Rivera removed Charlie and his brother her from care. Their father was also deemed unfit after Albany County social services accused him of inappropriately touching his children.

According to Albany County's petition, the county knew that summer the boys were determined to be developmentally delayed and required extra services. Albany County knew the boys, who had allegedly been molested, were prone to exhibiting inappropriate sexual behavior and that Charlies brother was hospitalized for suicidal ideation after attempting to wrap a nebulizer tube around his neck.

Albany County asked counterparts in Schenectady for emergency assistance with a temporary foster home placement. A Schenectady County caseworker said her office could help for a weekend.

The details of what came next are outlined in a lawsuit filed 10 days ago in state Supreme Court in Albany by Lorraine Silverman, an Albany-based attorney who regularly practices in Family Court. She had represented Charlie and his brother in Family Court prior to the death, and now represents Charlies brother and Charlie's estate.

The lawsuit was filed against Schenectady and Albany counties, St. Anne's Institute  an Albany nonprofit that provides child welfare services  and individual caseworkers and their supervisors. The complaint contends that inadequate training, staffing and supervision were a substantial factor in Charlie's death. The lawsuit is unusual because, with the biological parents deemed unfit, it was not filed by a grieving family member. Any punitive damages would go to Charlies surviving brother.

The Greenes are a religious family. According to a filing submitted by his defense attorney, Dequan Greene is an ordained minister and had been involved with a family-run charity focused on improving the "lives of local community children." He had no prior criminal history and worked full-time at International Paper. The Greenes have three young children of their own  including one born following Charlies death  and Latrisha had the 5-year-old daughter from a previous relationship.

In 2019, the Greenes applied to Schenectady County for certification to become foster parents. The negligence lawsuit argues that early red flags were missed: For instance, the Greenes were running an unlicensed child care business out of their home.

In his application, Dequan Greene disclosed that he had a short temper and used get "popped on the hand for it." Both prospective foster parents said their styles of parenting were authoritative," and Latrisha as a child was disciplined by "standing at a wall."

In July 2020  two months before Charlie and his brother moved in  a first foster child was temporarily placed in the Greene home for eight hours. After Charlies death, that foster child was interviewed by a social services worker, and relayed that Latrisha hurt the boys she babysat, putting them in a dog crate as punishment, according to the lawsuit. The child was never interviewed by social service workers before Charlie and his brother moved in. Schenectady County officials have said the Greenes passed background checks from two state agencies and had provided references.

Charlie and his brother were removed from their biological parents, in part, because Albany County determined they had been sexually abused. No one advised the Greenes of that, or that the boys needed specialized and a higher level of care, the lawsuit states. No one informed the Greenes, the suit says, that Charlie had been assessed as being hyperactive with attention and concentration deficits, and needed special mental health treatment.

The Greenes had stated in their application that they were looking to foster only one male child, and Schenectady County certified them to board a maximum of one child. In their applications, the Greenes stated that they did not want a foster child with a chronic medical condition or complex medical regimen.

Yet, after the boys spent a weekend in the Greene home, the Greenes requested they stay longer. Albany County asked Schenectady County to grant the extension, until a placement could be found elsewhere, and the county agreed, according to the lawsuit.

'Beaten and abused'

In less than a month, problems emerged. Latrisha Greene reported to both counties that the infants were exhibiting sexualized behaviors, according to the lawsuit. Latrisha, who had not known about the boys' history, asked the counties that they be removed, citing concern for her daughters safety.

Last October, Albany County advised they would be removed the next day, according to the lawsuit, but they were not. A week later, Schenectady County sent Albany County an emergency, 10-day removal demand letter. Again, the boys were not removed. According to the lawsuit, Albany County bullied Schenectady County into keeping the boys in the Greene home.

The boys were missing doctors' appointments and over the next two months, Latrisha delayed enrolling Charlies brother in school, making up several false excuses, the lawsuit alleges. The family went on a trip to Florida and Georgia, then told social services they were in quarantine and could not allow in-person visits.

In December, Latrisha reported both boys were sick with the flu, and in-person visits could again not occur. The lawsuit contends that, "Had defendants investigated or assessed the statements of Latrisha Greene, they would have discovered that no quarantine order existed, that the boys were not sick," and that they "were being beaten and abused.

A spokeswoman for Schenectady County declined to comment on the litigation. An Albany County deputy attorney, John W. Liguori, said the case is "heartbreaking to all of the parties, including those who dedicate their lives to protecting children.

"The county only recently received the complaint and is currently reviewing the allegations in preparation of a response," Liguori said. "In view of this together with the sensitive nature of the matter we are simply not in a position to comment on the veracity of the allegations made in the complaint at this time.

Albany County has said its social services workers, as well as those from St. Anne's Institute, made visits to the Greene home, transporting the children for visits in Albany County.

"In November, the situation changed a little bit in it had to be virtual," said Mary Rozak, a spokeswoman for Albany County, explaining the county had to switch to online conferences as coronavirus cases spiked. Still, she said, someone from St. Anne's visited the home "just days before" Charlie died.

'Multiple stories'

On the witness stand last month in Schenectady County Family Court, Latrisha Greene stated that she had no idea how Charlie and his brother ended up with bruises all over their bodies.

"I didn't have an explanation," she said. "I wish that I did."

Five months earlier, Schenectady County Family Court Judge Kevin Burke had ruled that for their safety, Latrisha's biological children should stay removed from her care and instead stay with Latrisha's aunt. He noted Latrisha's lack of emotion when she spoke of Charlie's death, as if she were giving "driving directions."

But this past summer, Latrishas supervised visits with her biological children went well; a Schenectady County social services worker described her behavior as almost perfection. She engaged in counseling, took an anger management course and got high marks in a parenting class.

Latrisha sought a new hearing before Burke. Her lawyer, Bryan Racino, argued that the only reason Schenectady County hasn't returned Latrisha's four children was because "the department wants her to tell them that Mr. Greene committed criminal acts."

In her testimony at the September hearing, Latrisha said that she didnt know what caused Charlie's death, noting there were "multiple stories." When pressed, Latrisha said that at one point, she'd heard two doctors say that Charlie died of choking, and that she'd seen him given CPR. Although the autopsy concluded that Charlie was murdered, Latrisha hung on to the choking explanation.

"I believe what I've seen," Latrisha said. "That my son choked."

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Yet, Latrisha also testified about an alternate explanation. When Dequan frantically called Latrisha on Dec. 20, she said, Dequan had said Charlie had fallen from a chair  the same account Dequan initially told police. Now, Dequan also contends the boy choked to death.

Latrisha testified that in the nine months since Charlie died, she'd barely spoken to her husband about the circumstances.

"Probably twice, she said.

Asked what she discusses in near-daily phone calls with Dequan, Latrisha said: Reunification, the restoration of our family. The truth being revealed.

'No parenting skill deficits'

When clinical psychologist Mary OConnor interviewed Latrisha earlier this year, the forensic evaluator encountered obstacles. Due to COVID-19, Latrisha was wearing a black mask. O'Connor couldnt see her expressions.

Still, OConnor came away from the interview believing Latrisha and her biological children should be reunified. In a resulting psychological evaluation report on the mother, OConnor found she had no parenting skill deficits."

OConnor, based in Clifton Park, has been practicing since the late 1980s and has conducted hundreds of similar evaluations. In Family Court, judges often give significant weight to such reports.

Critics of forensic evaluations in New York argue there are no enforceable standards governing their conduct, that findings are often based on first impressions and gut instinct, not rigorous examination of evidence. The field has grown controversial enough that a 20-member state commission is currently examining reforms.

The written reports are highly confidential, but the public is allowed to attend Family Court hearings. In this case, OConnor testified that Schenectady County should work to reunify Latrisha and her children through a lengthy supervised visitation process. Delaying that process increases distress for the children, OConnor testified, adding the children had a strong, positive affectionate bond with their mother.

Because of the absence of a constellation of factors usually correlated with some form of child abuse, it was highly improbable, but not impossible that Latrisha was directly complicit in abuse, OConnor concluded. Latrisha was either complicitly naive, or completely unaware of the abuse, she said.

OConnor also reviewed records, including interviews that a Schenectady County social services worker conducted with Charlies brother and Latrishas 5-year-old daughter. The night Charlie died, both children had stated Latrisha used corporal punishment.

OConnor did not interview the social services worker. But from reading records of the worker's interviews, OConnor speculated that hunger, sleep deprivation or exposure to traumatic events could have increased the children's suggestibility, making them more likely to adhere to overt or subtle expectations from the interviewer.

An attorney for Schenectady County, which had hired O'Connor to write the evaluation, noted she had billed only 9.75 hours to review some 1,000 pages of court documents. OConnor responded that she spent significantly longer than billed.

The attorney assigned to represent Latrishas children, Karen Crandall, made a notable point: The night of Charlies death, when Charlies brother was interviewed, he'd stated that Dequan had stomped on Charlie earlier that day.

Wouldnt it have been difficult, Crandall asked, for the caseworker to lead Charlies brother to that conclusion  given that Charlies cause of death hadn't yet been determined by an autopsy?

Yes, I believe it would make it harder, OConnor said.

Crandall also raised questions about an interview OConnor conducted of Latrishas 5-year-old daughter, who had previously told social services that her parents used corporal punishment. During the more recent interview with OConnor, Latrishas daughter had told her nothing happened in the [Greene] home, and she just wanted to go home," she said.

Crandall raised questions about the interview's context. According to O'Connor's hearing testimony, Latrisha was herself sexually abused by a relative as a child, and the abuse against her was not reported to authorities by Latrishas mother and aunt: They did not want the relative to go to prison, according to O'Connor's testimony.

Now, Latrisha's mother and aunt were caring for Latrishas four biological children, including her 5-year-old daughter. OConnor acknowledged that, before the 5-year-old came in for the interview about Charlie's death, OConnor didnt know what Latrisha's mother and aunt had said to the child.

During that interview, after O'Connor gently asked the 5-year-old about chores and rules in the Greene home, Latrishas daughter began crying.

I dont want to talk anymore, Latrishas daughter said, according to OConnors testimony. Nothing happened [that was] bad, everything was good." Latrishas daughter then ended the interview.

Burke joined in the questioning of O'Connor. The judge asked: How could Latrisha be a parent with no deficits while missing the fact that Charlie and his brother had bruises all over their bodies. O'Connor did not directly answer.

OConnors assessment of Latrisha grew more qualified. She acknowledged that determining Charlies cause of death was outside the scope of her practice, and that her opinions concerning the children's statements were based on inference or conjecture.

'Unspeakable trauma'

In late September, Burke issued a ruling from the bench, and did something unusual for Family Court: His assessment of Latrisha was significantly less positive than the forensic evaluator's written findings. Burke noted O'Connor's caveats during oral testimony. And Burke found that the childrens statements describing abuse were consistent with the weight of evidence.

Burke said it was clear that Latrisha "pressured her child and [Charlies brother] not to speak of what they had witnessed, filling their minds with fear on a day when they had experienced unspeakable trauma."

For now, supervised visits between Latrisha and her children will continue. Latrisha and Dequan still face an upcoming Family Court trial concerning the abuse allegations, and criminal allegations, including Dequan's murder trial.

Burke said that, at this stage in the proceeding, "the mother has given the court no reason to trust her words or her judgement."
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Maryland officials say the state will again spray pesticide Permanone 30-30 to control mosquito populations, after EPA testing determined it does not contain dangerous PFAS
Federal prosecutors have decided against seeking the death penalty against a man charged in the shooting death of an Ohio police officer almost two years ago
Right now we take a moment of pause to gather news on ALLEGED crimes, police action, court cases and all manner of news on local street life.



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com news links . . .

KCPD asking for help in hit and run accident that left one woman seriously injured KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -- The Kansas City police and Greater KC Crime Stoppers are asking for the public's help in an August hit-and-run accident that left one woman with serious injuries. According to police, around 4:30 a.m. on August 14, Sherlaun Moore had just left a party when she was hit by an unidentified SUV near 9th and Agnes.

Family says Kansas City hit-and-run victim out of coma, searching for driver KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The family of a Kansas City hit-and-run victim needs help. Sherlaun Moore was hit by an SUV back in August. She has broken bones, memory loss and recently woke up from a coma. They want to tell her justice is on the way.

America's Most Dangerous States Violent crime - a broad category of offenses that includes robbery, aggravated assault, and homicide - is on the rise in the United States. According to FBI data, there were a total of 1.3 million violent offenses reported in 2020, or 388 for every 100,000 people - a 5% increase from 2019.

KCK Police Department investigating homicide from late Saturday morning by: Zoe Jones Posted: / Updated: KANSAS CITY, Kan. - The Kansas City Kansas Police Department is currently investigating a homicide from late Saturday morning. At around 11:59 a.m., officers responded to a shooting at the 4300 block of State Ave. Upon arrival they discovered a black male with an apparent gunshot wound.

Lee's Summit Police find vial with ashes inside, looking to reunite remains with family LEE'S SUMMIT, MO (KCTV) -- The Lee's Summit Police Department is trying to reunite a vial containing cremated remains with its rightful owner. According to the department, the vial was located in a business parking lot in Lee's Summit. Upon finding it, the discovered it contained someone's ashes.

Kansas City man charged with multiple sex crimes against children PLATTE COUNTY, MO (KCTV) --- A Kansas City man has been charged with multiple child sex crimes against two young girls. Brian Kelling, 54, has been charged with two counts of first-degree statutory sodomy and two counts of second-degree statutory sodomy. The victims are 12 and 14 years old, according to court documents.

Olathe Proud Boy might remain in custody in Capitol riot case until at least January An Olathe Proud Boy charged with conspiracy in the Capitol riot case learned on Friday that he might remain in jail until at least early January. That news came at a hearing in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia for four Kansas City-area Proud Boys and two Arizona siblings who prosecutors say conspired to breach the Capitol on Jan.

Ex-governor calls for clemency for Missouri death row inmate JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - A former Missouri governor is urging the current occupant of the office to grant clemency to a convicted killer who is days away from facing execution. Democrat Bob Holden was elected in 2000 and served one term.

Eyewitness testimony often unreliable yet widely used to win convictions KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) - Kevin Strickland's case has drawn nationwide attention because he's spent 43 years in prison for a triple murder he swears he didn't commit. Strickland was largely convicted on eyewitness testimony. That witness was shot the night the three men were murdered, but she survived.

Police confirm a body was found in the Missouri River east of Bond Bridge by: Zoe Jones Posted: / Updated: KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Kansas City Police have confirmed that there was a body found in the Missouri River, and have not identified the gender at this time. The body was found in the water by kayakers. The body was found East of the Bond Bridge.

Developing . . .
The simps on social media are falling for feigned concerned about segregated Kansas City again.



Here's a newsflash for those who don't know how politics and redistricting works . . . OR those who are being willfully naive and confusing equity with elementary level population number bookkeeping.

The new maps for KCMO redistricting have debuted and they're pretty boring.



Not much changes and it turns out there wasn't really anything transformational about this process. The 5th District loses out a bit more than anyone else but that's because their population numbers have been woefully stagnant.



But here's what's even more funny . . .



Clueless middle-class white progressives are complaining about "segregation" without understanding or taking a moment to listen to discussion which reveals 3rd District & urban core leaders are the main proponents of those so-called "dividing lines" that allegedly separate this town.



Translation . . .

A great deal of so-called "segregation" is enthusiastically endorsed by "people of color" in order to preserve any semblance of political power.



The bright side that's not all that great . . .

The free market doesn't care about politics or racial territory.

There are parts of the 3rd District that are now becoming completely gentrified and aggressively redeveloping housing stock that will invariably price out neighbors. AND the number of Latino hold outs on the Westside is shrinking every day - It's a trendy hipster neighborhood, not an old school enclave.

More to the point . . .

The so-called "Troost Dividing Line" is no longer merely a legacy J.C. Nichols but one of many important tactics employed by local African-American leaders to preserve their political dominance of the urban core.

There's nothing tawdry about this tactic . . . In fact, preserving minority election power is a key component of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

The only problem is that simpleton activists from the suburbs would rather protest on the Plaza and blame their grandparents from "systemic racism" than learn about the reality of far more cynical and soul crushing sausage-making mechanics of municipal politics.

Developing . . .


I registered my arrival on ICA weeks before traveling. I received an immediate email with a QR code. I did not receive a second email stating my application was accepted.

On arrival at Dubai, I got my UID from Immigration.

I got a local Sim card.

When I try and register on Al Hosn, it says my UID or phone number are not recognized.

I went back to the ICA website and I am unable to change my phone number. It does not find me from my passport number or from my UID. I called ICA and they told me to use a separate part of the website to change my number. I went here:

When you select USA(or Canada) as your nationality, you are then required to enter a file type and 3 part file number. They cant tell me my 3 part file number. To do so, I would need to look up AMER Dubai and call them for the information. They said because we entered Dubai and not Abu Dhabi, my ICA application isn't showing up for the system. I have to contact AMER.

Called AMER and was on hold for 15+minutes for an agent. They have an option to have your call returned. Pushed #1 to leave a voicemail and the voice mailbox is full.

Im tired from travel and very frustrated that nothing seems to be working. I did so much homework to try and get everything right, and it made no difference. I have no idea what Im doing wrong.

Did you have to get a Covid PCR test here in UAE before trying to register on Al Hosn?
Some online classes for forms four to six have ceased in Tobago. This, as a directive has co
The Ukroboronprom member company joined the space lunar mission, carried out by the British company Spacebit.

Joint Stock Company Meridian n. S.P.Korolyov, which is a member of Ukroboronprom State Concern, has joined the domestic part of the space lunar mission, carried out by the British company Spacebit in partnership with companies from around the world. The launch is scheduled for spring 2022. This flight is the first mission to the Earth's satellite with Ukraine participating, Ukroboronprom informs.

According to Olha Rudenko, director for development at the Meridian, their testing laboratory will check the equipment to be used on the moon for climatic and mechanical stress. And due to a unique "hot cell" with sources of ionizing radiation up to 13 stage, these devices and equipment will be tested for radiation resistance and radiation aging.

"We also go ahead with manufacturing ultralight and heavy-duty mechanical structures for the equipment of the lunar rover, which kicks off exploring the surface of the Earth's satellite in a year. We will get an opportunity to touch the future and see how the products of our company help to conquer space," Rudenko says.

As noted, sensors manufactured at Ukrainian enterprises shall collect information about the radiation background, and a special camera will stream video from the surface. All the data obtained will be available to Ukrainian scientists for the development of space programs.

Delivery of Ukraine's flag, printed on a 3D printer made of Ukrainian titanium, will beome symbolic. It was manufactured under a special green or waste-free production technology, announced Spacebit founder and CEO Pavlo Tanasyuk.

"It's a great honor for us to be the team that brings the flag of Ukraine to the surface of the Moon for the first time in history and carries out the first Ukrainian mission to the Earth's satellite. At the same time, synergies with the public sector are important in this area. We set a high value on our cooperation with Ukroboronprom, in particular with the Meridian OJSC and Yuzhnoye State Design Office. We are open to a new partnership to revive Ukraine's image as a leading country in the world space scene," Tanasyuk said.

As reported, British company Spacebit in cooperation with American partners will carry out the first Ukrainian mission to the Moon in 2022, as part of which equipment for scientific research will be delivered to the surface of the Earth's satellite.

ol
A Congolese family displaced by violence in North Kivu province pictured in Kibarizo village in September 2020.  UNHCR/Justin Kasereka

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is alarmed by violence committed against civilians by armed groups in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that continues to cost lives and drive people from their homes.

UNHCR and its partners recorded more than 1,200 civilian deaths and 1,100 rapes this year in the two most affected provinces of North Kivu and Ituri. UNHCR has recorded 25,000 human rights abuses this year. In total, more than a million Congolese have been internally displaced in the east of the country in 2021.

Repeated displacement has put enormous pressure on those forced to flee and the host families that have taken in 94 per cent of DRCs forcibly displaced population. Host families have shown huge generosity towards their compatriots but are exhausted and in need of support if they are to continue as first responders.

Harsh living conditions and a lack of food often trigger a premature return by displaced people to their place of origin, further exposing them to abuse and violence. Returnees account for 65 per cent of the serious human rights abuses recorded by UNHCR and partners.

Attacks attributed to the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) armed group have increased in brutality since late 2020, and the frequency of killings of civilians has not abated despite the state of siege declared in early May 2021 to counter the activities of these armed groups. On 3 September, armed men identified as members of the ADF raided a village in Irumu Territory, killed 15 civilians, set fire to 10 houses and kidnapped two women.

On 6 September, an armed group reportedly raped 10 displaced women in Djugu Territory, Ituri province. UNHCR and partners took the women to the nearest hospital where they received psychosocial and medical support.

Following the state of siege, North Kivu and Ituri Provinces are now led by military governments, under which the national army has ramped up its operations and military tribunals have replaced civil courts. Some armed groups, seeing their territory shrink, have surrendered. Others counter military operations with reprisals against villages and individuals they perceive as supporting the government. Despite government efforts to reduce the abuses of armed groups, our teams continue to hear horrific accounts of sexual violence, extortion, and looting.

UNHCR reiterates its call for urgent measures to protect civilians. We support local authorities and civil society groups who respond repeatedly to recurrent forced displacement, and continue to provide lifesaving aid, psychosocial and other support to people in need.

Funding for this humanitarian crisis remains critically low, with the result that UNHCR is only able to respond to a small fraction of the population in urgent need.

UNHCR is calling on the international community for more support. Less than four months from the end of the year, we have received just 51 per cent of the US$205 million required in 2021 for the operation in DRC.

For more information on this topic, please contact:
DUBAI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 03rd Oct, 2021) Jean-Yves Le Drian, French Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs, has said that the participation of the world's countries in Expo 2020 Dubai enhances international cooperation, as the most important cultural event in the world carries a message of hope at the time of the coronavirus pandemic.

In his statement marking France's National Day at Expo 2020 Dubai, he said that his country's pavilion will remain active during the next six months as it was today, and "if we can help maintain the confidence of the world through the Expo platform, this in itself is a good thing."

The France Pavilion, located in the Mobility District of the World Expo, is intended to be a place of emulation, reflection and inspiration for international visitors.

For six months, the France Pavilion will offer a rich visitor experience whose slogan is, "France, Lightspeed Inspiration", which reflects its ambition and programme.

France National Day was celebrated in the presence of Le Drian; Franck Riester, French Minister Delegate in charge of Foreign Trade and Economic Attractiveness; as well as the sponsors and stakeholders of the France Pavilion, and many French artists.

The pavilion's visitors journey takes visitors on an experience highlighting unique and daring French innovations and creations in all the fields that have made the history of humanity a journey of progress: science, research, technology, arts, crafts, and education.
DUBAI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 03rd Oct, 2021) Signaling its readiness to compete on a global scale, Indonesia will be highlighting its role in trade, investment and tourism at the Expo 2020 Dubai, from 1st October to 31st March, 2022, marking its eighth World Expo appearance to date.

Didi Sumedi, Director-General of National Export Development at the Trade Ministry of Indonesia, said that Indonesias participation at the event is a golden opportunity to showcase the countrys trade potentials, investment opportunities and tourist destinations on a global stage.

"Indonesias participation in Expo 2020 Dubai is a golden opportunity as it will benefit us immensely, including strengthening the growth of the Indonesian economy," he said in a statement.

The pavilion will feature a miniature version of the archipelago, occupying a 1,860-square-metre space at the Dubai Exhibition Centre. The pavilion is supported by sponsorships from its partners, which include Astra, the Oil Palm Plantation Fund Management Agency (BPDPKS), Gajah Tunggal, April, Wijaya Karya and Indofood.

Didi, who also serves as the Commissioner-General of the Indonesian Pavilion, said the opportunity would also strengthen Indonesias vision of being the 10th largest economy by 2045, with a market share of 2 percent.

"The Indonesian Pavilion is a miniature country that will serve as a gate to introduce Indonesia to the world. Every week, the Indonesian Pavilion will highlight various ministries, institutions, provincial governments, established brands, as well as up-and-coming MSMEs [micro, small and medium enterprises] that will strengthen Indonesian exports," he added.

The Indonesian Pavilion will exhibit more than 300 export-ready products from local MSMEs, including commodities, handicrafts, interior products, textiles and fashion items.

Throughout the six-month event, the Indonesian Pavilion will present 26 weekly themes and more than 75 business forums in a hybrid format, which are supported by 22 ministries and institutions, as well as eight provincial governments.

Indonesias participation in Expo aims to attract investments, which will benefit from infrastructure readiness, regulation and bureaucracy reform, as well as improving the quality of human resources. This will, in turn, highlight the investment opportunities of Indonesia, ranging from Industry 1.0 realisation and national strategic projects to industry and tourism-based special economic zones (KEK).
SHARJAH, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 03rd Oct, 2021) The Sharjah Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCI) has welcomed a high-level government delegation from the Republic of Guatemala, headed by Antonio Malouf, Minister of Economy of Guatemala, to discuss ways to develop economic cooperation and mutual trade exchange relations, as well as investment opportunities available in both sides.

The Guatemalan delegation included Shirley Aguilar, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Lars Pera, Ambassador of Guatemala to the UAE.

While welcoming the visiting delegation, Abdullah Sultan Al Owais, Chairman of SCCI, commended the depth of the UAE-Guatemala relations and distinguished partnerships between them, especially in the economic and commercial aspects.

Al Owais noted that the current visit was preceded by previous visits by official Guatemalan delegations to the Chamber, which, in turn, took part in the bicentenary of the Republic of Guatemala during a ceremony held at the House of Wisdom the last month.

Over the past five years, trade relations have expanded by more than 40 percent, and the UAE's investments have exceeded $670 million since 2003, Al Owais stated.

The SCCI Chairman pointed to the SCCI's willingness to open a representative office for Guatemala to facilitate and strengthen investment operations, adding that, "Sharjah is home to more than 2,950 industrial companies, which reflects its capabilities and the development of its pioneering industrial infrastructure across the UAE and the region.

Malouf said that he is extremely impressed by the Chamber's innovative services to its members and the exceptional privileges provided to foreign investors.

He stressed the importance of stepping up efforts to bolster ties and explore new opportunities during the upcoming stage in many areas of common interest, such as industry, agriculture, the coffee trade, vegetables and fruits, and others.

Malouf expressed his country's desire to increase mutual visits between the Emirati businessmen and their counterparts in Guatemala, in a way that serves the interests of the two countries and the aspirations of its leadership.
Niamey, Oct 3 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 3rd Oct, 2021 ) :The United Nations on Sunday warned that the Tillaberi region of western Niger was facing a "major food crisis", with almost 600,000 people exposed to food insecurity.

The vast region of about the same size as South Korea or Hungary borders the so-called tri-border area, an unstable zone where Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali meet and which has been plagued by jihadist violence since 2017.

"Insecurity and recurrent attacks by suspected elements of non-state armed groups (NSAGs) targeting farmers and civilians will have serious repercussions this year on the already precarious food situation," the UN Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs office warned in a report sent to AFP.

Nearly 600,000 people "are at risk of food insecurity", the agency said.

The food crisis spectre has been summoned by "the abandonment of crop fields and difficulties in accessing markets", the agency said.

"Those who dared to go to the fields were killed, they (the assailants) track us down in our huts and even in the mosques," Hadjia Sibti, president of the Association of Women of Anzourou, a town often targeted by attacks, told AFP in September.

The UN also warned of the situation in the department of Banibangou to the northeast of Tillaberi, where more than 79,000 people are likely to run out of food.

Between June and August 2021, "several dozen farmers" in Banibangou "were coldly murdered in their fields" by non-state armed groups, forcing the population "to abandon their fields", noted Ocha.

As of 31 August, 765,348 people had received humanitarian assistance in the Tillaberi region, which is also home to 101,144 internally displaced persons, Ocha said.

However, the UN fears "a major food crisis" in this region and asked the government and its partners to take "strong measures commensurate with the scale of the situation".
(@FahadShabbir)

Johannesburg, Oct 2 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Oct, 2021 ) :A local jihadist leader and 18 rebels were killed during a military strike on their base in Mozambique's insurgency-hit north, a bloc of southern African nations said Saturday.

Al-Qaeda-linked jihadists have been terrorising Mozambique's gas-rich Cabo Delgado region since 2017, raiding villages and towns in a bid to establish a caliphate.

Local jihadist leader Rajab Awadhi Ndanjile was killed along with 18 other fighters in an offensive on September 25 on the militants' base in the Nangade district of Cabo Delgado, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) regional grouping said.

Many members of the 16-nation bloc have deployed troops in Mozambique to fight the insurgents.

SADC said Ndanjile recruited and indoctrinated fighters and was involved in the first attack in the region and "subsequent attacks on villages" as well as the "abduction of women and children".

In July, Rwanda sent 1,000 troops to Mozambique, the first country to do so. Several other SADC members followed suit.

South Africa has deployed nearly 1,500 soldiers in the neighbouring country.

The insurgency has killed more than 3,300 people -- half of them civilians -- and displaced at least 800,000 from their homes over the past four years.
Gilgit, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 3rd Oct, 2021 ) :Chairman WAPDA Lieutenant General (Retd) Muzammil Hussain Visited the Diamer Bhasha Dam and reviewed the ongoing progress and pace of work on the project.

Commander 10 Corps Lieutenant General Sahir Shamshad Mirza also accompanied him on the visit, said a press release by Public Relation officer of Diamer Bhasha Dam.

General Manager (Land Acquisition and Resettlement) WAPDA Brigadier (Retd) Shoaib Taqi, General Manager (Diamer Bhasha Dam Project) Muhammad Yousuf Rao besides representatives of consultants and contractors were also present on the occasion. On the occasion Commander 10 Corps Lieutenant General Sahir Shamshad Mirza said that Diamer Bhasha Dam was a project of national importance and they were happy to see construction work on this project. Reiterating the full support of Pakistan Army in the construction of Diamer Bhasha Dam, he said that Pakistan Army was committed to provide safe and conducive environment in the project area so that the construction work on all the sites of the project would continue uninterrupted.

Speaking on the occasion, Chairman WAPDA said that Diamer Bhasha Dam was one of the most important projects for sustainable development of Pakistan. He said that the project would make water available for agriculture, help prevent floods and generate affordable hydropower. He added that for the completion of this project as per the schedule in 2028-29 concerted efforts were required by all the concerned agencies. Mentioning the benefits of Diamer Bhasha Dam, Chairman WAPDA said that this project would bring stability in the national economy and Poverty would be reduced.

He said that this project was a game changer for the local people as WAPDA was spending a huge amount of Rs. 78.50 billion as a confidence building measure for the development of the project area under this project.

Earlier, during a briefing by the project management on the progress of the project, it was informed that simultaneous construction work was underway at 8 different sites of the project in which includes construction of permanent bridge and 21 MW Tangier hydropower project as well as excavation from above for construction of dam includes excavation of diversion tunnel, diversion canal, diversion inlet and power in tech.

A briefing was also given on the details of various ongoing projects for the development of health, education, tourism and infrastructure under the confidence building measures for welfare of the local people. During the briefing, it was informed that during the construction of Diamer Bhasha Dam, 16,500 job opportunities would be created in phases in which local people were being given priority, adding that WAPDA consultants and contractors were still employing 3,200 locals.

It was noteworthy that the completion of Diamer Bhasha Dam would store a total of 8.1 million acre feet of water. 1.23 million acres of land will be irrigated. 4,500 MW of electricity will be generated and more than 18 billion units of low cost hydropower will be provided to the national grid every year. It will also have a positive impact on households, generating an additional 2.5 billion units of hydropower per year, while increasing the age of the Tarbela Dam by 35 years.
Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid said on Saturday that an increase in dengue cases was being witnessed in the wake of changing weather over the past six weeks

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Oct, 2021 ) :Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid said on Saturday that an increase in dengue cases was being witnessed in the wake of changing weather over the past six weeks.

Addressing a press conference at Chief Minister Secretariat here, she said four lives have been lost since January 2021 in the province adding that Lahore reported 1603, Rawalpindi 208, Attock 20 and Sargodha 15 dengue cases.

The minister said that Punjab hospitals were catering to dengue and COVID-19 patients simultaneously, adding that beds had been increased in High Dependency Units (HDU) of Punjab.

In public sector hospitals of Lahore, 530 beds had been reserved for dengue patients and 138 were reserved in HDUs. In Lahore, 190 patients were under treatment in public sector hospitals and 81 patients admitted in private hospitals. The government had made timely arrangements to keep people safe from dengue, she said adding that since January 2021, as many as 15 cabinet committee meetings had been held to review dengue situation in which besides minister, chief secretary, commissioners and deputy commissioners had been reviewing the situation.

Dr Yasmin informed that out of 8 million homes in Punjab, and 3.5 million homes in Lahore, most of these had been checked by surveillance teams. In Lahore 31,000 homes were identified for dengue larva. Case response were initiated at 500,000 homes. The areas most affected by dengue were DHA, Cantt, Johar Town, Allama Iqbal Town, she mentioned.

Secretary Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department Imran Sikander Bloch had discussed with stakeholders measures to intensify surveillance in meeting with Corp Commander Lahore, she said and adding that in DHA, Health Department teams were working in collaboration with local administration.

Dr Yasmin said in all public sector hospitals, adequate stock of medicines were available for treatment of dengue patients.

She said "We are providing free medicines for dengue patients in private hospitals."All private labs of Punjab would charge only Rs.

90 for dengue tests across Punjab and a letter had already been issued, she informed. This test could only be conducted on recommendation by a doctor, she added.

She said that separate dengue counters had been set up in all hospitals of Punjab and treatment on a consistent protocol was being given to dengue patients. She maintained dengue and coronavirus patients were being kept in separate and isolated wards. Overall 747 beds had been reserved for dengue patients, she added. She said "We are witnessing a decline in the fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic." In the last 24 hours, 524 corona cases have been reported in Punjab and 24 patients have lost their lives. More than 18,000 coronavirus tests have been performed in the last 24 hours.

"I want to congratulate our commissioners and deputy commissioners for vaccinating such a large number of people" she said. So far more than 47.5 million people had been vaccinated, she added. Adequate stock of coronavirus vaccine was available in the province and currently 15 million doses of vaccine were available in stock, she mentioned.

To a query, she said that teams of drug inspectors were investigations the issue of medicine stock outs and responsible people would be penalized. She said these reports would be made public. All government hospitals get funds worth billions for medicine procurement. However, she added, action will be initiated based on evidence.

To another question, Dr Yasmin Rashid said action had already been taken on fake entry against staff responsible for entry of Nawaz Sharif. She added his fake entry was a conspiracy against the state to discredit the system. The Federal government was investigating this incident as well. Both secretaries were present on the spot for investigations and those involved in these conspiracies would be exposed.

Present on the occasion were Secretary Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department Imran Sikander Baloch, Special Secretary Specialized Healthcare and Medical education Department Mohammad Ajmal Bhatti and consultant Professor Asad Aslam Khan.
(@FahadShabbir)

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd October, 2021) Central African Republic's Prime Minister Henri-Marie Dondra has denied having contracts with any Russian private security firms amid rumors of their involvement in the country.

"I heard this rumor. But my country has no contract with any Russian private security company. All we did was sign a military cooperation deal with Russia.

There are only instructors in our country who are helping us build a defense and security force," he told the Journal du Dimanche weekly.

His statement comes shortly after France and the UK criticized a Russian private security group's involvement with another African country. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a UN briefing last week that Mali asked a Russian private firm to assist in its counterterrorism efforts, after France announced a troop drawdown. He said that the Russian government was not part of the deal.
BEIJING (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd October, 2021) The Chinese military sent 39 warplanes into Taiwan's air defense zone on Saturday, setting a second record in just as many days, according to the Chinese defense ministry.

The planes, many of them fighter jets, entered the island's identification zone in two droves during the day and at night, prompting Taiwan to scramble patrol planes to ward them off.

China sent 38 warplanes to the area on Friday, when the Communist Party marked the 72nd anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China, as well as 28 planes in June.

China sees Taiwan as its breakaway province. The island has been governed independently from mainland China since 1949 when an opposition nationalist party retreated there during a civil war and set up a government.
(@FahadShabbir)

SEOUL (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd October, 2021) North Korea accused the UN Security Council on Sunday of infringing on its sovereignty, after it held a closed-door meeting to criticize the North's recent missile tests.

Jo Chol Su, the head of the North Korean Foreign Ministry's International Organizations Department, was cited as saying by the state news agency KCNA that the council attacked Pyongyang for exercising its right to self-defense.

"This means that we should give up our right to self-defence and it is no more than an intention not to recognize the DPRK as a sovereign state," he said.

Jo Chol Su accused the council of core UN member states of applying double standards to North Korea and the United States, which Pyongyang has repeatedly warned against holding fire drills near its coast.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd October, 2021) Russian Ambassador to Bulgaria Eleonora Mitrofanova accused the United States of forcing Bulgaria's hand after the European nation expelled several Russian diplomats in spring.

"I think Bulgaria did not act independently in this story...

Americans apparently want to squeeze Russia out of every sphere of Bulgarian life," she told Sputnik in an interview.

Mitrofanova argued that any attempt to make Russia leave Bulgaria was a "utopia" because the two eastern Orthodox nations have strong historical connections.

Bulgaria expelled several Russian diplomats in March and April after accusing them of spying and blaming Russia for alleged involvement in four explosions at arms depots.
Two soldiers in Burkina Faso were killed on Saturday in an explosion in the southwestern Cascades region near the Ivory Coast border, security sources said

Ouagadougou, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Oct, 2021 ) :Two soldiers in Burkina Faso were killed on Saturday in an explosion in the southwestern Cascades region near the Ivory Coast border, security sources said.

The explosion is the latest in a series of attacks generally attributed to jihadists.

"A team on a security mission was the target of a terrorist attack on Saturday. Two elements were killed by a homemade device which exploded as they passed by," a security source told AFP.

Another source confirmed the "loss of two soldiers".

Elsewhere, in eastern Sakoani two more soldiers were wounded in another explosion.

Earlier this week, five soldiers on patrol in the north of the country were killed by an improvised explosive device.

A jihadist insurgency in neighbouring Mali spilt over into Burkina in 2015.

The armed groups are linked to Al-Qaeda and the so-called Islamic State.

More than 1,500 people have died in the attacks in Burkina Faso and at least 1.4 million people forced to flee their homes.

Most of the attacks have been in the north and east, near the borders with Mali and Niger.
Pope Francis has appointed Sister Josee Ngalula of the Democratic Republic of Congo as the first-ever African woman to be a member of the International Theological Commission.

Muando Babualo and Vatican News English Africa Service.

Pope Francis recently announced the appointment of 61-years old Sister Dr Josee Ngalula. She is a member of the Sisters of Saint Andrew. Sister Ngalula will be part of a 28-member theological Commission that comprises theologians from all over the world.

A native of Kinshasa

A native of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sister Josee Ngalula was born in Kinshasa on 28 January 1960. She attended primary school in Kinshasa before proceeding to Kinshasas Kimwenza High school. She joined the Congregation of the Sisters of Saint Andrew, where she took her first vows in 1979 and her perpetual vows on 21 May 1993. After studying philosophy between 1981 and 1983 at the Major Seminary of Lubumbashi, she pursued further theological studies from 1984 to 1989 at the Catholic University of Lyon in France. After a year of English studies from 1989 to 1990, she studied Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue in Birmingham, UK. From 1997 to 2000, she enrolled for a doctorate at the Catholic University of Lyon and defended her thesis in 2000.

Sr Ngalula teaches in several theological institutes on the African continent. She is a professor at the Faculty of Theology of the Catholic University of Congo and also at the Al Mowafaqa Ecumenical Institute in Rabat, Morocco.

Theology is not indifferent to situations of suffering

Sister Ngalula explained that Christian theology is not indifferent to the violence that the African continent and her country, the DRC, experiences.

The reality of violence is at the heart of the message of Christianity, which celebrates Good Friday and places Jesus Christ, the victim of violence, at the heart of the faith, she said. She continued, One cannot do theology without seeing Christ who challenges us in situations of suffering.

Since 2004, she has also been providing pastoral care to victims of abuse in Catholic Church structures.

A commitment to on-going formation

Sister Ngalula spoke of her gratitude to Pope Francis for the appointment before adding that he was eagerly looking forward to contributing to the commission and learning from her colleagues on the commission.

The 28 members of the International Theological Commission comprises theologians from Europe, South America, Asia, Africa, North America and Australia.

The commission studies and offers counsel on doctrinal issues of great importance.
Pope Francis met in private with Jesuits from all over Slovakia at the Apostolic Nunciature in Bratislava on Sunday evening. The encounter was relaxed and filled with questions and answers, jokes, and expressions of encouragement in an era of pandemic, secularization and decline in vocations.

By Salvatore Cernuzio

Pope Francis greeted his 53 fellow Jesuits from all over Slovakia with a smile on Sunday evening, as he received them in the Apostolic Nunciature in Bratislava.

The encounter, with the members of the Society of Jesus of the local Church, is now a solid tradition of every Apostolic Journey.

The Pope listened to their questions, asked some himself, and encouraged their mission in an era of secularization and declining vocations. Never once did he appear tired, according to those present, despite the tour de force of the first day of a trip which, in 24 hours, saw him first in Budapest and then in Bratislava.

A family meeting

The encounter lasted about an hour and a half. "It went very well, in a serene atmosphere," said Father Jozef Bartkovjak, head of the Slovakian section of Vatican News and correspondent in Bratislava, who was present at the appointment that he defined as "a family meeting."

Although the Pope had not yet had dinner and had just finished a meeting with the Ecumenical Council of Churches, he "seemed quite fresh. He had already done several things, but he was fully present, he joked, he was lively. He gave us the impression as if we had gathered with a very dear friend, with whom it is a pleasure to be together. A person we know but did not know closely. We listened to his words and were able to tell him what we desire, what we do."

Pope Francis with Slovak Jesuits

Encouragement in the mission

The Pope strongly encouraged the 53 Jesuits (there are 80 Jesuits in total throughout Slovakia) to continue their mission in the country, which includes various apostolates, with particular emphasis on education and training, a theological faculty and two houses for spiritual exercises, which remained active even during the dark decades of the communist regime.

His encouragement is much needed in today's difficult times, marked by the Covid-19 pandemic, but also by the secularization that permeates all of Europe, and the decline in population and vocations.

"It's something we suffer a lot from... In the past, explained Father Jozef, in the underground Church during the communist regime, the Jesuits carried out formation for new members, almost a hidden novitiate. This made it possible that our Province never skipped a generation; every year was covered, even during communism."

New challenges

Now there are new challenges ahead, but, according to the religious priest, "having such encouragement from the Pope helped, since he really made us feel his presence, and appreciated what we do despite the difficulties, helping us not to lose heart."

"In fact, every Jesuit," Father Jozef said, "who connects his vocation to that of the Successor of Peter has felt our identity strengthened. Being close to the Pope and not feeling any restraint was like a caress."

Questions and answers

What made the visit even more free and familiar was certainly the confidential nature of the meeting. It took place behind closed doors and without the presence of the media.

The content of the encounter was not revealed by any participant, though several commented on the Popes state of mind.

As Ive said, it was all very spontaneous, said Father Jozef. Several questions emerged from the Jesuits present but also from the Holy Father. We were able to talk about anything, very freely."

The appointment ended with a group photo, and while "the Holy Father seemed satisfied," the Jesuits said they were "100% satisfied, in fact, 200% satisfied."
On Sept. 23, two dozen Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft broke into Taiwans air defense identification zone (ADIZ). The island nation responded by tracking the aircraft with land-based anti-aircraft missiles and scrambling fighter jets. The Republic of Chinas (ROC) Ministry of National Defense (MND) also broadcast warnings to the mainland Chinese aircraft.

The incursion happened in two deployments. According to the MND, the initial incursion included 12 Shenyang J-16 fighter jets, two Xian H-6 bombers, one Shaanxi Y-8 electronic warfare aircraft, two Shenyang J-11 fighter jets, and two Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine warfare planes. This infiltration happened in the southwestern corner of the ADIZ at 4:30 p.m.

The MND reported a second intrusion at 7:15 p.m. when five Chinese military planes penetrated the same region. This fleet included two Shenyang J-16 fighter jets, one Shaanxi KJ-500 airborne early warning and control aircraft, and two Shenyang J-11 fighters.

The Sept. 23 intrusion, which included 24 aircraft in total, was the third-largest single-day penetration of PLAAF planes into Taiwans airspace. The largest was reported on June 15 when a total of 28 military aircraft entered the ADIZ.

Rising military aggression by the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) has forced the ROC (Taiwan) government to focus on expanding its fighting capabilities. In March, Taipei decided to acquire an advanced version of Lockheed Martins Patriot surface-to-air missile to reinforce its forces. The decision to acquire upgraded Patriots was finalized in 2019 under the Trump administration. Taiwan has also raised its military budget for 2022, planning to spend $1.44 billion to acquire new fighter jets.

Notably, the incursions on Sept. 23 happened a day after Taiwan put forward an application to participate in a trade pact called the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Beijing has strongly opposed the move, with the foreign ministry insisting that the island nation desist from being part of international treaties and organizations.

At a press conference, PRC Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said that there is only one China in the world and that Taiwan is an inalienable part of the PRCs territory. He stated that the One China principle is the consensus of the international community and a universally recognized norm in international relations.

China firmly opposes all official interactions between Taiwan and any country, firmly rejects Taiwans accession to any agreement or organization of official nature. Chinas position on this issue is clear, Zhao said.

In response, the Taiwan foreign ministry said that Beijing has no right to speak about Taiwans application to join the CPTPP. The Chinese government only wants to bully Taiwan in the international community, and is the arch-criminal in increased hostility across the Taiwan Strait, the ROC minister said.
Recent reports by Indian media reveal that on Aug. 30, more than 100 soldiers of the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) intruded on a border region and destroyed a bridge before returning to Chinese territory.

According to The Economic Times, the Indian military didnt notice or react to the intrusion in the Barahoti region at first, insiders told the Mumbai-based outlet. By then, the PLA troops  who came in on horseback  had already left the way they came, through the Tun Jun La mountain pass.

The Chinese attack was reported by local civilians, who said the intruders had spent several hours destroying the bridge and other infrastructure.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has shown more aggression toward India in recent months, echoing border tensions from the 1950s and 1960s.

A source in the Indian Home Ministry told The Economic Times that it wasnt the first time the PLA had tried to infiltrate the Barahoti area, prompting the Indian military to deploy more troops there.

But the scale of the Aug. 30 incident has Indian officials worried, as previous Chinese incursions were minor and the area was mostly free of military presence.

The PLA first invaded Barahoti, located in the high-altitude Himalaya mountain range, in 1954. Skirmishes broke out between China and India the next year; in 1962, the conflict resulted in a brief war.

In recent years, there have been multiple confrontations between PLA and Indian military troops. In 2017, two Indian bunkers were reportedly destroyed during a skirmish in the Doklam region, after which the Indian troops formed a human wall to stop further incursions.

Last May, four Indian soldiers and seven Chinese troops were injured in a clash in Naku La, as reported by the Times of India. The altercation involved more than 150 personnel and several people were injured.

The Himalayan border falls under the purview of the PLAs Western Theater Command (WTC), which has just seen a leadership change.

Sinologist and senior research fellow with the India-based Usanas Foundation Frank Lehberger told The Epoch Times that the recent incident in Barahoti could be connected to the August promotion of Gen. Wang Haijiang to head the WTC. Lehberger noted that Wang is an expert in patrols and reconnaissance in mountainous terrain.

According to Lehberger, the PLA could have intended the operation as a means to gauge the Indian reaction should Beijing decide to make a bolder move in future. Another goal could be to keep the Indian military on edge.

Gen. Wang had taken part in the Doklam skirmish of 2017, during which he distinguished himself by the construction of roads and militarized villages in the area of operations.

Rajiv Dogra, an Indian former diplomat, told The Epoch Times that the incursion in Barahoti could have also been intended as the CCPs response to a meeting of the informal Quad alliance held on Aug. 24 between the U.S., Japan, Australia, and India.

Ryan Wu contributed to this report.
Music Time in Africa is VOAs longest running English language program. Since 1965, this award-winning program has featured pan African music that spans all genres and generations. Ethnomusicologist and Host Heather Maxwell keeps you up to date on whats happening in African music with exclusive interviews, cultural information, and of course, great music -- including rare recordings from the Leo Sarkisian Library of African Music.
Spain is pushing for a U.N.-brokered solution to the long-running dispute over its former colony, Western Sahara, after a dispute erupted between Morocco and Germany over the territory.

The dispute between Morocco and Germany started earlier this month after Berlin criticized a decision last year by then-U.S. President Donald Trump to recognize Rabats claim to sovereignty over the desert region.

After losing the U.S. presidential election, Trump broke with decades of U.S. diplomatic tradition in December and recognized Morocco's right to sovereignty over Western Sahara in return for Rabat normalizing diplomatic relations with Israel.

Spain, which ruled Western Sahara as a province until 1976, sought to distance itself from the diplomatic fracas as it is conscious of the possible effect this could have on trade and security relations between the close neighbors, experts said.

Spain maintains a firm and constant position which is supporting the search for a solution that must be political, fair, durable and mutually acceptable as established by the resolutions of the U.N. Security Council, said Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya in a statement.

It is not for Spain to promote a concrete solution but to support the efforts of the UN to reach a mutually acceptable solution for the parties. "

No compromises

Morocco firmly states its claim to sovereignty over Western Sahara is non-negotiable, despite rival claims by the pro-independence Polisario Front, which fought a long war with Rabat between 1976 and 1991.

A ceasefire deal in 1991 was meant to lead to a referendum on self-determination in the desert region which is home to approximately one million people.

However, despite efforts to broker a deal by the United Nations, talks ground to a halt in 2019.

Trump's gesture over Western Sahara was supposed to ensure that Israel was recognized by a moderate Arab state outside of the Gulf.

U.S. President Joe Biden is now left with a diplomatic conundrum: should he use it to help broker a peace deal for the long-running dispute of Western Sahara?

The U.S. decision to back Morocco's sovereignty claim was criticized by Germany, which called for a meeting of the U.N. Security Council when Germany was still a member in December.

Morocco retorted by announcing it halted dealings with the German embassy and German cultural organizations in Rabat after disagreements over a series of issues including the status of the Western Sahara.

Berlin hit back by calling in the Moroccan ambassador in Berlin for urgent talks.

Morocco was emboldened by the U.S .decision which was a diplomatic coup but it was also nervous as Trump made the move as he was leaving office and Biden could possibly reverse it or modify the term's of Trump's move, said Haizam Amirah-Fernandez, a senior analyst for the Mediterranean and Arab World at the Elcano Royal Institute, a Madrid think tank.

The row with Germany was a sign from Morocco to European countries of what it will cost them if they criticize the U.S. recognition or push to reverse it, he said.

Amirah-Fernandez believes the Trump initiative may allow President Biden to push Morocco and the Polisario Front to find a solution to the conflict.

Paradoxically, the decision of Trump could open up a way for President Biden to press Morocco and the pro-independence Saharawis to find a negotiated solution," he said.

Fish, Tomatoes, and Melons

The diplomatic dispute came as the European Court of Justice, ECJ, last week heard submissions over the Morocco-EU trade agreement relating to Western Sahara which is opposed by the Polisario Front.

Gilles Devers, a lawyer who represents the Polisario Front, claims Moroccan exports from the disputed territory to Europe amount to looting of its natural resources.

Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita told the state MAP news agency that Rabat would repel what he called this judicial harassment and defend the kingdom's partnership with Europe.

In 2019, Rabat exported $516 million worth of fish, tomatoes, and melons from Western Sahara to Europe, according to European Commission figures.

In 2018, the court ruled that an EU-Moroccan fishing agreement did not apply to Western Sahara since the consent of the Saharawis who live there had not been obtained for fishing in waters off the disputed territory.

After the last ECJ ruling, the European Parliament dispatched a fact-finding mission to consult with Saharawi groups that were approved by Morocco.

Brussels asserted that this met the ECJ's demands for the Saharawis to be consulted and allowed Europe to exploit Western Sahara's resources without officially recognizing Moroccan sovereignty over the territory.

Should the court rule against Morocco, it will create a fresh crisis in relations between Rabat and Europe, Ignacio Cembrero, a Spanish journalist and author who writes about Morocco, told VOA.
Journalists and media freedom activists are objecting to a government proposal in the African nation of Lesotho to restrict social media, saying it amounts to stifling speech for everyone in the nation of 2 million people.

The set of regulations, introduced for debate by lawmakers this week, would require all social media users with more than 100 followers to register as internet broadcasters -- a move that would, in turn, require them to abide by the same rules that govern broadcast media houses. It would also allow regulators to investigate social media users posts and even order them to remove them.

Lesotho is following in the footsteps of Tanzania in seeking to regulate online content creators, the Media Institute of Southern Africa, a media monitoring group, said in a statement, adding that this could be a pretext to curb freedom of expression and digital rights.

Journalist Rapeland Radebe covers Lesotho from neighboring South Africa, for South Africas state broadcaster and others. When VOA spoke to him on Thursday, he had more than 8,300 Twitter followers.

The law itself, its really, draconian, for lack of a better word, to try and say you need to regulate anyone who has more than 100 participants, he told VOA.  I think its nothing short of absurd, really.

African governments are regularly accused of trying to police social media. For years, different governments have been accused of cutting access to the internet during times of unrest. Internet freedom monitors say that is precisely what the government of Guinea is planning to do ahead of a contentious election this weekend.

But other nations have used their laws to limit social media, like Tanzania, which recently passed a set of regulations that seek to punish social media users who ridicule, abuse or harm the reputation, prestige or status of the United Republic of Tanzania. Last year, Kenya passed a similar law, sparking outrage from journalists and academics.

"It is difficult to understand what problem the bill seeks to cure other than to try and introduce online censorship, John Walubengo, a lecturer at the Multimedia University of Kenya, wrote in an editorial in one of the countrys most prominent newspapers.

VOA asked Lesothos prime minister, Moeketsi Majoro, to comment on the proposed law. He did not respond to several requests seeking comment, and has not directly addressed the matter on Twitter, where his official account has about 7,100 followers.

And, Radebe noted the regulations could be impossible to enforce. Lesotho is an enclave nation surrounded on all sides by South Africa, and the affairs of both countries are intimately entwined. So, he said, anyone using a South African SIM card or network to post on social media would technically be subject to South Africas looser regulations.

But, he notes, the proposed restrictions pose a unique problem for many of the nations small broadcasters, which use the internet to reach out to listeners beyond the mountainous nation that in recent years has struggled with political instability.

Radebe predicts that most Lesotho residents will continue to tweet, post and live their online lives as normal.

I dont think this is going to come close to even scaring anyone with any sense of decency, he said. In fact, what you are going to do is create unnecessary animosity, by turning ordinary law-abiding citizens into criminals.

He said the law doesnt make any sense in the 21st century when people use social media in their everyday lives.

These are the tools that ordinary poor people use to organize their businesses, their social groupings, for funerals, for family -- many other reasons, he says. And to implement some sort of regulation towards that -- what is the intention?
Algeria on Saturday rejected "inadmissible interference" in its affairs, hours after recalling its ambassador from Paris following comments by French President Emmanuel Macron reported by the French and Algerian media.

The statement, from the Algerian presidency, said it had withdrawn its ambassador following media reports of the French leader's comments, which had not been denied.

The French daily Le Monde reported that Macron had made critical remarks about the former French colony during a meeting Thursday with descendants of figures from the war of independence.

Macron reportedly said the country was ruled by a "political-military system" and described Algeria as having an "official history" which had been "totally re-written," the paper reported.

He said this history was "not based on truths" but "on a discourse of hatred towards France", according to Le Monde -- though he made clear that he was not referring to Algerian society as a whole but to the ruling elite.

The statement from the Algerian presidency said: "Following remarks that have not been denied, which several French sources have attributed by name to (Macron), Algeria expresses its categorical rejection of the inadmissible interference in its internal affairs."

Macron also spoke out on current Algerian politics. His counterpart Abdelmajid Tebboune was "trapped in a system which is very tough," the French president was quoted as saying.

"You can see that the Algerian system is tired, it has been weakened by the Hirak," he added, referring to the pro-democracy movement which forced Tebboune's predecessor Abdelaziz Bouteflika from power in 2019 after two decades at the helm.

Visa tensions

It is the second time that Algeria has recalled an ambassador from France.

Algiers also recalled its ambassador in May 2020 after French media broadcast a documentary about the Hirak.

Saturday's move comes amid tension over a French decision to sharply reduce the number of visas it grants to citizens of Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia.

France said the decision, which it announced Tuesday, had been made necessary by the former colonies' failure to do enough to allow illegal migrants to return.

The Algerian foreign ministry summoned French ambassador Francois Gouyette on Wednesday and handed him a "formal protest" note concerning the visa ruling.

It called the visa reduction an "unfortunate act" that caused "confusion and ambiguity as to its motivation and its scope."

Morocco's Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita has described the French move as "unjustified."

Tunisian President Kais Saied expressed disappointment with the decision in a telephone call with Macron on Saturday, his office said, adding that the French leader had said it could be revised.

French government spokesman Gabriel Attal told Europe 1 radio on Tuesday that the visa reduction decision was "unprecedented."

Paris made that choice, he said, because Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia "are refusing to take back nationals who we do not want or cannot keep in France."

The radio said Macron took the decision a month ago after failed diplomatic efforts with the three North African countries.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is heading to Paris, his first trip to France following an enhanced trilateral security partnership known as AUKUS (Australia, U.K., and the U.S.) that heightened tensions between the transatlantic allies.

Experts said they expect Blinken, who has strong personal ties to France, to use the upcoming trip to try to improve U.S.-France relations.

The top U.S. diplomat will chair the Ministerial Council Meeting of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development that is scheduled to take place Oct. 5-6, and commemorate the organizations 60th anniversary.

Blinken will have a bilateral meeting with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian in Paris. France is set to hold the presidency of Council of the European Union from Jan. 1-June 30, 2022.

Secretary Blinken will also meet with French counterparts to continue discussions on further strengthening the vital U.S.-France relationship on a range of issues including security in the Indo-Pacific region, the climate crisis, economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, the transatlantic relationship, and working with our allies and partners to address global challenges and opportunities, said the State Department in a statement Friday.

Tensions over AUKUS deal

U.S. President Joe Bidens administration announced Sept. 15 a new security pact with Australia and the U.K. Under the deal, Australia will get at least eight nuclear-powered submarines to be built domestically using American technology. The agreement came after 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 within two days following the announcement. Le Drian declared there is a crisis of trust in the United States.

After a phone call between President Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron on Sept. 22 which sought to ease tensions over the submarine deal, both leaders decided to open a process of in-depth consultations to ensure confidence. Macron also decided that French Ambassador Philippe Etienne would return to Washington the following week.

On Thursday, U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan met with Etienne at the White House to continue advancing shared agenda, in advance of Bidens meeting with Macron in Europe at the end of October. Both are scheduled to attend the Group of 20 summit in Rome at that time.

We need to make sure trust is there, said Karen Donfried, the newly confirmed assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, in a phone briefing on Friday.

While the U.S.-France relationship remains an important one for both sides, James Goldgeier, who is a senior visiting fellow at the Washington-based Brookings Institution, said the Biden administration seems to have been a bit taken aback by the angry French reaction to the AUKUS deal.

Its good that the two presidents are looking for ways to move forward. There is no question that the Biden administration sees the Indo-Pacific as its main focus. U.S. policy toward regions like Europe are seen through that lens, Goldgeier told VOA.

The State Department said in a statement that the U.S. delegation to OECDs October ministerial also includes Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry and the U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai.

OECD & China

The OECD gathering will discuss the climate crisis, promoting the transition to net-zero emissions, as well as market-economy principles while continuing its commitment on shared values such as democracy, rule of law, and human rights.

A senior State Department official said another focus during the upcoming OECD meeting is the Blue Dot Network, a mechanism to certify infrastructure projects that meet robust international quality standards.

The United States, Japan and Australia launched the Blue Dot Network in 2019. Named for the view of Earth from space as a mere blue dot, it encourages development by certifying public-private investments in global infrastructure that are market-driven, transparent, and environmentally sustainable.

The administration is very interested in engaging like-minded partners and allies to talk about the behaviors of non-market economies, including China, said Matt Murray, a senior official from the State Departments Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs, during a phone briefing on Friday.

Murray told VOA that China will participate in the upcoming OECD meeting as an observer.

Separate from the ministerial council meeting, and more generally, the U.S. government has undertaken a comprehensive review of the U.S.-China trade relationship because the United States welcomes healthy, fair competition with our trading partners. And economic competition with the PRC should be fair, added Murray.

Blinken heads to Mexico

Blinkens weeklong trip also includes meetings in Mexico City from Oct. 7-8 for the U.S.-Mexico High Level Security Dialogue.

The top U.S. diplomat will join U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland to discuss security issues, Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said this week.

The high-level meeting comes amid a recent migration crisis as tens of thousands of Haitian migrants gathered at the U.S.-Mexico border last month.

The Biden administration confirmed on Sept. 24 that a makeshift camp where 15,000 Haitian migrants braved desperate conditions along the U.S.-Mexico border was now vacant.

In late September, Mexico also began flying Haitian migrants back to their homeland.
A bomb blast outside Kabuls main mosque Sunday afternoon killed at least five Afghan civilians and injured at least four more, said Qari Saeed Khosti, the spokesman of the Taliban Interior Ministry.

It was the first such assault in the capital since late August, when an Islamic State-Khorasan Province suicide bomber killed around 200 people, including 13 U.S. servicemembers, near the Kabul airport.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Sundays assault on the Eid Gah Mosque in the center of the city, and it was apparently targeted at a gathering offering special prayers for chief Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahids mother, who recently passed away.

Qatar-based Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said Mujahid was safe, along with other colleagues, because the blast happened away from where they were located.

Hamidullah, a member of the Taliban, said he was three meters from the suicide bomber, in the mosque at the time of the blast.

"I was thrown back from the force of the blast," he told journalists outside Kabul's Emergency Hospital where some of the victims were treated.

IS Khorasan, the Afghanistan-based affiliate of the Islamic State extremist group, also known as ISIS-K, has claimed a series of attacks in the countrys eastern provinces of Nangarhar and Kunar in the last week, killing dozens of civilians and Taliban fighters.

Bilal Karimi, a Taliban spokesman, said three suspects were arrested and that no Taliban fighters were harmed.

Ayaz Gul contributed to this report, which also includes information from the Associated Press.
A British company says it has developed an easy-to-administer, saliva-based test that can detect whether a person is infectious enough to pass along the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

The company, Vatic, said in a statement that its test is extremely accurate and has not returned a single false positive result in its test group. This is so important for getting life back to normal, the company said.

Vatic said its mission was to design a test that people wont mind using multiple times a week.

Tests results are available in 15 minutes, the company said.

The test is not available to the public yet as it undergoes more trials but Vatic is seeking approval for its sale directly to the public.

A report in The Economist says COVID in 2020 has brought an abrupt halt to the steady rise of the rate of lIfe expectancy.

Impact on life expectancy

Researchers in Britain, Denmark and Germany said that between 2019 and 2020 life expectancy dropped in all but two of the 28 countries surveyed.

Life expectancy rose in Denmark and Norway and for women in Finland. Meanwhile, male life expectancy fell by more than a year in Italy, Poland and Spain and fell by more than two years in the United States.

Another report in The Economist says that the death rate from COVID in the U.S. is about eight times higher in America than in the rest of the rich world due to vaccine hesitancy and other factors.

The report said, Americas antipathy to vaccines and continued resistance to other interventions, particularly among Republicans, is worrying. YouGovs poll indicates that, among those who voted for [former U.S. President] Donald Trump in 2020, 31% say they will not get vaccinated, 71% strongly disapprove of President Joe Bidens vaccine mandate and nearly 40% never wear a face mask. That remains a deadly combination.

The pandemic has destabilized societies, economies, and governments. It has shown that there is no global security without global health security, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said about COVID-19 in a recent address to ambassadors and representatives to the European Unions political and security committee.

The fastest and best way to end this pandemic is with genuine global cooperation on vaccine supply and access, Tedros said. The longer vaccine inequity persists, the longer the social and economic turmoil will continue, and the more opportunity the virus has to circulate and change into more dangerous variants. We need a global realization that no country can vaccinate its way out of this pandemic in isolation from the rest of the world.

The Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reported Sunday it had recorded 234.6 million global COVID infections and nearly 5 million deaths.

Protests in Romania

Thousands marched Saturday in Bucharest, Romania, to protest restrictions that begin Sunday to combat a jump in coronavirus infections.

The European nation of 19 million is seeing a shocking rise in the daily number of coronavirus cases. A month ago, the number was about 1,000 new cases a day. On Saturday, Romania reported more than 12,500 new cases, its highest number since the pandemic began in March of last year.

Protesters, mostly maskless, gathered outside government offices, shouting "Freedom, freedom without certificates," and "Down with the government," according to Reuters. One sign read: "Green certificates = dictatorship," The Associated Press reported.

The demonstration was organized by Romania's far-right AUR party, the AP said.

The rising cases have strained the nations hospitals  intensive care beds are nearly full  and the protests angered some medical workers.

"The situation in hospitals is serious," Beatrice Mahler, hospital manager of Bucharest's Marius Nasta Institute of Pneumology, told The Associated Press. "We have patients hospitalized in beds in the hallway  all with extremely severe forms of COVID-19."

The restrictions scheduled to take effect Sunday include requiring masks be worn in public, and that shops close at 10 p.m. local time.

Public spaces such as restaurants, theaters and gyms, can remain open  some at only partial capacity  for customers who have COVID-19 passes, meaning they are fully vaccinated, or show proof they have had the illness caused by the coronavirus.

Romania has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the European Union, 33.5% of all adults are fully vaccinated, second only to Bulgaria.

There is a weekend curfew in effect for unvaccinated Romanians, and there are plans to make vaccinations mandatory for health care workers, Reuters said.

Since the pandemic began, Romania has recorded nearly 1.25 million cases of COVID-19 and more than 37,000 people have died, according to Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters.
A joint European-Japanese spacecraft got its first glimpse of Mercury as it swung by the solar system's innermost planet while on a mission to deliver two probes into orbit in 2025.

The BepiColombo mission made the first of six flybys of Mercury at 11:34 p.m. GMT Friday, using the planet's gravity to slow the spacecraft down.

After swooping past Mercury at altitudes of under 200 kilometers (125 miles), the spacecraft took a low-resolution black-and-white photo with one of its monitoring cameras before zipping off again.

The European Space Agency said the captured image shows the Northern Hemisphere and Mercury's characteristic pock-marked features, among them the 166-kilometer-wide (103-mile-wide) Lermontov crater.

The joint mission by the European agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency was launched in 2018, flying once past Earth and twice past Venus on its journey to the solar system's smallest planet.

Five further flybys are needed before BepiColombo is sufficiently slowed down to release ESA's Mercury Planetary Orbiter and JAXA's Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter. The two probes will study Mercury's core and processes on its surface, as well as its magnetic sphere.

The mission is named after Italian scientist Giuseppe "Bepi" Colombo, who is credited with helping develop the gravity assist maneuver that NASA's Mariner 10 first used when it flew to Mercury in 1974.
Born in exile, Rustem Skybin returned to his ancestral homeland Crimea in the mid-1990s only to be uprooted  just like his family before him  nearly 20 years later.

The 45-year-old ceramics artist is among thousands of ethnic Tatars to have fled Crimea for mainland Ukraine since 2014, when Moscow captured the peninsula and made it part of Russia.

The Muslim minority opposed Russia's takeover, fearing a repeat of Soviet-era repressions like the mass deportations that drove Skybin's relatives to Uzbekistan in Central Asia.

Today, many among those fleeing say their fears of Kremlin rule are being borne out.

"If we look at the past, they did everything to prevent our people from existing," Skybin told AFP in his workshop stacked with ornately painted crockery in Kyiv.

"And what they're doing now does not guarantee it will change. In fact, now, there are repressions, political orders, imprisonment."

Most of Crimea's approximately 300,000 Tatars boycotted a disputed vote set up by Moscow in 2014 on integrating with Russia.

Authorities cracked down hard on the Turkic minority after the takeover, banning its traditional assembly, the Mejlis, closing a Tatar television channel and detaining activists.

The arrest this month of the deputy head of the Mejlis, Nariman Dzhelial, on charges of conspiring to blow up a gas pipeline with several other activists was the latest shock to the beleaguered community.

"This situation has dealt a painful blow to families," Skybin said of the crackdown and the exodus it spurred.

History repeats itself

Although he now has a stable life in Ukraine's capital Kyiv, his mother and sister returned home, and his marriage collapsed. Fearing for his safety, he has not visited Crimea since 2017.

"There are fewer and fewer opportunities to visit or cross the border. We all want to see each other and we are all separated from each other," Skybin told AFP.

Russia, which has jailed more than 90 Tatars, has rejected allegations the arrests are politically motivated, saying it targets only Islamists or pro-Kyiv "terrorists".

Speaking to Russian journalists this month, the head of a Tatar cultural society, Eyvaz Umerov, described Crimea as a "multi-ethnic" society where various groups live in "harmony".

Still, Kremlin rule has forced an estimated 10 percent of Tatars to leave Crimea since 2014, an exodus that 33-year-old rights activist Alim Aliev described as a "brain drain."

"The most active people have left: students, young specialists, businesspeople, political and cultural figures and journalists," said the co-founder of Crimea SOS, a non-governmental group.

It is a fate that many in the community, which has lived on the peninsula for centuries, say has repeated throughout their history.

After Tsarist Russia took over Crimea in 1783 hundreds of thousands of Tatars fled the peninsula to escape religious and political persecution.

Under Joseph Stalin, they were accused of collaborating with Nazi Germany and deported to Central Asia. Nearly half died of starvation or disease.

They began returning under Mikhail Gorbachev and became Ukrainian nationals after independence in 1991. Then came the Russian annexation.

"Once again, people have been stripped of the opportunity to live at home or visit their home," said Aliev.

Skybin, whose artwork borrows from ethnic Tatar motifs, saw in his own flight parallels to the forced displacement of his family in 1944.

"You leave your home and property behind and head into the unknown," he said. "What our grandparents told us, we experienced it ourselves."

'We will be back'

Tatars say they feel safe in Ukraine, but they worry their children and grandchildren will forget their mother tongue.

Eskender Budzhurov, who was born in Uzbekistan and fled Crimea after Moscow's takeover, said Kyiv had become a "second home" for him. But he lamented a lack of schools teaching in his native language.

"I don't even know how five-to-seven-year-old children will learn the language," the 61-year-old said.

Tatars say most Ukrainians have shown compassion towards them and that the country has enough mosques and halal food. This year, the government has for the first time earmarked funds to promote the Tatar culture.

Still, many dream of returning home.

"Our parents and grandparents waited for 70 years to return," said Skybin, the ceramics artist. "And we, too, will be back."
Authorities managed to bring a major fire on a tiny Honduran resort island under control Saturday, after the blaze consumed dozens of homes and forced 400 people to evacuate.

"The fire is 100% controlled," said the head of the government's Permanent Intervention Commission (COPECO), Max Gonzales, at a midafternoon press conference.

A huge cloud of black smoke rose in the early morning from the island of Guanaja, located in the Caribbean off the north coast of mainland Honduras. Its 6,000 inhabitants live mainly from tourism.

Military helicopters dropped bags of water on what the island's deputy mayor Mireya Guillen described as "uncontrollable" flames.

Aided by police, people raced to save beds, furniture and other belongings as the blaze approached, video on social media showed.

Videos shared by local media showed the extent of the devastation, with "90 houses destroyed, 120 damaged... 2,500 people directly affected, three injured and three others to be confirmed," Gonzales said.

The blaze also forced the evacuation of some 400 people, firefighters and other authorities added. Emergency accommodations were set up in a church and a school.

The fire started for unknown reasons in the wee hours of Saturday in seaside homes and spread quickly.

Guanaja, which measures 19 square kilometers, is one of the three Bay Islands of Honduras. The others are Roatan and Utila.
Near-final results from Georgia show the ruling party well ahead of challengers after nationwide local elections amid high tensions, allegations of electoral fraud, and early claims of victory by the South Caucasus country's two main political forces.

With results from all but one of the country's 3,743 precincts tallied, the ruling Georgian Dream party had nearly 46.7 percent of the vote, according to the Central Election Commission on October 3.

The main opposition party, the United National Movement (ENM), had 30.7 percent of the vote. The rest of the vote was split among the remaining 48 parties, with the For Georgia party third at nearly 7.8 percent.

The mayoral races in Tbilisi, Batumi, Kutaisi, Poti and Rustavi were all heading for runoffs after no candidate got an absolute majority of votes.

The elections "took place in a calm, fair, safe and competitive environment. It is very important that today one more step towards democracy and stabilization was made," President Salome Zurabishvili was quoted as saying by Russia's state-run TASS news agency.

The nationwide elections were held on October 2 in a highly polarized atmosphere and were seen as a referendum on Georgian Dream's rule.

The opposition was seeking to use the elections as leverage to demand early parliamentary elections if Georgian Dream failed to get more than 43 percent of the national vote.

Tensions were heightened with the arrest of former President and ENM founder Mikheil Saakashvili within hours of his return from self-exile to rally the opposition ahead of the vote. He was expected to be charged on October 3 with crossing the border illegally.

In the capital, Tbilisi, the mayoral race appeared headed for a runoff with more than 99 percent of the votes counted.

Mayor Kakha Kaladze of Georgian Dream had nearly 45 percent of the vote, while ENM party chief Nika Melia was at 34 percent.

The incumbent conceded on October 3 that he had failed to reach the 50 percent required to avoid a runoff, saying he respected the will of voters and would begin to assess the reasons for the result, mentioning the strained political atmosphere as one potential cause.

Kaladze claimed, however, that Georgian Dream had retained its majority in the Tbilisi city council, although it appeared to have lost seats.

According to the election commission, all five of the mayoral races being contested in the country were heading for a runoff, and three of the races were led by opposition candidates.

Georgian Dream Chairman Irakli Kobakhidze said that he was saddened that the Tbilisi race would go to a second round, but claimed the ruling party had "won convincingly" and predicted that all its candidates facing runoff votes would win.

He scolded the opposition during an October 3 press conference. "You are in a difficult situation," he told a reporter for the opposition-aligned TV channel Mtavari Arkhi in response to a question. "You have severely lost the election, but this should not make you lose face."

Kobakhidze was apparently referring to opposition figure Giorgi Rurua, the founder of Mtavari Arkhi, who was sentenced to four years in prison last year for illegal possession of firearms.

Rurua's supporters have said the charges were politically motivated and opposition parties have called for his release.

After polls closed on October 2, opposition leader Melia claimed Georgian Dream had "lost the political center" and accused the ruling party of "voter intimidation and vote-buying." He called on Georgians to "be mobilized so that Georgian Dream can't manipulate election results."

As the results came in the, other opposition leaders also said there were widespread irregularities despite Georgian Dream saying the elections had been held to the "highest democratic standards."

"The election results were falsified. We have witnessed intimidation and bribing of voters prior to the elections, multiple voting on the election day," Giorgi Baramidze, a leader of the ENM, told AFP.

The Interior Ministry announced on October 3 that it had launched 16 criminal investigations related to incidents that took place on voting day, including physical violence near or at polling stations.

Nongovernmental organizations monitoring the elections reported dozens of suspected cases of electoral fraud, including vote-buying, violations of the secrecy of the ballot, and "carousel voting" -- where voters are bussed into multiple polling stations as an organized group.

According to the Central Election Commission, 366 complaints were filed with the district election commissions during election day, most of them being "procedural deficiencies [that will] require disciplinary action against commission members."

An independent union of journalists, the Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics, reported cases where journalists were cursed, threatened, or physically assaulted at polling stations.

Transparency International, whose Georgia branch had about 300 observers on the ground, reported 160 violations, including multiple voting, the obstruction of monitoring, and the harassment of journalists. The violations led to the filing of 30 complaints, the corruption watchdog said.

Overall, voters cast ballots for mayors in 64 municipalities, as well as nearly 2,100 members of local self-governing councils. Voter turnout nationally stood at nearly 52 percent, according to election authorities.

The local elections come as the country has been in a protracted political crisis since Georgian Dream won parliamentary elections a year ago. Opposition parties claimed the vote was unfair and fraudulent, while international observers said it had been competitive and that fundamental freedoms were generally respected.

Under an EU-brokered agreement reached in April to defuse the paralyzing political crisis between Georgian Dream and opposition parties, early parliamentary elections were to be called in 2022 if Georgian Dream received less than 43 percent in local elections.

But in July, Georgian Dream leader Kobakhidze annulled the so-called April 19 agreement, blaming the opposition for its failure and claiming most other key provisions had been met.

At the time, Kobakhidze said that smaller opposition parties signed the agreement, but the larger "radical opposition" blocs including the main opposition ENM refused to join the deal.

Observers say the election and its aftermath could usher in a period of instability in the country with aspirations of joining Western institutions.

"Today's vote is probably a culmination of the months-long political crisis that has a good chance to drive Georgia into more instability and less prospects for development," Olesya Vartanyan, a senior analyst with the International Crisis Group, told RFE/RL.

"[It's] difficult to say if the ruling party will even want to demonstrate its readiness for compromise after it withdrew from the April 19 agreement that included a step-by-step plan on how to start getting out of Georgia's stagnation and regular crisis situations. Many in the opposition are also very frustrated with the lack of results," she said.

The arrest of Saakashvili, who ruled Georgia from 2004 to 2013, added extra fuel to the country's political crisis, with the ENM's Baramidze saying the situation had undermined the credibility of the elections.

The former president left the country shortly after his term ended, and in 2015 he gave up his Georgian citizenship to become governor of Ukraine's Odesa region, although he continues to be considered a leading opposition figure in Georgia.

Saakashvili was convicted in absentia on corruption and abuse of power charges in 2018 that says are politically motivated. He faces a total of nine years in prison after being found guilty of abusing his authority in two separate cases: one related to trying to cover up evidence related to the 2005 beating of an opposition lawmaker, and another relating to the killing of a Georgian banker.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on October 3 that he would personally press for Saakashvili to be returned to Ukraine.

Some information for this report comes from Civil.ge, AFP, and Reuters.
Greece has agreed to buy three state-of-the-art warships from France, boosting its military capabilities after a decade-long economic recession that cut its defense spending alone by nearly one-half. The deal boosts Greeces military capabilities but critics fear it may stoke further tensions between Greece and age-old foe Turkey, both of them NATO members.



The $5 billion deal will provide Athens with three Belharra frigates and three Gowind corvettes, with an option for one more of each.



Officials say the first vessels will be delivered as early as 2024 with the remainder shipped to Greece two years later.



Vice Admiral Stelios Fenekos explains the importance of the French frigates.



He says these are state-of-the-art ships that provide support for a whole host of activities, from minding submarines and drones to firing missiles.



The frigates have the capability to oversee 800 key locations and act and react swiftly.

With their addition to the Greek Navy, the entire stretch of the countrys water frontiers, from the northern tip of the Aegean to as far south as Cyprus  will be shielded closely, Fenekos says.



The deal complements another lucrative agreement Greece announced last year to buy at least 18 fourth generation Rafale fighter jets for $2.5 billion. These defense contracts have helped seal a strategic defense strategy between Greece and France.

The Turkish government, for its part, says the deal violates international law.



For Ankara, which has been at odds with Athens for years over the Aegean waterway that divides the two countries, and the eastern Mediterranean, the latest arms purchase is a game-changer at its expense.



"These deals advance Greeces military capabilities significantly, putting them 10-15 years ahead of Turkey," explains George Fillis, a professor of geopolitics in Athens. "And with Turkey facing arms embargoes from countries like the United States, the prospect of boosting its own capabilities is limited," he said. "Turkey is clearly in a bind."

Greece and Turkey have been at odds over air and sea rights in the Aegean for ages. Last year, the two countries came to the brink of war over competing claims to drilling rights in the eastern Mediterranean.



France sided with Greeces rights, sending warships to the region to challenge Turkey in a move that enraged President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.



Under the new deal, France will come to Greeces military aid if requested and under threat. Likewise, Greece will aid France in military operations in sub-Saharan territories France has vested interests in.



With tensions brewing anew between Greece and Turkey, Fillis says he fears the latest deal may only aggravate tense relations.



"There is no doubt that this deal is a major game-changer in the region and Turkey may move to test the limits and reflexes of this new strategic alliance," he says. "There has to be vigilance."
Hong Kong's largest independent trade union disbanded on Sunday, further stoking concerns over the space for civil society groups as a national security law and the sweeping powers it gives the police stifle dissent in the global financial center.

Founded in 1990, the 145,000 member Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU) voted to disband, bringing an end to the organization as authorities exert greater control on groups and unions in the business hub.

While anti-government protests in 2019 generated a new wave of labor activism in Hong Kong and triggered a 35% jump in registered trade unions, groups have been scrambling to disband since Beijing imposed the security law last year.

Fears of falling foul of the law and facing terms of up to life in jail have seen at least 29 trade unions disband since the start of this year, according to a tally by Reuters.

HKCTU vice-president Leo Tang said members of the group had received threats to their personal safety, without elaborating.

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has denied that the government is carrying out a crackdown on civil society, and authorities say all law enforcement actions have been based on evidence and have nothing to do with the political beliefs of those arrested.
One U.N. peacekeeper was killed and four more were severely wounded when their convoy hit an improvised explosive device in northern Mali on Saturday, the U.N. force in Mali said.

The bloodshed near the town of Tessalit followed the killing of five Malian gendarmes in an ambush on a mining convoy in southern Mali earlier this week that was claimed by a group linked to al-Qaida.

Armed attacks by Islamist militants and other groups are common across vast swaths of Mali and its neighbors Burkina Faso and Niger despite a heavy presence of international troops. Thousands of civilians have been killed and millions displaced.

"This incident is a sad reminder of the permanent danger that hangs over our peacekeepers," El Ghassim Wane, the head of the U.N. mission known as MINUSMA, said in a statement. The peacekeeper who was killed was from Egypt.

The mission has deployed more than 13,000 troops to contain violence by armed groups in the north and center of the country. It has recorded about 255 fatalities since 2013, making it the deadliest of the U.N.'s more than a dozen peacekeeping missions.

In a statement issued Saturday night, the U.N. secretary-general strongly condemned the attack and expresses his deep condolences to the family of the victim, as well as the government and people of Egypt. He wishes a speedy recovery to the injured, the statement from the spokesperson for the secretary-general said.
Tens of thousands of Brazilians took to the streets around the country Saturday, once again calling for the ouster of unpopular President Jair Bolsonaro over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, among other issues.

Large crowds gathered in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Brasilia and dozens of other towns and cities as part of the "Bolsonaro Out National Campaign," which is backed by a dozen left-wing political parties and labor groups.

Among other issues, the right-wing president has come under stinging criticism for his handling of the pandemic, which has claimed nearly 600,000 lives here.

Hundreds of people marched through the central Rio de Janeiro neighborhood of Candelaria, shouting "Bolsonaro out!" which was also emblazoned on several large banners.

"We're going to get him out. The hope of the people here in the streets is to put pressure on legislators so that they call for impeachment," 69-year-old retired professor Elizabeth Simoes told AFP.

More than 100 requests for the impeachment of Bolsonaro have been filed with the Chamber of Deputies, but its leader Arthur Lira, a government ally, has refused to take any of them up.

The Supreme Court has ordered several investigations into Bolsonaro and his aides, including for spreading false information.

In Sao Paulo, tens of thousands of people gathered Saturday afternoon on the central Paulista Avenue, including former Cabinet minister Ciro Gomes.

"Bolsonaro is destroying the national economy," said the center-left politician, calling for unity. "He fills Brazil with shame abroad and is responsible for the death of almost 600,000 Brazilians" from COVID-19.

Meanwhile, hundreds of demonstrators gathered along the Esplanade of Ministries in Brasilia.

Local media counted protests in 24 of Brazil's 27 states, and in 84 cities, including 14 state capitals.

Red flags of the Workers' Party of former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, or Lula, could be seen Saturday, along with Brazilian flags and the signs of several other left-wing and centrist parties often seen at protests against the far-right Bolsonaro.

'Can't stand this government'

In recent months, protests led by leftist movements have demanded Bolsonaro's impeachment due to his mismanagement of the pandemic. But Saturday's demonstrations were also against a hike in food and fuel prices, as well as for relief for the 14.1 million unemployed people throughout the country.

"The population is going hungry, and we can't stand this government any longer," said Isadora Lessa, 22, in Rio.

"What is the importance of being here? That he knows he doesn't have unanimity, that he's going to have a hard time getting elected again," said Marcelo Werneck, who joined the protests in Rio in memory of the "friends and family" who died of COVID-19.

"If he doesn't face an impeachment, he loses the election in 2022," Werneck added.

Besieged by judicial investigations and the economic crisis, Bolsonaro's popularity has plummeted in recent months to 22%, its lowest level since he took office in January 2019.

But backers of the president have also made themselves known in recent weeks, as around 125,000 of them gathered in Brasilia and Sao Paulo on Sept. 7 in a show of support for Bolsonaro.

A mid-September opinion poll by the Datafolha Institute found that Bolsonaro has 26% support compared with Lula's 44%, just one year ahead of the presidential vote.
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Soldiers from 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, New York, were among the first to deploy to Afghanistan in 2001, and the unit is now among the last to return after the withdrawal. Our Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb was there for the troops' long-awaited return.



Camera: Saqib Ul Islam


Turkey's newest park is an underwater museum of 14 shipwrecks that lie beneath the waves of the Dardanelles Strait, a glimpse into the fierce battles between the Ottoman and Allied forces in World War I.

Turkish photographer Savas Karakas was one of the first to board a boat and dive to the seabed grave when the park opened Saturday. There, he says, he was able to reconnect with his grandfather who fought in the Gallipoli campaign of 1915.

"My grandfather's hands were disfigured and burned in action, and I was always scared of them," said Karakas, who lives in Istanbul and whose given name means "war," after the battle.

"But when I come to Gallipoli and dive, the rusted metal and steel of the wrecks reminds me of my grandfather's hands, and I hold his hand under the water."

The Gallipoli Historic Underwater Park opened 106 years after Ottoman and allied German forces halted an invasion by British, French, Australian and New Zealand troops.

The Ottoman resistance remains a point of deep pride in modern Turkey. At the time, it thwarted the Allies' plan to control the straits connecting the Aegean to the Black Sea, where their Russian naval allies were penned in.

Heavy British losses included the 120-meter HMS Majestic battleship, which is the first stop for divers at a depth of 24 meters off the coast of Seddulbahir.

It and other vessels are largely intact on the sea floor.

"We are a fortunate generation because we ... can still visit those monuments," said Ali Ethem Keskin, another underwater photographer from Istanbul.

"When I started diving ... I felt the moment that they were sunk, and I felt the stress of war," he said. "I sensed the panic they felt at that moment."
Jordans King Abdullahs office said Monday his ownership of properties in the United States and United Kingdom is not unusual nor improper.

The Royal Palace statement came a day after a group of journalists used millions of previously undisclosed documents to detail how current and former leaders throughout the world have amassed vast wealth and secret real estate holdings across the globe.

The investigation of nearly 12 million documents from 14 sources was led by the Washington-based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, with 650 journalists from around the world working on the project.

The records showed that the Jordanian ruler spent $106 million on luxury homes along the Pacific Ocean in Malibu, California, Washington and other locations.

These properties are not publicized out of security and privacy concerns, and not out of secrecy or an attempt to hide them, as these reports have claimed, the Royal Palace said in its statement Monday.

The palace added that the kings personal funds, and not state money, were used for the cost and related expenditures for the properties.

The documents, dubbed the Pandora Papers, exposed the offshore holdings of 35 current and former country leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis.

Czech leader Babis, facing an election later this week, used an offshore investment company to buy two villas in the south of France for more than $16 million, according to the records.

Babis denied any wrongdoing, saying Sunday during a televised debate on Prima News, The money was sent out of a Czech bank, the money was taxed, it was my money and it returned back to the Czech Republic.

The Washington Post, one of the news outlets that helped conduct the investigation, said the files included private emails, secret spreadsheets, clandestine contracts and other records that revealed financial schemes and who was behind them.

The documents showed that national leaders on five continents hid assets, often in other countries, with the investigation exposing more than twice as many offshore account holders as the Panama Papers, an examination five years ago by the investigative journalists of hidden financial assets at offshore entities across the world.

The new material comes from 29,000 offshore accounts at 14 separate financial-services companies operating in countries that include Switzerland, Singapore, Cyprus, Belize, the British Virgin Islands and elsewhere. Among the account owners, the Post said, are more than 130 people Forbes magazine lists as billionaires and more than 330 public officials in more than 90 countries and territories.

Off-shore refers to a time when remote island nations were the primary locales where people put money to shield it from government regulators, tax authorities, creditors, investigators and others.

The offshore financial system is a problem that should concern every law-abiding person around the world, Sherine Ebadi, a former Federal Bureau of Investigation officer who worked on dozens of financial-crimes cases, told the Post.

The records showed that a luxury waterfront apartment in Monaco is the residence of a Russian woman who reportedly had a child with Putin.

In recent years, U.S. presidents have imposed financial sanctions on oligarchs in Russia for what the U.S. Treasury has called malign activity. The Pandora Papers showed that those targeted have often made substantial efforts to evade the effects of the sanctions by shifting ownership of their assets. Nonetheless, the documents showed that the sanctions caused financial losses, including for Kremlin officials.

The documents, according to the British Broadcasting Corporation, said that Blair and his wife, Cherie, saved $421,000 in stamp duty when they bought a London office from an offshore company that owned the building.

The BBC said Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, his family and close associates have secretly bought more than $540 million worth of property in Britain.

For years, international tax havens have been a favorite of the wealthy looking to hide assets. But the Post said the Pandora Papers showed that in recent years foreign, political and corporate officials have moved some holdings to even more secret American trust companies, including in the Midwestern state of South Dakota.

Chris Hannas contribute to this report. Some information came from the Associated Press and Reuters .
The pandemic has destabilized societies, economies, and governments. It has shown that there is no global security without global health security, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a recent address to ambassadors and representatives to the European Unions political and security committee.

The fastest and best way to end this pandemic is with genuine global cooperation on vaccine supply and access, Tedros said. The longer vaccine inequity persists, the longer the social and economic turmoil will continue, and the more opportunity the virus has to circulate and change into more dangerous variants. We need a global realization that no country can vaccinate its way out of this pandemic in isolation from the rest of the world.

The Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center reported Sunday it had recorded 234.6 million global COVID infections and nearly 5 million deaths.

Thousands marched Saturday in Bucharest, Romania, to protest restrictions that begin Sunday to combat a jump in coronavirus infections.

The European nation of 19 million is seeing a shocking rise in the daily number of coronavirus cases. A month ago, the number was about 1,000 new cases a day. On Saturday, Romania reported more than 12,500 new cases, its highest number since the pandemic began in March of last year.

Protesters, mostly maskless, gathered outside government offices, shouting "Freedom, freedom without certificates," and "Down with the government," according to Reuters. One sign read: "Green certificates = dictatorship," The Associated Press reported.

The demonstration was organized by Romania's far-right AUR party, the AP said.

The rising cases have strained the nations hospitals  intensive care beds are nearly full  and the protests angered some medical workers.

"The situation in hospitals is serious," Beatrice Mahler, hospital manager of Bucharest's Marius Nasta Institute of Pneumology, told The Associated Press. "We have patients hospitalized in beds in the hallway  all with extremely severe forms of COVID-19."

The restrictions scheduled to take effect Sunday include requiring masks be worn in public, and that shops close at 10 p.m. local time.

Public spaces such as restaurants, theaters and gyms, can remain open  some at only partial capacity  for customers who have COVID-19 passes, meaning they are fully vaccinated, or show proof they have had the illness caused by the coronavirus.

Romania has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the European Union, 33.5% of all adults are fully vaccinated, second only to Bulgaria.

There is a weekend curfew in effect for unvaccinated Romanians, and there are plans to make vaccinations mandatory for health care workers, Reuters said.

Since the pandemic began, Romania has recorded nearly 1.25 million cases of COVID-19 and more than 37,000 people have died, according to Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.

Russias vaccine

Russias health minister, Mikhail Murashko, said Saturday that just some paperwork needs to be finished before its Sputnik V vaccine can be registered with the World Health Organization.

The shot has been approved in more than 70 countries and is used widely in Russia. If it wins approval from the WHO and the European Medicines Agency, that could make it available to other markets, Reuters said.

The WHO could not be immediately reached for comment, Reuters added.

Nicaragua shots

Nicaragua has OKd two Cuban-made vaccines for use in the Central American nation, the Cuban manufacturer, BioCubaFarma, said Saturday.

Cuba developed three coronavirus vaccines, all of which are awaiting official recognition by the WHO, Reuters reported. Nicaragua authorized Abdala and Soberana for emergency use.

Iran, Vietnam and Venezuela have also OKd the Cuban vaccines for emergency use in their countries.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters.
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Angry farmers clashed with security personnel across India's northern Haryana state, Saturday, October 2, during protests over a delay in paddy procurement by the state government. (Reuters)
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Violence erupted in Mexico City, Saturday, October 2, as scores of Mexicans took to the streets to mark the 53rd anniversary of the 1968 massacre of student protesters in Tlatelolco Square. (Reuters)
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User reports estimate the perceived ground shaking intensity according to the MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) scale

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Jorhat (182.1 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) : 2 short quakes mild | 8 users found this interesting.

Dispur, Kamrup Metro, Assam (327.5 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : I am about to sleep on my bed..on 12:56am(24:56hrs)..when I went inside my bed mosquito net and sat on my bed to tuck in the net covers, my bed suddenly shooked for seconds and it was a lateral shake that was for a second and directly I went out of my bed | 3 users found this interesting.

Guwahati Assam. Was sitting on sofa which was shak (332.1 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Watching tv sitting on sofa which got shaken 4-5 times on the 5th floor of building also a top floor. | 2 users found this interesting.

Jorhat (182 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : We all were sleeping. Woke up to shakings and I started screaming. We rushed downstairs and by that time the shakings stopped. | 2 users found this interesting.

Tinsukia, Assam (256.3 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s : So i was just on my bed,and suddenly i felt my bed vibrating. I was a bit confused and then when i rushed towards my mothers room and told her that i felt a earthquake But when i tried to confirm it by looking into a water bottle whether the water was sha | 2 users found this interesting.

Tinsukia / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging : I was meditating when only for some moment i felt a weak shake in horizontal manner of my bed thats it | 2 users found this interesting.

Tinsukia (256.6 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : I was just reading a book, about to doze off and just out of nowhere my bed started shaking.. | 2 users found this interesting. i was watching Nepal earthquake videos on youtube. / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Imphal, manipur, india (105.6 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s : Earthquake comes here in our area called imphal city, manipur at india. It's occur while I was sitting on the chair and it's a single vertical bump

Haiken, Hkamti District, Sagaing Region (1.1 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : My bed shook violently sideways mainly. | One user found this interesting.

Dibrugarh, Assam (251.3 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : 1 to 2 sec vibration | One user found this interesting.

Imphal, Manipur (105.9 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 10-15 s : I was sleeping my bed moves up and down | One user found this interesting.

Tinsukia (257.7 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s : Just a bump for 1-2 seconds | One user found this interesting.

Jorhat, Assam (181.3 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / very short : Very short duration quake | One user found this interesting.

D (140.1 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / simple rolling (tilting sideways along one direction) / 5-10 s : Very weak shaking | One user found this interesting.

Chabua, Dibrugarh district, Assam (251.9 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s : Lateral shaking. | One user found this interesting.

Manipur (105.4 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s : Weak shake, Bumps and body moved. | One user found this interesting.

Dispur, Kamrup Metro, Assam (328.4 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : was sleeping | One user found this interesting.

dibrugarh (252.5 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) : While lying on the sofa | One user found this interesting.

Digboi, Assam (252.2 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : I was laying on my bed and my bed started shaking for a few seconds | One user found this interesting.

Jorhat (184.3 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : The bed was swinging sideways | One user found this interesting.

Assam Tinsukia (256.6 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s : Bed was shaking for about 2-5sec | One user found this interesting.

Guwahati, Kamrup Metro, Assam (332.2 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) : Weak shake | One user found this interesting.

Jorhat (184.3 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : I was on the bed and it shook laterally | One user found this interesting.

SIBSAGAR (196.9 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / very short : A very low magnitude | One user found this interesting.

Dibrugarh (250.5 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / 2-5 s : Two vibrations 2-5 seconds apart | One user found this interesting.

28 km of Moirang, Bishnupur, Manipur (154.5 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : I felt a push | One user found this interesting.

Sibasagar (188.9 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 2-5 s : bed was shaking laterally | One user found this interesting.

Dibrugarh, Assam (251.3 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / single vertical bump / 2-5 s : One heavy movement or vibration | One user found this interesting.

Tinsukia (258.5 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s : Thing started shaking | One user found this interesting.

Dibrugarh, Assam (250.1 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) : I was about to sleep but suddenly I felt like my bed was shaking. | One user found this interesting.

Guwahati (326.5 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : My bed shake | One user found this interesting.

Diphu (162.9 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 10-15 s : Its very small | One user found this interesting.

Silchar, Assam (216.8 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : Bed shaked strongly | One user found this interesting.

Duliajan (242 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) : moderate quaking for a couple seconds | One user found this interesting.

Imphal (106.5 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / very short : Late at night | One user found this interesting.

Narayanpur, Lakhimpur district, Assam / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 5-10 s : I felt just one jerk when I was sleeping. | One user found this interesting.

Jorhat, Assam / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s : We were asleep and felt a few jolts. We stay in the 5th floor | One user found this interesting.

Manipur / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 1-2 s : My bed shook for a second, it was quite abrupt. As everyone was deep asleep then, no one else felt it. | One user found this interesting.

Changtongya Town / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / very short : There was a sudden shaking for a tiny second like sinking of a rock. Moa here | One user found this interesting.

SIBSAGAR / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : It was shaking for few seconds | One user found this interesting.

Sonari, Charaideo (209.2 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : It was weak. My bed and walls were shaking for 2-5 seconds. | One user found this interesting.

Jorhat / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : A Jerk. | One user found this interesting.

Makum, Dist.Tinsukia, Assam, India / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / very short : I was on bed and felt a vibration once | One user found this interesting.

Dimapur / not felt : Felt an earthquake | One user found this interesting.

Tinsukia (257.6 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s : Light shaking | One user found this interesting.

Golaghat / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s : Light | One user found this interesting.

Jorhat / Weak shaking (MMI III) / vibration and rolling / very short : Shaking only 2 times I was in bed | One user found this interesting.

Tinsukia / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : Observable single lateral light shake | One user found this interesting.

Guwahati / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / very short : Very weak | One user found this interesting.

Sivasagar, Assam / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : One jerk | One user found this interesting.

Mokokchung / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : Very mild tremor that lasted about 2 seconds | One user found this interesting.

SIBSAGAR / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s : It was shaking for few seconds | One user found this interesting.

Tinsukia,assm / not felt / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : it's very shakes | One user found this interesting.

Chuta hapjaan TE. Makum / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 5-10 s : It was a very light seismic effect. But I felt it. | One user found this interesting.

Jorhat, Assam / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Windows of my room at 2nd floor were rattling | One user found this interesting.

Margherita, Assam (243.8 km NNE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / vertical swinging (up and down) / very short

Tinsukia, Assam (256.8 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Sivasagar (197.9 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 2-5 s

Imphal, Manipur (107.7 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 2-5 s

Tinsukia (256.6 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Jorhat, (184.2 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : I was sitting at my sofa and felt it

SIVASAGAR (197.3 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

Imphal West (105.3 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / complex motion difficult to describe : One strong tremor from North to South direction followed my light tremors

Tinsukia (256.5 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

25 km of Shillong, East Khasi Hills District, Meghalaya (286.5 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 1-2 s

Shillong, East Khasi Hills District, Meghalaya (304.1 km W of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s

Si (198.5 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III)

tinsukia (256.8 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

Sonari, Sivasagar, Assam (201.4 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s

sivasagar (199.5 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Tinsukia, Assam (257.4 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s

Imphal West (107.4 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / very short

Dibrugarh (250.7 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 1-2 s

Guwahati (332.8 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II)

gelakey (180.2 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Ziro (279.2 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / very short

Jorhat (184.3 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / very short

Duliajan (240.8 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

Sarupathar (149.4 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s (reported through our app / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s

Chabua (255 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s

Tinsukia (257.2 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 15-20 s

Guwahati (337.7 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 2-5 s

near Thoubal, Manipur (113.7 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III)

near Namrup, Dibrugarh district, Assam (229.2 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / very short

Jorhat, Assam (182.2 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Sibsagar, Assam (196.5 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

JORHAT (184 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Duliajan (241.4 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / very short

Itanagar arunachal pradesh (243.9 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Tinsukia (256.9 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 5-10 s

Jorhat (184.3 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s

Assam (185.3 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Itanagar, Papum Pare, Arunachal Pradesh (243.8 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s

GUWAHATI (325.2 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / 2-5 s

Nagaon / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / very short

Dimapur (0 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s : Was a little scared since was on the first floor sleeping with my kids...but it was a very light shaking which subsided after few seconds

Guwahati, Assam / Weak shaking (MMI III)

Jorhat Assam / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Jorhat / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : My bed shook

Guwahati / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s

Howly (414.3 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / very short : Simply a short shake which can be assumed as earthquake

Imphal / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s

SHILLONG / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / rattling, vibrating / 15-20 s

Guwahati / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s

Dehradun / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / single lateral shake : Moderate shakinf

Guwahati / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Milan Nagar Dibrugarh / Weak shaking (MMI III) / complex motion difficult to describe / 10-15 s

Dimapur / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Imphal Manipur (105.8 km WSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

Jorhat (184.3 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 1-2 s

Guwahati / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging

Guwahati / not felt

IMPHAL WEST / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 10-15 s

Guwahati / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s

Jorhat (188.9 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 1-2 s

Sleeping / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / very short : Lateral shaking felt while sleeping

Dimapur Nagaland / Weak shaking (MMI III) / vibration and rolling / 1-2 s

Tinsukia, Assam / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / single lateral shake / very short

Jorhat (186.9 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 1-2 s

Dibrugarh / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Mariani / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / very short

Guwahati / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Dibrugarh / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s

Deoghar / not felt (reported through our app / not felt

Dhaka / not felt (reported through our app / not felt

Tinsukia (256.5 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single vertical bump / 1-2 s

Guwahati / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / very short

JORHAT / not felt

Noonmati / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Lakhimpur (237.3 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 2-5 s

Guijan / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / very short

TINSUKIA (256.1 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / complex motion difficult to describe / 1-2 s

Guwahati / Weak shaking (MMI III)

Guwahati / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / 2-5 s

Sivasagar / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / 5-10 s

Dibrugarh / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s

Jorhat, Assam / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 5-10 s

Diphu / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s

Guwahati / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Guwahati / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s

Duliajan / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 1-2 s

Lakhimpur / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 1-2 s

Guwahati / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / very short

Internet surfing / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s

Rowriah jorhat / not felt / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Guwahati / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s

Guwahati / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / simple rolling (tilting sideways along one direction) / 2-5 s

TINSUKIA / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s

duliajan / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s

Jorhat / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / very short

Jorhat / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Tezpur / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / very short

Ukhrul / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 1-2 s

Guwahati / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s (reported through our app / Light shaking (MMI IV) / 2-5 s

Mokokchung / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / very short

Dimapur / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s

Jorhat / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 5-10 s

Imphal / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / very short

Guwahati / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Guwahati / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s

Sibsagar / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s

Jorhat / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / very short

Duliajan / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 2-5 s

Jorhat / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s

North Lakhimpur assam / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s
According to Pentagon spokesman Admiral John Kirby, President Joe Biden is authorized to bomb Daeshs cells in Afghanistan under the Authorization for Use of Military Force  AUMF), which became law after the September 2001 attacks.

It is, to say the least, a broad interpretation of this text; Daesh did not exist at the time.

All the more so considering that during the Geneva negotiations (called Yalta 2), President Biden had given signs of walking away from the 2001 AUMF law, which authorizes the War Without End (Rumsfeld / Cebrowski Strategy).
UPDATE: Athens Police say Jesse Michael Felker has been found.

Athens Police say they are searching for 74-year-old Jesse Michael Felker.

He's 5-feet and 10-inches tall, 200 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes and possibly wearing blue jean shorts, according to Athens Police.

Felker may be disoriented, police say. He left his home without notifying his wife.

It's unclear where Felker is at right now, but police say he has talked about getting back to Kentucky.

Felker may be in a white 2001 Ford F-150 crew cab truck with Alabama US Army tag YKD730.

Anyone with information is asked to call Athens Police at 256-233-8700.
Multiple law enforcement agencies just left Huntsville Hospital to escort Sgt. Nick Risner from there to UAB.

"Although Sgt. Nick Risner is no longer with us, he is continuing to save lives by being an active organ donor," Sheffield Police Chief Ricky Terry said.

Risner was shot in Muscle Shoals on Friday. He died Saturday morning.

PREVIOUS: SHEFFIELD POLICE SGT. NICK RISNER DIES FROM INJURIES AFTER BEING SHOT IN THE LINE OF DUTY

A vigil was held at the Sheffield Police Department to honor him.
The Sheffield Police Department held a vigil Saturday night for one of their own.

Sgt. Nick Risner died Saturday morning at Huntsville Hospital after injuries sustained in a shooting Friday in Muscle Shoals.

Saturday night was a moment for brothers and sisters in law enforcement to gather and remember their greatest hero.

"He wouldn't have wanted to go out any other way," said Sheffield Police Chief Ricky Terry. "That is what he loved."

Officers, along with the community, remembered Risner as a selfless man.

"He went beyond his means to do anything and everything for that person," said Officer Barnett.

To Risner's brothers and sisters in blue, he paid the ultimate sacrifice.

"There are days we put this vest on not knowing if we're going to come home to our families," Barnett said.

Officers and community members were given the opportunity to share not only prayers but memories they have of their fallen hero.

One woman shared how helping people was "truly one of Nick's passions." Risner was often helping his own coworkers, even if he didn't know it at the time.

"He was basically like my mentor," Barnett said. "That's something he always preached to me: Be that community officer, and be the all-around officer."

Barnett said now, every day that he puts his vest on, he'll remember Risner.

"I'm going to live through him. I'm not going to let what happened stop me," Barnett said.

Sgt. Mason Herston said there's a little peace when the Colbert County community comes together. Even if everyone in the community is shaken, Saturday night was a moment for everyone to be still.

"We're taking the right steps. We're coming together," Herston said.

Sheffield Mayor Steve Stanley said there are difficult days ahead.
Vertillo Pizza was the site of a prayer vigil honoring late Sheffield Police Sgt. Nick Risner, who died Saturday after being shot in the line of duty Friday.

Those who spoke at the vigil about Risner enjoyed the time he spent in the community.

"Nick was such a standout in the community," said Kristy Puckett-Dover, a member of Shoals Angels.

The loss of an officer who was serving his community has left many people with a heavy heart.

"Nick was a huge part of our charity," Puckett-Dover said. "He wanted to help the kids in Sheffield that wouldn't be getting Christmas."

Risner is the first Sheffield officer to die in the line of duty in 83 years. Losing an officer in the line of duty is a day that Santana Davis hoped would never come again.

"We lost a good one. He went down a hero," said Davis, a member of Running 4 Heroes.

Although hearts ached and tears were shed, the strength of a community helped ease the pain.

"It means so much that y'all have shown up in support of him," said Puckett-Dover.
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With shuttle-diplomacy and mild financial restrictions having failed, Western governments will need to lean more heavily on the prime minister to pause the fighting and allow humanitarian supplies into the war zone. The Biden administration can lead the way by suspending all nonessential aid to Addis Ababa, as well as blocking assistance from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Washington should also follow through on its threat to cancel duty-free access for Ethiopian exports to the U.S. market under the African Growth and Opportunity Act.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commissions (ACCC) Scamwatch website has revealed an 89 per cent jump in the number of people falling victim to scammers so far this year.

About 213,000 Australians have lost an average of $11,000 each. Last year, the average across the same period was just $7000.

More than half the scams reported this year have come by phone. Credit:

The $175.6 million in losses so far in 2021 have already surpassed those reported for the whole of 2020.

Sadly, people aged 65 and older have lost the most money. They account for $49.1 million of the losses.
The disappearance of journalist Juanita Nielsen on July 4, 1975, has become the stuff of urban myth.

Her body? Its buried in the Blue Mountains. No, no, its under the third runway at Sydney airport.

She was killed because she was opposing high-rise development, no, hang on, it was because she had a dirt file on powerful people that she was planning to publish in her Kings Cross newspaper. She had to go.

You can hear them echoing down through the decades: It was a corrupt police officer, it was Abe Saffron and his Kings Cross henchmen. A property developer was behind it. It was Saffrons business partner, Jim Anderson.

And for every year since, there seems to be an equal number of theories as to why she was murdered, who killed her and where her body might now lie.

She was just 38-years-old when she disappeared, so many years ago, way back in the winter of 1975.

Juanita Nielsen in October 1974. She disappeared on July 4, 1975 and was a newspaper publisher, journalist and activist, and heiress of the Mark Foy family. Credit:Nigel Scot

Media Watch, and others, including myself and Peter Rees, author of the book Killing Juanita, recognised as the definitive account of the case, had raised serious questions about the credibility and veracity of claims made to the ABC by the star witness of the documentary, John Rossell Innes.

But after a series of questions from Media Watch, the ABC removed the two TV episodes and two parts of the podcast from its website.

The TV documentary aired last month, the podcast in July and August.

For the lead host, Keiran McGee, it was to be a genuine journey of exploration. What sort of woman was her aunty, the missing heiress as she was so often described in the newspaper headlines?

The documentary and the podcast started with a terrific concept: two of Juanitas relatives would investigate the case, but it was to be more than just what had happened to Juanita.

Sadly, rather than clearing-up or clarifying the many whispers and rumours surrounding her murder, the recent ABC-TV documentary Juanita: A Family Mystery, along with the podcast Unravel: Juanita, has only added to them.

According to Innes, and as reported by the ABC online: He (Arkins) was looking for someone that had investigatory experience but was not a detective  someone that was unknown but experienced in these areas and who understood forensic inquiries.

Why was he selected for this mission?

He told the ABC that he and Arkins spent months preparing a cover story that would see him sent to jail and moved to a cell near Trigg.

Innes told the ABC that in 1982, he had been approached by one of the NSW detectives investigating the Nielsen case, Karl Arkins, and asked to go undercover to help solve the murder. To go into Long Bay jail and see if he could prise some information out of one of the key suspects in Nielsens disappearance, Eddie Trigg.

Innes was presented by the documentary as a successful corporate lawyer who had an extraordinary historical story to tell about Nielsen. In that, at least, the broadcaster was right, it was extraordinary.

Rees, who has spent decades looking into the case, had never heard of him. I also had a long-standing interest in the case, having covered the lengthy 1983 inquest into her death as a reporter for the Herald.

Up until his appearance on national television and in the podcast, Innes was unheard of in relation to the Nielsen disappearance.

Innes did indeed go to jail at the end of November, 1982. That much can be verified. Its also true that Eddie Trigg was in jail at the same time, awaiting trial.

In an online article published last month, the ABC reported: After months of planning, Innes was taken to the jail in a police van by Darlinghurst police where he occupied a remand cell opposite Trigg for nearly three months. Innes initial assignment was to investigate the money trail  who was financing Juanitas suspected murder.

Just why Innes was on the course is not clear. But a retired NSW detective, who was there at the same time and later attained the rank of superintendent, laughed at the suggestion theyd been lectured about cyber crime. We didnt even have bloody computers, he said.

When he started the detective training course he was working as a loss adjuster for a private firm.

The Sun-Herald has established that Innes did attend the course, but that it started in February, 1981 and went for just under three months. On his CV, he was not working for the A-Gs department, having left at the end of 1980 after working there for 17 months.

Innes CV has him attending the detectives course in 1980-81, and he claims one of the subjects was cyber crime.

According to the ABC, in the early 80s, he was a third-year law student working in the NSW Attorney-Generals Department when he was selected for a detective training course with the NSW police academy.

The cover story, according to him, apparently extended to the media  to reports in no less than three newspapers, The Sun-Herald, The Canberra Times and the Herald. These reports allegedly gave the cover story credence.

By the time we finished, it looked like a law office. It was ridiculous, Innes said.

Detective Arkins had arranged to have law books and other study material delivered to his cell.

He told the program-makers that while he was in prison it had become known he was studying law.

It was perhaps, at first blush, a plausible story. But it got better, a whole lot better if you believed Innes.

He had been charged by detectives Arkins and Norm Maroney but not with the murder of Nielsen. Instead they had charged him and two others with conspiring to abduct her in the days before her disappearance.

The articles said Innes had originally been charged with false pretences, passing dud cheques totaling $10,000. Initially granted bail, he had been placed on remand when he was further charged with a false application for an Australian passport.

On November 28, 1982, The Sun-Herald, under the headline Defendant set to flee, say police, reported the following: An investigator with the Corporate Affairs Commission who faces 14 charges connected with the alleged running of a male brothel appeared in Waverley Court yesterday charged with making false statements to obtain a passport. Police alleged John Russell (sic) Innes, 24, of East Sydney made false statements while applying for a passport for a trip to New Zealand.

Previously charged with passing the dodgy cheques, this time bail was refused.

Once more there was a factual discrepancy. According to his CV, he left the Corporate Affairs Commission in July, 1979, having worked there for one year and eight months.

Still, based on what Innes told the ABC, the elaborate operation was a resounding success.

He was in jail, undercover. Another possibility is that he was in jail for passing false cheques.

He went on to tell ABC viewers he had got talking to Trigg in prison about his court case and whether Eddie should plead guilty to conspiring to abduct Juanita Nielsen.

While theyd been chatting, Innes said Trigg had made a number of confessions.

Trigg told Innes that in exchange for pleading guilty, $70,000 was being held for him in the trust account of a firm of solicitors, Malcolm Johns and Co. The firm also acted for Abe Saffron. By pleading guilty he would avoid a trial and any nasty cross-examination.

Then came the bombshell.

I know exactly where she was killed, how she was killed, who killed her, how much they got paid and who paid him, he told the ABC. He said that Trigg had confessed to murdering Nielsen after she arrived at the Carousel nightclub in Kings Cross on the morning of July 4.

Abe Saffrons business partner Jim Anderson in Kings Cross in 1983. The Carousel nightclub, the last place Nielsen was seen before she disappeared, was owned by Saffron and run by Anderson. Eddie Triggs also worked there. Credit:Julian Zakaras

Trigg said to me, I took her into the restaurant  and I throttled her. Now, it struck me at the time because who uses the word throttle? Its an unusual word to be using and its been embedded in my mind ever since.

The Carousel was owned by Saffron. It was run by Saffrons business associate, Jim Anderson, who had gained notoriety years earlier by shooting dead gangster Donny The Glove Smith. Trigg, was the Carousels VIP bar manager.

Theres no dispute hed asked Nielsen to go there on the pretext that the club wanted to buy advertising space in her newspaper. For decades, what happened after she arrived has remained a matter of contention. What we do know is that she was never seen again.

But, according to the ABC: Within 24 hours of Trigg confessing to Juanitas killing, Mr Innes said he was extracted out of jail. He met Detective Arkins several times in the weeks after, and the police officer took pages of notes. Despite Mr Innes intel, there was no mention of Triggs confession  by police at Juanita Nielsens coronial inquest in 1983.

Abe Saffron at the Glebe Coroners Court on November 1, 1983 for the inquiry into the disappearance of Juanita Nielsen. Credit:Peter Morris

But why had Innes waited 38 years to go public? Is his story backed up by any evidence?

The short answer is not any evidence that we have seen. There are real questions as to whether much of what Innes told the ABC is a fabrication.

The national broadcaster has published his spectacular claims without properly confirming his bona fides or credibility.

In a statement on its website the ABC said new information came to light casting serious doubt on some of Innes claims. Some of this information had been unavailable to the content makers; some was available but not discovered.

On the morning the ABC published its online story containing Innes claims, I called my colleague of many years, Peter Rees.

Like me, hed never heard of Innes but some of his story rang distant bells for both of us, particularly the claim about the $70,000 being paid to Trigg to plead guilty.

It had emerged during the 1983 inquest into Nielsens death.

On October 11, 1983, a witness whose name was withheld gave evidence. I was in court that day reporting for the Herald.

My article on October 12 said that a student, studying law, had told the court he had been in jail with Trigg at the Metropolitan Remand Centre at Long Bay between November, 1982 and February, 1983.

The unnamed witness said Trigg had told him that money had been placed in a trust account. The firm of solicitors was Malcolm Johns and Co.

The witness told the inquest: I said it would have to be a considerable amount of money to be looking at a three-year sentence. He then quoted a figure to me of $70,000.

Under cross-examination by lawyer Wayne Barry, for Saffron, the witness agreed that at no time had Trigg actually stated that Saffron paid the $70,000.

A few days later, Trigg told the inquest the law student was lying. He had never had such a conversation with him but added: If my solicitors have $70,000 there for me Ill certainly accept it.

He also said hed heard on the prison grapevine that all the charges against the unnamed witness had been either dropped or dismissed and that the man was now managing three or four male brothels in the Sydney area.

The witness, whose name was withheld, was John Innes.

Juanita Nielsen in 1968. Credit:Richard John Pinfold

In going on television he had revealed unique details which matched exactly with those in my reports in the Herald in October, 1983, and in the official transcript.

So did Innes reveal his undercover operation to the inquest?

He did not. He told counsel assisting Priscilla Flemming, Coroner B.J. Wilson, SM, and the jury that he had never met detectives Karl Arkins or Norm Maroney until the evening of September 4, 1983. (The inquest had started in August).

Not only that, when Arkins and Maroney had come calling at his home in Mosman, he had typed up his own statement about what Trigg had allegedly told him while the two of them were locked up.

Under cross-examination, once again by Wayne Barry, the following exchange occurred:

Q. Would you agree with me that at no stage (did) the police put any restrictions upon you as to the contents of the statements that you typed?

A. No.

Q. So you were free to type in that statement whatever you wished?

A. Well, within the context of the information they were seeking.

Q. Yes, I appreciate that, but you were in charge of the typewriter and you could type whatever you wanted to type?

A. Yes.

The statement Innes had typed was read to the court. It included the story about Trigg saying he would get $70,000 for pleading guilty. There was no mention whatever of Trigg confessing to murder.

Innes has claimed that he never revealed Triggs murder confession while in the witness box because he was never directly asked by any of the lawyers, which on its own raises questions.

That claim appears to be shot to pieces at page 2673 of the transcript when the redoubtable Mr Barry and Innes had the following exchange:

Q. Did the man Trigg ever say anything to you as far as his opinion was concerned as to what happened to Mrs Juanita Nielsen?

A. No.

Q. He never broached the subject at all?

A. ... I didnt pursue that specifically by questioning him, no.

So Innes tells the ABC that Trigg confessed to him in early 1983. But later that year he fails to include it while typing his own statement for the NSW Police and then fails to tell the inquest when specifically invited to do so.

In his interviews with the ABC, Innes blamed Arkins for not following up Triggs alleged confession.

Like every other lead that led to Saffron, it evaporated. Nothing was done with it.

Author Peter Rees says the alleged involvement of Abe Saffron is a red herring and that all the evidence points to Saffrons business associate Jim Anderson acting independently in ordering the murder.

Innes has told people that not only was his name withheld at the inquest but his evidence was as well. The latter is patently wrong.

I was there.

And what of the ABC reporting on this?

Did the broadcaster have the transcript? If so, how could it possibly reconcile what Innes had told them about the undercover operation with what he had said under oath in 1983?

It said Innes had no criminal record, when he did. It was read out at the inquest. He pleaded guilty to some of the charges (it appears others were dropped) and in his own statement to police he says he was placed on a bond for four years.

The Sun-Herald has been told the NSW Police have no record on any running sheet or document of Innes being involved in any undercover operation. Arkins and Maroney have been notoriously media-shy since they started investigating the case in the 1970s.

Killing Juanita: A True Story of Murder and Corruption by Peter Rees. Credit:Fairfax Archives

But Peter Rees and I have been told separately that both men categorically deny any undercover operation.

For John Innes, he is left between a rock and a hard place.

He cant have it both ways. Based on what we know, either he lied to the ABC, perjured himself at the inquest or the facts fit together in a way that this reporter cannot fathom.

The Sun-Herald sent John Innes a list of 14 questions and received a letter on Thursday from his lawyer threatening defamation proceedings, saying the questions were leading, accusatory.

An hour or so after that letter, Innes sent a 10-page response to the questions. It was marked Not for Publication. Suffice to say he is sticking to his story, and we are no closer to getting answers.

The ABC declined to say whether the program-makers had had a copy of the transcript of Innes evidence. A spokesperson referred to an earlier statement saying the TV and two episodes of the podcast had been taken down after serious doubts had emerged about his claims. The matter was still being reviewed.

For Aunty, coming on the heels of the controversy over its Luna Park series, this is a failure of basic journalism.

The ABC faithful deserve better and so does Juanita Nielsen.

with Peter Rees

Neil Mercer is a Walkley award-winning investigative journalist. Peter Rees is the author of 10 books, including Killing Juanita, a revised edition of which has recently been released.
NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet will nominate to be premier with Jobs Minister Stuart Ayres his surprise running mate but a ballot of Liberal MPs will be needed with Planning Minister Rob Stokes digging in and remaining in the race.

Liberal factional bosses struck a deal late on Sunday that will likely see Mr Perrottet replace Gladys Berejiklian and become NSW premier with Mr Ayres to be deputy Liberal leader. The Nationals leader John Barilaro will remain deputy premier.

Dominic Perrottet on Sunday. Credit:Dean Sewell.

Under the deal, Environment Minister Matt Kean will be given a significant promotion to the position of treasurer to reward him for delivering moderate votes to the right-wing Mr Perrottet.

Mr Perrottet, 39, said he had spoken with his wife Helen, his family and his colleagues after Ms Berejiklians shock resignation on Friday and made the decision to nominate for premier.
A senior intensive care nurse at a major Melbourne hospital has described holding patients hands as they died from COVID-19 in their hospital rooms without their families as she implored Victorians to get vaccinated.

Michelle Spence, an ICU nurse unit manager from the Royal Melbourne Hospital, told a COVID-19 press conference on Sunday that the virus does not discriminate, describing how she had cared for a man in his 30s with no underlying conditions in ICU last week because he had not been vaccinated.

She became visibly emotional as she described the lonely deaths in ICU for COVID-19 patients, saying it was the nurses who hold their hands while their families have to be at home.

One of the saddest things Ive seen over the last few weeks is people wanting the vaccination just before we put them on a life support machine, she said.
Childcare providers are seeking legal guidance on whether they can exclude children whose parents arent vaccinated against coronavirus as the sector looks at how to protect workers and families when the nation reopens.

NSW, Victoria and the Northern Territory have already mandated vaccines for childcare workers. Last week, the nations largest early learning provider, Goodstart, said it would require its 15,000 staff to get the jab.

The childcare sector is considering whether restrictions should be placed on unvaccinated parents to protect workers and other families from COVID-19. Credit:iStock

Victoria has gone a step further, with its road map to reopening saying when the population is between 70 per cent and 80 per cent double dosed, childcare will be available only to children of fully vaccinated parents or essential workers.

Early childhood education advocates say this seems a natural extrapolation of existing no jab, no play policies that require children to be immunised. The federal government also links childcare subsidies and Family Tax Benefit Part A payments to childhood immunisation.
Former Labor leader Bill Shorten has thrown his support behind mandatory COVID-19 vaccines for all federal MPs, declaring true leadership requires doing yourself what you ask others to do.

He is the most senior MP from any of the major parties to back mandatory vaccination for federal MPs after Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced more than 1 million workers in the state  including MPs, judges, faith leaders and personal trainers  had to get at least one jab in the next two weeks or be banned from their workplace.

Labors NDIS spokesman Bill Shorten is the most senior MP from any of the major parties to back mandatory vaccination for federal MPs. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

NSW has also introduced mandatory vaccination for workers in schools, aged care and healthcare, but the Victorian move goes much further.

Mr Shorten told The Sun-Herald and The Sunday Age that if politicians were mandating vaccines for other people working in other sectors, I dont see how we [MPs] can be separate.
Former prime minister John Howard has backed Treasurer Dominic Perrottet to be the next NSW premier, with the Liberal statesman describing the downfall of Gladys Berejiklian as a huge loss for the state.

Mr Howard said Mr Perrottet was the best person to lead NSW at a time the whole state is grieving in the wake of Ms Berejiklians stunning resignation from political life.

Former prime minister John Howard has endorsed Treasurer Dominic Perrottet for premier. Credit:Louise Kennerley

I am very, very sorry that she is no longer the premier, Mr Howard said.

The whole state is grieving because people respected her decency and honesty, and they acknowledge that she has done a particularly good job in managing the pandemic. I really like Gladys, and it is a big loss that she is gone.
Wesfarmers, Waitsia gas field operator Mitsui and the Japanese government have teamed up to investigate the export of low-carbon ammonia from Western Australia that will need a $1 billion-plus processing plant and large-scale carbon storage.

Wesfarmers chemicals energy and fertilisers chief executive, Ian Hansen, said the parties have signed a memorandum of understanding and are determining the details of a joint feasibility study.

Mitsui owns 50 per cent of the Waitsia gas field in WAs Mid-West region, about 340 kilometres north of Perth. Mitsuis 125 terajoules a day share of stage two that will flow from late 2023 is sufficient to make more than 1 million tonnes of ammonia a year.

Waitsia Stage 1 gas production facility in WAs Mid-West.

The third member of the consortium is Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC), a government body that supports Japans oil and gas companies. In February, Japan set a target to use 3 million tonnes of ammonia a year for fuel by 2030.
Manchester: Britains new Foreign Secretary Liz Truss wants to build a Network of Liberty, forming more security pacts like the AUKUS alliance with countries such as India, Canada and Japan to counter China and Russia.

Speaking to the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester, Truss, who is newly appointed to the role, said Britain and its allies must win the battle of economic influence.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss called for a Network of Liberty at the Conservative Party Conference. Credit:AP

On security we are striking new pacts to protect our sea routes, trade routes and freedoms, Truss told party members.

AUKUS  our new partnership with the US and Australia  will help Australia acquire nuclear-powered submarines and defend their territorial waters.
The firestorm is far from over. Facebook anticipated more allegations during the whistleblowers 60 Minutes interview, according to the memo. The whistleblower, who plans to reveal her identity during the interview, was set to say that Facebook had turned off some of its safety measures around the election  such as limits on live video  too soon after Election Day, the memo said. That allowed for misinformation to flood the platform and for groups to congregate online and plan the January 6 storming of the Capitol building. Clegg said that was an inaccurate view and cited many of the safeguards and security mechanisms that Facebook had built over the past five years. He said the company had removed millions of groups such as the Proud Boys and others related to causes such as the conspiracy theory QAnon and #StopTheSteal election-fraud claims. Loading The whistleblower was also set to claim that many of Facebooks problems stemmed from changes in the News Feed in 2018, the memo said. That was when the social network tweaked its algorithm to emphasise what it called Meaningful Social Interactions, or MSI, which prioritised posts from users friends and family and de-emphasised posts from publishers and brands. The goal was to make sure that Facebooks products were not just fun, but are good for people, Zuckerberg said in an interview about the change at the time.

But according to Fridays memo, the whistleblower would say that the change contributed to even more polarisation among Facebooks users. The whistleblower was also set to say that Facebook then reaped record profits as its users flocked to the divisive content, the memo said. Clegg warned that the period ahead could be difficult for employees who might face questions from friends and family about Facebooks role in the world. But he said that societal problems and political polarisation have long predated the company and the advent of social networks in general. The simple fact remains that changes to algorithmic ranking systems on one social media platform cannot explain wider societal polarisation, he wrote. Indeed, polarizing content and misinformation are also present on platforms that have no algorithmic ranking whatsoever, including private messaging apps like iMessage and WhatsApp. Clegg, who is scheduled to appear on the CNN program Reliable Sources on Sunday morning, also tried to relay an upbeat note to employees. We will continue to face scrutiny  some of it fair and some of it unfair, he said in the memo. But we should also continue to hold our heads up high.

Here is Cleggs memo in full: OUR POSITION ON POLARISATION AND ELECTIONS You will have seen the series of articles about us published in the Wall Street Journal in recent days, and the public interest it has provoked. This Sunday night, the ex-employee who leaked internal company material to the Journal will appear in a segment on 60 Minutes on CBS. We understand the piece is likely to assert that we contribute to polarisation in the United States, and suggest that the extraordinary steps we took for the 2020 elections were relaxed too soon and contributed to the horrific events of January 6th in the Capitol. I know some of you  especially those of you in the US  are going to get questions from friends and family about these things so I wanted to take a moment as we head into the weekend to provide what I hope is some useful context on our work in these crucial areas. Facebook and Polarisation

People are understandably anxious about the divisions in society and looking for answers and ways to fix the problems. Social media has had a big impact on society in recent years, and Facebook is often a place where much of this debate plays out. So its natural for people to ask whether it is part of the problem. But the idea that Facebook is the chief cause of polarisation isnt supported by the facts  as Chris and Pratiti set out in their note on the issue earlier this year. The rise of polarisation has been the subject of swathes of serious academic research in recent years. In truth, there isnt a great deal of consensus. But what evidence there is simply does not support the idea that Facebook, or social media more generally, is the primary cause of polarisation. The increase in political polarisation in the US pre-dates social media by several decades. If it were true that Facebook is the chief cause of polarisation, we would expect to see it going up wherever Facebook is popular. It isnt. In fact, polarisation has gone down in a number of countries with high social media use at the same time that it has risen in the US. Specifically, we expect the reporting to suggest that a change to Facebooks News Feed ranking algorithm was responsible for elevating polarising content on the platform. In January 2018, we made ranking changes to promote Meaningful Social Interactions (MSI)  so that you would see more content from friends, family and groups you are part of in your News Feed. This change was heavily driven by internal and external research that showed that meaningful engagement with friends and family on our platform was better for peoples wellbeing, and we further refined and improved it over time as we do with all ranking metrics. Of course, everyone has a rogue uncle or an old school classmate who holds strong or extreme views we disagree with  thats life  and the change meant you are more likely to come across their posts too. Even so, weve developed industry-leading tools to remove hateful content and reduce the distribution of problematic content. As a result, the prevalence of hate speech on our platform is now down to about 0.05%. But the simple fact remains that changes to algorithmic ranking systems on one social media platform cannot explain wider societal polarisation. Indeed, polarising content and misinformation are also present on platforms that have no algorithmic ranking whatsoever, including private messaging apps like iMessage and WhatsApp.

Elections and Democracy Theres perhaps no other topic that weve been more vocal about as a company than on our work to dramatically change the way we approach elections. Starting in 2017, we began building new defences, bringing in new expertise, and strengthening our policies to prevent interference. Today, we have more than 40,000 people across the company working on safety and security. Since 2017, we have disrupted and removed more than 150 covert influence operations, including ahead of major democratic elections. In 2020 alone, we removed more than 5 billion fake accounts  identifying almost all of them before anyone flagged them to us. And, from March to Election Day, we removed more than 265,000 pieces of Facebook and Instagram content in the US for violating our voter interference policies. Given the extraordinary circumstances of holding a contentious election in a pandemic, we implemented so-called break glass measures  and spoke publicly about them  before and after Election Day to respond to specific and unusual signals we were seeing on our platform and to keep potentially violating content from spreading before our content reviewers could assess it against our policies. These measures were not without trade-offs  theyre blunt instruments designed to deal with specific crisis scenarios. Its like shutting down an entire towns roads and highways in response to a temporary threat that may be lurking somewhere in a particular neighbourhood. In implementing them, we know we impacted significant amounts of content that did not violate our rules to prioritise peoples safety during a period of extreme uncertainty. For example, we limited the distribution of live videos that our systems predicted may relate to the election. That was an extreme step that helped prevent potentially violating content from going viral, but it also impacted a lot of entirely normal and reasonable content, including some that had nothing to do with the election. We wouldnt take this kind of crude, catch-all measure in normal circumstances, but these werent normal circumstances.

We only rolled back these emergency measures  based on careful data-driven analysis  when we saw a return to more normal conditions. We left some of them on for a longer period of time through February this year and others, like not recommending civic, political or new Groups, we have decided to retain permanently. Fighting Hate Groups and other Dangerous Organisations I want to be absolutely clear: we work to limit, not expand hate speech, and we have clear policies prohibiting content that incites violence. We do not profit from polarisation, in fact, just the opposite. We do not allow dangerous organisations, including militarised social movements or violence-inducing conspiracy networks, to organise on our platforms. And we remove content that praises or supports hate groups, terrorist organisations and criminal groups. Weve been more aggressive than any other internet company in combating harmful content, including content that sought to delegitimise the election. But our work to crack down on these hate groups was years in the making. We took down tens of thousands of QAnon pages, groups and accounts from our apps, removed the original #StopTheSteal Group, and removed references to Stop the Steal in the run up to the inauguration. In 2020 alone, we removed more than 30 million pieces of content violating our policies regarding terrorism and more than 19 million pieces of content violating our policies around organised hate in 2020. We designated the Proud Boys as a hate organisation in 2018 and we continue to remove praise, support, and representation of them. Between August last year and January 12 this year, we identified nearly 900 militia organisations under our Dangerous Organisations and Individuals policy and removed thousands of Pages, groups, events, Facebook profiles and Instagram accounts associated with these groups. This work will never be complete. There will always be new threats and new problems to address, in the US and around the world. Thats why we remain vigilant and alert  and will always have to.
WESTPORT  A group of anonymous parents have formed a website to raise awareness to what they claim is an increasing focus on racism in the towns schools and in the community.

According to its website, Westport Parents 06880 formed in June when a group of 37 town parents came together to share our concerns about the increasing focus on assertions of racism in our community.

We are united to keep our schools focused on academic achievement, the group states on its website. We reject political activism and moralizing intrusions into the classroom.

There are no names associated with Westport Parents 06880 to avoid the verbal attacks already being made on social media and by local political candidates. There is no information listed to contact members behind the effort and the group does not appear to have a social media presence.

The group offers to send updates if people provide their email addresses. Once subscribed, the website shows the groups mailing address as 110 Myrtle Ave.  Westports Town Hall.

While the group has used the address for Westport Town Hall as its mailing address, it has nothing to do with the official operations of the town and is not physically based in Town Hall, First Selectman Jim Marpe said in a message to Hearst Connecticut Media. It is unclear whether it is even based in Westport despite its name.

Harold Bailey Jr., chair of TEAM Westport, called the group and its website an invitation to cultural toxicity.

TEAM  Together Effectively Achieving Multiculturalism  aims to make Westport a more welcoming community. Bailey said Westport Parents 06880 contradicts his groups mission.

This group would tell us theres no problem, Bailey said of Westport Parents 06880. If you start talking about anti-racism, they say there is no racism. If talk about systemic racism, they say it doesnt exist.

The Westport Parents 06880 site pointed to Superintendent of Schools Thomas Scarices strategic plan, which asserted that institutional and systemic racism are a significant problem in Westport, and that an Equity Audit was necessary to determine the level of racism as well as to propose remedial measures going forward.

The group also took issue with the school system turning to New York Universitys Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools to assess the problem. The Westport Parents group stated it was alarmed by the NYU center, which it said was based in critical race theory.

CRT is a controversial academic framework through which to view systems of racism and oppression in America. Even though it is generally considered a college-level theory, not taught as part of K-12 curriculum, the term is used by some conservatives to refer to certain school programs that encourage inclusion, diversity and equity.

CRT has recently become a hot-button discussion in some Connecticut communities, including New Canaan, Greenwich and Guilford. However, school and state officials said CRT is not being taught in K-12 classrooms.

On its site, Westport Parents 06880 claims CRT seeks to divide people by separating them into groups based on power dynamics, with white people seen as white supremacist being dominant and all others being the marginalized groups of oppressed victims.

The group encourages parents to demand access to the student curriculum.

Scarice took issue with several points made on the site, including the connection it draws between Westport Public Schools and critical race theory.

The current hyperbole of CRT strays widely from the original academic legal theory studied at the advanced graduate level, he said in a statement. To my knowledge, no Westport Public School educator has this advanced training in CRT. In fact, you will have difficulty finding any K-12 educator trained in this theory.

He added that there is no CRT curriculum in Westport.

We study all types of thinkers and theories in schools, Scarice said. Teaching kids how to think, not what to think is an obligation of educators. Teaching kids to use critical thinking skills to analyze, synthesize, evaluate, etc. is a primary goal of education.

He confirmed Westport schools adopted a three-year strategic plan in 2017, and it initiated an equity study conducted by NYU.

Scarice said the study has shed light on some of the disparities in outcomes for different groups of students. However, this work is intended to benefit each and every student in the Westport Public Schools.

Bailey said the Westport parent groups presence wont dissuade him from addressing issues around racism and other forms of discrimination.

Weve been working on this and were going to continue working on this, he said. Its fundamental.

Staff writer Adam Hushin contributed to this story.
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (AP)  Crews on the water and on shore worked feverishly Sunday to limit environmental damage from one of the largest oil spills in recent California history, caused by a suspected leak in an underwater pipeline that fouled the sands of famed Huntington Beach and could keep the beaches there closed for weeks or longer.

Oil washed up on Huntington Beach, Calif., on Sunday., Oct. 3, 2021. A major oil spill off the coast of Southern California fouled popular beaches and killed wildlife while crews scrambled Sunday, to contain the crude before it spread further into protected wetlands. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (AP)  Crews on the water and on shore worked feverishly Sunday to limit environmental damage from one of the largest oil spills in recent California history, caused by a suspected leak in an underwater pipeline that fouled the sands of famed Huntington Beach and could keep the beaches there closed for weeks or longer.

Booms were deployed on the ocean surface to try to contain the oil while divers sought to determine where and why the leak occurred. On land, there was a race to find animals harmed by the oil and to keep the spill from harming any more sensitive marshland.

An estimated 126,000 gallons (572,807 liters) of heavy crude leaked into the waters off Orange County starting late Friday or early Saturday, when boaters began reporting a sheen in the water, officials said. The pipeline and operations at three off-shore platforms owned by Houston-based Amplify Energy Corp. were shut down Saturday night, CEO Martyn Willsher said.

He said the 17.5-mile (28.16-kilometer) pipeline that is 80 to 100 feet (24 to 30 meters) below the surface was suctioned out so no more oil would spill as the location of the leak was being investigated.

Huntington Beach Mayor Kim Carr said the beaches of the community nicknamed Surf City could remain closed for weeks or even months. The oil created a miles-wide sheen in the ocean and washed ashore in sticky, black globules.

Oil washed up on Huntington Beach, Calif., on Sunday., Oct. 3, 2021. A major oil spill off the coast of Southern California fouled popular beaches and killed wildlife while crews scrambled Sunday, to contain the crude before it spread further into protected wetlands. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

In a year that has been filled with incredibly challenging issues, this oil spill constitutes one of the most devastating situations that our community has dealt with in decades, Carr said. We are doing everything in our power to protect the health and safety of our residents, our visitors and our natural habitats.

Some birds and fish were caught in the muck and died, Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley said. But by early afternoon Saturday the U.S. Coast Guard said there so far was just one ruddy duck that was covered in oil and receiving veterinary care. Other reports of oiled wildlife are being investigated, the Coast Guard said in a statement.

Crews led by the Coast Guard-deployed skimmers laid some 3,700 feet (1,128 meters) of floating barriers known as booms to try to stop more oil from seeping into areas including Talbert Marsh, a 25-acre (10-hectare) wetland officials said.

A woman takes a picture of oil washed up on Huntington Beach, Calif., Sunday., Oct. 3, 2021. A major oil spill off the coast of Southern California fouled popular beaches and killed wildlife while crews scrambled Sunday to contain the crude before it spread further into protected wetlands. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

A petroleum stench permeated the air throughout the area.

You get the taste in the mouth just from the vapors in the air, Foley said.

The oil will likely continue to wash up on the shore for several days and affect Newport Beach and other nearby communities, officials said.

A Marine Spill Response Corporation (MSRC) vessel, foreground, an oil spill removal organization (OSRO), deploys floating barriers known as booms to try to stop further incursion of an oil slick off Huntington Beach, Calif., Sunday., Oct. 3, 2021. A major oil spill off the coast of Southern California fouled popular beaches and killed wildlife while crews scrambled Sunday to contain the crude before it spread further into protected wetlands. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

The closure included all of Huntington Beach, from the city's north edge about 6 miles (9.6 kilometers) south to the Santa Ana River jetty. The shutdown came amid summerlike weather that would have brought big crowds to the wide strand for volleyball, swimming and surfing. Yellow caution tape was strung between lifeguard towers to keep people away.

Officials canceled the final day of the annual Pacific Air Show that typically draws tens of thousands of spectators to the city of about 200,000 residents south of Los Angeles. The show featured flyovers by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds.

The leaking pipeline connects to an oil production platform named Elly, which in turn is connected by a walkway to a drilling platform named Ellen. Those two platforms and another nearby platform are in federal waters.

A vessel with Marine Spill Response Corporation (MSRC), an oil spill removal organization (OSRO), deploys floating barriers known as booms to try to stop further incursion of an oil slick off Huntington Beach, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021. A major oil spill off the coast of Southern California fouled popular beaches and killed wildlife while crews scrambled Sunday to contain the crude before it spread further into protected wetlands. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

Elly began operating in 1980 in an area called the Beta Field. Oil pulled from beneath the ocean and processed by Elly is taken by the pipeline to Long Beach.

Huntington Beach resident David Rapchun said he's worried about the impact of the spill on the beaches where he grew up as well as the local economy.

For the amount of oil these things produce I dont think its worth the risk, Rapchun said. He questioned whether drilling for oil was a wise idea along some of Southern Californias most scenic beaches, noting the loss of the final day of the air show could deal a blow to the local economy.

Cleanup contractors deploy skimmers and floating barriers known as booms to try to stop further oil crude incursion into the Wetlands Talbert Marsh in Huntington Beach, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021. One of the largest oil spills in recent Southern California history fouled popular beaches and killed wildlife while crews scrambled Sunday to contain the crude before it spread further into protected wetlands. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

We need oil, but theres always a question: Do we need it there? he said.

The spill comes three decades after a massive oil leak hit the same stretch of Orange County coast. On Feb. 7, 1990, the oil tanker American Trader ran over its anchor off Huntington Beach, spilling nearly 417,000 gallons (1.6 million liters) of crude. Fish and about 3,400 birds were killed.

In 2015, a ruptured pipeline north of Santa Barbara sent 143,000 gallons (541,313 liters) of crude oil gushing onto Refugio State Beach.

A posted sign warning that water contact may cause illness, is posted by lifeguards after an oil spill in Huntington Beach, Calif., Sunday., Oct. 3, 2021. Vessels with the Marine Spill Response Corporation (MSRC) left background, an oil spill removal organization (OSRO), deploy floating barriers around the largest oil spills in recent Southern California history. The oil created a miles-wide sheen in the ocean and washed ashore in sticky, black globules along with dead birds and fish. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

The area affected by the latest spill is home to threatened and endangered species, including a plump shorebird called the snowy plover, the California least tern and humpback whales.

The coastal areas off of Southern California are just really rich for wildlife, a key biodiversity hot spot, said Miyoko Sakashita, director of the Center for Biological Diversitys oceans program.

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The effects of an oil spill are wide-ranging, environmentalists said. Birds that get oil on their feathers cant fly, cant clean themselves and cant monitor their own temperatures, Sakashita said. Whales, dolphins and other sea creatures can have trouble breathing or die after swimming through oil or breathing in toxic fumes, she said.

Lifeguards ready to post signs warning that water contact may cause illness, as they close the beach after an oil spill in Huntington Beach, Calif., Sunday., Oct. 3, 2021. The closure stretched from the Huntington Beach Pier nearly 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) south to the Santa Ana River jetty amid summerlike weather that would have brought beachgoers to the wide strand for volleyball, swimming and surfing. Yellow caution tape was strung between lifeguard towers to keep people away. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

The oil spill just shows how dirty and dangerous oil drilling is and oil that gets into the water. Its impossible to clean it up so it ends up washing up on our beaches and people come into contact with it and wildlife comes in contact with it, she said. It has long-lasting effects on the breeding and reproduction of animals. Its really sad to see this broad swatch oiled.

___

Associated Press reporters Felicia Fonseca in Phoenix and Julie Walker in New York contributed.

___

This story has been updated to correct the metric conversion in second paragraph to 572,807 liters, not 98,420 liters.
Angelique Ramirez, chief medical officer at Foundation Health Partners in Fairbanks, poses for a photograph in front of the emergency entrance at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital on Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021, in Fairbanks, Alaska. Fairbanks Memorial Hospital on Friday, Oct. 1, said it activated the Crisis Standards of Care policy because of a critical shortage of bed capacity, staffing and monoclonal antibody treatments, along with the inability to transfer patients to other facilities. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) 

Alaska on Saturday activated emergency crisis protocols that allow 20 medical facilities to ration care if needed as the state recorded the nations worst COVID-19 diagnosis rates in recent days, straining the states limited health care system.

The declaration covers three facilities that had already announced emergency protocols, including the states largest hospital, Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage. The state's declaration also includes the other two hospitals in Anchorage and facilities across the nations largest but sparsely populated state.

"Todays action recognizes that Alaska has an interconnected and interdependent health care system, requiring the need for activation of the states decision-making framework. That framework includes a progression of conventional, contingency and crisis standards," the state health department said in a statement announcing the activation.

"I want to stress that our health care facilities in Alaska remain open and able to care for patients. Alaskans who need medical care should not delay seeking it, even during these difficult times," said Adam Crum, the states health commissioner.

Factors that led the state to activate the crisis of care standards include scarce medical resources at some facilities, limited staff and difficulty transferring patients because of limited bed availability. Other factors include limited renal replacement therapy and oxygen supplies.

According to data collected by Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, one in every 84 people in Alaska was diagnosed with COVID-19 from Sept. 22 to Sept. 29. The next highest rate was one in every 164 people in West Virginia.

Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, which was covered by the states announcement, on Friday activated its own policy because of a shortage of beds, staff and monoclonal antibody treatments, along with the inability to transfer patients.

"The move to Crisis Standards of Care is not something we take lightly," Fairbanks Chief Medical Officer Dr. Angelique Ramirez said in a statement. "This is in response to a very serious surge of COVID in our community."

The move came the same day the state reported 1,044 new cases, 108 of them in the Fairbanks area. The hospital says 35% of its patients on Saturday were being treated for COVID-19.

Since March 2020, there have been 110,850 total COVID-19 cases in Alaska, which has a population of about 731,000. More than 24,000 new cases were reported in September as the delta variant drove a spike in cases in Alaska, which has never had a statewide mask mandate.

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The state health department said in all, 2,432 people have been hospitalized, and 557 Alaska residents have died.

Statewide, 60% of eligible residents are fully vaccinated. The Fairbanks North Star Borough is the third worst region for vaccination rates in Alaska, with just under 52% of eligible residents vaccinated.

Ramirez said the decision to move to crisis standards was because of many factors, including community spread caused by the low vaccination rates and a high number of patients waiting to be admitted.

"This impacts all patient care, those with broken bones, traumas, heart attacks, strokes, COVID, anyone needing medical care," Ramirez said. "The care we are able to provide is highly fluid and can change day by day and even hour by hour depending on the availability of resources within our system and stateside."

Heidi Hedberg, director of the state Division of Public Health, encouraged all residents to wear masks and get vaccinated.

"Every action you take helps prevent COVID-19 from spreading and protects you, your family, other Alaskans and our health care system. No one wants to use crisis standards of care guidelines," she said.
MOSCOW (AP)  When Russians talk about the coronavirus over dinner or in hair salons, the conversation often turns to antitela, the Russian word for antibodies  the proteins produced by the body to fight infection.

FILE - In this Sept. 29, 2021, file photo, Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan talk to each other during their meeting in the Bocharov Ruchei residence in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia. In Russia, it's common to get an antibody test for the coronavirus and share the results. Putin referred to his own test results while talking to Erdogan, bragging about how he avoided infection even though dozens of people around him caught the virus, including someone who spent a whole day with him. (Vladimir Smirnov/Sputnik, Kremlin/Pool Photo via AP)

MOSCOW (AP)  When Russians talk about the coronavirus over dinner or in hair salons, the conversation often turns to "antitela," the Russian word for antibodies  the proteins produced by the body to fight infection.

Even President Vladimir Putin referred to them this week in a conversation with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, bragging about why he avoided infection even though dozens of people around him caught the coronavirus, including someone who spent a whole day with the Kremlin leader.

"I have high titers," Putin said, referring to the measurement used to describe the concentration of antibodies in the blood. When Erdogan challenged him that the number Putin gave was low, the Russian insisted, "No, it's a high level. There are different counting methods."

But Western health experts say the antibody tests so popular in Russia are unreliable either for diagnosing COVID-19 or assessing immunity to it. The antibodies that these tests look for can only serve as evidence of a past infection, and scientists say it's still unclear what level of antibodies indicates protection from the virus and for how long.

The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention says such tests should not be used to establish an active COVID-19 infection because it can take one to three weeks for the body to make antibodies. Health experts say tests that look for the viruss genetic material, called PCR tests, or ones that look for virus proteins, called antigen tests, should be used to determine if someone is infected.

In Russia, it's common to get an antibody test and share the results. The tests are cheap, widely available and actively marketed by private clinics nationwide, and their use appears to be a factor in the country's low vaccination rate even as daily deaths and infections are rising again.

In Moscow and the surrounding region, millions of antibody tests have been done at state-run clinics that offered them for free. Across the country, dozens of chains of private labs and clinics also offer a wide variety of antibody tests for COVID-19, as well as tests for other medical conditions.

An employee, left, works at one of Invitro's drop-in clinics for antibody testing in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Aug. 13, 2021. In Russia, it's common to get an antibody test for the coronavirus and share the results. The tests are cheap, widely available and actively marketed by private clinics nationwide, and their use appears to be a factor in the country's low vaccination rate even as daily deaths and infections are rising again. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

"In some cities I went to, I needed to take a PCR test and it wasnt possible, but I could take an antibody test -- it was much easier," said Dr. Anton Barchuk, head of the epidemiology group at the European University in St. Petersburg and an associate professor at the Petrov National Cancer Center there.

Antibody tests for COVID-19 were first widely publicized in Moscow in May 2020, shortly after Russia lifted its only nationwide lockdown, although many restrictions remained in place. Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced an ambitious program to test tens of thousands of residents for antibodies.

Many Muscovites greeted this enthusiastically. Contrary to Western experts, some believed antibodies represented immunity from the virus and saw a positive test as a way out of restrictions.

The test looked at two different types of antibodies: ones that appear in ones system soon after infection, and ones that take weeks to develop. To their surprise, some of those who tested positive for the former were handed a COVID-19 diagnosis and ordered to quarantine.

Irina Umarova, 56, spent 22 days confined to her studio apartment, without experiencing any symptoms. Visiting doctors took six PCR tests that came back negative. But they also took more antibody tests, which continued to show a certain level of antibodies.

"They kept telling me I was infected and needed to stay home," she said.

More interest in antibody testing came this summer when Russia had a surge of infections. The demand for tests spiked so sharply that labs were overwhelmed and some ran out of supplies.

Thats when dozens of regions made vaccinations mandatory for certain groups of people and restricted access to various public spaces, allowing in only those who were vaccinated, had had the virus, or had tested negative for it recently.

An employee holds a set of vials for analysis at the LabQuest laboratory, a clinic that does antibody testing and processing, in Moscow, Russia, Monday, July 12, 2021. In Russia, it's common to get an antibody test for the coronavirus and share the results. The tests are cheap, widely available and actively marketed by private clinics nationwide, and their use appears to be a factor in the country's low vaccination rate even as daily deaths and infections are rising again. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Daria Goryakina, deputy director at the Helix Laboratory Service, a large chain of testing facilities, said she believed the increased interest in antibody testing was connected to the vaccination mandates.

In the second half of June, Helix performed 230% more antibody tests than in the first half, and the high demand continued into the first week of July. "People want to check their antibody levels and whether they need to get vaccinated," Goryakina told The Associated Press.

Both the World Health Organization and the CDC recommend vaccination regardless of previous infection.

Guidance in Russia has varied, with authorities initially saying that those testing positive for the antibodies weren't eligible for the shot, but then urging everyone to get vaccinated regardless of their antibody levels. Still, some Russians believed a positive antibody test was a reason to put off vaccination.

Maria Bloquert recovered from the coronavirus in May, and a test she took shortly after revealed a high antibody count. She has put off her vaccination but wants to get it eventually, once her antibody levels start to wane. "As long as my antibody titers are high, I have protection from the virus, and there is no point in getting injected with more protection on top of it," the 37-year-old Muscovite told AP.

High-profile officials, like Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov and Valentina Matviyenko, speaker of the upper house of parliament, both have been quoted as saying they didnt need to get vaccinated due to having high levels of antibodies, but they eventually decided to get their shots.

Contradicting guidelines may have contributed to Russia's low vaccination rate, said Dr. Anastasia Vasilyeva, leader of the Alliance of Doctors union.

"People dont understand (what to do), because theyre constantly given different versions" of recommendations, she said.

Even though Russia boasted of creating the world's first vaccine, Sputnik V, only 32.5% of its 146 million people have gotten at least one shot, and only 28% are fully vaccinated. Critics have principally blamed a botched vaccine rollout and mixed messages the authorities have been sending about the outbreak.

Dr. Simon Clarke, an associate professor in cellular microbiology at the University of Reading in England, said antibody tests shouldnt influence any health-related decisions.

Getting an antibody test "is for your own personal satisfaction and curiosity," he added.

Barchuk, the St. Petersburg epidemiologist, echoed his sentiment, saying there are too many gaps in understanding how antibodies work, and the tests offer little information beyond past infection.

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But some Russian regions disregarded that advice, using positive antibody tests to allow people access to restaurants, bars and other public places on par with a vaccination certificate or a negative coronavirus test. Some people get an antibody test before or after vaccination to make sure the shot worked or see if they need a booster.

Dr. Vasily Vlassov, an epidemiologist and a public health expert with the Higher School of Economics, says this attitude reflects Russians' distrust of the state-run health care system and their struggle to navigate the confusion amid the pandemic.

"Peoples attempt to find a rational way of acting, to base their decision on something, for example the antibodies, is understandable -- the situation is difficult and bewildering," Vlassov said. "And they opt for a method thats available for them rather than for a good one. Because there is no good method to make sure that you have immunity."

-

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Angelique Ramirez, chief medical officer at Foundation Health Partners in Fairbanks, poses for a photograph in front of the emergency entrance at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital on Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021, in Fairbanks, Alaska. Fairbanks Memorial Hospital on Friday, Oct. 1, said it activated the Crisis Standards of Care policy because of a critical shortage of bed capacity, staffing and monoclonal antibody treatments, along with the inability to transfer patients to other facilities. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) 

Alaska on Saturday activated emergency crisis protocols that allow 20 medical facilities to ration care if needed as the state recorded the nations worst COVID-19 diagnosis rates in recent days, straining the states limited health care system.

The declaration covers three facilities that had already announced emergency protocols, including the states largest hospital, Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage. The state's declaration also includes the other two hospitals in Anchorage and facilities across the nations largest but sparsely populated state.

"Todays action recognizes that Alaska has an interconnected and interdependent health care system, requiring the need for activation of the states decision-making framework. That framework includes a progression of conventional, contingency and crisis standards," the state health department said in a statement announcing the activation.

"I want to stress that our health care facilities in Alaska remain open and able to care for patients. Alaskans who need medical care should not delay seeking it, even during these difficult times," said Adam Crum, the states health commissioner.

Factors that led the state to activate the crisis of care standards include scarce medical resources at some facilities, limited staff and difficulty transferring patients because of limited bed availability. Other factors include limited renal replacement therapy and oxygen supplies.

According to data collected by Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, one in every 84 people in Alaska was diagnosed with COVID-19 from Sept. 22 to Sept. 29. The next highest rate was one in every 164 people in West Virginia.

Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, which was covered by the states announcement, on Friday activated its own policy because of a shortage of beds, staff and monoclonal antibody treatments, along with the inability to transfer patients.

"The move to Crisis Standards of Care is not something we take lightly," Fairbanks Chief Medical Officer Dr. Angelique Ramirez said in a statement. "This is in response to a very serious surge of COVID in our community."

The move came the same day the state reported 1,044 new cases, 108 of them in the Fairbanks area. The hospital says 35% of its patients on Saturday were being treated for COVID-19.

Since March 2020, there have been 110,850 total COVID-19 cases in Alaska, which has a population of about 731,000. More than 24,000 new cases were reported in September as the delta variant drove a spike in cases in Alaska, which has never had a statewide mask mandate.

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The state health department said in all, 2,432 people have been hospitalized, and 557 Alaska residents have died.

Statewide, 60% of eligible residents are fully vaccinated. The Fairbanks North Star Borough is the third worst region for vaccination rates in Alaska, with just under 52% of eligible residents vaccinated.

Ramirez said the decision to move to crisis standards was because of many factors, including community spread caused by the low vaccination rates and a high number of patients waiting to be admitted.

"This impacts all patient care, those with broken bones, traumas, heart attacks, strokes, COVID, anyone needing medical care," Ramirez said. "The care we are able to provide is highly fluid and can change day by day and even hour by hour depending on the availability of resources within our system and stateside."

Heidi Hedberg, director of the state Division of Public Health, encouraged all residents to wear masks and get vaccinated.

"Every action you take helps prevent COVID-19 from spreading and protects you, your family, other Alaskans and our health care system. No one wants to use crisis standards of care guidelines," she said.
GULU, Uganda (AP)  The light bulb hanging from the ceiling flickered on and off, infuriating the technician in this remote Ugandan town as he checked the refrigerators filled with vaccine doses to confirm they were still working.

GULU, Uganda (AP)  The light bulb hanging from the ceiling flickered on and off, infuriating the technician in this remote Ugandan town as he checked the refrigerators filled with vaccine doses to confirm they were still working.

If the power supply didnt stabilize, he said, he would have to requisition fuel and start the generator.

It keeps going on and off, like a disco light, said the technician, Tony Elong. This is our biggest problem. ... If I am not here and power is off for many hours, we are likely to lose the vaccines. It needs a timely response.

Power failures are rampant in northern Uganda's Gulu district. For Elong the problem is urgent; two fridges were destroyed by power outages this year. It's among the many logistical issues facing health officials as they expand COVID-19 vaccination into rural areas with the arrival of substantial doses in the previously vaccine-starved nation.

Gulu, home to 325,000 people, has given out about 9,000 doses, with only 2,795 people fully vaccinated. The district had 30 AstraZeneca doses and 300 Chinese-made Sinovac ones as of Sept. 23, an artificial shortage in a country with a growing vaccine stock of millions of doses.

In recent days, Uganda has received more than 2.2 million doses  including Pfizer and Moderna  from the United States, as well as 985,000 AstraZeneca shots from France, Belgium and Ireland.

A total of 11,978,840 doses  donations and purchases via the African Union  are expected in Uganda by December, President Yoweri Museveni said last week. But Ugandas central storage facility near the capital, Kampala, can only hold 5 million doses of the Pfizer vaccines requiring ultra-low temperatures, and some rural areas like Gulu aren't equipped to handle either the Pfizer or Moderna shots.

As supply grows, officials are trying to whip up enthusiasm for vaccines in rural districts where many, citing safety fears, would rather wait.

John Nkengasong, head of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told reporters last week that while some African countries such as Rwanda and Zimbabwe are doing well in rolling out vaccines, others like Uganda are struggling, and the agency will be looking to community and religious leaders for help.

Health systems in Africa are among the poorest in the world, plagued by chronic shortages of essential supplies, corruption and an unmotivated workforce. In Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, those challenges are exacerbated by insecurity, with vaccine distribution in rural areas, especially in the countrys volatile north, crippled by the threat of violence. Only 3% of Nigeria's 200 million people have received their first dose.

In Uganda, an East African nation of 44 million, authorities have ramped up vaccination in the Kampala area, but efforts have largely stalled in rural districts such as Gulu, hampered by hesitancy as well as refrigeration and other distribution problems.

Museveni said last week that officials face dismissal in rural areas, which now account for most of the country's 268 COVID-19 hospitalizations, if vaccines expire under their watch.

We are literally dancing around," said Dr. Misaki Wayengera, head of a committee advising Uganda's pandemic response, speaking of the slow vaccine rollout.

The government rations doses to districts based on demand expectations, and supplies aren't replenished until officials account for doses they previously received.

As a result, shortages stemming from delays in reporting back vaccination data can occur.

The demand is there, said Dr. Kenneth Canna. But right now what is bogging us down ... is availability of the vaccine, both in the urban setting and in the rural setting.

Associated Press journalists reached a remote area of Gulu where a health center without running water had the districts last supply of 30 AstraZeneca doses. Because a vial contains seven doses that must be accounted for, vaccines aren't distributed until seven people are in line. So people come and go without a getting a jab.

You cant open the vial when the people are few. If people are few, you will be wasting the vaccine, said Okello Labedo, a clinical officer in charge of the Awach health center, speaking through a frayed mask. The turnout among the elderly is very poor. I think it is because of the distance.

Amos Okello, a farmer who had waited several hours under a mango tree, expressed disappointment he would be going home without a shot after traveling many kilometers on a rented bike.

They said, If you come alone you cannot get the vaccine, Okello said. I cant go and force someone from his home to come here and get the vaccine.

While it's important for me to get the vaccine, tomorrow I might not be able to come back," he added.

Patrick Okot, a commodities trader in Gulu who received his first AstraZeneca shot in May, said he considered traveling to another district for the second one, but is discouraged by the cost.

You might go there and you find that they also dont have vaccines, he said.

Ugandas goal is to vaccinate 4.8 million of its most vulnerable people  including those age 50 and above  but so far 348,000 are fully vaccinated, according to official figures. And only 37% of the countrys 150,000 health care workers are fully vaccinated, highlighting the slow rollout that led authorities to begin vaccinating students and others in a bid to prevent the expiration of doses.

Authorities have warned schools won't reopen until all teachers and staff are fully vaccinated, a mandate that briefly caused lines at rural vaccination sites. Yet many came hoping there would be no doses, underscoring hesitancy in the aftermath of reports of rare blood clots in a small number of people getting the AstraZeneca vaccine.

The pressure is now bringing them, said Lily Apio, a nurse in charge of immunization at the Aywee health center just outside Gulu town.

Alfred Akena, a schoolteacher waiting to get the Sinovac vaccine, said he was compelled by the government mandate to get the shot but he urged his wife not to, citing safety concerns.

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They put pressure on us, so today I came to get vaccinated, he said. I told my wife, Let me first go. When the worst comes to the worst, she will take care of my children.

That view was echoed by college student Onen Richard, who spoke of vaccination as just like school rules and regulations that he didnt think were in his interest.

That morning, after six men had signed consent forms, Apio informed them only five Sinovac doses were available.

One of the men quickly stood up and left.

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Chinedu Asadu in Lagos, Nigeria, contributed to this report.
LONDON (AP)  British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was ready to take bold decisions to rebuild the economy after the coronavirus pandemic as his Conservative Party meets Sunday for its first annual conference since 2019.

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrives for the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester, England, Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

LONDON (AP)  British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was ready to take bold decisions to rebuild the economy after the coronavirus pandemic as his Conservative Party meets Sunday for its first annual conference since 2019.

The Tory conference opens Sunday in the northwestern city of Manchester as a shortage of truck drivers to delivery fuel across Britain continues to cause empty pumps and long lines at many gas stations. Concerns about wider labor shortages, higher taxes, rising energy bills and a cut in welfare payouts beginning this week are among other challenges facing Johnson.

Despite the economic worries, opinion surveys suggest that Johnson and his Conservatives were polling ahead of the opposition Labour Party.

Before the conference, Johnson said he was ready to take the big, bold decisions on the priorities people care about  like on social care, on supporting jobs, on climate change, tackling crime and leveling up.

Asked about the truck driver shortage crisis, Johnson said it was a chronic problem associated with an overreliance on migrant workers willing to work for low wages and poor conditions. He said he wouldn't repeat that mistake.

The way forward for our country is not to just pull the big lever marked uncontrolled immigration, and allow in huge numbers of people to do work, he told the BBC.

Referring to the 2016 referendum that led to Britains exit from the European Union, Johnson said: When people voted for change in 2016 ... they voted for the end of a broken model of the U.K. economy that relied on low wages and low skills and chronic low productivity, and were moving away from that.

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Johnson said Britain's economy is going through a period of adjustment post-Brexit, and acknowledged that supply chain problems and shortages in food and fuel could continue until Christmas.

He also maintained that the situation at gas stations is improving after more than a week of disruptions  although retailers say drivers still can't get gas at many pumps in the London area and southeast England.

Britain has long suffered from a shortage of truck drivers, but the problem has come to a head with the combination of Brexit, which ended the freedom of movement of workers from the EU to Britain, and the pandemic, which severely limited travel and halted training for domestic drivers supposed to replace those who left for their home countries.

Around 200 military personnel, including 100 drivers, will take to the roads starting Monday to help ease fuel supply shortages.

The Petrol Retailers Association has welcomed the move, but warned it would have a limited impact given the relatively small numbers involved.

The government also said Friday that it was extending an emergency visa program for thousands of foreign truck drivers.
Hundreds of world leaders, powerful politicians, billionaires, celebrities, religious leaders and drug dealers have been hiding their investments in mansions, exclusive beachfront property, yachts and other assets for the past quarter-century, according to a review of nearly 12 million files obtained from 14 firms located around the world.

FILE - Jordan's King Abdullah II speaks during a media conference prior to a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at NATO headquarters in Brussels, in this Wednesday, May 5, 2021, file photo. Hundreds of world leaders, powerful politicians, billionaires, celebrities, religious leaders and drug dealers have been stashing away their investments in mansions, exclusive beachfront property, yachts and other assets for the past quarter century, according to a review of nearly 12 million files obtained from 14 different firms located around the world. The report released Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021, by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists involved 600 journalists from 150 media outlets in 117 countries. Jordan's King Abdullah II is one of 330 current and former politicians identified as beneficiaries of the secret accounts. (Johanna Geron, Pool via AP, File)

Hundreds of world leaders, powerful politicians, billionaires, celebrities, religious leaders and drug dealers have been hiding their investments in mansions, exclusive beachfront property, yachts and other assets for the past quarter-century, according to a review of nearly 12 million files obtained from 14 firms located around the world.

The report released Sunday by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists involved 600 journalists from 150 media outlets in 117 countries. It's being dubbed the Pandora Papers" because the findings shed light on the previously hidden dealings of the elite and the corrupt, and how they have used offshore accounts to shield assets collectively worth trillions of dollars.

The more than 330 current and former politicians identified as beneficiaries of the secret accounts include Jordans King Abdullah II, former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair, Czech Republic Prime Minister Andrej Babis, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, Ecuador's President Guillermo Lasso, and associates of both Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

FILE - Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is shown ahead of a meeting at the EU Charlemagne building in Brussels, in this Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019, file photo. Hundreds of world leaders, powerful politicians, billionaires, celebrities, religious leaders and drug dealers have been stashing away their investments in mansions, exclusive beachfront property, yachts and other assets for the past quarter century, according to a review of nearly 12 million files obtained from 14 different firms located around the world. The report released Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021, by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists involved 600 journalists from 150 media outlets in 117 countries. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is one of 330 current and former politicians identified as beneficiaries of the secret accounts. (Stephanie Lecocq/Pool via AP, File)

The billionaires called out in the report include Turkish construction mogul Erman Ilicak and Robert T. Brockman, the former CEO of software maker Reynolds & Reynolds.

Many of the accounts were designed to evade taxes and conceal assets for other shady reasons, according to the report.

The new data leak must be a wake-up call, said Sven Giegold, a Green party lawmaker in the European Parliament. Global tax evasion fuels global inequality. We need to expand and sharpen the countermeasures now.

Oxfam International, a British consortium of charities, applauded the Pandora Papers for exposing brazen examples of greed that deprived countries of tax revenue that could be used to finance programs and projects for the greater good.

FILE - In this Nov. 19, 2020 file photo, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan speaks during a joint news conference with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani (not shown) at the Presidential Palace in Kabul, Afghanistan. Hundreds of world leaders, powerful politicians, billionaires, celebrities, religious leaders and drug dealers have been stashing away their investments in mansions, exclusive beachfront property, yachts and other assets for the past quarter century, according to a review of nearly 12 million files obtained from 14 different firms located around the world. The report released Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021 by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists involved 600 journalists from 150 media outlets in 117 countries. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan is one of 330 current and former politicians identified as beneficiaries of the secret accounts.(AP Photo/Rahmat Gul, File)

This is where our missing hospitals are," Oxfam said in a statement. This is where the pay-packets sit of all the extra teachers and firefighters and public servants we need. Whenever a politician or business leader claims there is no money to pay for climate damage and innovation, for more and better jobs, for a fair post-COVID recovery, for more overseas aid, they know where to look."

The Pandora Papers are a follow-up to a similar project released in 2016 called the Panama Papers" compiled by the same journalistic group.

The latest bombshell is even more expansive, porting through nearly 3 terabytes of data  the equivalent of roughly 750,000 photos on a smartphone  leaked from 14 different service providers doing business in 38 different jurisdictions in the world. The records date back to the 1970s, but most of the files span from 1996 to 2020.

In contrast, the Panama Papers culled through 2.6 terabytes of data leaked by one now-defunct law firm called Mossack Fonseca that was located in the country that inspired that project's nickname.

FILE - Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a Security Council meeting via video conference at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, Russia, in this Monday, Sept. 27, 2021, file photo. Hundreds of world leaders, powerful politicians, billionaires, celebrities, religious leaders and drug dealers have been stashing away their investments in mansions, exclusive beachfront property, yachts and other assets for the past quarter century, according to a review of nearly 12 million files obtained from 14 different firms located around the world. The report released Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021 by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists involved 600 journalists from 150 media outlets in 117 countries. Russian President Vladimir Putin is one of 330 current and former politicians identified as beneficiaries of the secret accounts. (Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)

The latest investigation dug into accounts registered in familiar offshore havens, including the British Virgin Islands, Seychelles, Hong Kong and Belize. But some of the secret accounts were also scattered around in trusts set up in the U.S., including 81 in South Dakota and 37 in Florida.

Some of the initial findings released Sunday painted a sordid picture of the prominent people involved.

For instance, the investigation found advisers helped King Abdullah II of Jordan set up at least three dozen shell companies from 1995 to 2017, helping the monarch buy 14 homes worth more than $106 million in the U.S. and the U.K. One was a $23 million California ocean-view property bought in 2017 through a British Virgin Islands company. The advisers were identified as an English accountant in Switzerland and lawyers in the British Virgin Islands.

There was no immediate comment from Jordans Royal Palace.

Czech Republic's Prime Minister Andrej Babis attends a TV debate ahead of the upcoming general election in Prague, Czech Republic, Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

The details are an embarrassing blow to Abdullah, whose government was engulfed in scandal this year when his half brother, former Crown Prince Hamzah, accused the ruling system of corruption and incompetence. The king claimed he was the victim of a malicious plot, placed his half brother under house arrest and put two former close aides on trial.

U.K attorneys for Abdullah said he isnt required to pay taxes under his countrys law and hasnt misused public funds, adding that there are security and privacy reasons for him to have holdings through offshore companies, according to the report. The attorneys also said most of the companies and properties are not connected to the king or no longer exist, though they declined to provide details.

Blair, U.K. prime minister from 1997 to 2007, became the owner of an $8.8 million Victorian building in 2017 by buying a British Virgin Islands company that held the property, and the building now hosts the law firm of his wife, Cherie Blair, according to the the investigation. The two bought the company from the family of Bahrains industry and tourism minister, Zayed bin Rashid al-Zayani. Buying the company shares instead of the London building saved the Blairs more than $400,000 in property taxes, the investigation found.

The Blairs and the al-Zayanis both said they didnt initially know the other party was involved in the deal, the probe found. Cherie Blair said her husband wasnt involved in the purchase, which she said was meant to bring the company and the building back into the U.K. tax and regulatory regime. She also said she did not want to own a British Virgin Islands company and that the seller for their own purposes only wanted to sell the company, which is now closed.

FILE In this file photo taken on Thursday, March 16, 2017, Head of Russian First Channel Konstantin Ernst attends a meeting in Moscow, Russia. Hundreds of world leaders, powerful politicians, billionaires, celebrities, religious leaders and drug dealers have been stashing away their investments in mansions, exclusive beachfront property, yachts and other assets for the past quarter century, according to a review of nearly 12 million files obtained from 14 different firms located around the world. The consortium of journalists revealed Putin's image-maker and chief executive of Russia's leading TV station, Konstantin Ernst, got a discount to buy and develop Soviet-era cinemas and surrounding property in Moscow after he directed the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Ernst told the organization the deal wasn't secret and denied suggestions he was given special treatment. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)

A lawyer for the al-Zayanis said they complied with U.K. laws.

Khan, the Pakistani prime minister, is not accused of any wrongdoing. But members of his inner circle, including Finance Minister Shaukat Fayaz Ahmed Tarin, are accused of hiding millions of dollars in wealth in secret companies or trusts, according to the journalists' findings.

In a tweet, Khan vowed to recover the ill-gotten gains and said his government will look into all citizens mentioned in the documents and take action, if needed.

The consortium of journalists revealed Putin's image-maker and chief executive of Russia's leading TV station, Konstantin Ernst, got a discount to buy and develop Soviet-era cinemas and surrounding property in Moscow after he directed the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Ernst told the organization the deal wasn't secret and denied suggestions he was given special treatment.

In 2009, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis put $22 million into shell companies to buy a chateau property in a hilltop village in Mougins, France, near Cannes, the investigation found. The shell companies and the chateau were not disclosed in Babis required asset declarations, according to documents obtained by the journalism groups Czech partner, Investigace.cz.

A real estate group owned indirectly by Babis bought the Monaco company that owned the chateau in 2018, the probe found.

I was waiting for them to bring something right before the election to harm me and influence the Czech election, Babis tweeted in his first reaction to the report.

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The Czech Republic parliamentary election is being held on Friday and Saturday.

Ive never done anything illegal or wrong, Babis added.

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Liedtke reported from San Ramon, California, and Mattise reported from Nashville, Tennessee. Associated Press writers Karel Janicek in the Czech Republic, Frank Jordans in Berlin, Josef Federman in Jerusalem, John Rice in Mexico City, Kathy Gannon in Islamabad, Pakistan, and Felicia Fonseca in Phoenix contributed to this report.

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This story was first published on October 4, 2021. It was updated on October 5, 2021 to remove a photo with a caption that erroneously identified Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan as one of 330 current and former politicians who reportedly benefitted from secret accounts. The report identified Khans associates as beneficiaries, but not Khan himself.
WASHINGTON -- Dr. Anthony Fauci says hes worried that people resisting COVID-19 vaccine shots based on religious grounds may be confusing that with a philosophical objection.

A woman walks past a board showing the coronavirus vaccine administering schedule at St. Mary's Hospital Lacor in Gulu, Uganda Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021. Repeated and sudden power failures plague the vaccine storage unit, adding to the logistical challenges facing efforts to ramp up vaccination across the country. (AP Photo/Nicholas Bamulanzeki)

WASHINGTON -- Dr. Anthony Fauci says hes worried that people resisting COVID-19 vaccine shots based on religious grounds may be confusing that with a philosophical objection.

Fauci, who is President Joe Bidens chief medical adviser, says getting the COVID-19 vaccine is no different in concept than receiving other vaccines such as for measles, which have been done for many years. He says a public health review found very, very few, literally less than a handful of established religions which actually oppose vaccinations.

Religious exemptions have been on the rise since Biden last month announced sweeping new COVID-19 vaccine mandates covering more than 100 million Americans.

Fauci acknowledges the challenges of businesses to determine if an employees claimed religious exemption is more an excuse to bypass legal requirements.

He told CNNs State of the Union: I would hope that people would understand that all of this is for their benefit, for the safety of themselves, their family and their societal responsibility.

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MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:

 Distribution problems, hesitancy slow Uganda vaccination bid

 Israel tightens COVID green pass rules, sparking protest

FILE - In this Sept. 12, 2021, an elderly man wearing a face mask and gloves to protect against the coronavirus rides a subway car in Moscow, Russia. When Russians discuss the coronavirus -- from ordinary conversations to remarks even by President Vladimir Putin -- the talk often turns to antitela. That's the Russian word for antibodies  the proteins produced by the body to fight infection. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)

 Russia: Antibody tests for COVID-19 remain popular, factor in low vaccine rate

 Far-right protesters in Romania reject virus restrictions

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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:

MOSCOW  Russia has reported a record daily death toll from COVID-19. Its the fifth time in a week that deaths have hit a new high in the country.

The national coronavirus task force said Sunday that 890 deaths were recorded over the past day. That exceeds the 887 reported on Friday. The task force also said the number of new infections in the past day was the second-highest of the year at 25,769.

But officials say there are no plans to impose a lockdown. Mask-wearing regulations are in place but loosely enforced.

The country of 145 million has recorded about 7.5 million infection cases and nearly 210,000 deaths during the pandemic.

Used vials of Chinese-made Sinovac vaccine for coronavirus vaccine sit at St. Mary's Hospital Lacor in Gulu, Uganda Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021. Repeated and sudden power failures plague the vaccine storage unit, adding to the logistical challenges facing efforts to ramp up vaccination across the country. (AP Photo/Nicholas Bamulanzeki)

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JERUSALEM  Israel has restricted its COVID Green Pass to allow only those who have received a vaccine booster dose or recently recuperated from coronavirus to enter indoor events.

Under Sundays new guidelines, people eligible for a green pass  a kind of digital vaccination passport  must have received a booster shot.

Those who have received two doses, or those who have recovered from coronavirus, are only eligible for six months after the date of their vaccination or recovery.

Technical problems hamstrung the Health Ministrys rollout of the updated pass as millions of Israelis tried to reissue digital documentation that would allow entry to restaurants, bars, cultural venues and other indoor activities.

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GULU, Uganda  The remote Ugandan district of Gulu is currently a COVID-19 hot spot in the East African country.

There are repeated and sudden power failures that plague the vaccine storage unit. That adds to the logistical challenges facing efforts to ramp up vaccination across the country.

Officials must first account for every dose previously received. So shortages are rampant despite the presence in the country of over 2 million vaccine shots.

The growing supply is giving a headache to health officials who are trying to whip up enthusiasm for vaccines. But many living in rural areas cite safety fears and would rather wait.

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SYDNEY  Australias New South Wales state has recorded 10 new deaths and 667 locally acquired COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, as its outbreak continues to ease.

Three weeks ago we had 1,599 cases, state Health Minister Brad Hazzard said Sunday. And just three weeks later today I am very pleased to be able to tell the community that we are down, I wanted it down to zero if we can get it there, but 667 today locally acquired cases.

Meanwhile, the state of Victoria recorded 1,220 new community acquired cases of COVID-19 and three deaths in the past 24 hours. The state, Australias second most populous, set a record of 1,488 new cases on Saturday.

I want to thank each and every one of those more than 71,000 Victorians who went and got tested, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said Sunday. It is critical to us, knowing where this virus is, where it isnt.

There were 71,275 tests conducted Saturday in Victoria and 36,248 vaccine doses administered. There are now 11,785 active cases in the state.

The Australian Capital Territory recorded 38 locally acquired cases in the past 24 hours.

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ANCHORAGE, Alaska  Alaska on Saturday activated emergency crisis protocols that allow 20 health care facilities to ration care if needed as the state recorded the nations worst COVID-19 diagnosis rates in the U.S. in recent days, straining its limited health care system.

The declaration covers three facilities that had already declared emergency protocol, including the states largest hospital, Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage.

Among the factors that led the state to activate the crisis of care standards include scarce medical resources within some facilities, limited staff and difficulty transferring patients to other facilities because of limited bed availability. Other factors included limited renal replacement therapy and oxygen supplies.

According to data collected by Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, one person in every 84 in Alaska was diagnosed with COVID-19 from Sept. 22 to 29. The next highest rate was one in every 164 people in West Virginia.

Statewide, 60% of eligible Alaskans are fully vaccinated.
Alberta game ranchers are lobbying governments in the province in a renewed attempt to legalize hunt farms.

A bull elk bugles in a field in Grand Teton National Park on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020. Alberta game ranchers are lobbying governments in the province in a renewed attempt to legalize hunt farms, an industry they say could bring millions of dollars to rural communities but is strongly opposed by wildlife scientists and fish and game groups. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Kayla Renie/Jackson Hole News Guide via AP

Alberta game ranchers are lobbying governments in the province in a renewed attempt to legalize hunt farms.

They say it's an industry that could bring millions of dollars to rural communities, but the farms are strongly opposed by wildlife scientists and fish and game groups.

The Alberta Elk Commission has been lobbying the province and rural municipalities since at least the spring of 2020 for legislative changes that would allow what it calls "cervid harvesting preserves." Those are fenced areas for raising animals such as elk, deer or bison where paying guests can hunt and shoot the animals.

Alberta's lobbyist registry shows the commission is communicating with three ministries to seek changes that would permit games farms to allow hunting and the selling of meat, allowing hunters to take their kills home.

It's further seeking support from rural municipalities. The County of Lacombe discussed the proposal at its Sept. 9 meeting.

The proposal comes as Alberta's United Conservative government begins a wide-ranging review of wildlife legislation that promises, say government documents, to "explore options for innovative tools to provide improved recreational hunting opportunities on public and private lands."

Alberta game farms already export animals to places where so-called "canned hunts" are legal.

Commission president John Cameron, who represents more than 50 elk ranches in Alberta, said it would make sense to keep that revenue.

"Harvest preserves would give producers the opportunity to harvest animals that are currently exported to other jurisdictions, offering an economic development opportunity in Alberta," he wrote in an email.

Cameron said hunt farms would double industry revenues to about $500 million and create more than 300 jobs.

"The Alberta Elk Commission is asking for this now in order to sustain and grow our industry to be able to pass on our operations to the next generations of our largely family-owned farms and ranches," he said.

Saskatchewan has about 35 game farms that offer up to 100 hunts a year, according to provincial government figures.

The relevant legislation comes under Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. Asked how minister Devin Dreeshen views the commission's requests, spokesman Mackenzie Blyth responded in an email.

"Alberta's government is committed to supporting Alberta entrepreneurs and working with communities and organizations to drive growth and job creation, especially in our province's rural areas," he said.

The response worries Delinda Ryerson of the Alberta Fish and Game Association. She said her group wrote Dreeshen in January to express concerns about hunt farms and has yet to receive a reply.

"There's a whole suite of ecological and economic and heritage reasons that we are adamantly opposed," she said.

Hunt farms  and game farms  damage native wildlife through hybridization and the spread of disease, she said. She fears they also encourage a pay-to-hunt mentality that will eventually choke off a pastime enjoyed by thousands of Albertans.

"It's not exactly fair chase," said Ryerson. "It's hard enough nowadays to be a hunter. Something like canned hunts are only going to make that worse."

The Boone and Crockett Club, which lists North American trophy hunt records, opposes such hunts and won't record their kills. So do local environmental organizations including the Alberta Wilderness Association.

Cameron disputes Ryerson's claim that hunt farms would spread disease to wild stocks.

"There is no concern with disease spread from animals harvested on harvest preserves to the wild population," he wrote. "(All) of the animals harvested on harvest preserves are tested ... so there are no concerns on disease spread."

But it's tough to keep wild and penned animals separate, said Ryan Brook, a University of Saskatchewan wildlife biologist.

"Contact of wild elk and domestic elk through the fence has been documented and weve seen photos of it going around," he wrote in an email. "It's an important potential route for disease transmission."

Mark Boyce, a University of Alberta biologist and a hunter, said chronic wasting disease, a fatal wildlife condition spreading rapidly through the Prairies, probably came to Canada through a game farm.

Legalizing hunt farms, he said, "is absurd. It's absolutely nuts."

Alberta does allow hunt farms for wild boar, a non-native species. Boyce said the results of that experiment should be a warning.

"We have hundreds of wild boar at large in Alberta because of a dozen or so hunt farms. They get out."

In its materials to Lacombe County, the elk commission said chronic wasting disease is one reason the industry wants hunt farms.

"Spread of chronic wasting disease in the wild is limiting export market(s) ... threatening industry viability," says its presentation.

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The Alberta government says it's planning public consultations on wildlife management and recreational hunting rules.

But the province has been here before.

In 2002, its Progressive Conservative government considered hunt farms and turned them down. Then-premier Ralph Klein was unequivocal.

"To go to a hunt farm and shoot a penned-up animal, an animal that doesn't have a chance, I think it's abhorrent," he said. "People simply do not like the idea and neither do I."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 3, 2021.

 Follow Bob Weber on Twitter at @row1960
MONTREAL - A plane that went down on an island near Old Montreal on Saturday night was carrying a marriage proposal banner at the time of the deadly crash, authorities said Sunday.

The burned-out remains of a small aircraft are seen at a crash site on Ile-Ste-Helene, a small island in Montreal, Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021. One person was pronounced dead and another hospitalized following the crash, which happened Saturday night. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

MONTREAL - A plane that went down on an island near Old Montreal on Saturday night was carrying a marriage proposal banner at the time of the deadly crash, authorities said Sunday.

A spokesman for Canada's Transportation Safety Board said the aircraft was towing a banner that read "will you marry me" when it crashed, killing a passenger. The pilot remained in hospital as of Sunday night.

"We are looking to speak to the pilot when possible," Chris Krepski told The Canadian Press.

Montreal police said they answered a call reporting a crash that happened at roughly 6 p.m. at Park Dieppe near the Concorde Bridge of Montreal's Ile Sainte-Helene, not far from where a music festival was taking place.

Police did not share details about the victims except to say that they are believed to have been the plane's only two occupants.

Krepski said in an interview that officials received reports of engine trouble on the Cessna 172 aircraft, but investigatorshave yet to determine the cause of the crash.

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"We haven't ruled out anything yet," he said. "We need to take a close look at everything."

Krepski said the proposal banner, which is believed to have fallen into the St-Lawrence river shortly before the crash, has not been found.

The board dispatched investigators to the scene to gather details. Remaining debris was to be sent to an Ottawa lab for testing on Sunday.

"The TSB investigators were documenting the site, examining the wreckage, getting information from witnesses and coordinating with the Montreal police," Krepski said.

Event producer and promoter Evenko confirmed on Twitter Saturday night that no activity was affected at the popular Osheaga festival, which was taking place not far from the scene of the crash.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Oct. 3, 2021.
OTTAWA - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has offered a private apology to the chief of a British Columbia First Nation after passing up opportunities to honour Canada's first official Truth and Reconciliation day in the community, prompting one major Indigenous advocacy organization to call on him to voice his contrition in public.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivers his remarks during a ceremony on Parliament Hill on the eve of the first National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, in Ottawa, Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021. Trudeau's office says he has apologized to the chief of a British Columbia First Nation which invited him to visit on Canada's first National Truth and Reconciliation Day. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

OTTAWA - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has offered a private apology to the chief of a British Columbia First Nation after passing up opportunities to honour Canada's first official Truth and Reconciliation day in the community, prompting one major Indigenous advocacy organization to call on him to voice his contrition in public.

Trudeau's office said the prime minister spoke with the head of the Tkemlups te Secwepemc Nation on Saturday and apologized for failing to accept invitations to mark Sept. 30 in the community where more than 200 unmarked graves were discovered at the site of a former residential school. While Trudeau was in the province that day, he chose instead to spend personal time with his family.

The head of the The Native Women's Association of Canada said she welcomed word of Trudeau's private apology, but called on him to make a more public statement and cautioned that his actions may have lasting consequences.

Chief Executive Officer Lynne Groulx said members had asked Trudeau to admit he made an error in judgment, but believes there now needs to be a message directed at the wider Indigenous community.

"It's every single residential school survivor, intergenerational school survivor  we know that that's 100 per cent of our communities are impacted by residential schools," she said.

Trudeau spent Sunday in Tofino, B.C., where he has been since last Thursday when he flew there on a day meant to honour Indigenous survivors of Canada's residential schools system.

His location came as a shock after his itinerary initially reported he was in Ottawa for private meetings.

A spokesman for Trudeau said he spent several hours on the phone with eight people who lived through residential schools, and denied that the prime minister had used the historic day to take a vacation.

Global News filmed the prime minister walking along a beach and the resulting video shows him declining to offer any comment.

Reports of his Reconciliation Day activities sparked widespread backlash from Indigenous leaders, who felt it was disrespectful of him not to join other politicians in attending events held to honour the children who never came home.

More than 4,000 Indigenous children are believed to have died while being forced to attend the church-run facilities, where many survivors reported suffering from physical and sexual abuse as well as neglect and malnutrition.

The Tkemlups te Secwepemc Nation, which earlier this year announced the findings of more than 200 unmarked graves at the site of a former residential school in Kamloops, B.C., shared on social media that it sent "two heartfelt invitations" for Trudeau to join them on Sept. 30.

Trudeau's office said Sunday he reached out to Chief Rosanne Casimir a day earlier and offered his apology, but didn't divulge specifics on what he said.

A spokesperson for the First Nation confirmed a conversation and apology took place, but also offered no further details.

Groulx said people feel disappointed, hurt and angry by Trudeau's actions and said it should be made clear that Sept. 30 is a national day of observance, not a holiday.

She said the fact that the Tofino trip happened on the heels of a federal election campaign further erodes trust that the government is serious about the commitments it has made to advance reconciliation.

"Maybe it's just a part of what governments do when they need to get elected and to win over Indigenous people. We're doubting the legitimacy of the promises that are being made," she said.

Assembly of First Nations National Chief RoseAnne Archibald said "hollow apologies will no longer be accepted."

"As National Chief, on behalf of all First Nations, I expect concrete action and changed behaviours," she said in a Sunday statement. "The prime minister must demonstrate through actions that he is committed to the healing path forward."

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Archibald asked that media give the same amount of attention to the stories of residential school survivors as Trudeau's behaviour.

Canada's declaration that Sept. 30 would be a day honouring survivors was made in the weeks following the Tkemlups te Secwepemc Nation's announcement about unmarked graves. The day was previously known as "Orange Shirt Day," an initiative aimed at generating awareness of the dark legacy of Canada's residential schools.

The discovery of the graves set off weeks of mourning across Canada. Hundreds of tiny shoes and stuffed animals were placed near the Centennial Flame on Parliament Hill as well as at other sites around the country to remember the children who died and went missing.

Weeks later, Cowessess First Nation in Saskatchewan also reported locating more than 700 unmarked graves using ground-penetrating radar technology other First Nations said they too were using to find the remains of children at former residential school sites.

The news, combined with the reckoning it stirred within many Canadians, prompted the minority Parliament to pass a bill naming Sept. 30 as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The move was also among the 94 calls to action put forward by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in its landmark 2015 report.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 3, 2021
Reproductive justice issues are not just American issues; a group of Manitobans gathered on the steps of the provinces decision-making centre Saturday to assert reproductive rights are a concern for Canadians, too.

Reproductive justice issues are not just American issues; a group of Manitobans gathered on the steps of the provinces decision-making centre Saturday to assert reproductive rights are a concern for Canadians, too.

"Get off my uterus," the hundreds-strong crowd cried in unison from the steps of Manitoba's legislature at a rally for reproductive justice in solidarity with Texans facing limitations to their abortion rights.

Rally attendees bore signs advocating for safe, legal abortions, decrying legislators restricting abortion access, and asserting "my body, my choice."

Saturdays rally coincided with the Womens March on Washington in the United States, where thousands marched to the U.S. Supreme Court in support of abortion access and to speak against the courts decision to allow Texass six-week abortion ban (which limits abortion access to people pregnant less than six weeks, stripping access for nearly all people seeking abortions). Hundreds of similar rallies took place across the United States Saturday, according to reports from CBS News.

Katrina Greer of Handmaid Local 204/431 shows her support at the Rally for Reproductive Justice event on Saturday. (Mike Sudoma / Winnipeg Free Press)

While the American political battle for reproductive rights was the backdrop for Manitobas gathering, speakers brought the issue home, acknowledging recent and historic attacks on reproductive rights for Indigenous, Black, women and gender diverse people in Canada.

"It does matter," NDP MLA Nahanni Fontaine said to the assembled crowd. "It matters what happens here."

Fontaine, who organized the rally with Women's March Winnipeg chapter leader Vivienne Ho, reinforced reproductive rights have been challenged both historically and in recent years on home soil, particularly for vulnerable community members like racialized and gender diverse people.

"I would suggest that almost for the whole movement BIPOC women and gender diverse folks have been completely absent, and I would suggest in many respects dismissed and silenced and erased," Fontaine said in an interview after the rally.

"For me as an Indigenous woman it was important to centre BIPOC voices today who face a myriad of different, other -isms on top of reproductive regressive policies. It's important we understand these issues affect different folks in a variety of different ways with huge, long-lasting consequences."

Nahanni Fontaine takes a minute to compose herself prior to speaking at the rally. The NDP MLA organized the event with Women's March Winnipeg chapter leader Vivienne Ho. (Mike Sudoma / Winnipeg Free Press)

Speakers such as Elder Leslie Spillett, director of the abortions program at womens health clinic Blandine Tona, union activist Gina Smoke and NDP health critic Uzoma Asagwara, decried Canada's historic and recent forced sterilization of Indigenous peoples, limited access to reproductive health care services for people in remote communities, and conservative politicians who have attended or supported anti-choice initiatives.

"I think we all understand even though this is happening in Texas  it could happen here," Tona told the crowd.

Fontaine said her time in the legislative assembly has demonstrated Canada's reproductive rights and abortion access are "fragile;" Manitoba's legislative assembly has twice voted down Fontaine's Bill 207  the abortion process buffer zone act  which would mandate a 50 to 150 metre protection area free from anti-abortion protestors around women's hospitals and clinics. During Saturday's rally, Fontaine noted the legislature will vote on the bill again this Thursday.

Asagwara noted the Progressive Conservative government in Manitoba has placed reproductive health issues under the portfolio of the minister for the status of women, rather than minister of health.

Paige Mason, who works with the abortion rights coalition of Canada, helped recruit signatories Saturday to a petition for the buffer zone act.

Paige Mason holds up a sign as she takes part in the Rally for Reproductive Justice Saturday at the Manitoba Legislative Building. (Mike Sudoma / Winnipeg Free Press)

"Abortion is, under the Canada Health Act, classified as an essential service," Mason said. "So they should be able to access that service free from harassment, free from someone telling them they're a murderer, that they're a terrible person, and seeing this graphic and often false imagery."

Mason said she was happy and encouraged by the diverse turnout at the weekend event, and by the number of people eager to join the petition for Bill 207.

"In Canada especially we like to think that because our politicians aren't so overtly anti-choice that our rights are protected," Mason said. "The fact is that they like to introduce anti-choice legislation quietly. When these laws in the States go into effect, they embolden the conservatives here to introduce legislation."

Laure Moody and her child Leia Moody-Lepine attended the rally in what has become a notable symbol at reproductive justice events: Handmaid's Tale outfits.

The red robes and white caps, drawn from HBO's TV interpretation of the Margaret Atwood novel The Handmaid's Tale have become symbols of women's oppression since the Women's March movement began in 2017.

Saturdays rally coincided with the Womens March on Washington in the United States, where thousands marched to the U.S. Supreme Court in support of abortion access. (Mike Sudoma / Winnipeg Free Press)

Laure Moody noted Canada has "imperfect access" to reproductive health care, and worries conservative politicians could push that access further and further away for vulnerable peoples if given the chance.

"It's great that it's legal, but you need to be able to find it when you need it and for a lot of women in Manitoba that's not a reality," Moody said.

"The reality is that we have opportunities and access to health care here that women up north don't have. They're already living in their version of The Handmaid's Tale."

julia-simone.rutgers@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jsrutgers

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HALIFAX - An international ferry service that links Canada with the United States is set to resume next year after being cancelled three years in a row.

The CAT, a high-speed passenger ferry, departs Yarmouth, N.S. heading to Portland, Maine on its first scheduled trip on Wednesday, June 15, 2016. An international ferry service that links Canada with the United States is set to resume next year after being cancelled for three years in a row. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

HALIFAX - An international ferry service that links Canada with the United States is set to resume next year after being cancelled three years in a row.

An update on the Bay Ferries Ltd. website said its high-speed catamaran ferry service between Yarmouth, N.S., and Bar Harbor, Maine, is expected to start in the spring of 2022.

The last two seasons were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, while the 2019 season was scrapped due to ongoing construction at the Bar Harbor terminal.

Bay Ferries, operator of the provincially subsidized ferry service, announced in 2018 plans to relocate its U.S entry point from Portland, Maine, to Bar Harbor, a route that operated for more than half a century before ending in 2009 when the Nova Scotia government briefly eliminated an annual subsidy.

Yarmouth Mayor Pam Mood said the local ferry terminal has been upgraded in anticipation of the upcoming season, which is expected to run from May to October.

"It was a complete overhaul to the terminal itself as well as to the Canadian border services here," she said in an interview.

The southwestern Nova Scotia port town relies heavily on tourism and the economic spinoffs generated by the catamaran ferry service, known locally as The Cat.

"The fishery is our mainstay followed closely by tourism," Mood said, noting that the ferry helps support the region's restaurant and hospitality sector, small businesses and gas stations.

"This is a livelihood here that relies on the ferry."

Governments of all stripes in Nova Scotia have spent millions of dollars to keep the ferry service to the U.S. afloat in recent years.

In February, Bay Ferries was ordered to release the management fees it receives from the Nova Scotia government.

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The private ferry operator said under a deal dated April 1, 2018, it is paid $97,500 per month by the provincial government, equalling $1.17 million annually.

The release of the information was the result of a Nova Scotia Supreme Court case launched by then-Progressive Conservative Leader and current Premier Tim Houston.

"Nova Scotia taxpayers have paid at least $3.5 million to Bay Ferries over the last three years for a ferry that has not carried a single passenger,'' Houston said in a news release at the time.

The province has a contract with Bay Ferries through to 2025.

Nova Scotia had originally budgeted $16.3 million for the 2020 sailing season.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 3, 2021.
WESTMORELAND, N.Y. -- According to the Oneida County Sheriff's Office, deputies responded to the intersection of State Route 26 and Dewey Road in the Town of Westmorland around 11 p.m. on Saturday for a reported motor vehicle accident involving a pedestrian.

Authorities say Bruce C. Converse, of Rome, was traveling north on State Route 26 when he observed a person in the roadway, who was later identified as Claudia McNair, of Rome.

Converse tried to avoid McNair but was unable to due so, and struck her with his vehicle.

Authorities say that McNair was in the roadway attempting to solicit a ride from passing motorists.

McNair was taken from the scene to St. Elizabeth's Medical Center for minor injuries to her head and lower body.

At this time no tickets have been issued.

The Oneida County Sheriff's Office was assisted on-scene by Stanwix Heights Fire Department, AmCare Ambulance, and New York State Police.
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The Communist Party of China and state leaders Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng and Wang Qishan, attend a reception to celebrate the 72nd anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China along with nearly 500 guests from home and abroad in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 30, 2021. [Xinhua/Xie Huanchi]

BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua)  Amidst fluttering flags and floral decorations on the streets and public squares, the People's Republic of China (PRC) celebrated its 72nd birthday, rejoicing the fruitful achievements of the past year and envisioning a bright future ahead.

The year 2021 marks the centenary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and China has realized the goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, with absolute poverty eliminated.

After realizing this first centenary goal, China has embarked on a new journey under the leadership of President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, toward the second centenary goal of fully building a great modern socialist country by the time the PRC turns 100.

A Hard-Earned Victory

On July 1, Xi declared the realization of the first centenary goal when he addressed a gathering in Tian'anmen Square to celebrate the CPC's centenary.

Achieving moderate prosperity, or Xiaokang in Chinese, was an aspiration for a well-off life held by the Chinese people for generations. At the time the PRC turns 72, this has become a reality.

Measured by multiple standards such as the economy, democracy, science and education, culture, society and people's lives, moderate prosperity lays a solid foundation for the world's most populous country to realize national rejuvenation.

The most prominent achievement was the eradication of absolute poverty, a milestone made possible after an unprecedented nationwide war against poverty led by Xi. In the past eight years, the final 98.99 million impoverished rural residents living under the current poverty line had all been lifted out of poverty.

On Feb. 25, Xi announced that China had secured a complete victory in its fight against poverty.

"Today, we are closer, more confident, and more capable than ever before of making the goal of national rejuvenation a reality," Xi said.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivers an important speech at a ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CPC in Beijing, capital of China, July 1, 2021. [Xinhua/Ju Peng]

A New Journey

"We have laid a solid material foundation to embark on a new journey and achieve new and higher goals by our unremitting endeavors since the founding of the New China, especially over the four decades since the reform and opening up."

Xi made the remarks when addressing the opening of a study session at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee in early 2021, calling for efforts to ensure a good start for fully building a modern socialist country.

He urged the officials to accurately understand the new development stage, act on the new development philosophy and accelerate the establishment of the new development paradigm to drive high-quality development during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) period.

 Sci-Tech Innovation

China's 14th Five-Year Plan placed great emphasis on sci-tech self-reliance and self-strengthening.

On June 23, Xi spoke with the three astronauts stationed in Tianhe, the core module of the space station independently built and operated by China.

"The construction of the space station is a milestone in China's space industry, which will make pioneering contributions to the peaceful use of space by humanity," he told the astronauts via a video call.

This year, Xi has inspected several sci-tech companies, where he repeatedly highlighted the importance of self-reliance in the field of high-level sci-tech innovation.

Just days before the National Day, Xi called for efforts to speed up China's upgrade toward a major world center of talent and innovation, saying that never in history has China been in greater need of talented people.

Specifying the objectives for talent-related work, Xi said that by the year 2025, China will have substantially increased its total R&D spending, and boasted a large number of scientists and technologists in strategically important and core technological fields, top-level sci-tech leaders and innovation teams.

 Rural Vitalization

Capitalizing on its victory in eradicating absolute poverty, China is ramping up efforts to propel rural vitalization, which is "a major task in realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation," as Xi put it.

The country has been working to foster rural industries, promote the application of agricultural technologies and build beautiful countryside.

In the past year, Xi emphasized promoting rural vitalization in various spots across the country, be it a Tibetan carpet factory in Qinghai, an embroidery workshop of the Miao ethnic group in Guizhou, a tea farm in Fujian or a grape farm in Guangxi.

Rural China has great potential and can play an important role in fostering the country's new development paradigm of "dual circulation," which has a strategic basis on expanding domestic demand, he said, emphasizing that the key to rural vitalization lies in developing industries that suit local conditions and benefit local people.

Xi also attaches great importance to promoting rural living environments to ensure residents in such areas have better access to high-quality services and facilities, with "toilet revolution" pushed further and improving local conditions and rural waste treatment high on agenda.

 Common Prosperity

Common prosperity is an essential requirement of socialism and a key feature of Chinese-style modernization, Xi said, calling for adhering to the people-centered development philosophy and promoting common prosperity while pursuing high-quality development.

Rather than being egalitarian or having only a few people prosperous, common prosperity refers to affluence shared by everyone, both in material and cultural terms, and shall be advanced step by step.

Efforts will be made to properly deal with the relationship between efficiency and fairness, make basic institutional arrangements on income distribution, adjust excessive incomes and prohibit illicit income to promote social fairness and justice, according to the 10th meeting of the Central Committee for Financial and Economic Affairs held in August.

 Green Development

One of the key characteristics of China's socialist modernization is human-nature harmony, Xi pointed out.

He has repeatedly underscored the importance of environmental protection in inspection trips and chaired several high-level meetings on advancing ecological civilization this year.

Xi stressed the importance of improving global environmental governance, actively responding to climate change and creating a community of life for man and nature, in his statement delivered via video at the general debate of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly in September.

Xi also reiterated the commitment he made last year that China will strive to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060.

(Source: Xinhua)
BEIJING, Oct. 1 (Xinhua)  With the COVID-19 pandemic still raging and the global economy struggling, the international landscape is undergoing profound changes, and humanity has now reached a new crossroad.

"It falls on each and every responsible statesman to answer the questions of our times and make a historical choice with confidence, courage and a sense of mission," said Chinese President Xi Jinping at the general debate of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) delivered via video on Sept. 21.

As the leader of the world's largest developing country and second-largest economy, Xi has over the last month put forward a series of new proposals on how the world should overcome difficulties and build a better future together.

Responsibility as a Major Country

"China is always a builder of world peace, contributor to global development, defender of the international order and provider of public goods," said Xi in the UNGA statement.

The addition of the fourth dimension to China's global role comes as the country is providing the world with more public goods. The Belt and Road Initiative, proposed by Xi, has become the most popular public good in the world, and China has been championing efforts to make COVID-19 vaccines a global public good.

On the globally significant China-U.S. ties, Xi said that whether the two countries can handle their relationship well is a question of the century to which they must provide a good answer.

Getting the relationship right is not optional, but something we must do and must do well, Xi said in a phone conversation with his U.S. counterpart, Joseph R. Biden, on Sept. 10.

Noting that in all countries, people long for peace and development more than ever before, their call for equity and justice is growing stronger, and they are more determined in pursuing win-win cooperation, Xi pointed out that practicing true multilateralism is the need of the times.

On various multilateral platforms, including the United Nations, BRICS, the Eastern Economic Forum and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Xi's consistent call for true multilateralism has charted a course for improving global governance.

"I am convinced that the trend of peace, development and advancement for humanity is irresistible," Xi said.

Global Cooperation on Development

Development holds the key to people's well-being and is a permanent pursuit of humankind.

At the current critical juncture in global development, Xi, in his UNGA statement, proposed a Global Development Initiative, which has outlined a blueprint for global development and cooperation.

The initiative calls for staying committed to development as a priority, to a people-centered approach, to benefits for all, to innovation-driven development, to harmony between man and nature and to results-oriented actions.

From the Juncao technology that is benefiting more and more foreign communities, to the successful hosting of international trade fairs, and to the steady progress in Belt and Road cooperation, China's development-oriented solutions to global challenges have been bearing rich fruit.

On achieving sustainable development and harmony between man and nature, Xi 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.

Delivering a speech at the 13th BRICS summit via video link on Sept. 9, Xi called on BRICS countries to "further enhance the quality of practical cooperation," and made five proposals on how to do that.

China will take over the chair of BRICS and host the 14th BRICS summit next year. Countries around the world are looking forward to hearing more voices from China.

Shared Future for Mankind

Xi has long been calling for the building of a community with a shared future, and the vision has been further enriched over the past month.

Addressing the 21st Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO via video link on Sept. 17, Xi put forward five proposals on building "a closer SCO community with a shared future."

Since the landmark SCO Qingdao Summit in 2018, Xi has gradually fleshed out his vision on SCO cooperation, inspiring the group to grow into a model in the building of a new type of international relations and a contributor to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

On China-Latin America ties, Xi said in a video speech delivered on Sept. 18 to the 6th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States that China-Latin America relations have entered a new era featuring equality, mutual benefit, innovation, openness and tangible benefits for the people.

China, he said, is willing to work with Latin American and Caribbean countries to overcome difficulties together and jointly create opportunities to build a community of shared future between China and Latin America.

In his UNGA statement, Xi also called for building "a global community of development with a shared future," urging the international community 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.

"Let us bolster confidence and jointly address global threats and challenges, and work together to build a community with a shared future for mankind and a better world for all," Xi said.

(Source: Xinhua)
Businesses invited to attend carbon cutting workshop as part of race to zero

Businesses in Wrexham are being offered the chance to attend carbon reduction workshops and practical net zero advice tomorrow (4 October) at Glyndwr University between 1pm and 4pm as part of the run up to COP26.

The workshops will be provided by Planet Mark  a leading sustainability and net zero certification group that usually works with companies like Centrica and Charles Trywhitt  and forms part of the UN-backed Race to Zero and Together for Our Planet campaigns.

In the UK, the Race to Zero effort is being coordinated by Kwasi Kwartengs Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) department working with Local Authorities, Planet Mark, the Institute of Directors, and others. It is the Governments flagship campaign to raise awareness among the business community about the urgent need for firms to cut their carbon emissions.

The Tour stop at Glyndwr University on 4 October at is part of the Planet Marks Zero Carbon Tour, which will see Planet Marks fully electric powered carbon battle bus visit 30 towns and cities across the UK. The Tour began in Cambridge and will finish in Glasgow for COP26.

Augusts hard hitting IPCC report showed just how dire the climate crisis really is. The study said: it is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, oceans and land. Businesses and organisations in Wrexham, and across the UK, must therefore be encouraged to take action now to reduce their carbon emissions and help create a healthier planet and society.

At the event Planet Marks team will demonstrate to businesses how they can set their own credible carbon reduction targets and implement plans to achieve them in line with the Race to Zeros rigorous minimum criteria.

The event will empower local firms and their employees to become part of a greater national effort to protect our environment by demystifying what is needed to achieve net zero. It will also highlight the good work many companies are already doing to address their carbon output.

Steve Malkin, founder and CEO of Planet Mark, says: We are delighted to be collaborating with Wrexham businesses on this Zero Carbon Tour flagship event as part of the Together For Our Planet campaign in the build up to COP26. We look forward to gathering in-person and online with the Wrexham business community to talk about how they can, no matter their size, contribute to the fight against climate change by committing to net zero carbon. Through the critical Race to Zero we can all play a part in our planets future.

Cllr David A Bithell, Lead Member for the Environment and Transport, said, This is a huge opportunity for Wrexham businesses to find out how they can contribute to reaching ambitious and challenging Zero Carbon targets. I know many will be keen to be involved and encourage as many as possible to take advantage of this unique opportunity in the run up to COP26.

You can find out more about Race to Zero here.

Businesses can sign up to the event on 4 October in Wrexham here through Eventbrite.

Pic: The fully electric powered carbon battle bus that will make an appearance locally.
First aid volunteers share experiences on the frontline during the coronavirus pandemic

First aid volunteers from Wales leading first aid charity have been lauded for their work during the coronavirus pandemic.

Volunteers from St John Ambulance Cymru recently shared personal stories and spoke to Wrexham MP Sarah Atherton about the impact the charity has had during one of the countrys biggest challenges, the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jessica Rogers (24) has volunteered throughout the pandemic giving her time to her local vaccination centre. Jessica spoke to Ms Atherton about her experience caring for hundreds of people through her work supporting the vaccination roll out.

National Cadet of the Year, Joshua Taylor (18), from Deeside, spoke about his ambitions to drive forward the voice of children and young people through the charitys Badger and Cadet programmes. Joshua has also given his time to care for people in his community at vaccination centres.

Ms Atherton saw vehicles that have been used to transport patients to and from hospital and was also given her very own CPR demonstration, highlighting the lifesaving first aid training the charity gives people in communities across Wales.

St John Ambulance Cymru, Chief Executive Officer, Helen Smith, said: We were delighted to welcome Sarah and share the amazing achievements of our St John people during one of the most challenging situations weve faced in over a century of serving Welsh communities.

Our mission is to enhance the health and wellbeing of communities in Wales, and the determination, passion and resilience of our volunteers as well as our behind-the-scenes teams, has been outstanding. It was fantastic to share our story and our impact with Sarah today.

Sarah Atherton MP said: With a background in nursing, it was really enjoyable to learn more about the work of St John Ambulance Cymru and to be able to refresh my own skills at the same time.

Hearing more about the great work that has been done over the past year, which has been particularly tough, was also incredibly uplifting. Most importantly, I was pleased to be able to thank and celebrate the volunteers too  they have all done an outstanding job, despite such adversity.

The charity has provided vital support in local communities through their pharmacy delivery programme, which ran through the first wave of the pandemic, as well as caring for patients at Wales field hospitals.

Their patient transport service was upskilled and adapted to enhance their frontline activity supporting the Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust, freeing up vital ambulances for emergency calls.

St John Ambulance Cymru continue supporting communities wherever and whenever theyre needed. The charity are expected to continue delivering care at vaccination centres in North Wales until spring 2022.

More information about St John Ambulance Cymru and their charitable work is available at: www.sjacymru.org.uk
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - A new fall festival made its way to the 12 Points area on Saturday!

Studio Twelve and Maryland Community Church hosted the Dodeca Festival from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

Although the rain canceled some of the activities planned -- there was still a nice turn-out!

The festival was a way to celebrate the arts with local musicians, poets, and artists.

There was also a ton of vendors, and an interactive family area full of fall activities for all ages to enjoy!

Organizers say it was a way to bring more attention to the revitalization of the area,

"Now...we're...several of us are coming back to the community, that grew up around here, Jitterbugs volunteer Bill Jeffrey said.

"We're trying to bring it back to life again."

Jeffrey encourages everyone to come out to 12 Points to see all of the recent improvements the community has made!
A Tale of Love and Desire is the story of a young Arab man in Paris whose first love is accompanied by the discovery of a very different Arab culture than the one he knows, one that is sensual and liberating.

The film screens as part of the Zurich Film Festivals New World View section, which this year is celebrating a new generation of Tunisian filmmakers.

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In making her sophomore feature, Leyla Bouzid says she wanted to tell the story of a young man experiencing his first love and first sexual experience. The idea, she says, was to propose another vision of masculinity, another kind of story that has not been presented in other films. Its something that is absent from our cinema.

Simply broaching the subject is difficult due to modern social customs. Filming the body of a young Arab man, even if hes French, how that is seen by others, is already something political: to be interested in his body, his skin, his sexuality is already something that is political.

At the center of the story is the confrontation between the shy Ahmed (played by Sami Outalbali, who stars in Netflixs Sex Education), a student from an Algerian family who grew up in the suburbs of Paris, and the eroticism of Eastern culture. It is while studying literature at the Sorbonne that he meets the free-spirited Farah (Zbeida Belhajamor), a young Tunisian woman who has just arrived in Paris.

For many young people of Arab descent who grow up in France, there is a lack of connection with their roots, their language, heritage and history, and that has resulted in a loss of identity for a generation, Bouzid notes. Frances complicated history with Algeria is something that is not really taught in French schools, she adds. Unlike Spanish, Italian and German, Arabic is also not offered in schools as a foreign language.

Story continues

By contrast, students in Tunisia grow up learning every detail of Frances colonization of North Africa. For many young Tunisians who go to France, the lack of knowledge about that history among many French is apparent, she adds. Its something she depicts in her film, where it is the cosmopolitan Farah, and 12th-century Arabic literature, that provide Ahmed with an enlightened, progressive understanding of sexuality.

Among the many Arabic writings discussed in the film is the ancient love story of Layla & Majnun, about a young couple who fall in love but are unable to be together. The poet Majnun remains madly in love with Layla, forever his great unattainable muse. The storys enduring impact has been evident over the centuries, not least as the inspiration for Eric Clapton and his classic Derek and the Dominos hit Layla.

In Outalbali and Belhajamor, Bouzid found the ideal actors to play the young lovers. I wanted the film to be really sensual, something that you can feel very deeply, so I needed two actors who really have this sensuality.

Sami is very, very different from Ahmed. Its very fun to see him in Sex Education. In real life hes really not a shy person, but he really understood the film and wanted to play this character very strongly.

In preparing the shoot, Bouzid shared some films with Outalbali, including James Grays Two Lovers, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Gwyneth Paltrow, to give him a sense of the reserved character she had in mind.

Bouzid similarly found the perfect female lead in Belhajamor, a Tunisian actress in her first feature film role. When I met her it was obvious that she could be Farah, that she could make Ahmed mad with love, in the same way Majnun went mad.

When Outalbali and Belhajamor first met in Paris for a screen test, there was really strong chemistry between them. There was something happening, so much so that we decided that they would not meet anymore in order to keep that chemistry.

Bouzid is currently writing her next film project, an as yet untitled drama set in the Tunisian city of Sousse. It will be very different, with an element of mystery, she says.

A Tale of Love and Desire is being sold internationally by Pyramide, which also released the film in France.

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President Donald Trump speaks to U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Kelly Craft, right, at a luncheon with members of the United Nations Security Council in the Cabinet Room at the White House in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2019. AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

Kelly Craft was a longtime Republican activist in Kentucky before becoming an ambassador.

In 2017, she was named US ambassador to Canada.

Two years later, former President Trump made her the US ambassador to the United Nations.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

A Republican activist who served as an ambassador under Donald Trump steered business to the former president's line of hotels, The Washington Post reported Friday, citing emails released by the State Department. The move was first reported by Forbes.

Kelly Craft was a major GOP donor in Kentucky before being picked to serve as US ambassador to Canada in 2017. She and her husband - Joe Craft, chief executive of the coal company Alliance Resource Partners - donated millions of dollars to Republican candidates. In 2019, Trump named her to replace Nikki Halley as US ambassador to the United Nations.

It was in 2018 that Craft, expected to attend a conference back in Washington, DC, rejected a list of suggested hotels from her staff, saying "I would prefer the TRUMP HOTEL," The Post reported.

Earlier that year, Craft also rejected a staffer's suggestion of a "boutique hotel" near a conference she was attending in Maryland. "Let's keep TRUMP Hotel," she wrote.

Trump's chain of hotels, and the steering of official business to them, was a frequent subject of criticism from Democrats and outside ethics experts while Trump was president. The Center for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington, a watchdog group, accused Trump of violating the emoluments clause of the US Constitution - which prohibits a federal officeholder from accepting gifts from a foreign state - over the fact foreign officials were frequently opting to stay and spend money at the Trump hotel in Washington.

The former president also suggested holding the 2020 G7 summit at his struggling resort in Miami, Florida, backing down after criticism from ethics experts.

Story continues

Now that he's out of office, The Trump Organization, which oversees the line of hotels, is currently trying to sell its property in DC.

Have a news tip? Email this reporter: cdavis@insider.com

Read the original article on Business Insider
SMAL POLL; sexiest breakout star

Getty

Anthony Ramos is getting behind the wheel for the first time while filming Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.

The Emmy Award nominee, 29, admitted on the Spout podcast that he didn't have a driver's license before he was tapped to star in the franchise's seventh installment.

"My director is like, 'The car, we need you to drive it,'" the actor told host Tamara Dhia. "I had like a two week-window to try and book a road test and pass."

Ramos explained that growing up in New York City, there's not much of a reason to get a license.

"I mean, I never need it," he said. "Then later on, Uber came. I was like, 'Whoa, what is this? You can get a phone and call a stranger, come and roll up to your crib.'"

RELATED: Transformers: Rise of the Beasts Star Anthony Ramos Says His Head 'Exploded' Reading Script

Ramos and longtime friend Dominique Fishback star in the movie as archaeologists in 1994 Brooklyn, who find themselves caught up in an ancient conflict between the three factions of Transformers.

"Today's my first day with Dominique on set and we've been friends for like six years, and she's from Brooklyn, and I'm from Brooklyn," Ramos said on the podcast. "And it's like a thing where you from New York and you're doing movies or TV or whatever, film, theater  you find each other, you know."

Transformers - rise of the beasts

Paramount Pictures

Centered on Optimus Prime, the movie is a sequel to the 2018 origin film Bumblebee, which starred Hailee Steinfeld. The live-action film series based on the '80s Hasbro franchise began with 2007's Transformers, starring Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox.

Ramos was reported to be in final talks for Transformers: Rise of the Beasts in April. Production began in June, with filming locations in Los Angeles, New York and Peru.

RELATED VIDEO: Anthony Ramos First Look Exclusive  Secret Celebrity Renovation

"Beast Wars was my joint, that was the one for me. I was [in front of the TV] every week watching Beast Wars," Ramos previously told reporters. "So when I read the script, I saw we were gonna have them in the movie, my head almost exploded off of my body."
Daniel Craig attends the World Premiere of "NO TIME TO DIE" at the Royal Albert Hall on September 28, 2021 in London

Jeff Spicer/Getty Daniel Craig

Daniel Craig is getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame!

Best known for his role as James Bond, the British actor, 53, will have his star unveiled on Hollywood Boulevard on Wednesday, Oct. 6  two days before his fifth and final Bond film No Time to Die debuts in theaters.

Craig's star will be placed next to former 007 Roger Moore. He is the fourth Bond actor to receive the honor following Moore, David Niven and Pierce Brosnan.

"Daniel Craig is a British cultural icon, as is James Bond, the man he has portrayed in five 007 films, Ana Martinez, producer of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, said in a statement. "We are thrilled to place his terrazzo Walk of Fame star next to the star of another famed actor who also portrayed James Bond, Roger Moore."

Daniel Craig

Eon Productions/Kobal/Shutterstock Daniel Craig in Skyfall

RELATED: Daniel Craig Didn't Think He'd Be Cast as James Bond: 'I Was Just Amongst the Mix'

Rami Malek, who stars as the villain opposite Craig in No Time to Die, will deliver a speech at the ceremony to honor his costar, as will movie producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.

Fans can stream the event live on the Hollywood Walk of Fame website.

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free weekly newsletter to get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.

In addition to his action-packed turn as 007, Craig is known for roles in Knives Out, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Munich, Logan Lucky, Enduring Love, Infamous, and more.

The actor recently reflected on his audition for Bond in an interview with The New York Times, saying he "assumed he'd been invited to audition as cannon fodder, to make it easier to choose someone else for the part."

He had been brought in to audition following the exit of Brosnan, who had played Bond in four films from 1995 to 2002. Craig explained, "I was just amongst the mix  someone to dismiss," before adding that he thought he'd be cast as a villain, saying, "Here you go, have a baddie."

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Daniel Craig attends the World Premiere of "NO TIME TO DIE" at the Royal Albert Hall on September 28, 2021 in London, England.

Tristan Fewings/Getty Daniel Craig

RELATED: Daniel Craig Named Honorary Naval Officer Like James Bond

Yet, the actor went on to star as Bond in five films, starting with Casino Royale (2006) and including Quantum of Solace (2008), Skyfall (2012) and Spectre (2015). His final film in the franchise, No Time to Die, premieres in theaters on Oct. 8.

Craig told the Times he aimed for consistency throughout his Bond films, admitting he may be remembered "as the Grumpy Bond," but adding, "That's just my Bond and I have to face up to it, that has been my Bond. But I'm quite satisfied with that."
Migrants pray on the deck of the Geo Barents, a rescue vessel operated by MSF (Doctors Without Borders) off Libya, in the central Mediterranean route, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021.
Bhopal: Amid a "debate" over his health, Madhya Pradesh Congress president Kamal Nath, 74, has challenged state Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who is 12 years younger than him, to run a race with him to see who is fitter.

Nath's fitness challenge comes in the wake of Chouhan, 62, repeatedly targetting him over his age and health, saying that he was resting in Delhi.

"There is a lot of debate over my health. Shivraj ji is saying that Kamal Nath ji is sick and old. Shivraj ji, I throw a challenge to you, come let us have a race," Nath, who is also the leader of the opposition, said in a media statement.

"I did go for my post-COVID-19 check-up because I had pneumonia - which anyone can have. I got all the tests done. All reports came out good. COVID-19 are of two types - one of short duration and another of long duration. I faced the long duration one," he added.

"I was in Delhi, where I have many responsibilities (of the Congress) to discharge. This does not mean I was in Delhi because I was unwell and resting," the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister said.

A Congress leader said, Nath reached here on Saturday and is scheduled to leave for Delhi on Sunday along with the list of candidates for the October 30 bypolls to three Assembly seats and one Lok Sabha constituency in MP.

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Talking to PTI about Nath's challenge, MP Congress spokesperson Bhupendra Gupta said, "This is an apt reply to CM Chouhan, who was repeatedly needling Nathji that he has grown old, sick and resting in Delhi. Chouhan should keep in mind that he has been defeated in the 2018 MP Assembly poll race by Nathji."

State BJP's senior leader Deepak Vijayavargiya said, "The BJP runs races for the development and well being of people. But sitting in drawing rooms, the Congress runs races on Twitter and falls. In the October 30 bypolls, people will decide who is the winner. I pray to God for Nath's good health. He must stay fine after defeating coronavirus."

Both - Nath and Chouhan - had contracted coronavirus. Chouhan had got infected last year and was discharged in August (last year) from a private hospital here after recovery.

Nath became the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh in December 2018 after Congress won the Assembly polls that year. However, his government collapsed in March 2020 following the resignation of 22 MLAs of the then ruling Congress. The government helmed by him lasted only 15 months, after which the BJP came back to power and Chouhan returned as the state the chief minister for the fourth time.
New Delhi: Amid speculation about a possible change of guard in the Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Saturday asserted that his state can never become Punjab, and said the two states bear only one similarity - that of having numbers in their names.

The Congress has been in turmoil in Punjab after Amarinder Singh quit as the chief minister and the party's state unit chief Navjot Singh Sidhu resigned from his post ahead of the crucial assembly elections in the state early next year.

"Chhattisgarh will always remain Chhattisgarh. It cannot become Punjab. The two states have only one similarity that both have numbers in their names," Baghel told reporters when asked that the BJP has equated Chhattisgarh and Punjab over turmoil in the ruling Congress.

"Punjab is land of punj (five) aab (water). It is made up of five rivers. Similarly, Chhattisgarh has derived its name from 'chhattis' (thirty six) 'garh' (fort). No other states have numbers in their names. There is no other similarity between the two states," he added.

The political corridor in Chhattisgarh has been rife with speculation of possible leadership change in the Congress government soon as around two dozen party MLAs, considered close to Baghel, flew to Delhi in the last three days.

While the purpose of their trip is yet to become clear, some party sources said the MLAs were visiting the national capital to express solidarity with Baghel.

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The CM had said on Thursday that the visit by Congress MLAs to Delhi should not be seen through the prism of politics.

When asked on Saturday about the MLAs' trip to Delhi, Baghel said, there is no ban on the legislators from going somewhere and they are independent.

"It is not a political movement. You ask if it is a political movement. They will visit and return," he added.

Health Minister TS Singh Deo, who is apparently seeking to replace Baghel, too, played down the visit by MLAs to Delhi as he had said it should not be made an issue.

About the possible leadership change, Singh Deo had reiterated that the decision is reserved with the party high command.

Brihaspat Singh, who is among the legislators who were in Delhi, had said on Wednesday that 15 to 16 party legislators were in Delhi to meet P L Punia ahead of Rahul Gandhi's proposed tour of the state. Singh is considered to be close to Baghel.

The buzz about possible leadership change began after Baghel completed two-and-a-half years as chief minister in June 2021. The Singh Deo camp claimed the top Congress leadership in 2018 had agreed to hand over the CM's post to him after the government completed half its term.
New Delhi: The visiting Vice President and Foreign Minister of Colombia Marta Lucia Ramirez said that she sees Indo Pacific as a region that has "a lot of opportunities for growth and wealth creation" even as she highlighted connect with the Pacific Alliance-- a block of Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru. The vice president is in India and met her counterpart Venkaiah Naidu and External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar.

Speaking to WION Principal Diplomatic & Defence Correspondent Sidhant Sibal, Colombian Vice President called for collaboration on vaccines saying, "We would like to produce vaccines together with India in order to export to different countries" and backed more partnership in aerospace and biotech.

Being the first woman vice president of her country, she had a message of women empowerment. She highlighted the need for more women in job creation and entrepreneurship saying, "When women have economic autonomy, there is less violence against women and children." On a lighter note, she talked about her love for Indian sarees, which she bought three.

Vice President Ramirez is leading a 48 member health and science and technology delegation to India. Both Colombia and India have also signed Letters of Intent for cooperation in the fields of biotechnology and medical research. These were signed by the Department of Biotechnology and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) with their Colombian counterparts.

Sidhant Sibal: How will you characterise the relationship between India and Colombia?

Marta Lucia Ramirez: First of all, we would like very much to strengthen the relationship between Colombia and India because we really believe that the Indo Pacific is so important for Colombia but we also believe that Latin America is so important for India. To increase presence in our region, we would like to have Indian companies invest in Colombia, produce in Colombia, part of their goods, in order to export to the US, Canada or Latin America. Colombia has a free trade agreement, so through Colombia they can export without tariffs to all the region. Focus has been on vaccines, we would also like very much to produce vaccines together with India in order to export to different countries. Colombia has been buying Indian vaccines for many years, for hepatitis etc. So now we are focusing on COVID-19. Maybe in the future there will be new viruses, we would like to do research together with Indian pharma companies. Public policy for biotechnology in India is very advanced. In Colombia, we would like to strengthen relations in aerospace and biotech.

Sidhant Sibal: How was your meeting with EAM Dr Jaishankar? You met in New York as well. We also saw pictures of electric vehicles, which were shown to you by him.

Marta Lucia Ramirez: We talked about multilateral issues, UN reforms, PM Modi's intervention in the general assembly. We also discussed trade, economy and investment. I told him that we in Colombia passed a law in order to have a transition to electric cars. He told me, I have a new car for the first day, and this is my TATA car and we saw his car. I told him I would very much like to have the Tata Automotive industry in Colombia, producing for the public transportation system. Because of the transition, so It would be fine to have an Indian electric car. We have a motorcycle industry and they are doing very good business. They only focus on Colombia. Now we want to promote them in all the regions--the entire Latin American region.

Sidhant Sibal: You mentioned Indo-Pacific, what is your view about the vision?

Marta Lucia Ramirez: We think it has a lot of opportunities for growth and wealth creation. We are also working in a pacific alliance, between Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Chile. We feel we have to create bridges between the pacific alliance and Indo pacific and we would like India as a very important country for better integration process, better trade and investment between the two regions. We have some tensions, some trouble, but we need to work and solve every tension through democracy, through values and respect and this is something we recognise very much in India.

Sidhant Sibal: How has the space collaboration been going? We saw MoU being signed.

Marta Lucia Ramirez: First of all we would like to identify specific activities and sectors which we can launch together. For example, the first Colombian nano satellite, only one until now, was with Indian support. We would like better presence in space for peaceful purposes, for example in climate changes, information for mining in the land and avoiding natural disaster, also in defence. We would like very much the list of activities, which can be developed with private industry. Would like the production of parts for the air industry in Colombia and you have production in India. We would like to identify with the private sector in order to develop these special industries also in Colombia.

Sidhant Sibal: How has been cooperation in the health sector, in the vaccine sector going?

Marta Lucia Ramirez: We know about research and development here. In India, we came with our minister of health, as it was important and he can see by himself all the production of vaccines in India is growing more and more. Hopefully, we can see Indian vaccines get FDA approval in order to produce more Indian vaccines. We have signed a letter of intent with Indian institutions and the Colombian government. We also have letters of intent between Colombian private companies and Indian private companies. For example, there is one with Serum Institute, some Colombia Labs in order to negotiate MoU and have these shared research, production and development hopefully together soon in Colombia for the entire region.

Sidhant Sibal: We saw high-level engagements between the two countries. Miniter Lekhi visited Colombia, you are here now. Can we expect more visits?

Marta Lucia Ramirez: Hopefully, when minister Lekhi came to Colombia, I told her maybe I'm going to go to India. In a short time, we will have a delegation of Colombian businessmen with us and it happened in less than two months. Hopefully, we can have the Indian President, he was supposed to visit but due to Covid, it was not possible. Also, the President of Colombia Ivan Duque Marquez can come to India. We have to work on both the visits. We would like PM Modi, Minister Jaishankar. We have to create this mutual knowledge, not only with public officers but with private sector and academics. So we are trying to have these visits in the short term.

Sidhant Sibal: Participation in the Republic day, any visit around that time?

Marta Lucia Ramirez: Not yet, hopefully, we can have some.

Sidhant Sibal: And your love for sarees...you bought some today.

Marta Lucia Ramirez: First of all, the first time I came to India it was 20 years ago. That time I was foreign trade minister and then-president Andres Pastrana Arango, he was the first Colombian president to visit India. That time I was told we need to go with a delegation of businessmen. We came with a delegation of software sector and software engineering. They started the BPO industry precisely because of the visit to India. So that is why I am convinced that we are going to have an important vaccine Industry in Colombia because of the visit. I bought beautiful sarees because I like the color. Last time I bought 3, I did dresses, our style. I still have it and that is why I bought it today.

Sidhant Sibal: You are the first woman vice president of Colombia. Your message to many women, who are watching you as a source of inspiration.

Marta Lucia Ramirez: We want to recover the world economy, after Covid. We need all the women in the economy, we need women participation in job creation, we need women entrepreneurs. Women have capacity, talent and they are so smart. Women have a very clear focus and results and this is what companies need. Companies managed by women usually have levels of profitability. We want to have more women in the world economy. We believe that when women have economic autonomy, there is less violence against women and children. We believe if we can have some kind of leadership, we are obliged to open leadership for other women. When people say, okay you are the first woman, I say this is my responsibility to make other women use my shoulder to see and know if they are capable of doing the same or more than me. Women must have self-confidence and we have to promote young women, children in order to be part of the new world, a new world with more peace, more development opportunities for everybody. Women can create bridges, wealth and change the world.

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New Delhi: Ernakulam becomes the first district in Kerala to complete 100 percent COVID vaccination of its target population with the first dose, Industries Minister P Rajeev announced on Saturday (October 2, 2021).

While addressing the audience at a felicitation program of hospital authorities and health workers in the district, Rajeev said, "Today is a very proud occasion. A vast district like Ernakulam has completed 100 percent first dose vaccination in Kerala. I am now announcing this formally."

Sharing state government`s target of completing 100 percent administration of the second dose of the vaccine within the next three months, the Minister said, "The second dose will be completed within three months. Now the second completed around 50 percent."

"The district administration and the health system have done a commendable job. The health system in the state became ready to deal with COVID very quickly. The district has set an example for India. We tried all the possibilities. We used a technological system to perform well. Coordination between government and private agencies was well established. As part of that, we are able to control COVID and its death rate in the district. No one in the district has been deprived of oxygen since the second wave of COVID," he said while lauding the efforts of the healthcare workers and their crucial role in the COVID-19 pandemic.

"In Kerala, the health sector has created the largest number of posts for jobs. In India itself, perhaps the world itself, Kerala is the best in terms of controlling the death rate. It has to be said that the government`s strategy for COVID control has succeeded," he added.

Meanwhile, Kerala on Saturday reported 13,217 new COVID-19 cases, 14,437 recoveries and 121 deaths in the last 24 hours. The state has 1,41,155 active cases. The death toll stands at 25,303. In the last 24 hours, 96,835 samples were tested to detect the presence of the virus.

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New Delhi: In a major crackdown, the special cell of Delhi Police has arrested four sharp-shooters of the gangster Gogi gang and recovered arms and ammunition from them, an official said here on Sunday.

"The four sharp-shooters, who have been arrested, were planning a spate of murders," the official said.

Earlier, most wanted gangster Jitender Mann alias `Gogi` was killed along with two other assailants in a shoot-out at Delhis Rohini Court on September 24.

The incident seemed taken straight from a Bollywood potboiler as Gogi was shot dead in a courtroom by two assailants from the rival `Tilu Tajpuriya` gang, who were dressed in lawyers` garb. The assailants opened fire at Gogi inside the courtroom where a case was being heard against him.

Gogi was on Delhi police`s most-wanted list and he was also an accused in dozens of cases - including murder, kidnapping, and fraud - in other states. His gang was also involved in crimes such as possession of illegal arms, carjacking, and land grabbing.

The two assailants were subsequently shot dead by the police as the incident led to chaos and panic in the courtroom where the judge had commenced proceedings. A woman lawyer was reportedly injured in the firing.

The police personnel guarding Gogi immediately retaliated and gunned down the attackers. "There was an exchange of at least 30-35 rounds of fire between the cops and the attackers," an eyewitness had told IANS.

A day later, on Saturday, September 25, the police arrested two persons, identified as Umang Yadav (22) and Vinay Mota (19), in connection with the Court shootout.

Of the two arrested, Yadav had revealed that he worked for Tillu Tajpuriya, currently lodged at the Mandoli jail, for the last two years.

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New Delhi: Delhi Police on Saturday (October 2) conducted a raid on an illegal casino in the Alipur area of the national capital and arrested 16 people allegedly involved in gambling activities.

According to an official statement issued by police, the team conducted a raid at a farmhouse in Alipur where the accused were found playing casino with the help of plastic coins or chips.

Delhi Police recovered cash worth Rs 1.67 lakhs, 2,780 plastic coins or chips having a value of approximately Rs 75 lakhs, playing cards and a balance sheet from the farmhouse.

A case has been registered under sections 3, 4, 12, 9 and 55 of the Gambling Act at Alipur Police Station.

All the 16 accused are residents of Delhi, informed the police. Further investigation into the matter is underway.

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New Delhi: Delhi University released the first cutoff List for admission 2021 on Friday (October 1, 2021). The students need to note that the admission process on the basis of first cutoff list will begin tomorrow (October 4, 2021) and will end on Wednesday (October 6, 2021).

The university has released the first cutoff list for all the stream and students who wish to take admissions in the DU colleges can check the list on the official website of Delhi University on du.ac.in.

It may be noted that students are advised to also chcek the cutoff and admission procedure of the colleges they wish to apply in, which will be available on the official site of the colleges. As per previous trends firstly the colleges release the cut off list followed by the varsity.

DU UG Admissions 2021: List of documents required

Class 12 or qualifying exam marksheet and passing certificate

Class 10 marksheet and passing certificate

Caste certificate/EWS Certificate (if applicable)

Transfer Certificate from school

Migration Certificate from Board

Character Certificate

OMR form of University Registration

Meanwhile, roughly 3 lakh students have registered for the admissions this year in Delhi University for the nearly 70,000 seats in 63 colleges this year.

DU UG Admissions 2021: Admission process

1. As soon as the university releases its First Cut off list 2021, the students will have to choose a college of their choice and respective course on the admissions portal dashboard.

2. The students must check the cut-off carefully and see if they are eligible for the choice they are filling.

3. Once this is done, students need to complete the DU UG Admission form in all respects, as these forms will later be duly verified and checked by the members of the admissions committee.

4. After filling the forms in the correct manner, it will be transferred to the Convenor of admissions who will then keep a check on the recommended cases for admissions, following which the forms will be sent to the principals of respective colleges for approval.

5. The students must note that the colleges can reject an application, but will have to give a reason or remark why they did so.

6. If the application is accepted, the next step for the students is to upload the necessary documents on the portal for verification.

7. Here is the list of documents  Class 12 or qualifying exam marksheet and passing certificate, Class 10 marksheet and passing certificate, Caste certificate/EWS Certificate (if applicable), Transfer Certificate from school, Migration Certificate from Board, Character Certificate and OMR form of University Registration.

8. The students need to be careful while uploading the documents as in case any of these documents are missing or have problems, their admissions might get forfeited by the respective college.

9. After the documents are uploaded, the students will have to pay the admission fee and save the receipt for future reference.

10. Once they have made the payment, the students will receive a confirmation from the respective college stating the status of their admission with them.
New Delhi: As Congress faces crisis within the party, ally Shiv Sena suggested appointing a full-time president to put an end to the tussle.

Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Saturday (October 2) said that the Congress party is in need of a strong president. "If a big political party like Congress remains without a head, then it naturally causes confusion. Be it any political party, without a president, it creates a sense of dissatisfaction among the masses. I am sure Congress party will soon resolve the political turmoil happening inside the party," ANI quoted Raut as saying.

Shiv Sena also attacked the Centre over former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singhs meeting with Union Minister Amit Shah in Delhi. In its mouthpiece Saamna, Shiv Sena questioned Shah for discussing the problems of a state with a "dismissed" CM, adding that if the matter of border security was that important then it should have been discussed with current Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi.

Has anyone started infiltrating the border like Kashmir and Ladakh? If this issue is really important then the Home Minister should discuss it with the present Chief Minister of Punjab. What is this method of discussing the problems of the state with the dismissed Chief Minister? The central government is starting this new tradition, which is not fair," Shiv Sena said.

Further, the Maharashtra ruling party slammed Amarinder Singh for harming Congress. "Amarinder Singh had clarified that he will not go to the BJP, but after his meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, it seems he will harm the Congress by staying out," the mouthpiece said.

Congress has been witnessing a crisis in Punjab and trying to contain the power row from becoming a public outcry in Chhattisgarh.

Ahead of crucial Assembly polls in Punjab next year, Amarinder Singh quit as the chief minister and the party's state unit chief Navjot Singh Sidhu resigned from his post revealing the infighting in Punjab Congress.

While in Chhattisgarh, there are speculations about a possible change of guard. However, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Saturday asserted that his state can never become Punjab.

(With agency inputs)

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New Delhi: The Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal on Saturday (October 2, 2021) said that India earned UAE's ''goodwill for lifetime'' by supporting it during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

While addressing a press briefing in Dubia, the Union Commerce Minister said that at every meeting he had in the UAE, everyone appreciated New Delhi`s efforts during the pandemic.

"Every meeting I have had, every single engagement I have had including this morning, including some of the senior leaders who met me, everybody appreciated India`s gesture during the lockdown," he said.

Goyal also emphasised that "they appreciated the fact that India pro-actively supported the UAE."

"And you can rest assured that you (India) have earned our (UAE) goodwill for the lifetime. That was the kind of comments about Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his outreach," Goyal informed.

Additionally, the Union Minister also extended an invite to the member of the Executive Council of Emirate of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to visit India.

"I do hope that we will be able to welcome him in India in the near future."

"The speed of action of our relationship may be reflected through some action tomorrow itself. From that, you can judge what the future beholds for the India-UAE partnership," Goyal told media here.

Piyush Goyal on Saturday also co-chaired a meeting of the UAE-India High-Level Joint Task Force in Dudai.

Senior officials representing government authorities and various investment entities from both countries took part in the meeting. Earlier, on Friday, Goyal had inaugurated the Indian Pavilion at Dubai Expo 2020.

(With ANI inputs)

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New Delhi: India recorded 22,842 new COVID-19 cases and 244 deaths in the last 24 hours, pushing the overall caseload to 3,38,13,903 and the total death toll to 4,48,817, as per data released by the Ministry of Health on Sunday (October 3, 2021). Out of these, Kerala contributed 13,217 fresh cases and 121 deaths.

Over 25,930 recoveries were also recorded in the country in the last 24 hours, taking total recoveries to 3,30,94,529 and the active caseload now stands at 2,70,557, which is the lowest in the last 199 days. A decrease of 3,332 cases has been recorded in the active caseload in a span of 24 hours.

Out of 22,842 new COVID cases and 244 deaths, Kerala reported 13,217 cases and 121 deaths yesterday  ANI (@ANI) October 3, 2021

The recovery rate presently stands at 97.87 percent, the highest since March 2020. The country reported a weekly positivity rate of 1.66 percent which is less than 3 percent for the last 100 days. The daily positivity rate stands at 1.80 percent, less than 3 percent for the last 34 days.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 57.32 crore COVID-19 tests have been conducted in the country so far. The country has administered 90.51 crore COVID vaccine doses so far under the nationwide COVID vaccination drive.

Meanwhile, the Chairperson of the COVID-19 Task Force in AIIMS Delhi, Dr Navneet Wig on Saturday said that the war against COVID-19 is still not easy as the pandemic can come back with a vengeance. Dr Navneet Wig also cautioned people even as India successfully administered 90 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses.

"We have to go far ahead of 100 crores and have to make everybody double vaccinated. So this is our aim and we are moving ahead, but we have to move faster and ensure that everybody gets the second dose as well," Dr Wig said.

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New Delhi: The Jammu and Kashmir administration made at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine mandatory for people visiting malls and other public places. The order came into effect on Saturday (October 2).

Besides malls, adults have to be partially vaccinated to enter places including government offices and restaurants in Jammu.

First dose of COVID vaccine shall be mandatory for entry into govt offices, shopping malls, restaurants, public transport and other public spaces in Jammu from Oct 2, ANI quoted Deputy Commissioner of Jammu as saying.

J&K | First dose of #COVID19 vaccine mandatory to visit malls from Oct 2 onwards 1st dose of COVID vaccine shall be mandatory for entry into govt offices,shopping malls,restaurants,public transport&other public spaces in Jammu from Oct 2:Dy Commissioner Jammu earlier said(2.10) pic.twitter.com/aiQbEEBsKZ  ANI (@ANI) October 2, 2021

The directive was announced on September 20 prompting the Deputy Commissioner to urge eligible people to get vaccinated.

Earlier, schools were allowed to reopen in the union territory for students of Classes 12 and 10. For Class 12 students, schools have been opened with 50% capacity given that students and staff are vaccinated against the coronavirus. Class 10 students can attend in-person classes provided the schools ensure COVID-19 appropriate behaviour.

Higher educational institutions are also permitted to commence limited in-person teaching subject to 100% vaccination of staff and students and specific permission of concerned Deputy Commissioners.

Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir logged 124 fresh COVID-19 cases and one fatality which pushed the caseload to 3,29,687 and the death toll to 4,424, as per official data on Saturday (October 2). Out of the new cases, 32 were reported from the Jammu division and 92 from the Kashmir division of the Union Territory. There are presently 1,294 active cases, while the number of recovered patients stands at 3,23,969.

(With agency inputs)

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Jammu: An arms consignment believed to have been dropped by a drone from Pakistan has been recovered by police near the International Border here, officials said on Sunday (October 3).

The recovery made from the dropped packet included an AK assault rifle, three magazines, 30 rounds and a telescope, the officials said.

They said the recovery was made from Sounjana village of Phalain Mandal, about six km from the IB, late Saturday night after a villager informed police about a humming sound and dropping of a payload by a suspected drone from Pakistan.

Police immediately cordoned off the village and launched a search operation during which a yellow packet tied to strings and a wooden base to carry the payload was found, leading to the recovery of the arms and ammunition, the officials said.

A case has been registered and efforts are on to identify the persons who were supposed to receive the consignment on the Indian side.

Drone activities from Pakistan have witnessed an alarming increase over the past one year, posing a major challenge to security forces guarding the borders.

Security forces shot down two drones and recovered a large quantity of payloads including rifles, Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), sticky bombs and narcotics at different places over the past one year.

The security grid at the border was also intensified after the dropping of two bombs by drones at the Indian Air Force (IAF) station in Jammu in June this year.

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New Delhi: At least eight people including four farmers and three BJP workers were killed in the violence that erupted in Uttar Pradeshs Lakhimpur-Kheri after the farmers protesting against the state government were allegedly attacked.

The farmers were protesting against the state government ahead of a visit to Lakhimpur by Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya.

A group of unidentified persons allegedly opened fire at the farmers. Some of the farmers were reportedly even run over by a vehicle. Following this, the angry farmers retaliated by setting two SUVs on fire.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed grief over the incident called it unfortunate.

Chief Minister had expressed grief in the Lakhimpur incident. He called the incident very unfortunate. Uttar Pradesh government will investigate the matter in detail and will take strict actions against the culprits, read an official statement by UP government.

            @UPGovt                         Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) October 3, 2021

Meanwhile, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha has claimed that one of the farmers was shot dead by MoS Home Ajay Mishra Tenis son Ashish Mishra. They have demanded a murder case to be filed against Ashish Mishra.

However, the minister refuted the allegations saying that his son was not present at the site at the time of the incident. He said he had video evidence to back his claim.

My son wasn't present at the spot. There were miscreants who attacked workers with sticks and swords. If my son would've been there, he wouldn't have come out alive. They've killed people and set cars on fire. We have video evidence, MoS Home Teni was quoted as saying by ANI.

Blaming the protesting farmers for the commotion, Teni said his car came under attack as miscreants started stone pelting that hurt his driver.

During Lakhimpur Kheri visit, our workers came to receive us amid farmers' protest. Some miscreants from agitating farmers started stone pelting on car and injured our driver. Due to this, our car got imbalanced and two people died coming under it. After this, our three workers were killed and cars were set on fire, Teni said.

The incident has stirred a massive political storm with the opposition parties coming down heavily on the BJP, holding them responsible for the incident.

The Congress, Trinamool Congress, Nationalist Congress Party, Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Rashtriya Lok Dal were among the parties that condemned the attack on farmers while demanding the probe and strict action against the accused.

Some parties, including the Congress, also demanded immediate sacking of Ajay Kumar Mishra, following SKMs allegation that his son was involved in the incident.

Calling the incident barbaric, West Bengal Chief Minister said a delegation of five TMC MPs will meet the families of the victims on Monday.

I strongly condemn the barbaric incident in Lakhimpur Kheri. The apathy of @BJP4India towards our farmer brethren pains me deeply. A delegation of 5 @AITCofficial MPs will be visiting the families of the victims tomorrow. Our farmers will always have our unconditional support.  Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) October 3, 2021

Reacting to the violence, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said those who remain silent even after the incident in Lakhimpur Kheri are already dead and underlined that the sacrifice of farmers will not go in vain.

While Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra announced that she will visit Lakhimpur Kheri tomorrow. On Twitter, she asked if farmers had the right to live in this country. "How much does BJP hate the farmers of the country? Don't they have the right to live? If they raise their voice, they will be shot or crushed under a car. Enough. This is a country of farmers not the fiefdom of BJP's brutal ideology," she said on Twitter.
New Delhi: In an unveiled attack, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tej Pratap Yadav on Saturday (October 2) claimed that his father and former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav has been held "hostage" in New Delhi.

Without taking names, Tej Pratap said that veteran Bihar leader Lalu Prasad is being held hostage despite getting bail. Further, he alleged that some people in the party are "dreaming" of becoming the next RJD chief.

"Despite getting bail months ago, my father is still being held hostage in New Delhi, he said.

Tej Pratap added, "I spoke to my father and asked him to stay with me in Patna and look after the organisation of the party. When my father used to live in Patna, the main gate of our residence used to be open and he used to meet the common people in the outhouse."

"My father is unwell. There are 4-5 people in the party who are dreaming to become RJD`s national president. Do not need to name them as it is known to everyone. He was released nearly a year ago from jail but is still being held hostage," he was quoted as saying by ANI.

All is apparently not well between the two Yadav brothers. There are reports of a strained relationship between Tej Pratap and his younger sibling Tejashwi.

The row between the two brothers came to light after RJD students' wing state president Akash Yadav, considered to be a close aide of Tej Pratap Yadav, was removed from his post. After Bihar RJD president Jagadanand Singh sacked Akash, Tej Pratap had hit out at Singh by saying he "does not have any knowledge of the RJD constitution".

Denying any rift within the party, Tejashwi had said, "There is no such issue among leaders in the party. If he (Tej Pratap Yadav) is not happy with any other leader of the party, our national president Lalu Prasad Yadav will sort out the problems."

In August, Tejashwi had asked Tej Pratap Yadav to maintain "discipline" within the party.

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New Delhi: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's fate will be decided today (October 3, 2021) as the counting of votes for the Bhabanipur bypolls has begun at 8 AM. The counting is being held in 21 rounds for the Bhabanipur constituency and will decide if the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo can retain her Chief Ministerial post or not.

As per the Constitution, Mamata Banerjee, who lost to Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Suvendu Adhikari during the West Bengal Assembly elections in March and April this year, has to become a member of the state assembly within six months of her assuming office as Chief Minister. Now, she can retain her chair and can be elected to the West Bengal assembly if she wins the Bhabanipur bypolls.

The seat was vacated by the West Bengal Agriculture Minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay in May to pave the way for Banerjee to contest the bypoll.

Mamata Banerjee is contesting against BJP's Priyanka Tibrewal.

West Bengal: Counting of votes begins for by-elections in Bhabanipur Assembly constituency; outside visuals from Sakhawat Memorial Govt Girls' High School counting centre pic.twitter.com/5so3lzD9pH  ANI (@ANI) October 3, 2021

Apart from south Kolkata's Bhabanipur, the by-elections were also held for Jangipur and Samserganj assembly constituencies in the Murshidabad district. Bhabanipur assembly seat had seen a voter turnout of 57.09 per cent during voting on Thursday, while Samserganj recorded a voter turnout of 79.92 per cent and Jangipur witnessed 77.63 per cent voting.

As per the election commission, these three assembly constituencies have a total electorate of 6,97,164.

This is to be noted that TMC had registered a landslide victory in the 2021 West Bengal Assembly polls and had won 213 of 294 seats.

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New Delhi: Hours after the Uttar Pradeshs Lakhimpur Kheri ruckus in which at least two farmers died, Union Minister Ajay Mishra Teni on Sunday (October 3) denied the allegations of his sons involvement in the incident.

He said that his son - Ashish Mishra - was not present at the spot when the incident occurred and that he had video evidence to back his claim.

My son wasn't present at spot. There were miscreants who attacked workers with sticks and swords. If my son would've been there, he wouldn't have come out alive. They've killed people and set cars on fire. We have video evidence, MoS Home Teni was quoted as saying by ANI.

A group of people allegedly opened fire at the farmers. Some of the farmers were reportedly even run over by a vehicle.

Blaming the protesting farmers for the commotion, Teni said his car came under attack as miscreants started stone pelting that hurt his driver.

During Lakhimpur Kheri visit, our workers came to receive us amid farmers' protest. Some miscreants from agitating farmers started stone pelting on car and injured our driver. Due to this, our car got imbalanced and two people died coming under it. After this, our three workers were killed and cars were set on fire, Teni said.

The minister further said, It was not the workers' fault. They had come to receive the guest. They started pelting stones at the car. As soon as the cars stopped, they started hitting everyone, he added.

Meanwhile, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha has demanded a murder case to be filed against Ashish Mishra.

They have claimed that one of the farmers was shot dead by Ashish Mishra, while the others were allegedly run over by vehicles.

The incident has stirred a massive political storm with the opposition parties coming down heavily on the BJP, holding them responsible for the incident.

Calling the incident barbaric, West Bengal Chief Minister said a delegation of five TMC MPs will meet the families of the victims on Monday.

I strongly condemn the barbaric incident in Lakhimpur Kheri. The apathy of @BJP4India towards our farmer brethren pains me deeply. A delegation of 5 @AITCofficial MPs will be visiting the families of the victims tomorrow. Our farmers will always have our unconditional support.  Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) October 3, 2021

Congress leaders Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is also set to visit Lakhimpur Kheri tomorrow.

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Pune: NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday lauded Union road transport minister Nitin Gadkari for using power effectively to carry out development. The two leaders from rival parties shared the dais at a function at Ahmednagar in Maharashtra.

"I am attending this function because I was told that Gadkari was going to inaugurate many projects in Ahmednagar which would solve long-pending issues of the city, and he wants me to be present," Pawar said.

Very often nothing happens once the stone-laying ceremony takes place for a project, the NCP leader said, adding, "But when it comes to Gadkari's projects, within a few days of the function one sees the work starting.

"Gadkari is a great example of how a people's representative can work for the development of the country," Pawar added.

"I remember that before Gadkari took over this responsibility (of the ministry of road transport and highways), about 5,000 km of work had been done. But after he took over, the figure has crossed 12,000 km," the NCP chief said.

The former Union agriculture minister advised farmers in the region that the use of sugarcane will not remain limited only to sugar production and they should think of it as the raw material for ethanol too.

In his speech, Gadkari said while executing road projects in the Buldhana district of Maharashtra, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) also de-silted local rivers and streams.

"I suggest (Maharashtra Rural Development Minister) Hasan Mushrif to think of focusing on water conservation in Ahmednagar district," he said.

Increasing the depth of streams and ponds helps increase the groundwater level, Gadkari said.

Mushrif, an NCP leader who is also the guardian minister of this parched district, was present at the function.

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Dubai: Laughing off Congress leader Rahul Gandhi`s constant accusations against the BJP-led central government, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Sunday (October 3) said that other than making some caustic comments, there is hardly any agenda of nation-building in them.

In an exclusive interview with ANI, while answering a question about Rahul Gandhi accusing the BJP-led government of talking about the last man standing but lining the pockets of a few, Goyal said, "I think, other than making some caustic comments, there is hardly any agenda of nation-building, hardly any agenda of development, growth and hardly any thoughts about how the country comes first before any politics.

"Dismissing the accusations as a `joke`, Goyal said, "I think, it`s almost become like a joke-- some of the comments and tweets that we keep receiving from certain individuals in India to the extent that their party doesn`t take it seriously, to the extent that it has become a matter of ridicule within the party about what`s happening."

Taking a dig at the Congress party, the Union Minister said that they are destabilising their own governments almost by the day. Goyal underlining that the Modi government, over the last 7.5 years, has taken a series of steps to reach out to the poorest of the poor, to the last man at the bottom of the pyramid.

Dismissing the opposition claims, he listed several schemes and initiatives including the JAM (Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile) trinity, healthcare programme, cooking gas initiative and the building of toilets.

Further, Goyal, who did not take any names, said that the people of India are already `disenchanted` with the leadership, and if they continue this way, the people might also write them off soon."The nefarious may continue to do so (comment and accuse), but the result will only be that the people of India who are already disenchanted with the leadership of the principal opposition party, will probably write them off at this rate," he said.

During his visit to Dubai, Piyush Goyal co-chaired a meeting of the UAE-India High-Level Joint Task Force. He also inaugurated the Indian Pavilion at Dubai Expo 2020.

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New Delhi: Levelling serious allegations on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Chhattisgarh Congress MLA Brihaspat Singh on Sunday (October 3) said that the organisation was trying to destabilise the state government.

He said that the RSS workers were trying to mislead Congress MLAs, adding that they had earlier targeted the Madhya Pradesh and Punjab governments.

In Chhattisgarh, BJP is called 'desi angrez'. RSS workers are trying to mislead our MLAs. They targeted the Madhya Pradesh government which led to its collapse. In Punjab, they did the same. They've adapted the divide and rule policy, MLA Singh said.

He further said that the RSS workers are provoking senior Congress leader and minister TS Singh Deo.

Earlier, RSS workers tried to destabilise the Chhattisgarh government. Now they are provoking TS Singh Deo. But he is an intelligent and sensible leader, he will not fall for BJP's conspiracy, said Singh.

Meanwhile, amid speculations over the possibility of a leadership change in the state, about 20 Congress MLAs known to be close to Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel are camped in Delhi in what is being seen by many as a show of strength.

However, Baghel, in Raipur, said the visit by the Congress MLAs to Delhi should not be seen through the prism of politics. He said that the leaders will return after their visit.

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Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday (October 2, 2021) sought an explanation from 31 DMs and 24 district police chiefs found absent in their offices or public hearing programmes, a senior government official said here.

On the instructions of the chief minister, a reality check was carried out between 10 am and 12 noon on Friday, during which the district magistrates and police chiefs were found absent.

The chief minister, who held a review meeting with senior officials on Saturday, warned that strict action will be taken if such a situation recurs in future.

He also directed the DMs and SPs not to show any laxity.

ALSO READ | India records 22,842 new COVID-19 cases, 244 deaths in last 24 hours

Stressing that timely disposal of public grievances is one of the priorities of the state government, he issued instructions for speedy and effective disposal of complaints.

While directing officials to reach office on time and ensure public hearing at the scheduled time every day, he said if any laxity or negligence is found at any stage in the disposal of public grievances, they will be punished.

Taking a serious note of the matter, the CM asked an explanation from them, the official said.

The chief minister ordered that they should redress grievances of people from 10 am to 12 noon every day.

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New Dehi: The Chairperson of the COVID-19 Task Force in AIIMS Delhi, Dr Navneet Wig on Saturday (October 2, 2021) said that the war against COVID-19 is still not easy as the pandemic can come back with a vengeance. Dr Navneet Wig also cautioned people even as India successfully administered 90 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses.

"We have to go far ahead of 100 crores and have to make everybody double vaccinated. So this is our aim and we are moving ahead, but we have to move faster and ensure that everybody gets the second dose as well," Dr Wig told ANI.

"And that is how we are going to win this war. It is not an easy war still, we cannot be overconfident, we have to be a little underconfident so that we don't lower our guard and take all precautions," he added.

Dr Wig further said that some states have still a positivity rate of more than 10 percent. "It is not easy. Many countries are still fighting battles. So we have to be very cautious as this can come back with a vengeance," he stated.

Meanwhile, ahead of the festival season, the Union Health Ministry has been continuously alerting states and union territories to curb the spread of COVID-19.

The AIIMS COVID-19 Task Force chief said that the people of the country will have to be extra careful till two weeks after Diwali because acute febrile illness is all around.

"We are seeing cases with dengue, scrub typhus, typhoid fever and airborne diseases. So it is very difficult for doctors to decide if it is Covid or flu, dengue, typhoid fever, or viral hepatitis. So my request is that till festival season, please go slow, wear your mask and avoid social gatherings," he stated.

(With ANI inputs)

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New Delhi: Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Sunday (October 3) announced the list of candidates for the upcoming by-elections in four Assembly constituencies. The by-polls will be held on October 30.

According to the TMC press statement, Udayan Guha will contest election from Dinhata seat, Brajakishore Giswami from Santipur, Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay from Khardaha and Subrata Mondal will fight for the Gosaba constituency.

The announcement comes on the day Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee won the by-election from the Bhabanipur constituency, defeating BJPs Priyanka Tibrewal by a margin of over 58,000 votes.

TMC also won big in Samserganj and Jangipur in Murshidabad district. While TMC's Jakir Hossain won Jangipur seat by a massive margin of 92,480 votes, in Samserganj, TMC candidate Amirul Islam won by a margin of 26,379 votes.

Banerjee thanked people after her impressive win. Since the elections started in West Bengal, central government hatched conspiracies to remove us. I was hurt in my feet so that I dont contest the polls. I am grateful to the public for voting for us and to the Election Commission of India for conducting polls within six months, she was quoted as saying by ANI.

Around 46 per cent of people here (in Bhabanipur) are non-Bengalis. They all have voted for me. People of West Bengal are watching Bhabanipur, which has inspired me, she added.

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New Delhi: As West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is all set to retain the top job, the Election Commission (EC) on Sunday (October 3) directed the state government to ensure no victory celebrations take place. The counting of votes for bypolls in Bhabanipur and Murshidabad's Samserganj and Jangipur is underway.

The Election Commission has written to West Bengal chief secretary prohibiting celebrations and processions during or after the results of the bypolls are announced. EC has also ordered the government to take all necessary steps to ensure that post-poll violence does not occur.

Election Commission writes to West Bengal Govt, asking it to ensure that no victory celebration/procession takes place during or after the counting of votes for by-elections; asks it to take all necessary steps to ensure that post-poll violence doesn't happen  ANI (@ANI) October 3, 2021

After the 11th round of counting, Mamata Banerjee is leading by 34,000 votes in Bhabanipur Assembly by-election. BJP has fielded Priyanka Tibrewal, a 41-year-old lawyer and vice-president of the saffron party's youth wing in West Bengal.

Earlier, Tibrewal had written to the Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court seeking preventive measures in case of post-poll violence after the bypoll results are declared. "I, Priyanka Tibrewal, the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate from the Bhabanipur Assembly constituency is writing to you, requesting you to give a strict order to the Kolkata police forces to take all kinds of precautionary measures so that we do not witness any kind of violence post the by-election results on October 3," the letter by the BJP candidate read.

Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has already congratulated Banerjee. "This victory of Mamta didi is in the tradition of Satyamev Jayate," he tweeted in Hindi.

Bhabanipur has 20,64,56 total voters, out of which 1,11,243 are male and 95,209 are female.

Banerjee's Trinamool Congress (TMC) witnessed a sweeping victory in assembly polls in May, wherein the party bagged 213 of 294 seats in the West Bengal assembly. The BJP had won 77 seats. However, Mamata Banerjee had lost to BJP`s Suvendu Adhikari in the Nandigram constituency, leading to her contesting the bypoll.

(With agency inputs)

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New Delhi: The Indian Navy has sought for applications for various posts. The candidates, who are interested in joining the Indian Navy, can apply for over 181 Short Service Commission (SSC) Officers post with the navy.

The eligible and interested candidates can apply for this recruitment drive till October 5, 2021. The candidates need to note that they can apply for these 181 vacancies by visiting the official website of the Indian Navy- joinindiannavy.gov.in. The notification is for SSC Officers in various entries June 2022 at 22 Course.

Indian Navy Recruitment 2021: Important dates

Starting Date for online application submission: September 21, 2021

Last Date for online application submission: October 05, 2021

Indian Navy Recruitment 2021: Vacancy details

Post: SSC Officer (Executive, Technical Branch and Education Branch)

No. of Vacancy: 181

Indian Navy Recruitment 2021: How to Apply

The candidates can apply online at joinindiannavy.gov.in from September 21, 2021, to October 05, 2021.

Indian Navy Recruitment 2021: Selection Process

Selection will be based on an SSB interview.

Indian Navy Recruitment 2021: Pay Scale

56100 - 110700/- Level  10

Indian Navy Recruitment 2021: Branch/ Cadre wise details

Executive Branch

SSC General Service (GS/X)/Hydro Cadre: 45

Air Traffic Controller (ATC): 04

SSC Observer: 08

SSC Pilot: 15

SSC Logistics: 18

Technical Branch

SSC Engineering Branch [General Service (GS)]: 27

SSC Electrical Branch [General Service (GS)]: 34

Naval Architect (NA): 12

Education Branch

SSC Education: 18

Indian Navy Recruitment 2021: Eligibility criteria

Executive Branch:

BE/B.Tech in relevant Discipline.

Age Limit: 02 Jul 1997 to 01 Jan 2003

Technical Branch:

BE/B.Tech in relevant Discipline.

SSC Education:

M.Sc. with Physics/Maths in B.Sc with BE/B.Tech in relevant Discipline OR M.A. in History.

Age Limit: 02 Jul 1997 to 01 Jul 2001

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UPSC ESE Notification 2022: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has started accepting online application for recruitment of Group A and Group B Posts interested candidates are required to register for Engineering Service Exam 2022 (ESE 2022) on or before October 12, 2021 on website upsconline.nic.in or upsc.gov.in.

A total of 247 vacancies are available under Civil Engineering Cadre, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering.

CHECK DIRECT LINK HERE

Those candidates who will apply for UPSC ESE Recruitment 2021 will be called for UPSC ESE Prelims Exam which will be conducted on February 20, 2022.

UPSC ESE Notification 2022: Important dates

Online Registration start date - September 22, 2021

Last Date of Online Registration - October 20, 2021

UPSC ESE Notification 2022: Educational Qualification

* B.E/B.Tech from a Recognised University incorporated by an Act of the Central or State Legislature in India or other Educational Institutions established by an Act of Parliament or declared to be deemed as Universities under Section 3 of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956; or

* Should have clearedSections A and B of the Institution Examinations of the Institution of Engineers (India); or

* Degree/Diploma in Engineering from such foreign University/College/Institution and under such conditions as may be recognised by the Government for the purpose from time to time, or

* Qualified in Graduate Membership Examination of the Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers (India) or

* Qualified in Associate Membership Examination Parts II and III/Sections A and B of the Aeronautical Society of India; or

* Passed Graduate Membership Examination of the Institution of Electronics and Radio Engineers, London held after November, 1959

UPSC ESE Notification 2022: Age limit

The candidate must be between 21 to 30 years of age

UPSC ESE Notification 2022: Selection process

There will be three round for the selection of the candidates

- Preliminary Exam of 500 Marks

- Mains Exam of 600 Marks

- Interview of 200 Marks

Final qualified candidates will be called for medical examination.
Bhopal: In a big setback to the opposition Congress ahead of the by-election in Madhya Pradesh scheduled later this month, its former MLA from poll-bound Jobat, Sulochana Rawat, has joined the ruling BJP.

Rawat and her son Vishal Rawat joined the BJP late on Saturday night in the presence of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan as they were influenced by the party's ideology and its works for the tribal population, state BJP chief V D Sharma said.

The Election Commission has announced bypolls to three Assembly segments and a Lok Sabha seat in the state along with several other seats of the country. The polling is scheduled for October 30.

Sulochana Rawat, who had won the elections on a Congress ticket from Jobat (ST) Assembly seat twice - in 1998 and 2008 - was considered that party's potential candidate from this seat. However, State Congress spokesman Syed Zaffar alleged that Rawat has a history of "backstabbing" the party.

"Our survey found that she was not liked by the voters as the party's candidate. Surprisingly, the BJP, which claimed to be a cadre-based party, did not find its own leader who can be fielded from there," he said.

It is being speculated that the BJP may field Rawat from Jobat, where the bypoll was necessitated due to the death of Congress MLA Kalawati Bhuria. The other two Assembly seats that will see bypolls are Prithvipur in Niwari and Raigaon in Satna district.

On Saturday, the Congress nominated Nitendra Singh Rathore from Prithvipur, which fell vacant due to the death of his (Nitendra Singh Rathore's) legislator father Brijendra Singh Rathore.

In Raigaon, the death of BJP MLA Jugal Kishore Bagri necessitated the by-election. Meanwhile, Congress leaders hinted that former union minister Arun Yadav is most likely to be fielded from the Khandwa Lok Sabha seat, which fell vacant following the death of BJP's Member of Parliament (MP) Nandkumar Singh Chouhan.

Senior Congress MLA and former minister Sajjan Singh Verma termed Yadav as the best candidate for the Khandwa LS seat and said, "Our high command too feels so."

On the other hand, BJP leaders are saying that Harshvardhan Chauhan, whose father's death necessitated this election, was likely to be the BJP candidate from Khandwa LS seat.

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Noida/Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government on Sunday suspended three Noida Industrial Development Authority (NOIDA) officers over their role in illegal construction of Supertech's two 40-storey towers in Noida, according to an official statement.

A special investigation team (SIT) probing the matter has found 26 officials of the NOIDA guilty in the case of which 20 have retired, two have died and four are still serving, the statement read.

"Of the four serving officials, one has already been suspended from work. Three other serving officers have been suspended and departmental inquiry is being initiated against them. Order has been issued for action against retired officials also as per procedures," the statement read.

The Supreme Court had on August 31 issued directions for demolition of realty group Supertech's twin 40-storey towers under construction in Noida Sector 93A within three months for violation of building norms in "collusion" with district officials, holding that illegal construction has to be dealt with strictly to ensure compliance with the rule of law.

After the top court's rapping to NOIDA, an industrial development body under the UP government, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had also ordered an inquiry into the matter and called for strict action against those guilty.

A four-member SIT was formed in September to probe the matter and fix responsibility of officials and it was given a week's time to submit its report. The SIT had sought time extension to complete the probe.

The case pertained to Supertech illegally constructing two 40-storey towers, with over 900 flats and 21 shops, in its Emerald Court housing project premises.

Residents of the housing project claimed their consent was not taken for the twin towers, which were being built in violation of norms, and they moved court.

The Allahabad High Court had in 2014 ordered demolition of the twin towers with the Supreme Court upholding the verdict in 2021.

However, buyers who invested their money in these towers hoped their interest would be protected, even as the Supertech Group filed a modification application in the Supreme Court.
New Delhi: Actors Neha Dhupia and Angad Bedi welcomed their second child together - a baby boy on Sunday. The couple is also parents to daughter Mehr, who will turn three next month. Angad took to his Instagram account to share the happy news and informed that both the baby and Neha are doing well.

The almighty today blessed us with a baby boy. Both neha and the baby are well, wrote the actor. He further added that his daughter is now ready to pass on the title of baby to her little brother. Mehr is ready to pass on the "baby" title to the new arrival. #Bedisboy is here!!!!!

Angad also thanked the almighty for his blessings and wrote, Waheguru mehr kare @nehadhupia thank you for being such a warrior through this journey. Lets make it a memorable one for all 4 of us now.

Neha and Angad had earlier in July took to Instagram to announce that they were expecting their second child. Took us 2 days to come with a caption.The best one we could think of was  Thank you, God. @prasadnaaik #WaheguruMehrKare, the post read.

Earlier Neha had revealed that during her second pregnancy her husband Angad tested positive for COVID-19 and the journey has been tough due to the pandemic. Hard is an understatement. It was a lot that we went through. Its always hard when someone around you gets COVID-19, and harder when youre pregnant, but Angad was the one who helped me stay positive in that period, the actress told Hindustan Times.
Mumbai: Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Sunday (October 3) said that children of prominent Bollywood actors are being investigated in connection with a raid that was conducted at a party held on a cruise in Mumbai on Saturday.

Children of prominent Bollywood actors are being investigated, according to NCB officials. Speaking to the media, Sameer Wankhede, NCB Zonal Director said, "So far no arrest has been made by us. We have intercepted some persons. The probe is underway. Drugs have been recovered. We are investigating 8-10 persons," Wankhede told the reporters.

"I can't comment on it", added Wankhede when asked, "Was any celebrity present at the party?

Earlier on Saturday, NCB detained at least 10 persons during a raid conducted at a high-profile party that was held at a cruise ship in Mumbai.
New Delhi: Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan has been arrested in relation to a drugs raid case with two others Arbaaz Seth Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha as per reports.

On Sunday (Oct 3), Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khans son Aryan Khan and seven others were detained by Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in a drug case after a raid at a party.

According to reports, the detainees were partying in a cruise ship that was bound to go from Mumbai to Goa.

Apart from Aryan Khan, the others detained by the NCB are Munmun Dhamecha, Nupur Sarika, Ismeet Singh, Mohak Jaswal, Vikrant Chhoker, Gomit Chopra and Arbaaz Merchant.

After receiving a tip-off, the officials of NCB Mumbai conducted a raid on the cruise on October 2. During the operation, as per the information, various drugs like MDMA/ Ecstasy, Cocaine, MD (Mephedrone) and charas has been recovered from the suspects.

A total of eight persons including two women have been apprehended and their role is being investigated in relation to the said recovery of the drugs. NCB Mumbai has registered Crime no. Cr 94/21 in this matter. Further investigation is underway.

The raid was led by NCBs zonal director Sameer Wankhede on Saturday evening.

"During the operation, the suspects were searched and different drugs were recovered from them, which they had hidden in their clothes, undergarments and purses (by women), NCB officials told PTI.

The detainees will be produced in a court later in the day after the legal formalities get over, the NCB official had shared.

(With PTI inputs)
New Delhi: Superstar Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan was arrested by Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Sunday (Oct 3) in a drugs raid case along with two others - Arbaaz Seth Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha.

Mumbai court remanded the star kid and two other individuals to NCB custody till October 4 as per a PTI report.

In a previous report, it was revealed that Aryan was arrested for the involvement in consumption, selling and purchase of contraband.

As per the arrest memo, he was arrested in connection with the seizure of 13 grams of Cocaine, 5 grams of MD, 21 grams of Charas and 22 pills of MDMA and 1.33 lakhs in cash.

Here's the arrest memo for his case:

It has also come to light that one of the accused was carrying a banned substance (cocaine) hidden in an eye lens cover as per our sources.

According to a PTI report, Advait Sethna, the advocate for the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) wanted the accused in custody for two days on the ground that the investigation is at a nascent stage and more raids were being carried out to get to the drug suppliers.

Star kid Aryan Khan's lawyer Satish Maneshinde stated, "No incriminating material has been recovered from him (Aryan). There is no possession or evidence of consumption."

He further said that he will be filing a bail application for Aryan on Monday (Oct 5).

Maneshinde said he would file an application seeking bail for Aryan Khan on Monday.

"Although the sections under which he (Aryan) has been booked are all bailable offences. I am willing to settle for a one-day NCB custody so that we can file for bail before the regular court," he said as quoted by PTI.

For the unversed, On Sunday (Oct 3), Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khans son Aryan Khan and seven others were detained by Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in a drug case after a raid at a party.

According to reports, the detainees were partying in a cruise ship that was bound to go from Mumbai to Goa.

Apart from Aryan Khan, the others detained by the NCB are Munmun Dhamecha, Nupur Sarika, Ismeet Singh, Mohak Jaswal, Vikrant Chhoker, Gomit Chopra and Arbaaz Merchant.

After receiving a tip-off, the officials of NCB Mumbai conducted a raid on the cruise on October 2. During the operation, as per the information, various drugs like MDMA/ Ecstasy, Cocaine, MD (Mephedrone) and charas has been recovered from the suspects.

A total of eight persons including two women have been apprehended and their role is being investigated in relation to the said recovery of the drugs. NCB Mumbai has registered Crime no. Cr 94/21 in this matter. Further investigation is underway.

The raid was led by NCBs zonal director Sameer Wankhede on Saturday evening.

"During the operation, the suspects were searched and different drugs were recovered from them, which they had hidden in their clothes, undergarments and purses (by women), NCB officials told PTI.

The detainees will be produced in a court later in the day after the legal formalities get over, the NCB official had shared.

(With PTI inputs)
New Delhi: While the blame game has already started against Superstar Shah Rukh Khan and interior designer Gauri Khans son Aryan Khan after he got detained by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in a drug case on Sunday as he along with 7 others were partying in a cruise ship that was bound to go from Mumbai to Goa.

Bollywood actor Suniel Shetty has stepped forward in order to support Aryan and urged everyone including the media to give the child a breather and an opportunity to keep his point.

Sharing the video on its official Twitter page, ANI wrote, When a raid is conducted at a place, many people are taken into custody. We assume that a particular boy must have consumed it (drugs). The process is on. Let's give that child a breather. Let real reports come out: Actor Sunil Shetty on NCB raid at an alleged rave party.

#WATCH | When a raid is conducted at a place, many people are taken into custody. We assume that a particular boy must have consumed it (drugs). The process is on. Let's give that child a breather. Let real reports come out: Actor Sunil Shetty on NCB raid at an alleged rave party pic.twitter.com/qYaYSsxkyi  ANI (@ANI) October 3, 2021

The video has been shared by news agency ANI, from an event where Suniel kept his viewpoint and said, I would like to say that wherever there is a raid, several people are caught. And we assume that this child must have consumed drugs or this child must have done it. But the proceedings are on, lets give that child a breather.

Adding to it, he said, Whenever something happens in Bollywood, the media scrutinises everything and jumps to conclusions. Give the child an opportunity. Let the real reports come out. Baccha hai (Hes a kid). Taking care of him is our responsibility.

For the unversed, Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan and Munmun Dhamecha, Nupur Sarika, Ismeet Singh, Mohak Jaswal, Vikrant Chhoker, Gomit Chopra and Arbaaz Merchant have been detained by NCB in a drug case.

As reported by PTI, after receiving a tip-off, the officials of NCB Mumbai conducted a raid on the cruise on October 2. During the operation, as per the information, various drugs like MDMA/ Ecstasy, Cocaine, MD (Mephedrone) and charas has been recovered from the suspects.

A total of eight persons including two women have been apprehended and their role is being investigated in relation to the said recovery of the drugs. NCB Mumbai has registered Crime no. Cr 94/21 in this matter. Further investigation is underway.

The raid was led by NCBs zonal director Sameer Wankhede on Saturday evening.

"During the operation, the suspects were searched and different drugs were recovered from them, which they had hidden in their clothes, undergarments and purses (by women), NCB officials told PTI.

The detainees will be produced in a court later in the day after the legal formalities get over, the NCB official had shared.
How much is a one rupee Indian currency note worth? If you are in the business of selling and buying old currency notes in India, a one rupee Indian currency note is worth significantly more than Re 1.

The Re 1 Indian currency note sitting in your collection box or wallet might help you make hundreds of dollars without leaving the comfort of your own home.

All you have to do is make sure the currency note issued by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) meets specific criteria.

Selling an old Re 1 note can fetch you Rs 45,000, but you must meet certain requirements. The signature of former Principal Secretary, Ministry of Finance, H.M Patel, should appear on the one rupee note in question, as well as the serial number 123456.

The one rupee coin is available for purchase on the coinbazzar website.

You must proceed to the website's 'Shop' area. The website describes the bundle as extremely uncommon, for collectors, One rupee bundle 1957, signed by H.M Patel, with jumbling number 123456.

Meanwhile, the Reserve Bank of India issued a warning message in August this year regarding the online selling and purchase of old notes and coins.

"It has come to the notice of Reserve Bank of India that certain elements are fraudulently using the name/ logo of Reserve Bank of India, and seeking charges/ commission/ tax from public, in transactions related to buying and selling of old banknotes and coins through various online/ offline platforms, RBI had said in a statement.

The Reserve Bank of India has also stated that it does not deal in such situations and does not demand any fees or commissions. The RBI has also stated that no organisation, corporation, person, or other entity has been authorised to collect charges or commissions on its behalf in such transactions.

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New Delhi: After south stars Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Naga Chaitanya's separation announcement, social media has been in a frenzy. Fans have been flooding the actors' social media accounts asking them the reason behind their separation.

Amid this chaos, actor Siddharth's tweet has caught the eye of netizens. The tweet hours after Samantha officially confirmed that she and Naga Chaitanya are headed for splitsville after almost 4 years of marriage.

In his tweet, the 'Rang De Basanti' actor took a dig at 'cheaters' and claimed that he learned in school that 'cheaters never prosper'.

Take a look at his tweet:

One of the first lessons I learnt from a teacher in school... "Cheaters never prosper." What's yours?  Siddharth (@Actor_Siddharth) October 2, 2021

Netizens have linked the tweet to Samantha and Naga Chaitanya's separation and asked the actor to delete the post calling it 'insensitive'. For the unversed, Siddharth is rumoured to be Samantha's ex-lover - this could be another reason for the backlash on his recent tweet.

Check out their reactions:

This tweet shows how people have grudges in their heart. She might be your ex gf , and now she might be chay's ex wife that doesn't mean she's a cheater or a bad person. She is till the same bold, independent woman "Samantha". People, please spread love and kindness  (@_PostNow_) October 3, 2021

Honestly this was not at all required at this moment. You could have just refrained yourself from squeezing into a matter that's irrelevant to you. Not done. Very shallow of you..  Sravanti (@sravi_sam) October 2, 2021

@Actor_Siddharth as u mentioned this is supposed to be ur official acc handled by team, am sure they must be professionals & these kinda quote doesn't sound professional on ur handle! In what context is it said & time of it doesn't seem right, as ur well wisher it is concerning  Chhaya Acharya (@BlockG17) October 2, 2021

Is this about Samantha?  Priyaa Kalkura (@priyaa88) October 2, 2021

On Saturday (October 2), south stars Samantha Akkineni and Naga Chaitanya had announced separation. The couple took to social media and in a joint statement, broke the unfortunate news of their splitsville.

For the unversed, the rumours of ChaySam divorce (their fans call them that) gained ground after Sam dropped Akkineni (her surname) from social media handles.

Samantha and Chaitanya met on the set of Gautham Menon's Ye Maaya Chesave in 2010 and dated for a while. The couple tied the knot in Goa on October 6, 2017, followed by a Christian wedding on October 7, 2017, respectively.
New Delhi: After Tollywoods favourite star couple Samantha Prabhu and Naga Chaitanya announced their divorce on social media, actress Kangana Ranaut said whenever divorce happens, it is always a mans fault and insinuated that Aamir Khan who is a divorce expert and an agony aunt is the reason behind the separation.

Kangana Ranaut took to her Instagram stories to write a long note, giving her piece of mind on the latest development. Whenever divorce happens, fault is always of the man.... may sound orthodox or too judgemental but this is how God has made man and woman their nature and dynamics... Primitively, scientifically, he is a hunter and she is a nurturer. Stop being kind to these brats who change women like clothes and then claim to be their best friends...yes out of hundred one woman can be wrong but thats the ratio, wrote the Thalaivii actress.

She further called such men brats and chided the media for allegedly supporting them. Shame on these brats who get encouragement from the media and fans. They hail them and judge the woman... Divorce culture is growing like never before.

Kangana went on to suggest that Naga Chaitanya, who has worked with Aamir Khan in Laal Singh Chaddha, got influenced by him and ended his relationship with Samantha of more than a decade. This south actor who suddenly divorced his wife was married for 4 years and in a relationship with her for more than a decade recently came in contact with a Bollywood superstar who is also known as Bollywood divorce expert, claimed the 34 years old.

Calling Aamir an agony aunt who has ruined many childrens life, she concluded, Has ruined many women and childrens lives, is now his guiding light and agony aunt... so it all went smoothly... This is not a blind item we all know who am talking about.

Recently, Aamir Khan had announced his separation with his second wife of 15 years Kiran Rao. The two are on friendly terms and have even given joint a interview after their marriage ended. Earlier, Aamir was married to Reena Dutta.

Naga Chaitanyas father Nagarjuna Akkineni earlier reacted to the unfortunate break-up and maintained that Samantha will always be dear to his family. With a heavy heart let me say this! Whatever happened between Sam and Chay is very unfortunate. What happens between a wife and husband is very personal. Sam and Chay both are dear to me. My family will always cherish the moments spent with Sam and she will always be dear to us! May God bless them both with strength, the actor wrote on Twitter.
The Flipkart Big Billion Days sale, which began on October 2 for Flipkart Plus members, is now open to everyone. On ICICI Bank and Axis Bank credit and debit cards, the e-commerce behemoth is offering up to 10% instant savings throughout the event. Aside from deal exchange offers, no-cost EMI, and free shipping, a variety of products across categories such as smartphones, laptops, tablets, audio, TVs, and more will receive a temporary price reduction.

The Big Billion Days deal on Flipkart was set to finish on October 10. It's happening in conjunction with Amazon's Great Indian Festival deal. Let's look at some of the finest offers from Flipkart's flagship sale.

Apple, Xiaomi, Samsung, Poco, Realme, and more smartphone brands will be on sale with steep discounts. The base edition of the premium iPhone 12 is offered at Rs 49,999, which is one of the standout discounts. The base form of the iPhone 12 mini, on the other hand, is available for 38,999 as part of a "Big Billion Day Surprise" promotion. The current pricing of the iPhone SE (2020) is Rs 26,999.

During the Flipkart Big Billion Days sale, the Google Pixel 4a was discounted to Rs 25,999 from its regular price of Rs 31,999. Customers who purchase the Pixel 4a will also receive a 50% discount on the Google Pixel Buds A-series, as well as a free Google Nest Mini smart speaker. Poco smartphones will also be heavily discounted. The Poco C31 is a new entry-level device that costs Rs 7,999, while the Poco F3 GT 5G costs Rs 28,999 but comes with exchange offers and no-cost EMI.

The Samsung Galaxy F62 is now available for Rs 18,999 on Flipkart, down from Rs 29,999 during the Big Billion Days event. The Galaxy F12, which has a 6,000mAh battery, is another Samsung gadget that costs Rs 9,499. The Galaxy F22, which has quad rear cameras and a 6,000mAh battery, is also available. It is now available for Rs 12,499, down from the original price of Rs 14,999.

At the Flipkart Big Billion Days sale, several other smartphones from manufacturers like Oppo, Asus, Infinix, Motorola, Vivo, and others are available at steep discounts.

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Lakhimpur Kheri: Six people were killed as violence erupted here during a farmers' protest over Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya's visit, according to an official. Two SUVs were set on fire by angry farmers, reports said, after they hit a group of protesters.

Four of the dead were travelling in the vehicles and the remaining two were farmers, an UP government official said. Maurya's visit to Banbirpur village was cancelled in view of the violence.

The farmers had assembled there to oppose Maurya's visit to Banbirpur, the native village of Union Minister of State for Home and MP Ajay Kumar Mishra. The violence broke out after two SUVs allegedly ran over a group of anti-farm law protesters, who were demonstrating at the Tikonia-Banbirpur road.

Farmers alleged that the Union minister's son was in one of the vehicles, a charge denied by Mishra.

Mishra told PTI over the phone that three BJP workers and a driver were beaten to death by "some elements" in the protesting farmers after a car in which they were travelling turned turtle following pelting of stones.

Mishra said two farmers died after coming under the car. He said neither his son nor he was present at the site when the incident occurred. He said the incident happened when some BJP workers were going to receive Maurya, who had come to attend an event at Lakhimpur Kheri.

"Two farmers and four passengers of cars stopped by farmers have died. The death count stands at 6," said the official.

"A cavalcade was going, which was shown black flags (by farmers). The cavalcade was moving as per routine. When two to three vehicles of the cavalcade were left, a vehicle of it started turning upside down, and two farmers came under it, and they died," the official added.

"After this, the vehicle which was behind it was damaged. Passengers and the drivers were brought out of the vehicles and they were beaten to death. In all, six persons have died. This consists of two farmers and four people who were beaten to death by farmers," the UP government official said.

Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar has reached the spot and the situation is now under control, he added.

Meanwhile, the incident drew a sharp reaction from the opposition parties and farmer bodies.

In a Hindi tweet, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav sought Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's resignation. "Had a talk with Tejinder Singh Virk ji, a farmer leader who was seriously injured in the incident," said Akhilesh, blaming BJP workers for the incident.

"In view of his critical condition, the government should immediately provide him with the best treatment. There is only one demand, the chief minister should resign," he said. In an another tweet, he said the "trampling of farmers by the son of the Union Minister of State for Home" is an inhuman and cruel act.

"UP will not tolerate the oppression of the BJP. If this situation continues, the BJP people will not be able to move in a vehicle, nor will they be able to de-board it," he said. Akhilesh Yadav is likely to visit Lakhimpur Kheri on Monday.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will visit Lakhimpur Kheri on Monday, UP Congress spokesperson Ashok Singh said. Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Jayant Chaudhary in a Hindi tweet alleged that the cavalcade of the Union minister ran over the protesting farmers.

When the heinous act of suppressing the protest is "hatched" by the minister, who could be safe, he said. The Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) also alleged that the son of the Union minister ran over the protesting farmers.

"Three farmers have died. Tejendra Singh Virk has been injured. Rakesh Tikait is leaving from Ghazipur," the BKU said.

Meanwhile, Tikait in a video message on Twitter said, "Farmers in Lakhimpur were returning after the protest when they were attacked. Some of them were run over, while the fire was also opened on them. According to information we have so far, several people have died in the incident."

The president of the Rashtriya Kisan Manch, Shekhar Dixit, termed the incident "shameful". He demanded that the Union minister tender his resignation immediately. Ajay Mishra and his son must be arrested immediately, he demanded.
New Delhi: Hours after violence broke out in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri on Sunday that left two people dead and several injured, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha condemned the act and demanded a probe by sitting Supreme Court judge, and not by UP administration.

According to media reports, three farmers were killed and over a dozen injured in the attack. Dr Lalit Kumar from District Hospital at Lakhimpur Kheri confirmed to ANI that two persons were brought dead to the hospital. "One Tajinder Singh sustained injuries. He was given first aid but his condition is serious. We're referring him to another hospital," he said.

2 persons were brought dead to hospital. One Tajinder Singh sustained injuries. He was given first aid but his condition is serious. We're referring him to another hospital: Dr Lalit Kumar, District Hospital, Lakhimpur Kheri pic.twitter.com/5DIyvFs4yB  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) October 3, 2021

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha, which is the umbrella body of over 40 farmer unions spearheading the agitation against Centres three farm laws have demanded an imposition of murder case on Union Minister Ajay Mishra Tenis son Ashish Mishra.

Meanwhile, Congress out at the BJP and demanded a judicial probe into the incident and strict action against the guilty. Reacting to the violence, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said those who remain silent even after the incident in Lakhimpur Kheri are already dead and underlined that the sacrifice of farmers will not go in vain.

While, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra announced that she will visit Lakhimpur Kheri tomorrow. On Twitter, she asked if farmers had the right to live in this country. "How much does BJP hate the farmers of the country? Don't they have the right to live? If they raise their voice, they will be shot or crushed under a car. Enough. This is a country of farmers not the fiefdom of BJP's brutal ideology," she said on Twitter. "Farmers agitation will be strengthened further and their voice will be louder," she asked.

Earlier today, a group of anti-farm law protesters were demonstrating against the visit of Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya at Tikonia-Banbirpur road in Lakhimpur Kheri. As per reports, a group of unidentified persons allegedly opened fire at the farmers. Some of the farmers were reportedly even run over by a vehicle.

On the other hand, Bhartiya Kisan Union spokesman Rakesh Tikait said that he will go to Lakhimpur to meet the injured farmers.

There has been a heavy deployment of forces in the area and police from adjoining districts is also being called in to control the situation.

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Chamoli: The Indian Army recovered the bodies of four soldiers from Trishul Base Camp and rescued the missing soldiers from Trishul mountain in Uttarakhand`s Chamoli district. An Army helicopter had landed in Sutol village fields for the rescue operation, said the Chamoli police sources.

State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) also reached the same village for the rescue of Garhwal Scout Soldiers through helicopter, the police sources said.

According to the Chamoli police sources statement, all the bodies were taken from here on Sunday to the Community Health Centre Joshimath.

The post-mortem of the bodies of the four jawans is being done in Joshimath itself, the sources said.

Earlier in the last week of September, a German national, who had gone for trekking on Trishul mountain went missing.

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Kolkata/ Berhampore: West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee has taken a massive lead over her BJP rival Priyanka Tibrewal after the several rounds of counting of votes on Sunday.

According to the State Election Commission, the TMC supreme was leading against her nearest BJP rival Priyanka Tibrewal after ten rounds of counting of votes by over 31,645 votes in the Bhabanipur bypoll. She looks all set to retain the chief ministers post as the outcome of polls so far shows that she has firmly consolidated her lead over her rival.

#WATCH | TMC workers & supporters celebrate outside the residence of West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata as she leads by 28,825 votes in Bhabanipur bypolls after 9th round of counting pic.twitter.com/XlZhaJPB0n  ANI (@ANI) October 3, 2021

Mamata Banerjees party TMC was also leading in Murshidabad's Samserganj and Jangipur where counting of votes for assembly elections is currently underway. Banerjee, the TMC candidate in the Bhabanipur seat in south Kolkata, secured 16,397 votes, as per official data after the fourth round of counting.

Her nearest rival, BJP's Priyanka Tibrewal, has secured 3,962 votes, while Srijib Biswas of the CPI(M) secured 315 votes. Total 21 rounds of counting will be held for the by-poll held in Bhabanipur.

In Samserganj, TMC candidate Amirul Islam was leading by 3,768 votes after the fifth round of counting. He secured 19,751 votes, while his nearest rival Zaidur Rahaman of the Congress received 15,983 votes.

Jangipur's TMC candidate Jakir Hossain was leading by 4,715 votes after the second round of counting. Hossain secured 9,213 votes and his nearest rival, BJP's Sujit Das, got 4,498 votes.

Meanwhile, BJP candidate for Bhabanipur bypoll Priyanka Tibrewal has written to the Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court seeking preventive measures in case there is post-poll violence after final results are declared on Sunday.

In the letter, Priyanka Tibrewal has sought strict orders from the Kolkata Police to take all precautionary measures to prevent any kind of violence post declaration of by-election result.

"I, Priyanka Tibrewal, the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate from the Bhabanipur Assembly constituency is writing to you, requesting you to give a strict order to the Kolkata police forces to take all kinds of precautionary measures so that we do not witness any kind of violence post the by-election results on October 3," the letter read.

Referring to incidents of violence that took place in West Bengal following the declaration of result of state assembly polls in May, Priyanka Tibrewal said, "We have clearly witnessed an unprecedented massacre that took place all over Bengal post-May 2 which has left the entire nation in shock and has given India-- Land of Ahimsa a bad image in the eyes of the world and we are still suffering the aftermath of the heinous crime committed by the miscreants of TMC."

"Taking the ghastly scenario into reference, I, as a candidate for this by-election, humbly request you give a strict order to all the government enforcement departments to take extreme precautionary measures so that no innocent life is lost, no sexual crime is committed, no public is left homeless, no incident of arson is recorded and we live in a peaceful environment come what may be the outcome on October 3," she added.

The bypoll to the Bhabanipur assembly seat and two other constituencies in West Bengal and one in Odisha's Pipli was held on September 30 amid tight security and stringent Covid-19 measures. Mamata Banerjee had lost to BJP`s Suvendu Adhikari in the Nandigram constituency in the assembly elections held earlier this year.

The Bhabanipur assembly seat was vacated by the West Bengal Agriculture Minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay in May, paving the way for Mamata Banerjee to contest the bypoll. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded 41-year-old Priyanka Tibrewal, a lawyer, against the TMC chief.

CPI(M) has fielded Srijib Biswas, who is also a lawyer. Congress did not contest the seat. Trinamool Congress had registered a landslide victory in assembly polls winning 213 of 294 seats in the West Bengal assembly.

The BJP won 77 seats.

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Kolkata/ Berhampore: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has won the Bhabanipur bypoll with a record margin of 58,832 votes against her nearest BJP rival Priyanka Tibrewal after the end of 21 rounds of counting of votes that began early on Sunday.

Banerjee, the TMC candidate in the Bhabanipur assembly seat in south Kolkata, secured 84,709 votes after the 21 rounds of counting, as per the official data. Her nearest rival, BJP's Priyanka Tibrewal, got 26320 votes while Srijib Biswas of the CPI(M) secured 4201 votes.

In her first reaction after her emphatic victory, Mamata Banerjee said, "We have won in each and every ward. I am satisfied because Bhabanipur has shown the way. All eyes were trained on this seat. I have been freshly inspired to work more for the people." She also added, "I will not show V sign. I will show three fingers because I am not contesting alone. My colleagues in Jangipur and Samshergunj are also winning comprehensively."

As per the cumulative Election Commission figures, the TMC is also ahead in Murshidabad's Samserganj and Jangipur constituencies, where votes are being counted for the assembly elections. In Samserganj, TMC candidate Amirul Islam is leading by 3,768 votes after the fifth round of counting. He secured 19,751 votes, while his nearest rival, Zaidur Rahaman of the Congress, got 15,983.

Jangipur's TMC nominee Jakir Hossain is leading by 15,643 votes after the second round of counting. Hossain secured 25,572 votes, and his nearest rival, BJP's Sujit Das, got 9,929.

Voting in these seats was held on September 30. As the reports of Banerjee's massive lead came in, TMC supporters hit streets across the state to celebrate. On the other side, the state offices of the BJP and the CPI (M) wore a deserted look.

#WATCH | West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee greets her supporters outside her residence in Kolkata as she inches closer to victory in Bhabanipur Assembly bypoll pic.twitter.com/S1FlBYTXAG  ANI (@ANI) October 3, 2021

Meanwhile, the Election Commission wrote to the Chief Secretary directing him to prohibit victory celebrations and processions to prevent any incident of post-poll violence.

Tibrewal, on Saturday night, wrote to the Acting Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court Rajesh Bindal, urging him to give orders to the police to take preventive steps to avoid incidents of violence after the declaration of the results.

The bypoll to the Bhabanipur assembly seat and two other constituencies in West Bengal and one in Odisha's Pipli was held on September 30 amid tight security and stringent Covid-19 measures. Mamata Banerjee had lost to BJP`s Suvendu Adhikari in the Nandigram constituency in the assembly elections held earlier this year.

The Bhabanipur assembly seat was vacated by the West Bengal Agriculture Minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay in May, paving the way for Mamata Banerjee to contest the bypoll. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded 41-year-old Priyanka Tibrewal, a lawyer, against the TMC chief.

CPI(M) has fielded Srijib Biswas, who is also a lawyer. Congress did not contest the seat. Trinamool Congress had registered a landslide victory in assembly polls winning 213 of 294 seats in the West Bengal assembly.

The BJP won 77 seats.

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Kolkata: Hitting back West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over her allegation Centre hatching conspiracies against her, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president Sukanta Majumdar on Sunday said the Trinamool Congress chief has a bad habit of finding conspiracy in everything.

In a video message, the BJP chief also levelled allegations against the TMC chief for using her leg injury for political gains. "I congratulate Mamata Banerjee for her victory in Bhabanipur. What she is saying that conspiracy was made against her is wrong. It is her bad habit to find conspiracy in everything. People know all about her injury in the leg and how she used that for political motives," said Majumdar.

"There is an environment of fear. We are grateful to the people that they gave us so many votes even in the fearful environment. This inspires BJP to continue its fight in Bengal," he added.

The outcome of three Assembly by-polls in WB aren't in line with our expectation but we accept it gracefully... Mamata Banerjee may have survived in Bhabanipur for now, but it has never happened that a losing candidate chose to thrust herself as the CM...: BJP West Bengal pic.twitter.com/eANyOL211Z  ANI (@ANI) October 3, 2021

Banerjee, who won the Bhabanipur by-polls with a record margin of over 58,000 votes, after her victory said, "Since the elections started in Bengal, central government hatched conspiracies to remove us (from power). I was hurt in my feet so that I do not contest the polls. I am grateful to the public for voting for us and to ECI for conducting polls within six months."

Bhabanipur gave its verdict for Banerjee as she won a resounding victory in the Assembly by-poll by a record margin of over 58,000 votes against her nearest rival Priyanka Tibrewal of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) thus making Banerjee a member of the state Legislative Assembly and will allow her to continue as Chief Minister of the West Bengal.According to the Election Commission of India, Mamata Banerjee secured 85,263 votes which are around 71.90 per cent of the total votes connected in the bye-elections.

Banerjee`s main competition, BJP candidate Priyanka Tibrewal got 26,428 votes and CPI (M) candidate Srijib Biswas secured 4,226 votes. The win was crucial for Banerjee, as she has to secure a legislative assembly seat by the first week of November and continue as the Chief Minister of West Bengal.

Notably, Mamata Banerjee was defeated by BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari in the Nandigram constituency in the Assembly elections held earlier this year.

Following this, the Bhabanipur Assembly seat was vacated by the West Bengal Agriculture Minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay in May, making way for West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to contest from Bhabanipur seat as a move to continue to hold her post.

BJP fielded 41-year-old Priyanka Tibrewal against the TMC chief.A lawyer by profession, Tibrewal is the vice-president of the West Bengal unit of BJP Yuva Morcha. She is also the petitioner in the Calcutta High Court against the post-poll violence in the state. Notably, the High Court has ordered a CBI probe in violence in West Bengal after the Assembly elections.

The bypolls for the Bhabanipur Assembly constituency took place on September 30.

Trinamool Congress had registered a landslide victory in assembly polls winning 213 of 294 seats in the West Bengal assembly. The BJP won 77 seats.

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Kolkata: Bhabanipur gave its final verdict for Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee as she won a resounding victory in the Assembly bypoll by a record margin of 58,835 votes against her nearest rival Priyanka Tibrewal of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

This victory has made Banerjee a member of the state Legislative Assembly and she can now retain the Chief Ministers post. According to the Election Commission, Mamata Banerjee secured 85,263 votes, while her rival Priyanka Tibrewal secured 26,428 votes.

Meanwhile, Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) also won all three assembly seats which went for bypolls in West Bengal. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had lost to BJP`s Suvendu Adhikari in the Nandigram constituency in the assembly elections held earlier this year.

With Congress now struggling to make a comeback into national politics, many opposition leaders are now looking at Mamata to lead in the anti-BJP fight in the coming days. Mamata Banerjee's impressive victory has further consolidated her position as the main challenger for PM Narendra Modi in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Her victory has made both the BJP and Congress jittery since the two parties now face the risk of more leaders switching sides to Trinamool Congress in the changed political scenario after TMCs bypoll win in all 3 assembly seats. Questions are also being raised as to why no big leaders were fielded by BJP or Congress against Mamata and why was she given a cakewalk when her CMs chair was at stake.

According to sources, a few sitting BJP MPs are also said to be in touch with the TMC after Babul Supriyo joined TMC in middle of the by-polls. BJP now faces a big risk of losing the gains it made in West Bengal in 2019 and 2021.

After her victory, Mamata said that she was " hugely indebted to the people of Bhabanipur" as the TMC supremo won the keenly contested by-election in South Kolkata constituency by a record margin of 58,832 votes. "I thank you all...sisters, brothers, mothers, everyone from India. In 2016, I saw that I got fewer votes in a few wards. 46 per cent of voters are non-Bengali..everyone has voted for me," Mamata Banerjee said. "3,500 central personnel were sent for this election. Bengal was watching it. A lot of conspiracy happened during the election but I thank people," Mamata further said.

People of Bhabanipur gave a befitting reply to the conspiracy that was hatched in Nandigram. I want to once again thank the people of Bhabanipur and West Bengal for todays election result, Mamata Banerjee said.

The Bhabanipur assembly seat was vacated by the West Bengal Agriculture Minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay in May, paving the way for Mamata Banerjee to contest the bypoll.

Born on January 5, 1955, Mamata started her political career as a Youth Congress worker in the 1970s. She quickly rose to the ranks and became the general secretary of Mahila Congress and later All India Youth Congress.

In 1984, she was elected as a member of parliament in the 8th Lok Sabha becoming one of the country`s youngest parliamentarians. She founded the All-India Trinamool Congress in 1997 after a disagreement with Congress.

She worked with three Prime Ministers including PV Narasimha Rao, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Dr Manmohan Singh. She had been a Union Minister in both National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and United Progressive Alliance (UPA) governments and held portfolios like Human Resource Development, Youth Affairs and Sports, Women and Child Development, Coal and Mines and the Railways.

Mamata became the Chief Minister of West Bengal for the first time in 2011 by ending the 34-year-long CPI(M) regime, one of the longest-serving elected governments in the world.

Notably, she was the first woman to become a railway minister in the country. Time Magazine named her among the 100 most influential people in the world in 2012. Hailing from a lower-middle-class family, Mamata worked as a milk booth vendor to battle poverty. Her father passed away due to the lack of treatment when she was just 17.

However, she continued her education and earned a Bachelor`s degree in History, a Master`s degree in Islamic History and degrees in Education and Law from the University of Calcutta.

She also worked as a stenographer and a private tutor before joining full-time politics. She still lives in her ancestral terracotta-tiled roof house at Kolkata`s Harish Chatterjee Street despite being the chief minister. White cotton sarees having mono-coloured borders and slippers are all that define the fashion statement of Mamata.

She is also a self-taught painter, poet and writer. She has authored more than 100 books. With Congress now struggling to make a comeback into national politics, many opposition leaders are now looking at Mamata to lead in the anti-BJP fight in the coming days.

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New York: Former President Donald Trump has asked a federal judge in Florida to force Twitter to restore his account, which the company suspended in January following the deadly storming of the US Capitol.

Trump's attorneys on Friday filed a motion in U.S. District Court in Miami seeking a preliminary injunction against Twitter and its CEO, Jack Dorsey. They argue that Twitter is censoring Trump in violation of his First Amendment rights, according to the motion.

Twitter declined to comment Saturday on Trump's filing.

The company permanently banned Trump from its platform days after his followers violently stormed the Capitol building to try to block Congress from certifying Joe Biden's presidential win. Twitter cited concerns that Trump would incite further violence.

Prior to the ban, Trump had roughly 89 million followers on Twitter.

Trump was also suspended from Facebook and Google's YouTube over similar concerns that he would provoke violence. Facebook's ban will last two years, until January 7, 2023, after which the company will review his suspension. YouTube's ban is indefinite.

In July, Trump filed lawsuits in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida against all three tech companies and their CEOs, claiming that he and other conservatives have been wrongfully censored. The motion for a preliminary injunction was filed as part of Trump's case against Twitter.
Islamabad: At least five Pakistani soldiers were killed as terrorists attacked their vehicles in the North Waziristan district near the Afghanistan border on Saturday (October 2), a media report said.

Pakistan`s media affairs wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement that four Frontier Corps personnel and an Inspector of the Levies force were killed in the attack, according to Samaa TV.

The incident took place in North Waziristan`s Spin Wam area. A search operation has been launched by the officials and the area was cordoned off.

Earlier on September 30, a Pakistan Army captain was killed during an intelligence-based operation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa`s (KP) Tank district. There has been an uptick in attacks on Pakistani forces in recent months.

Attacks on security forces have increased in some areas of North and South Waziristan tribal districts since the Taliban intensified offensive against the government forces across the border in Afghanistan.

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Seoul: North Korea said on Sunday the United Nations Security Council applied double standards over military activities among U.N. member states, state media KCNA said, amid international criticism over its recent missile tests.

The Council met behind closed doors on Friday upon requests from the United States and other countries over the North`s missile launches.

The meeting came a day after Pyongyang fired a newly developed anti-aircraft missile, the latest in a recent series of weapons tests including the launches of a previously unseen hypersonic missile, ballistic missiles and a cruise missile with potential nuclear capabilities.

Jo Chol Su, director of the North Korean foreign ministry`s Department of International Organisations, said the Security Council meeting means an "open ignorance of and wanton encroachment" on its sovereignty and "serious intolerable provocation."

Jo accused the Council of double standards as it remains silent about U.S. joint military exercises and weapons tests with allies, while taking issue with the North`s "self-defensive" activities.

"This is a denial of impartiality, objectivity and equilibrium, lifelines of the U.N. activities, and an evident manifestation of double-dealing standard," Jo said in a statement carried by the official KCNA news agency.

Jo warned the council could face consequences if it continues to breach the North`s sovereignty "with the double-dealing stick" and rely on "the U.S.-style brigandish way of thinking and judgment."

Pyongyang has said in recent weeks that its weapons tests are aimed at boosting its defence capabilities just as other countries do, accusing Washington and Seoul of "double standards" and "hostile policy" toward it.

The tests underscored how the reclusive state has been constantly developing increasingly sophisticated weapons, raising the stakes for stalled talks aimed at dismantling its nuclear and missile programmes in return for U.S. sanctions relief.

The United States has criticised the launches as "destabilising" and posing regional threats, but said it has no hostile intent toward North Korea, urging it to accept offers to resume negotiations.

White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said on Friday that Washington remained ready to discuss a "full range of issues."

"We`ve made specific proposals for discussions with the North Koreans, but have not received a response to date," she told reporters.

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